Park users fuming over plans for asphalt plant

<p>As bird watchers at Shollenberger Park peered through scopes at egrets and herons nesting near the bank of the Petaluma River, David Keller cast his gaze a few yards downstream to where he says an environmental nightmare could someday unfold.</p><!-- Nothing to do. The paragraph has already been output --><p>About 150 feet across the narrow river from the park, San Rafael-based Dutra Materials is planning to build an asphalt production plant capable of running day and night and churning out 650,000 tons of road construction material a year.</p><p>Keller said fumes from the smoldering asphalt and noise from hundreds of daily truck trips will ruin the park for more than 150,000 visitors each year. It also will force out migratory birds in one of the most pristine marshlands in the Bay Area, he said.</p><p>He and other critics are urging the county Board of Supervisors on Feb. 3 to require the developer to enclose the entire plant, sealing in smells and noise. Short of that, the project should be moved to another location or rejected altogether, Keller said.</p><p>"Right now, you've got clean air and a place where many people come to relax," said Keller, founder of the Petaluma River Council and a former city councilman. "If the plant goes up, that will all dramatically change. The prevailing winds will send clouds of blue smoke right overhead."</p><p>But Dutra officials say they've addressed all the concerns for a plant that will use environment-friendly barges and put material closer to Sonoma County roads, which are ranked among the worst in the Bay Area.</p><p>Spokeswoman Aimi Dutra said trucks being loaded with hot asphalt will enter a sealed tunnel that sucks up and filters the fumes. Conveyor belts will be enclosed, she said, and river barges will be used to limit trips by diesel trucks, she said.</p><p>She said misinformation has been circulated about hours of operation. The plant will have normal hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and rarely be open at night, she said. But plants like Dutra's need to be permitted to operate 24/7 to allow for large community projects and emergencies, she said.</p><p>"Dutra is sensitive to the concerns of the community, especially the Shollenberger Park frequenters," she said in an e-mail. "What park users need to understand is they will not be able to smell plant operations, and noise will be minimized."</p><p>Differences between the two sides illustrate the tension between developers and residents over what should be allowed along the river, which has traditionally been home to industry but is seeing more commercial and residential uses.</p><p>What was once a busy wharf area near downtown Petaluma has been transformed in recent years to trendy restaurants and shops. Condominiums have cropped up where warehouses once stood.</p><p>The 165-acre park was created from dredge spoils about 10 years ago. It features a two-mile walking trail that skirts the eastern edge of the river.</p><p>At the same time, city officials say they want to maintain river industry, which is vital to the economy.</p><p>The Dutra project, planned for the western bank between a gravel operation and a row of ramshackle houses, was approved in October by the county Planning Commission with a number of modifications.</p><p>Among the changes are limits on when material can be loaded from barges and changes to conveyor belt systems to avoid harm to birds, said Steve Padovan of the county's Permit and Resource Management Department.</p><p>Environmental studies show the plant will affect things such as air quality and noise levels, but the impacts are not great enough to stop the project, Padovan said.</p><p>"Some emissions obviously do escape the plant," Padovan said. "Whether they are enough to harm people in the park, air quality management officials say no."</p><p>Whether the plant can be enclosed remains to be seen. It could be too expensive and might be an eyesore, officials said.</p><p>Moving the plant is probably not an option, Dutra said.</p><p>"The community needs roads as well as parks to thrive, and this project allows the community to keep their resources local and minimize impacts," Dutra said in an e-mail.</p><p>Supervisor Mike Kerns, whose district includes Petaluma, said additional minor changes could be required, such as enclosing a materials burner, but the current proposal "isn't as bad as some people might want to think."</p><p>"It's consistent with the historical uses in that area," Kerns said.</p><p>Meanwhile, opponents have launched a signature drive to show how unpopular the proposal is. The Petaluma City Council is expected to weigh in Monday with a letter expressing concern.</p><p>Bulletin boards at the 165-acre park frequented by bird watchers, joggers and dog walkers urge people to take action.</p><p>"I think it's going to be very disruptive at a minimum to how pretty it is out here," said Petaluma resident Nancy Kull, who was walking the two-mile-perimeter trail. "That's totally unacceptable."</p><p>You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 762-7297 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com.</p>