University Heights Community Development Corp.

Well folks, Oak Park took it in the shorts again. The City did a real hatchet job on the Paragon project for the DUMP area known formally as South Chollas. They rescinded the Exclusive Negotiating Agreement with Paragon. And to make matters worse, they did it behind closed doors. All of the speaking and pleading we did at the Council meeting on October 9th, did not do any good. Over six years of work by the Community just went down the drain.

What has the City got against us? For over 50 years we have had a DUMP in our Community, whether it was active or closed. 136.2 acres of land in the middle of our Community that is vacant, fenced in, access denied to anyone in Oak Park. Anyone that is except the privileged few who have a key to the gate and can go in there anytime and fly their model planes. Are any of the plane fliers from this Community? Do any of you who are reading this in Oak Park know any of these people? Of course not. They come from other areas of the County and have the 136.2 acres all to themselves. THIS IS WRONG.
This should be an area used for the benefit of the surrounding Communities. This area is �park deficient� according to the City. South Chollas was planned to be parkland when the dump was closed. This Community even hashed out a
general plan that was never adopted for whatever reason. According to this Cities own standards, Golf Courses and Baseball fields are applicable
uses for parkland. Paragon would have done this on South Chollas for NOTHING, NADA, NO COST to the CITY. They would have even paid REASONABLE
rent and paid taxes to the City.

Now what? We are told that the City is going to put out an RFP (Request For Proposal) for the land. That is where a developer gives his/her idea of what the land is good/can be used for. Will the Community have any input as to what goes in there? Don't hold your breath. Generally it includes a big profit for the developers when they build it. And of course the City will have to pay also. Plus they will probably give the land away to get the developer to come in. Why didn't they do this with Paragon instead of the pusey footing around. What is good about the RFP? The City does not even have money to build out North Chollas Park or to fix our roads, build a new Library or Fire Station. Where will the money come from? From the billions that they owe already? A bond issue? Fat Chance, they would have a better
chance of having a bake sale or a garage sale. Lets face it the City is BROKE. It does not have a dime for OAK PARK. We would have a better chance of ceding from the City and contracting things out for ourselves.

I personally do not have any faith left for any part of City Government. We have been dealing with four City Councilmen, to many chiefs of staff, a City Attorney that has lost many of the cases he has vainly filed with the result of the City has to pay damages, so many Department heads that I cant count. Including one who told us. We are going to do something GOOD for the people of Oak Park. They deserve it. They have suffered long enough. I am completely demoralized from all of this. But I know how I can deal with it. I just filled out my ballot. I will fix the b_______.


Ted


By Ted Leimbach

I just do not understand why no one has bothered to go down to Envornmental and read the resports on South Chollas? When I first saw this as a topic in the OP News I talked to a close friend who has first hand knowkedge of the South Chollas dump. Here are some facts:

1. This is one of San Diego's oldest dump sites and the content was placed there when there were no regulations and everything from household to indistrial waste was dumped there.

 2. It is the "wettest" closed site in the whole county.  My understanding is that this site is dangerous and will not get better for quite some time. I don't know about you but knowing what I know of the liquid run offs and gasses coming from this area I would not wish this area on kids mucl less myself. A few key words are dioxins, hydrogen sulfide, chlorine gas, heavy metals,etc.

 Did anyone read the minutes of the Closed Council meeting? Here they are: 

Reported out in Open Session on October 10, 2006 by Karen Heumann, Assistant City Attorney:
Today in Closed Session, regarding the Real Property Negotiations for the South Chollas Land
Fill, the City Council voted unanimously 7-0, to formally terminate negotiations with Paragon
Practice Park, LLC and to prepare and expedite a request for proposals for recreational use, of
the South Chollas Land Fill site, which will bring value to the community and be compatible
with both the closed landfill and potential power production facilities at or near the site. This
RFP Process is to be timed with the nine-month grading project that is planned at that site to
ensure that the RFP Process is completed at the earliest possible time. The motion was by
Councilmember Young; second by Councilmember Madaffer; Councilmember Maienschein not
present.

 Seems like they are going in a different direction. Then I wonder if they can move until EPA approves the property as safe. 

 I just do not understand these politicians making clains about usinng the property in public and then diverting it in closed sessions??? 

 

Lots of questions to ask there...