Community Corner
Dutra Opponents Planning "Shindig" June 15
The fight for Shollenberger Park is not over, they say.
It’s been out of the spotlight in recent months, but opponents of the Dutra asphalt plant, across the river from Shollenberger Park, are continuing to raise legal funds as the project waits to be heard by the First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco.
Under the current plan, the Petaluma Boulevard South site will include four 100-ton capacity silos where asphalt is stored, a 500-gallon fuel tank and a conveyor belt that will transfer materials for processing into asphalt.
Dutra Materials says that a local source of asphalt is needed, but opponents, which include many residents as well as the city of Petaluma, say the plant will negative impact air quality, traffic and pollute Petaluma’s scenic views.
On Saturday, June 15, Friends of Shollenberger, a group founded to oppose the plant, is putting on their third annual “shindig” to raise both funds and awareness about the project.
“A lot of people think it’s over, that we lost, but that’s not the case,” said Joan Cooper, co-founder of Friends of Shollenberger. Dutra Materials must meet more than 200 conditions as part of the project approval.
Another possibility is that the panel of three appeals court judges rules in favor of Dutra on some points, and in favor of the litigants on others, altering the scope of the planned project. If opponents are successful in overturning the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors decision, money raised will go into a fund to be used for improvements, preservation, and education for Shollenberger Park and the Petaluma Marsh.
The city’s contribution to the legal fund will be returned to the general fund.
This year, the shindig will be at Tara Firma Farm, 3796 I Street, and feature music by Maria Muldaur, a New Orleans blues singer best known for her 1974 mega-hit “Midnight at the Oasis.” There will also be beer from Lagunitas, tapas-style food, tours of the farm and a silent auction. Tickets are $25 general admission or $100 for VIP. $30 at the door (cash only). Saturday, June 15 from 4pm to 8pm.
To purchase tickets to the fundraiser, click here.
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