February 2014 — N 1402
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Next HOA Meeting
The next HOA meeting is the first Tuesday of April 2014 (4/1/14) at 7:00PM at the Depot (at Pass and Katherine Rds.)
Knolls Elementary Construction
Starting on 2/11 there will be construction to repair the parking lot and add solar panel canopies at Knolls Elementary School. The construction should take about two weeks during which time the parking lot will be closed with a single lane access. Parents are being asked to pick up their children from the back gate which is by the train tracks on Katherine Road South. This will impact the road and the area with a lot of parent traffic in the mornings from 7:30 to 8:30 am and in the afternoon from 2:30 to 3:30 pm. Be on the look out for students and disoriented parents at those times.
The SSFL-WG
...is a citizens group dedicated to the mission of making sure the former rocket and nuclear testing site (the Santa Susana Fields Laboratory, a.k.a. Rocketdyne) atop the Santa Susana Mountains, overlooking three valleys, is completely cleaned of its witches’ brew of toxins and radioactive waste. On Wednesday evening Feb 5th, the SSFL-WG held a meeting to update the many communities that exist within the 10 mile radius of the former test facility—communities like Simi Valley, Moorpark, Chatsworth, Canoga Park, Bell Canyon, West Hills, Oak Park, Agoura Hills, and Thousand Oaks where half million people live and work. The evening’s presentations were eye-opening and emotional. If you live in this area you should familiarize yourself with the issue and the SSFL-WG. Please visit their web site (http://www.ssflworkgroup.org) for more information or email the work group directly. You can also access the online EPA archive.
Considering that a partial nuclear reactor meltdown occurred at the site in 1959 strewing radioactive substances that will be in the soil for the next 300,000 years unless removed, we need action now. Other reactors at the site suffered similar accidents and thousands of rocket tests have left the site polluted with radiological and chemical contaminants. We need your help to make sure that the radiological and chemical contamination at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) is thoroughly cleaned up!
The agency responsible for overseeing the cleanup, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), is holding a Public Scoping period on its Draft Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) to "assess alternatives for the cleanup of SSFL." But DTSC should not be considering alternative cleanup standards, because they have signed agreements (AOCs) with NASA and the Department of Energy (DOE) to cleanup their portions of the site to background levels of contamination (meaning they will cleanup all the contamination they find.)
Let DTSC know that its PEIR must comply with the AOCs and that Boeing must remove all contamination from its SSFL property. The deadline for commenting to the DTSC is this Monday, February 10th at 5 pm PST. You can send your comment by visiting this link and where you can also read a short summary about the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) Cleanup. All the residents of our tri-valley area need to make comments stating that the cleanup needs to continue to the agreed upon standards.
A starter letter is already in the comment box. Use it and make it your own. EVERY COMMENT HELPS. IT only takes a minute so please go to the site and let your opinion be known. The deadline is Monday Feb 10 at 5:00PM. PLEASE HELP. Thank you.
Disposition of our Fire Station 43
A couple of years ago Ventura County Supervisors voted to give Fire Station 43 facilites at the corner of Katherine, Sylvan and Cypress to The City of Simi Valley for the sum of $1. The Knolls was not notified. We found out accidentally at the very last moment and we're not able to stop the action. Barbra Williamson (then city council person) working with Supervisor Foy persuaded the Ventutra County Board of Supervisors to give the station to the city to be used by a Veterans group called Less than One Percent. While a worthy group our neighborhood felt that the Park District (who wanted the station) would have been the better choice and would have been a better benefit to the residents of the Knolls and to the City of Simi. The City has had the property now for about 2 years and has done nothing with it.
The City Council at the meeting last Monday has decided to commence the disposition process and will now accept proposals from qualified agencies. We have an opportunity now to influence the City Council's decision and we will press for the benefit of the Park District. More info to come.
Fire Tax!
Since last Fall/Winter CalFire has been mailing out the new state Fire Tax assessment bills to people in the so-called State Responsibility Areas like the Knolls. By now most residents have recieved it. Many believe the tax is unjust and it is being fought by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association. You can tell the Attorney General to address this issue at this link. For more information go to to the Fire Tax protest web site.
This newsletter is a production of the Santa Susana Knolls Homeowners Association (SSKHA). If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, please let us know. Please share this newsletter with your neighbors. You do not have to be a member of the SSKHA to be on our email list. To subscribe to this newsletter click here. If you are a member of the HOA we really do not want you to unsubscribe but if you must, you can use this link: unsubscribe. The newsletter is produced from the spacious Santa Susana Knolls town center offices at 1409 Kuehner, No. 5, Santa Susana, CA 93063.