The Cupertino Courier

Letters & Opinions

Speak Out

Cement plant was
there before homes

I am always amazed at the people who complain about the Hanson Cement Plant (formerly Kaiser Cement). What were people thinking when they bought a home near a mine? The usual complaint was the noise, the dust or the trucks. If that is not enough, representatives of a preschool want to know the effects of diesel fumes on young children. If they are so concerned, why did they place a preschool near a mine? The plant has been there since the 1940s, long before any houses or a preschool. I don't know who is more to blame, the city council, county supervisors who approved the zoning, or the home buyer. Ultimately, it is the buyer's responsibility to be informed.

I hope Hanson is allowed to expand its facility so that it can continue producing cement. Keep in mind that the foundations your homes are built on use cement, the roads, the building you work in all use cement. U.S. cement producers have made enormous strides in making their plants more energy efficient and have added facilities to reduce dust and particulates. Is it perfect? No, but the cement industry recognizes its environmental responsibilities, and as technology improves so will the industry. If the plant closes in the next few years, the 1.6 million tons of cement will be replaced with cement from Mexico and China. These countries do not have stellar records for energy efficiency or environmental sensitivity. Does it make sense to increase the cost of construction by reducing availability or allowing high polluting countries to make our cement?

Ah, but the cement plant will not be in my back yard. Let's forget the fact that the cement plant was there before your yard.

Mark Fantozzi

Cupertino

Proper maintenance
does conserve water

I was surprised to see the front-page article "Cupertino officials scale back irrigation schedules" in the July 11 Courier. The article seemed to suggest that the city of Cupertino is being proactive in conserving water. Even with all the warnings about low water supply this summer, they waited until receiving an official request before conserving.

I live near Wilson Park where I have watched the park's watering system deteriorating for more than six months. Water gushes from the ground in one area near the entrance, with the water flowing down the paved walkway to the street drain. Another area has a geyser where a sprinkler head has broken. Water shoots out 10 feet high and has been doing so for some time. Walking the park, you can easily spot areas of flooding and areas dry from lack of water. For the longest time, I thought the city would take care of the problems, but with no repair work in sight, my wife submitted a report online and called the city department responsible. The person she talked with seemed in a hurry to get her off the phone. She kept having to say-- but wait, there's more. Not seeing repairs, I delivered a letter. That appears to have caused some action. However, there has been no work on the most egregious problems we identified.

It's great to hear that they are cutting back the irrigation schedule--less water down the drain. Imagine the water savings possible if they had been conserving water all along through proper maintenance.

Tony Holland

Cold Harbor Avenue

Hanson Cement can't
be allowed to expand

Hanson Cement has been listed as one of the major point sources of air pollution in Santa Clara County by Scorecard, the pollution information website. It is the biggest source of 5 out of 6 criteria air pollutants. These are carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and sulfur dioxide. These compounds have been well documented to be significant causes of human morbidity and mortality. Their deleterious effects on the atmosphere are also very well documented.

Unfortunately, Santa Clara County is already suffering from poor air quality, matching the air quality of some of the dirtiest counties in the entire country. The American Lung Association in its latest report card has given the county an F grade with regard to particulate air pollution. So what this means for us is that Hanson Cement is polluting air that is already classified by Scorecard and the American Lung Association as among the dirtiest in the nation. This being the case, how can Hanson Cement be possibly allowed to triple the size of their operations?

Hanson Cement is located close to a densely populated urban area, and the deleterious impact of their operations is not limited to the foothills of Cupertino but the entire county. These effects are not as simple as the inconvenience of having to wash your car or your driveway frequently due to dust but long-term health ill effects. Can the operators of Hanson Cement provide us with clear quantitative information of how this expansion would affect all of the above air-quality criteria? Can they provide clear plans for mitigating the adverse effects of their operations? Can they provide us data as to how many trucks use Stevens Creek/Foothill roads to get to the freeway today and what would this number be if they receive approval for their expansion plans?

I strongly encourage all fellow citizens of Cupertino and Santa Clara County to attend the public meeting at Cupertino Community Hall, 4-6 p.m. on July 26. If you cannot attend the meeting, then be sure to voice your opinion by writing to the county planning division and to elected officials. The time to act is now because once an agreement is in place, it will be extremely difficult to get any changes made.

Lola Kashyap

Cupertino

Sports programs help
make Cupertino great

Thanks for the coverage of the Little League play-offs and Tournament of Champions. It is great for the kids to see their names in the paper, and the Courier is where that can happen--in the local community paper.

This is what I am looking for when I pick up the Courier, news about my neighborhood, and what is going on here in Cupertino. It would have been nice if there was actually a kid from Cupertino in the picture (Cupertino American Little League is actually all San Jose addresses-- the borders are De Anza Boulevard, Bollinger Road, and Sunnyvale Metro's border is Homestead Road) but we were thrilled to see the names of our friends and neighbors listed.

Little League and AYSO and all the other community sports programs are what makes Cupertino such a great city to live in, where the programs are all volunteer and it is the great parents and families dedicated to making a great program, and a great community.

Ione Yuen

Cupertino