Dear Editor,
I am writing to ask Cypress residents to oppose the proposed construction of a truck-to-truck direct-tip trash transfer station as well as a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Fueling Station at the Cypress City Yard located at 5285 Cypress St which is north of Lincoln between Moody and Walker. I have visited the home of a resident living next to the City Yard and I must say I am both shocked and saddened that this project is even being considered. This proposed project is in very close proximity to homes, apartments, a school, a park, a church, businesses, etc. Many residents in the residential area are very concerned about the health and safety issues related to this proposed project. More specifically: 1) King Elementary School that is catty-corner to the site is a Title 1 school; 2) the 170 unit Tara Village Apartment complex that is immediately west of the site is a low-income housing tax credit apartment development; and 3) there is a 97 year old World War 2 veteran who lives in a house that backs up to the site. Not only is this a dangerous project, it is impacting our most vulnerable residents.
Some of the reasons residents oppose this project are serious health and safety concerns.
A concern with a direct-tip truck-to-truck solid waste transfer facility is that it is hard to control air-borne debris and vectors. Flies, rats, and other pest infestations are major vectors of many infectious diseases specifically related to trash facilities. There would be at least 14 trash trucks and 7 semi-trucks visiting the site every weekday. A CNG Fueling Station has safety concerns that were evidenced as recently as June 2020 in Riverside where there was an explosion at a CNG Fueling Station that injured 2 people, 1 critically. Also, both of these proposed facilities emit smells and generate noise levels that no one would want to live near. The City should not be leasing out city owned property to a private business that will cause both health and financial damage to the residents.
Along with many other residents, Lord’s Light Community Church is yet another organization being impacted. Lord’s Light is a growing Korean Church. While their address is 5271 Lincoln Ave, Cypress, their parking lot entrance is off of Cypress St. across from the City Yard. The church has a lot of programs during the week for children and seniors and during the summer, they have a full daycare and summer school program for children. The church is in the process of getting a loan to renovate and expand on that site. Instead of looking forward to expanding, the church is now concerned about the ramifications of the Valley Vista proposal on the health and safety of their congregation.
I know the residents have already gathered over 500 signatures opposing this project even during a pandemic. I have asked the City how many more signatures are needed to convince them that this is not a project the community wants. I have not heard back. It is sad to think that residents in this area are left no alternative but to go out during the pandemic spread that is underway to get more signatures, but they will. That’s how important this is to them.
We also don’t want to forget the 2018 agreement that the city entered into with the Cypress School District to park and maintain their school buses at the City Yard. The purpose of this agreement was to help facilitate the school district’s efforts to sell their administrative site at Moody and Orange. Now that the school district has entered into an agreement to sell the Moody and Orange site, all the school buses will also be housed and maintained at the City Yard. Let’s pray that if the city approves the Valley Vista proposal that the rats and other vermin from the trash don’t find their way onto our school buses.
Everyone should check out where the White Pages indicate George Briggeman lives. He is the person who is pushing this proposal for Valley Vista. You can be sure residents in his upscale Newport Beach neighborhood wouldn’t tolerate a project like this in their neighborhood and I am sure Mr. Briggeman would be leading the charge in opposition.
Given where Mr. Briggeman lives, he certainly isn’t struggling with the finances of the Valley Vista current agreement yet our residents will be significantly impacted if this proposal is approved.
This proposal should be a concern for every Cypress resident because it means that every trash truck will need to navigate their way through the city in order to get to the City Yard and then return to where they left off. It also means that if the City Council is willing to consider this proposal for this neighborhood north of Lincoln, what will they consider for your neighborhood in the future?
The City Council has done more than enough to meet the needs of Valley Vista. This proposal is going too far. Please email the Cypress City Clerk at cityclerk@cypressca.org with a statement of opposition to the Valley Vista proposal and ask that your comments be included in the Public Comments section of the next Cypress City Council agenda.
Thank you.
George Pardon
Cypress Resident
