Now is the time for all the people who care about Temecula Valley and the health of its citizens, economy and home values, to rise up with one voice and yell, "No quarry!" As an active real estate agent going back to 1980, I can assure you that the proposed quarry is already affecting the value of local property.
Sellers are under legal obligation to disclose anything in the surrounding area that could negatively affect the value of a given property. For example, consider that more than 100 local medical doctors have signed a statement agreeing that the quarry will have detrimental health consequences.
As you are aware, the recent mortgage crisis has depressed home values. My many years of experience lead me to believe that this is only temporary and that laws of supply and demand will eventually bring the prices back up.
However, the community will not see prices rise as they should if the conditions that brought people to the area are changed. People commute long distances to give their families a better life. Temecula and surrounding cities offer beauty, recreation facilities, open space and a healthy lifestyle. How will Granite Construction's quarry change the environment?
Join us in saying yes to NIMBY (not in my/our backyard). Everyone agrees, including Granite, that San Diego County will be the major market for the blasted aggregate from the proposed Liberty Quarry.
This raises the question: Why didn't Granite seek approval from San Diego County for the right to mine a large quarry? Another question is: Why would Riverside County supervisors consider destroying the Wine Country, one of the best revenue-producing jewels in the county?
Big-money interests are working overtime, paying lobbyists in Riverside County and Sacramento, to ruin our health, economy and way of life.
Regarding Andy McIntosh's July 5 column in The Californian, "Quarry foes need a new game plan": He is correct that the local citizens, who five years ago formed Save Our Southwest Hills, do need help now. They need bodies, they need muscle, they need good ideas, and they can always use financial support. The five county supervisors could vote on this vital quarry issue within months.
Proponents of the quarry are using every effort to lull the public into believing that this vote is way off in the future. However, the county has stated that it could be only months away. Contact the county supervisors and your local city officials. Talk to your family, friends and neighbors and get them involved. Remember, bad things can happen when good people do nothing.
Bottom line: How do you think you will feel if you wake up and discover that just more than a mile (actually 1.2 miles) south of Temecula's current city limit is one of the biggest open granite mines in the country? Also, keep in mind the huge blasts, six days a week, and the daily 1,600 truck trips on the I-15.
The call to action is now.
MARELLE DORSEY lives in Temecula.
