Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Letters

Demand impact report for Kaiser's tire-burn proposal

We are hearing that the Kaiser Cement Company in Cupertino wants to burn more than 2 million tires a year as fuel for making cement, and also that a 90-day study shows this would cause significant increases in toxins that are already present, as well as release new emissions that are known to cause cancer.

We are further hearing that children in the Cupertino area already have a high incidence of respiratory problems.

Because of these factors, we are opposed to the tire-burning proposed by Kaiser. We urge you to contact the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and demand that an environmental impact report be prepared before the tire-burning decision is considered.

Glenn O. Martison
Sunnyvale

Although Kaiser Cement did burn tires for a 120-day test period, the company has not yet formally applied for a permit from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Opponents claim Los Gatos would be affected on windy days.--Editor

Golf course would be environmentally correct at Lexington

It is my understanding that the fire marshal and PG&E have previously requested that the Los Gatos Country Club trim and cut down diseased trees or those dead and falling over to prevent fire and maintain safety in the Lexington area, which is so close to downtown Los Gatos.

Even though I pride myself on being an environmentally aware kind of guy with no intention of swinging a golf club, I can now stand behind the LGCC project. It was only after critical evaluation of the plans and details that I became a supporter, recently helping to put up information about the history of the site and background of the project on the internet at this address: http://www.wwwebport.com/biz/lgcchome.html.

I was most impressed by the maintenance of the wide riparian corridors around the existing three free-flowing creeks and that the course design follows the gentle rolling hillside, with only trees on the perimeter. The property looks like a golf course even before any changes have been made.

It is my understanding that this design requires less trees cut than most courses, with replanting at a ratio of 3-to-1 for nonnative and 5-to-1 for native trees.

No clear-cutting is included in the design. Therefore, it's a "best of both worlds" situation: protecting the existing environment and providing recreation for all ages. A golf course is "open space" by definition.

To further grasp the implications, we must look deeper into the plans. There are many golf courses worldwide committed to meet strict ecological standards. Los Gatos Country Club is one of those courses.

No chemicals or pesticides will be used. Our "Lexington area will indeed be safe with such a well thought-out plan," says Martin Petrovich, Ph.D., Cornell University, who studies golf course ecology worldwide.

LGCC has waited seven years until completion of the Bear Creek overpass to ensure safety for all. Even the staff for the County of Santa Clara upon reviewing the EIR suggested LGCC as a viable alternative for this site since it is already zoned for a golf course.

Let's remember that there are always two sides to every story!

Jai Hudes
Friends of Los Gatos Country Club
jai@wwwebport.com

Pete Denevi confirms that he plans to resubmit plans to develop a golf course and county club on land in the Lexington Basin area. An earlier proposal was turned down more than a year ago by the county Planning Commission.--Editor