Riverside Board of Supervisors Holds Final Meeting Regarding Quarry
Opponents claim project would hurt environment while supporters say it will create jobs
Craig Fiegener
A crowd of several hundred people gather at the Riverside Convention Center for another Liberty Quarry hearing.
The second Riverside County Board of Supervisors hearing on an appeal concerning the proposed Liberty Quarry project near Temecula began 9 a.m. Monday at the Riverside Convention Center.
Hundreds of supporters and opponents of the project were expected to attend the hearing and about 118 were scheduled to address the board.
The meeting was the final appeals hearing for Watsonville-based Granite Construction, the developer of the quarry, which was denied permits and other approvals to begin construction last year.
Last week’s initial hearing attracted hundreds of opponents wearing orange, who cite environmental and traffic problems as reasons to stop the project.
Hundreds of supporters of the planned 414-acre site on the border of Temecula and San Diego County line wore green, and claim that the project would create jobs and reduce truck traffic on local highways.
Supporters of the quarry include unions and state legislators. They claim local aggregate would encourage local construction projects because the costs of aggregates can outweigh production costs if it is trucked more than 20 miles, according to a report put out by the California Department of Transportation.
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