By Nicole Achs Freeling
GreatSchools.net Correspondent
- Board Calls on City to Halt Hunters Point Development
- Hot Line Established for Bullying, Student Harassment
Board Calls on City to Halt Hunters Point Development
The board called on the city Tuesday night to halt construction on a controversial Hunters Point residential development. Residents in the neighborhood say they have experienced nosebleeds, headaches and asthma attacks, which they blame on construction-related dust and toxins. Several schools are in the vicinity of the building project, including Malcolm X, Bret Harte and George Washington Carver elementary schools, and Drew Academy, a K–3 school.
Impassioned residents of the Bayview Hunters Point community packed the house Tuesday night, many speaking before the board to criticize the actions of the city and the developer, Lennar Corporation, in providing inadequate air quality monitoring on the site. Lennar, a Florida-based company, is building a 1,500-unit condominium complex on the former site of the Hunters Point Shipyard. The board resolution, authored by board members Eric Mar and Kim-Shree Maufus, alleged several problems with the way Lennar and regulatory agencies have monitored air quality and toxin exposure. The allegations included:
Construction crews' failure to turn on air monitors during the first four months of the project during heavy grading
- Retaliation against workers who blew the whistle on monitoring activities
- Excessive amounts of asbestos routinely allowed in the air
- Poor communication with neighbors about these incidents
San Francisco Health Director Mitchell Katz disputed the claims that the construction had posed undue health risks. The parcel being developed, he said, had been used for residential purposes in the past and did not contain the toxins found on other parts of the shipyard. He said the problems caused by the construction were limited to those associated with dust from any major construction project.
“Dust of any sort is certainly a health risk if you are asthmatic, but dust in and of itself does not cause asthma,” he said. The dust also contains some naturally occurring asbestos, which, he said, is part of the serpentine rock prevalent in California. “As you move earth, you will disturb some of that rock,” he said. He said the level of resulting asbestos in the air is lower that it is at some of the district’s schools.
Some board members expressed concern about getting involved in an action that is essentially a non-binding. “What we’re asking to have happen in this resolution is not going to happen. That’s very clear to me,” said Commissioner Hydra Mendoza, who also works in the mayor’s office as the school district liaison. She also expressed concern about straining in any way the board’s relationship with the city, “a relationship we’ve worked so hard to build.”
But board members agreed that the district had a legitimate right to ask for health reports when its students and facilities are affected.
The resolution does not compel any action but calls upon the city to halt construction, order health assessments and communicate these reports to the district and the public. Language added by Commissioner Norman Yee also asks the city to consult with the district on any major construction projects in close proximity to schools that might pose adverse health effects.
“It’s clear things the city does in proximity to schools ... (are) going to have some effect. If they agree to consult with us, that’s perhaps the most meaningful action we can take with this issue,” Commissioner Jill Wynns said in supporting Yee’s amendment, which passed unanimously.
Maufus praised board members for reaching agreement on an issue they had started out far apart on just a few weeks ago. “By passing this resolution, we’re showing we’re in the action on this for real. It’s not symbolic.”
Hot Line Established for Bullying, Student Harassment
The district has established a hot line for students who feel threatened or bullied by other students to report incidents anonymously to school officials. The students can contact the Safe School hot line at (415) 241-2141 or via email at safeschool@sfusd.edu to report an incident, where it occurred and the people involved. Online forms will soon be available as well, in English, Spanish and Chinese. For phone conversations, officials will attempt to find translators for other languages as well.
Once students file a complaint, the principal will be notified and the involved students counseled.
“We need multiple, anonymous access points,” said Associate Superintendent Trish Baskum. She said she hopes the new method will encourage greater reporting and response. “At the very least, we’ll be able to see trend data that can tell us if there are more incidents than we think.”
Another important thing from this board meeting which you neglected to mention was a report from 91.7 FM, a radio station to which the school district owns the title. (I believe it has a separate board of directors). They were discussing ways to increase district involvement in this station.
Posted by: James Sheldon | September 26, 2007 at 04:54 PM