Sunol site will not be used for compost
Residents sway county supervisors to reject plan
by Brian Foley, Staff Writer
Fremont Argus, June 17, 2006

SUNOL — Residents won a battle Thursday after county supervisors voted 4-0 against a proposed compost facility, stating it is not consistent with the county's general plan.

The vote was a setback for the Alameda County Waste Management Authority, which is working to seek approval from its own board on whether to place an open-air facility on Andrade Road. The facility would process as much as 600 tons of food and yard waste a day.

Supervisors said the plan would violate Measure D, which established an "urban growth boundary" and designated the Sunol site as a watershed. Supervisor Keith Carson was absent Thursday.

The authority has maintained that a compost facility is needed to meet a voter-approved mandate to reduce waste by 75 percent by 2010.

The compost plan has drawn considerable fire from residents who fear such a facility would pollute the air with a foul stench in the scenic valley.

Karen Smith, the authority's executive director, declined to comment on the vote but added that she will "seek direction" from the authority's board on what to do next. The board will convene June 28.

Authority board members have been split about the plan. Last month, the board granted the authority a continuance because the facility did not have the backing of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. At that hearing, a vote to defeat the plan failed 11-9.

The continuance put the plan's vote on hold until September. Thursday's vote among the supervisors was expected to send a message to the authority.

"Somebody should read the tea leaves on this and know that they don't have a project," said Supervisor Scott Haggerty, who represents a portion of Sunol. "I'm not opposed to having a compost facility (in my district), but not near people's homes."

The proposed site is located off Interstate 680, within two miles of Sunol Glen School and Main Street. Supervisor Gail Steele represents the other portion of Sunol.

"(The authority) can anticipate that if they go ahead with it, this is still going to come back to us," she said. "Why would they want to do that? I don't know why they are so determined."

Sunol resident Brooks Loeffler, who lives within one mile of the proposed site, said the authority chose to ignore the county's general plan in a bid to lobby for its approval.

"They were aware of that at least a year and a half ago, and they chose to believe other than that," he said. "It's an effective vote but it doesn't kill it. But it's a major nail in the coffin."