Foothills Sentry - June 2022

Foothills Sentry Page 2 June 2022 Protecting your family, home and business from burglary, fire and medical emergencies. 714 282 0828 | jadtec.com aco# 4202 jadtec.com $ 15 95 /mo SECURITY JADTEC Cemetery opponents remain vigilant Neighbors of the proposed cemetery, slated for a former landfill near the Orange Dog Park, have been keeping watch and calling everyone they can think of when the potentially hazardous ground is disturbed. The abandoned landfill site, located off of Yorba Street, was once home to a YMCA that burned down in 2021. The rubble was not removed, and neighbors reported scavengers digging through it, looking for material that could be salvaged and sold. The charred remains, according to residents, contain asbestos, which becomes airborne when jostled. Within the last few months, the site became a dumping ground for paint cans, furniture and un- wanted appliances. “We kept calling the city,” neighbor Sharon Galasso said, “and, finally, a no trespassing sign was posted.” The debris was recently re- moved, but the work started without a permit, without follow- ing any precautions and without a manifest declaring where the waste is being taken. “The mate- rial was not being covered or wa- tered down before being moved, and there was dust in the air,” Galasso reports. “We called the Air Quality Management Dis- trict. The agency came out to the site and stopped them. They eventually got a permit, but it is not clear where the contaminants ended up.” Residents have also kept in touch with the OC Solid Waste Local Enforcement Agency (LEA). The LEA is mandated to ensure that any use of a former landfill protects public health and safety, prevents public con- tact with waste, landfill gas and leachate and prevents landfill gas explosions. The agency notified the property owner in November 2021 that the proposed cemetery was not approved. LEA reiterated its denial to the owner in an April 17 letter. Not- ing that the nature of solid waste disposal sites is to settle over time due to compaction, gas migration, and leachate, LEA expressed concerns that the proposed 4-by- 8-by-4 foot concrete frames covering some 3,600 gravesites would exacerbate the settlement process. The added weight could also impact drainage and erosion control, water runoff, infiltration and methane gas generation. Cemetery opponents continue to attend city meetings to remind decision makers that the land is zoned as open space/recreation, and that a house in their neighborhood built closest to the landfill had to be demolished due to methane gas. The project has not yet been reviewed by the Orange Planning Commission or city council. Orange Paseo concepts introduced for public review The public was invited to provide input on the goals and appearance of a proposed outdoor dining Paseo on Glassell Street at a workshop, May 16. The original Paseo, wherein two blocks of Glassell on either side of the Orange Plaza were closed to vehicle traffic to allow for outdoor dining, was created to boost restaurant business during the pandemic. It was successful at that time, and the City of Orange is considering reopening it either permanently or seasonally. An Environmental Impact Report is currently underway, and a design firm was hired to conceptualize the features, landscaping and furnishings of the Paseo, in the event that it is ultimately approved. “The city is studying the area in a more formal way,” Senior City Planner Anna Pehoushek told the audience of about 80 people. “We’re looking at a seasonal Paseo that would be open in the summer and end with the Street Fair. This meeting is not to debate whether the Paseo is a good or bad thing, just what it would look like, and how it could serve the character of the community.” City staff and the Arroyo Group design team held meetings with Old Towne restaurants, mer- chants, the Old Towne Preserva- tion Association and residents. The imaging presented at the workshop was “shaped by that feedback.” Workshop attendees were asked to review the goals, streetscapes, color palettes, and architectural elements displayed on easels, and comment on them with sticky notes and green stickers signaling approval. The reviews were mixed, ranging from those who loved the Paseo and wanted it to be permanent, to those who hated it in any configuration. Reviewers tended to agree that it should follow a traditional, rather than contemporary, direction; that it should provide activities beyond outdoor dining; and that it should include a business zone and common areas for public use. There were also questions about the status of the EIR, traffic impacts, parking options and the implications for surrounding residential neighborhoods. Those questions will, apparently, be answered later. A third option for Glassell was turning street parking spaces into “parklets” for outdoor dining. That scenario would allow Glassell to remain open to through traffic. It is, Pahoushek said, “off the table for now.” Conceptual drawing of the proposed Paseo that would encompass two blocks of Glassell Street on either side of the Orange Plaza Congrats, Grads! All OUSD graduation events will be held at Fred Kelly Stadium: Richland and Parkside High, 4 p.m., June 8; Orange High, 7 p.m., June 8; El Modena, 1 p.m., June 9; Canyon, 4 p.m., June 9; and Villa Park, 7 p.m., June 9. Class of 2022 TUSD graduates matriculated in May: Tustin High on the 24th; Foothill High on the 26th.