Mountain View's quest for an emergency water source has many residents in a Los Altos neighborhood outraged.
Approximately 30 residents attended an Oct. 13 meeting to hear city officials pitch plans to build a 3-million gallon capacity reservoir. The facility would complement an already-existing 1-million gallon reservoir dating back to the 1940s on Mountain View property almost completely surrounded by Los Altos residences. The site is located on Miramonte Avenue and near Russell, Stanley and Berry avenues, and Diamond Court.
Residents shared safety and aesthetics concerns about the planned structure, which Stanley Avenue resident Mehrdad Moslehr said is designed for seven feet above ground.
"We might have to get flood insurance, and our property values may go down," he said.
"The design is not very well thought out," said resident John Rossi, who lives on Stanley Avenue. He also felt Mountain View officials were ambivalent toward neighborhood concerns. "They're not constricted by constraints of another municipality," he said. "I think there are so many alternatives (sites) that wouldn't be in conflict with the neighborhood. ... They just want to do what's easy and cheap."
Cathy R. Lazarus, public works director for Mountain View, said plans for an additional reservoir have been discussed "for many decades" and that this current effort is in "the preliminary design stages." She said the reservoir is needed for an emergency water supply in case of an emergency such as a fire or earthquake.
"This particular reservoir would match the height of the existing reservoir," she said. Plans call for screening the facility with a fence and landscaping.
"We'll certainly keep in touch with the residents," Lazarus said. "It's important for us to hear neighborhood concerns."
Some residents were perturbed that they found out about the project only recently. An Oct. 1 notice about the Oct. 13 "informational meeting" at Blach Junior High School was the first time some neighbors were informed. Others who attended the meeting said they were put off by Mountain View officials' presumption that the chosen site was final and that discussion had already proceeded to design and construction.
Bruce Bane, public works director for Los Altos, said he found out about the project in February and notified 22 residences that bordered the site.
"Our city council needs to say this is crazy," said resident Jill Chesler. "This is for the city of Mountain View and we're bearing the entire burden. What do we get out of it?"
She called the existing reservoir "an eyesore," and said the city has traditionally used the reservoir property as "a repository for all kinds of material." Neighbors complained of trash and weeds that had accumulated for months at the site. Mountain View officials told residents that they would improve on their maintenance record.
Chesler said Mountain View officials considered other sites, such as Cuesta Park, which were not in residential areas, yet decided on the Miramonte site.
Still others were concerned about flooding possibilities. Sandra Beges on Diamond Court recalled a Stanley Avenue flood during the summer of 1998 when a water pipe ruptured.
"We're talking 4 million gallons of water in the middle of a residential neighborhood," she said, if the project goes through.
Lazarus said it was highly unlikely the reservoir would cause a massive flood. "This (construction) is technology utilized throughout California," she said. "It's a buried concrete type of reservoir that would be reinforced."
There may be "cracking," that could occur in the event of a quake, she said, but not enough to cause flooding.
The city of Mountain View has scheduled design and construction plans to begin in December, followed by project bids next April, and actual construction to begin in June 2000. Officials expect construction to take nearly a year with project completion targeted for March 2001.
Bane said he has asked Mountain View officials to make a presentation about the reservoir project at the Nov. 9 Los Altos City Council meeting. "They haven't committed to that date," he said.
"They've got a lot of questions from the residents - before they go to our city council they want to be able to answer as many of those questions as they can."