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| Submitted comments will appear below after staff approval. | |
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| Zachariah Kaiser | 12/1/2008 12:01:42 AM |
| As a property owner I understand Eklutna's desire to use their property as they see fit. However, using this land as a large scale gravel extraction project will be devastating to the surrounding residential community. I am asking you on behalf of my community and the many people in it that are unable to clearly articulate their feelings and desire for you to not approve this. This project will take place less than a football field from people's doorsteps. Our community has many times tried to talk with Dowl and Eklutna Inc where many questions were left unanswered or vague at best. It has been stated that all extraction would be done by rail. However, during a community meeting it was stated that at some point trucking out gravel would be required. This contradicts what they have been voicing as their plan of action. This raises the question of how will this operation be held accountable to using rail only? How do they plan on removing the 139acres of trees and other vegetation? The project planners have only considered "Tier 1 and tier 2 homes" to be affected. These are properties on or one lot from the project site. This is an unreasonable assumption. This project will have much farther reaching affect to the homes in the area. Some of our major concerns include the fallowing. 1. Noise pollution- This is a quiet community. We do have a shooting range and airport but neither of these produces continuous noise and the majority to none of their facility border homes. This operation has planned to run their operation 6 days a week from 7am to 11pm. This is outside of the city noise ordinance. As this is a residential area we will no longer be able to enjoy a quiet peaceful evenings and Saturdays or time outside with our family and friends. This will also make for very noisy nights when trying to go to sleep and sleep. I ask that this not be allowed and that they are expected to operate m-f and only 8-10 hours a day and within the cities noise ordinance. 2. Air Quality- Anchorage has been trying to get better air quality and this project will be detrimental to our local part of anchorage. With gravel extraction will come a large amount of dust. Not only during the act of extraction but as the wind blows over the land. This in fact will affect more than the tier 1 and 2 homes. What studies have been done on how gravel pits in residential areas affect the respiratory health of high risk population especially children and elderly (much of our community). What pollutants will be released into the air via the significant increase of dust? What will the exact use of the land be when gravel extraction is finished. Will this include lots of machinery emitting air pollutants? 3. Water quality and level- This community’s only source of water is wells. Many of the wells were lucky to get water and have a very low flow rate. With the extremely large amount of water that will be used out of the water aquifers to spray down the loads this is likely to adverse affect many homes. Dowl state that they would send people to test water. We were told they would be back to us in a week. No contact from them was made it has now been 3 weeks. When attempted to call for an idea when they would be coming there was no return call. If they do not test prior to you deciding on a conditional use zoning what forces them to test? 4. Accountability- As stated above concerning trucks. How will this operation be held accountable to their plan? Who will be checking them? What is stopping them from using trucks when the rails are closed or delayed? In the Alaska Star they reported that this would be an estimated 800 trips a day. That is 1,600 time a day the trucks would drive our street. How often is the water going to be tested for pollution? Is the air going to be tested for quality prior to starting operation and later? 5. Property Value- This project will most definitely decrease the property and community value of the area. I validate the argument that there is a shooting range and airport in the area. These do produce noise but not the amount of a gravel extraction project or the environmental pollution. The Airport and shooting range are also public use areas that give the people a place to go and participate in an activity. A gravel pit does not come with such benefits. I once again would ask that you not approve the land to be used as a gravel extraction site. Some of the reasons include that our only source of water is well and they plan on tapping into this source and using 1,000's of gallons a day. What are we to do when the water is reduced, eliminated or contaminated? The noise, air and light pollution will forever give our home an industrial feel and reduce the peacefulness of coming home. There are also to many question and concerns that have been left unanswered and unplanned for at this time. Most of all please keep in mind that this is not just a small project that is out of the way and will be over soon this project is less than a football field away from doorsteps and is expected to last at least 5 years going 6 days a week for 15hours a day. As planned it equates to 1,560 days and 23,400 hours of our lives spent living next to a gravel pit. And it will not end there. Allowing them to make a gravel pit then opens the lot to an open ended use as a heavy industrial park according to the Zoning Districts is defined as "I-2 -- heavy industrial district The I-2 district is intended for heavy manufacturing, storage, major shipping terminals and other related uses. Also permitted are uses generally permitted in commercial districts." Please do not open the door or allow for my home and community to forever be decimated by a gavel extraction operation and then a heavy industrial park. | |
| Mary Pederson | 11/30/2008 11:59:00 AM |
| We live on Davidson Drive and are opposed to the conditional use permit request for gravel extraction by Eklutna. The noise would be relentless 6 days a week - 16 hours a day is too much for this area. Also the gravel trucks would pose a risk for young children in the area as we have no bike paths along the Birchwood Loop and Birchwood Spur roads. Please deny this request. Mary Pederson | |
| karen perry | 9/25/2008 2:33:07 PM |
| we have great safety concerns about MORE gravel trucks hauling up and down North Birchwood Loop. These trucks ROAR by (beyond the speed limit in many cases) and are a dangerous threat to children getting on and off school buses, bike riders, pedestrians,etc as the road is very narrow with very little shoulders and NO bike paths. Maybe the gravel could be hauled out by freight trains since AKK RR is right there. | |