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Readers Write: Too close

Jeanie Blount
Truckee

The Tahoe Truckee Sanitation Agency Board of Directors at their July 9 meeting unanimously approved the extension of the Legacy Trail through their property. I’d like to applaud them for their community=minded thinking and allowing the public a close view of their state-of-the-art sewage treatment facility. The trail will be just 250 feet from their fenceline facing the Truckee River.

At that same meeting the board denied 3-2 the school district from remodeling its current transportation facility on Joerger Drive to include the maintenance and food service departments. This remodel would include a much-needed covered bus parking garage. The proposed school district project would allow a more efficient operation of district support departments, saving money and fuel by housing interrelated departments together.

The resounding reason for the denial was that the transportation facility, where it stands on 25 acres of leased TTSA property 1.4 miles up wind from TTSA, was already encroaching the safety zone of the treatment plant. That zone was created when TTSA laid out the original footprint of the plant 36 years ago to protect the public from the dangers of sewage treatment. Various toxic chemicals are used in the process including chlorine gas and hydrochloric acid. There was also a concern about the number of employees and their cars traveling to and from the bus yard as well as delivery trucks for food service.



What about all the trucks traveling to and from the Teichert aggregate plant? During summer months this can include half a dozen trucks a minute. What about the hundreds of people that will be using the new trail on any given summer day?

I find the decision to deny the school district from trying to run a more efficient operation, and save taxpayer dollars, then turn around and allow the Legacy Trail to run along their boarders to be hypocritical. I guess the walkers and joggers with their baby strollers and bicyclist with kiddie trailers aren’t in danger from sewage while running along the boarder of the treatment plant, yet the school district transportation facility is too close for TTSA’s comfort.


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