Lab proposal gets feedback in Tracy

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Nov 21, 2006 | by Mike Martinez

TRACY -- Like the other 40 people attending the Tracy Tomorrow and Beyond Committee meeting at Freiler School Wednesday night, San Joaquin County Supervisor Leroy Ornellas was there to learn.

They all had questions for representatives from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory about the proposed National bio- and agro-defense Facility to be built at Site 300.

The facility, being built by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, would research and develop cures for life-threatening diseases affecting both humans and animals for which there is no known cure, such as the Marburg and Ebola viruses. It would be one of the few labs in the country at biosafety level 4, the highest level of containment, and provide upward of 300 jobs, lab officials said.

In August, the federal government named Site 300, in the hills above Tracy and straddling the border between San Joaquin and Alameda counties, as one of 17 finalists for the facility.

A short list of finalists is expected to be announced anytime in the next few weeks to the first of the year.

"There is a lot of concern from the public, and I can understand that," Ornellas said. "But before we get too worried, we have to make the next cut."

The range of questions from the public was wide: What kind of jobs would be created? Would housing prices be affected? What kind of security measures were being taken? Would explosive testing at Site 300 continue?

Unfortunately, there were more questions than answers at the meeting.

Susan Houghton, a spokeswoman for the lab, said the goal of the meeting was to share information with residents.

"I think what's been frustrating for us is there isn't a lot of information out there," Houghton said. "We don't have all the answers to all the questions. We are very committed to getting anything we can and giving it out."

Nancy Mitchell, who has lived in Tracy for more than 20 years, said Wednesday night's presentation answered a lot of her questions, but she also understands there are a lot more the laboratory officials can't answer.

"I think the process of this forum was an important thing for the city of Tracy," Mitchell said. "We did have a forum and a process to ask questions, and I gained information I didn't have."

Marylia Kelley, executive director of Livermore-based Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment, said her group has more than 5,000 members and "several hundred" in the Tracy area.

"I have no confidence Livermore Lab will inform the public; they have not historically," Kelley said. "Where is Livermore Lab's expression of interest (letter)? More and more of the bidders are making their expressions of interest available to the public. Why hasn't the (University of California) and Livermore Lab? What are they hiding?"

The Tracy City Council tasked the community committee with gathering more information about the research facility before issuing a letter stating their position for or against it.