Church construction presents a physical danger

I am opposed to the expansion of St. Andrew’s Church. The expansion

will bring more noise, traffic and pollution to an already congested

neighborhood.

I am particularly concerned about the massive effects of

construction. Our direct concern is for the persons subjected to

airborne particles due to demolition and grading. The draft

environmental report shows significant impacts. A hundred days of

digging, grading and hauling dirt is much too much for a residential

neighborhood to bear. When this demolition and grading occurs in the

warm months (which is most of the year), it means that many of us

will not be able to live in our homes during that time for the

following reasons:

* The windows are open, in that the majority in our community do

not have or do not use air conditioning. The dirt will cover

sidewalks, stairs and porches and stick to shoes, so that the dirt

will be tracked into homes.

* The dirt and airborne particles will cover the entire outside of

homes in the area. Anyone in the neighborhood with allergies or

breathing disorders will be harmed and possibly become ill. Even

those without breathing difficulties may sustain physical/bodily

damage due to breathing in, for at least 100 days, such a huge

quantity of pollution.

* This dirt and these particles will be inhaled and create

significant health risks.

* When the windows are opened, rugs, sofas, clothing, lampshades,

bedding, curtains, levelers and wall paint will be irreversibly

damaged. Even with windows shut, making the interior not habitable,

there will be penetration of these particles.

* The particles will creep in through skylights and windows and

doors, even if sealed. (It is common for Southern California, as our

climate is so mild, to have homes not sealed tightly around windows,

doors, skylights, etc.)

* The dirt particles will collect on trees, screens and windows,

so that when windows are open, and any kind of a breeze blows, the

dirt will blow inside.

* Dust swarming will also damage the outside of homes, patios,

gardens and pools and coat them with dirt.

This duration and this environment created by the construction

will have an enormous impact. Some of us work at home and will be

susceptible 24 hours a day to this density of pollution caused by the

demolition, digging and hauling.

Who among you planning commissioners would like to have your home

or your home office across the street or just down the street from

such a huge construction project? Who among you would want to live

near such a massive quantity of dirt and noise pollution for an

extent of time that could last two years or more? Please, visualize

yourself living across a rather narrow residential street from the

site of a gym for 400 people and an underground parking garage. Would

you support such an extent of growth if you had to live through two

years of noise and dirt, and the subsequent daily increased traffic

and noise and car-light pollution? Would you like to live across the

street from the noise inside and outside of a gym, which could host

400 adults and teens? Would you like to live across the street from

the site, where crowds will go to hear live music, which is not

appropriate for the church sanctuary?

I also want to add that just the headlights and noise of the cars

exiting the St. Andrew’s parking lot now, with no new growth, is

horrifying. I live across the street, and on many weeknights, the

noise is deafening, and the lights shine right into my living room

for an hour at a time, repeatedly, over and over.

Most of us are very much in favor of youth programs. These

activities create drug-free and supervised activity for our youth.

However, if you simply said “no” to the St. Andrew’s expansion, new

youth and teen programs would still be created. The church will find

a location off campus and in the community and continue to create

these programs. The church is committed to creating these programs

for youth. If you said “no,” the church could spend its money, some

of which it now spends on fees and lobbyists to find another location

in the greater Newport area, which is more conducive for the

community as a whole for building youth programming.

ELLEN SHIRO

Newport Beach