MOORPARK : Council Criticizes Plan to Grade Hill

The Moorpark City Council on Wednesday criticized a proposal to grade a hill near the city to furnish soil for the Simi Valley-Moorpark Freeway connector.

Robert and Jeanne Butler have requested county approval to excavate about eight acres on the 472-acre tract they own southeast of Moorpark. Under the proposal, they would lop off about 40 feet of a 1,000-foot hill and transport up to 200,000 cubic yards of the soil to the freeway construction site, county project planner Marcia Wakelee said.

A spokesman for C. A. Rasmussen Inc. of Simi Valley, one of the freeway’s construction contractors, said the company had talked with the Butlers about taking soil from their property, but has no agreement with them. Rasmussen could import the soil from many sources, spokesman Jack Boscarino Jr. said.

The connector project will require about 140,000 cubic yards of soil more than originally planned, said Gary Ethire, state Department of Transportation resident engineer.

Although Caltrans could get the soil from near the construction site, Rasmussen offered to import the soil for less money, Ethire said. He said Caltrans had not heard of the Butlers’ request.

Moorpark city officials said that the excavated hill would be visible from the city and that they will recommend that the county require more research on the project’s aesthetic and environmental impact.

City officials also questioned why Caltrans would need to import the soil rather than taking it from an already excavated area near the construction site.