Mission mal<es driving impossible Page 3
Pages 5 through 8
The Telesco Friday, September 27, 1989
Palomar College, San Marcos, CA. 92069
Volume 43, Number 7
Toxic emitter requests air test Signet Armorlite orders $100,000 assessment By Larry Boisjolie News Editor
(Photo by Marl< Hopkins)
Signet Armor lite, located one block south of Palomar College, has instigated a $100,000 assessment of emissions being released from their site.
Citing a need to put to rest community concerns over the release of methylene chloride, Signet Armorlite President Richard Carter has instigated a $100,000 assessment of chemical emissions from the San Marcos plant by a private firm. The test, which is being run by a subsidiary of Groundwater Technology Inc., will replace an assessment by the Air Pollution Control District's. The county's test, which was requested Sept. 15 by Palomar's Superintendent/President Dr. George Boggs, would have utilized computer models to determine the concentrations of toxic emissions reaching the campus from Signet Armorlite. ''There is no nf'..ed to run the (original) risk assessment," said Dick Smith, deputy director of the APCD. "The test Signet requested is much more accurate." The call for the computer assessment came after an April report by the Environmental Protection Agency, the ophthalmic lens manufacturer was listed as the top toxic emitter in San Diego County for 1987. The company reportedly released approximately 450 tons of toxic chemicals into the air including the suspected carcinogen methylene chloride. The assessment involves taking air samples and compiling meteorological data to assess possible risks to the surrounding community. Smith said this actual assessment of air quality is as much as five times more expensive than the previously proposed computer test. "I give them a lot of credit. They just said 'let's spend extra money,"' said Smith.
Board approves more .parking By Mark Hopkins Opinion Editor Plans to construct at least 500 additional student parking spaces were revealed Tuesday to the Governing Board by Director of Buildings and Grounds, Mike Ellis. An enlargement to Lot 9 is planned, as well as a new lot in front of the Palomar College Community Theatre. JHK and Associates of San Diego was awarded the design contract in an unanimous vote by the Governing Board. The contract calls for the "complete design" of the two lots, which includes light-
ing, traffic flow, and fencing. "The new lot in front of the theater will be bordered on one side by the new transit center, on another by the theater, and on the third side by the perimeter road; the lot will exit and enter on the perimeter road," said Ellis. A wall will be constructed in front of the theater to deaden noise. The expansion to Lot 9 will entail removing part of a hill and designing an entrance that will tie-in with the proposed extension of Borden ) Road; the new stretch of Borden will extend from east of the new housing tract to west of the dairy. "We're going to be cutting into
the slope to maximize parking, and we are going to design the entrance to Borden Road, because eventually Borden Road is going to tie-in to that parking lot," said Ellis. Ellis reported that there are concerns with drainage in both proposed lots due to unusual soil conditions. "The front lot has very unstable soil and the one up above is rock slope," commented Ellis. According to Ellis, there is no indication as to when the lots will be finished. "The plans alone will take about four to six months to complete," he said.
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PALOMAR PART THREE Funding for the test will come directly from Signet. The APCD will screen the process during and after the proceedings. Results are scheduled to be released Jan. 26. "This project is more exhausting (than the county's assessment)." said Carter. "Rather than assumption, we'll be working with facts." Carter referred to the previous test as a "shadow assessment" and said the test requested by Signet will be "more valid in terms actual information." Smith said that if computer assessment had been performed and a risk determined, an actual risk assessment would have been performed anyway. By eliminating the computer assessment, Signet could be saving as much as $20,000 or losing as much as $80,000. According to Smith, the action reflects a new and positive attitude by Signet. In September, Smith indicated that he expected Signet to be less than cooperative in regards to aiding in the APCD's computer assessment. Since then, Smith said the company has adopted a new approach. "We've seen in the past few months a new
(see TOXIC - page 2)