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Westwood
May 10, 2005

Planning Commission convenes in Westwood for public hearing on Dyer Mountain EIR

by Susan Cort Johnson
Westwood Editor

One-by-one residents of Westwood and the surrounding area who wanted to verbally comment on the draft Dyer Mountain Environmental Impact Report made their way up to a podium during a public hearing before the Lassen County Planning Commission, Wednesday, May 4. neomeds.net

Before the comment period Robert Sorvaag, Lassen County community development director, stated the purpose of the hearing.

"What we encourage you to do tonight, and we hope you will do during the 45-day public review period, is to help the county identify any areas of the EIR to be improved upon. Basically, we are soliciting the comments from the public to assist the county in making sure that the final document will be adequate for consideration for the project going forward," he said.

Although there was standing room only at the Westwood Community Center, where the commissioners convened the hearing, the majority of the audience did not choose to comment on the EIR during the hearing. Several said 45 days was not enough time to read the document and asked the county to extend the public review period.

Comments can be submitted in writing to the Department of Community Development and Sorvaag asked those making verbal comments to also submit their concerns in writing.

The people who came to the podium covered a variety of issues. Water was of concern to many including those who lived on the East Shore of Lake Almanor. One resident wanted to know if the wells drilled to supply water to the mountain resort would draw down the water table. He said this might impact the people living on the west side of Dyer Mountain who depend on individual household wells for drinking water.

An employee of the Plumas County Environmental Health Department recommended Lassen County monitor the tributaries coming out of the Dyer Mountain area, especially Hamilton Branch, so county officials could identify any problems with the water table early on and correct them.

Others had concerns about excessive light from the development ruining the night sky or noise from snowmaking machines keeping Westwood residents awake at night. Inadequate wastewater treatment and air quality were other issues.

Before the hearing began Wayne Shijo, a project manager at KD Anderson Transportation Engineers, in Loomis, said there would be three types of air pollutants of common concern. They were airborne particulates such as dust and soot, carbon monoxide and ozone or smog. Shijo, who worked with North Fork Associates, of Auburn, on the preparation of the EIR, provided insight on the significant and unavoidable impact of the project concerning traffic and air quality in the area.

During the hearing there were frequent comments on traffic congestion. One resident from the Lake Almanor area said he had been to many meetings on development in the past year and while each project was individually analyzed for its impact on traffic it seemed no one was reviewing the cumulative impact of the projects.

Si Bollinger, speaking on behalf of the Lassen County Sheriffs Office, said the resort needed to have an area from which law enforcement could respond to crime. Also, with the possibility of as many as 9,000 skiers coming to the area during the day and more than 4,000 residences being built, Bollinger said law enforcement within the county would need to be increased.

On the Planning Commission agenda the Dyer Mountain project was described as: "A 13-lot subdivision to facilitate the long-term development of a four-season resort, including recreational facilities (primarily golf and skiing), approximately 4,104 residential units (a mix of single family, multi-family, and lodging), approximately 333,800 square feet of commercial/retail and support facilities on approximately 7,000 acres."

Many locals who fish and hunt around Walker Lake and enjoy access to Deerheart and Homer lakes addressed recreation. They wanted assurance that the development project would not prevent them from accessing these recreational areas.

Others expressed concern for wildlife and adequate protection of cultural resources.

At the beginning of the meeting Cathy Spence-Wells, a principal at North Fork Associates, said during an overview of the EIR a cultural resource survey had recorded 78 cultural sites on the property. Under the current proposed development plan 46 sites would be avoided but 32 sites could be affected because they are either within or partially within the development footprints or adjacent to them.

Kathy Brown from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the proposed mitigation to protect the habitat of the bald eagle was not adequate. While many at the hearing commented on areas they thought needed to be more closely scrutinized others praised Dyer Mountain Associates for their efforts to create an environmentally sound resort. Also, several said the project would give the county the economic boost it needed.

An administrator from Banner Lassen Medical Center in Susanville said for future growth and development Lassen County is highly dependent on tourism and recreation and the Dyer Mountain Resort seemed to be the best way to promote these two assets.

A local businessman said the economy was fragile and very seasonal and Dyer Mountain Resort would help create winter employment opportunities as well as jobs for the youth of the community.

However, one resident said she questioned the quality of the jobs and would like to know what percentage were seasonal and how many would provide enough income for a person to afford to buy a home in the community.

During the time allotted for the overview of the EIR, Spence-Wells recommended everyone read the introduction chapter because it is an important guide to understanding the structure of the document and it provides the project objectives proposed by the applicant.

Also described in the introduction is the mitigation implementation program that will help ensure the mitigation measures in the EIR are implemented. Spence-Wells said the final Dyer Mountain Resort EIR would include all the comments received, the responses to the comments and any changes to the draft EIR as a result of the comments.

Jerry Armosino, a marketing consultant for Dyer Mountain Resort, said in a telephone interview the county could answer many of the questions people raised by utilizing the information from the studies made in preparation of the EIR.

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