POOR LEADERSHIP-GROWTH AT ANY COST

By David W Grill

The Lompoc City Council has shown poor leadership in its city planning and in its selection of planning commission members. The current "GROWTH AT ANY COST" trend must stop.

1. Building and proposing to build housing up the south slope of the Lompoc Valley where where some areas are believed to be unstable. Some mud slides have occurred in the past, and the steeper the slope, the greater the risk.

2. Proposing to build housing in Miguelito Canyon where the fire risk is great and the only escape route is entirely inadequate.

3. Building housing on farm fields at Bailey Road and North Avenue.

4. Planning to build an apartment building next to the sewage treatment plant.

5. Building Purisima Highlands, Lane's End, The Bluffs, and Providence Landing housing tracts totaling about 500 houses, counting the value of open space and wildlife habitat as nothing.

6. Planning on 2000 new houses on Harris Grade Road, knowing that the traffic snarl at the Wye will be a nightmare.

7. Forced the acceptance of boarding house in residential neighborhoods contrary to current zoning.

8.Planning on condominiums at the east Ocean Avenue gateway in spite of eroding slopes, inadequate parking, and inadequate street width for fire trucks.

But wait, there's more! To facilitate this unlimited population growth, many infrastructure projects must be added to the ever growing city.

1. The water department is drilling new wells and upgrading its capacity and process.

2. The sewage department intends to build an entire new plant.

3. A proposal is being considered to provide more electricity by building sixty or more wind turbines (each one 500 feet high.) right on top of the Santa Ynez mountain crestline near Tranquillon Peak.

4. The city council and planning commission are pushing for a new bridge from Central Avenue and A Street across the river to connect to Highway 246. (I call this the Bridge To Nowhere.)

5. The new sprawling housing tracts will stretch the territory of the already undermanned police and fire departments. A new fire station has already been requested. The Lompoc Police Department complains of building space shortage now, before the changes to come.

This list does not consider the extention of the electrical grid, or the increased wear on our roads, and so many other consequences of unlimited population growth. The thought of paying for all of this cost by our poor little town is simply scarey. UNLIMITED POPULATION GROWTH IS POOR LEADERSHIP!