TVUSD Raises Red Flag On Liberty Quarry Project

The Temecula Valley Unified School District has drafted a letter to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors expressing its concern over the proposed Liberty Quarry project that's slated for local hillsides.

The letter dated Oct. 2 (see attached) will be considered during Tuesday night’s regularly scheduled TVUSD governing board meeting. School district staff is recommending that board members approved the letter signed by Robert Brown, president of the TVUSD board. The public is invited to weigh in on the discussion.

The letter, addressed to all five supervisors, states the district is concerned the proposed mining operation has the potential to negatively impact TVUSD students. Namely, the letter points to concerns over air quality outlined in the Environmental Impact Report for the quarry that’s being proposed by Watsonville, Calif.-based Granite Construction.

The letter also states the district is concerned that ground level dust studies were not conducted on the fields or playgrounds of TVUSD campuses located downwind from the proposed quarry.

The school district joins the City of Temecula, the Pechanga Band of Indians, and San Diego State in denouncing the project.

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors voted down that proposed 414-acre mining operation at Rainbow Canyon Road and Interstate 15 in February. However, three months later, the swing voter against the project, Supervisor John Tavaglione, sided with supervisors Marion Ashley and John Benoit in certifying an Environmental Impact Report that concluded many of the mine's negatives could be mitigated.

the county left open the door for Granite Construction to return with a modified plan for mining the site, and the company did just that, proposing a scaled-down version of its original quarry.

Today, Temecula City Council is meeting in closed session to discuss litigation it has filed against the county over the proposed project.