OJAI VALLEY : School Board Cites Landfill Concerns

Citing health concerns, the board of the Ojai Unified School District is sending a letter asking the Ventura County Board of Supervisors to consider all viable alternatives to building a landfill in Weldon Canyon, school officials said Thursday.

The board voted 3 to 1 Tuesday to send a letter to convey trustees’ fears that the proposed landfill will “generate ozone precursors and dust which will negatively impact the air quality of the Ojai Valley.”

Although the letter is signed with board President Vincent W. France’s name, France abstained from voting. He said he did not believe it is appropriate for a school board to involve itself in land-use issues, Supt. Andrew Schmidt said.

But Trustee Muriel Lavender, the main motivator behind the letter, said she disagrees with France.

“It wasn’t the land use that concerned us,” she said Thursday. “It’s what the air quality could become if the landfill should go in.”

Citing the environmental impact report for the landfill, Lavender said the dump is expected to emit gases and other materials that will drift into the valley, where they will form pockets.

Trustee Robert Tholl voted against sending the letter because “he was not convinced that the evidence provided was conclusive,” Schmidt said. Tholl was unavailable for comment.