Browse archives: 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995

Published on 03/31/1999 All articles from this issue

News Briefs

printer friendly version

Lempert talks trash along local roadsides

Assemblyman Ted Lempert (D-Palo Alto), who also represents the Los Altos area, is holding a "trash summit" at 2 p.m. today at the Peninsula Conservation Center Foundation, 3921 East Bayshore Road, in Palo Alto.

"Our roads and highways should not serve as a dumping ground or a place to dispose of their garbage," Lempert said. "I'm hopeful we can come up with some ideas on how to remove roadside litter."

PC to review plans for new business

The Los Altos Planning Commission, at its 7:30 p.m. meeting Thursday in City Hall, is scheduled to consider a design review and exceptions for a new commercial building at 121 First St.

The project calls for new construction for the Los Altos Vault and Safe Deposit Company with 1,496 square feet of floor area as well as a covered entry driveway, according to a staff report. The property is 7,100 square feet and the building and driveway would cover 47 percent of the parcel.

Contaminated site at First, San Antonio

The contractor for the former Chevron gas station property on the corner of First Street and San Antonio Road, has determined that the site is contaminated with MTBE and gasoline, city officials said in a March 18 report to Los Altos City Council members

Chevron will be using a vapor extraction system for the contaminated dirt and a ground water pump and treatment program for the ground water pollution, city officials said. Ground water pollution goes to a depth of about 100 feet, officials said.

The pollution extends under nearby commercial and residential properties. Cleanup should take about a year.

Gov. Gray Davis banned MTBE last week, noting the fuel additive poses "a significant risk" to the environment, particularly groundwater.

Davis is giving the petrochemical industry until 2002 to eliminate its use. The additive was designed to make gasoline burn cleanly.

- Joanne Griffith Domingue