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OWN VOICE. ~ InPerspective by Gregg Dieguez —
They say you can’t put the genie back in the bottle, but if you try, you just might be able to put the top back on Montara Mountain. You may recall our prior articles on this, where Mark Verlander, Sean Handel and others discovered the top had been bulldozed off for some cell towers, and fenced off, ostensibly for some butterflies. [“A Peak Accomplishment… saving the Montara Mountaintop” (Dec.,2020)] But then members of the community and the Montara Water & Sanitary District got involved (HEY, watershed), and met with Tim Ramirez, Steve Ritchie and others of SFPUC. Following that meeting, Mr. Ritchie wrote GM Heldmaier agreeing to cease all construction, button up the site for the winter, consider a relocation of the project, create authorized public access, and stay in touch with coastal stakeholders. Recently Sean Handel asked for a status, because 18 months and a Pandemic had elapsed. Here’s what we learned…
Images: Click to enlarge for improved readability in a new window.
My last contact with Steve Ritchie about this was in October 21. This is what he said: “We are still working on getting the alternate site we’ve identified actually pinned down. It is deep in our watershed. I hope that will be in the near future. We are still committed to moving forward for access around Montara Mountain, but have to nail down the other first.”
“We think we have a new site for the radar facility, just need to navigate the environmental review process – it was the radio component we’ve been waiting to confirm, and that might happen as soon as next week. Assuming that works out, we should be okay to start the planning process to restore the north peak area and address public access – we will need to finalize our “project” description for this work and then go through that environmental review process, and we’ll be sure to check in with you and others on the front end.”
“Thanks for checking in. We’ve been making unfortunately slow progress on our alternative site, but we may be breaking things loose there on the CEQA front. Next week, we are scheduled to update the lease with San Mateo County for their communications facility which will allow for our radio system components to be housed there. Assuming that works out, we should be okay to start the planning process to rehabilitate the north peak area and address public access – we will need to finalize our “project” description for this work and then go through that environmental review process, and we’ll be sure to check in with you and others on the front end of that.”
“Here are some photos of my inspection from late May last year (2021), the trenches at the peak had been buried, and a smooth layer of flat gravel applied. True to their promise, the SFPUC stopped all construction and cleaned up the peak; they did a nice job. It was quite beautiful at the peak.”
It’s not over ’til it’s over, as any NBA Playoff fan can tell you, but right now, it’s clear SFPUC did stop the prior project, and has taken some steps toward fulfilling their promises.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Thanks to Sean Handel, for asking, Clemens Heldmaier (MWSD GM) for following up, Mark Verlander for persisting, and many others at MWSD and in the community who publicized this issue. And thanks to SFPUC, which is looking as good as their word. Stay tuned for the Peak Party Atop Montara, coming to a mountain – we hope – soon.
Photos courtesy of Mark Verlander and others.
More From Gregg Dieguez ~ InPerspective
Mr. Dieguez is a native San Franciscan, longtime San Mateo County resident, and semi-retired entrepreneur who causes occasional controversy on the Coastside. He is a member of the MCC, but his opinions here are his own, and not those of the Council. In 2003 he co-founded MIT’s Clean Tech Program here in NorCal, which became MIT’s largest alumni speaker program. He lives in Montara. He loves a productive dialog in search of shared understanding.
