From Sylvia Plummer, August 16, 2013
Thanks to Odom Stamps, Chairman of South Pasadena's Chamber of Commerce, for information on this development.
On August 5, 2013, the Board of Directors of the South Pasadena
Chamber of Commerce voted overwhelmingly in support of City of South
Pasadena.
Resolution #7172 re-affirming the City’s official position
on the State Route 710 Freeway Extension, supporting multi-modal
alternative and rescinding Resolution 7171.
The resolution itself as well as a draft of an article from the South Pasadena Review are below:
South Pasadena Review Column DRAFT
South Pasadena Chamber of
Commerce – Small Business
Submission date: 08/09/2013 5pm
Pub date: Wednesday, 08/14/2013
Column: Small Business Matters – Roads
Not to Take
By line: Scott Feldmann
Headshot: Scott Feldmann
Photo(s): None
Word count: 572
Story: The small business chamber
of the City of South Pasadena sees the 710 Tunnel as a big threat to our
business district and an even bigger one to our community and our neighbors.
The
Board of Directors of the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce issued a
resolution on August 7th, 2013 to support City of South Pasadena’s
official position regarding the State Route 710 Freeway Extension, supporting a
superior alternative and rescinding a prior, less protective position on the
matter.
Local
businesses have benefited from the vigilance of dedicated grass-roots groups
who have wrestled with opposing forces on this issue for decades. Recently the
dialogue has become heated again, and every voice will be needed in solidarity if
our City’s leadership is to put the brakes on this runaway engineering
boondoggle once and for all.
Instead,
we must work together with our neighbors and the state to create a superior
multi-modal alternative to the flawed, proposed SR 710 Tunnel.
One
reason the Chamber Board weighed in at this point in time was their concern
over the attempted diversion of money and resources by Metro away from many
other important San Gabriel Valley transportation projects that actually will
improve mobility and healthy living standards, toward the bottomless pit of
funds that will be required for the West Coast version of Boston’s Big Bad Dig.
Measure
“R” funds were passed with voter approval to extend the Gold Line, not to
increase capacity for cars cutting through our city in order to avoid driving
under it.
Should
the project get green-lighted, the local economy and business district will be
harmed substantially by the impacts of construction. Also, during and after
completion the increase of cut-through traffic will congest our streets and
prevent destination shoppers and diners from visiting. They will avoid us
because scads of new cars will start out seeking to use the new route but end
up on our streets in an attempt to skip the exorbitant Tunnel Tolls. South
Pasadena will be the swirling, polluted eddy in the torrent of trucks and cars
that a completed 710 will cause.
The
case has been made by many that the quality of life in South Pasadena and
neighboring cities will be diminished if the road gets built: pollution of our air will pervade our parks,
playgrounds and homes; emergency response teams will be strapped with the
responsibility of public safety plus the risk of dangerous conditions inside
one of the longest tunnels ever built; and a lengthy list of unintended
consequences will be unleashed by the construction of the deep, dark, mineshaft
roadway.
The
City Council of South Pasadena unanimously voted to pass Resolution #7172 on
July 20, 2011 listing many other reasons why the State Route 710 project, whether
by surface route or bored tunnel, should forever be abandoned. The South
Pasadena Chamber of Commerce applauds their leadership and supports the City of
South Pasadena’s official position opposing the completion of the State Route
710 Freeway, supports the adoption of the Multi-modal transportation approach,
and rescinds previous Resolution #7171.
The
Chamber of Commerce emphasizes to the City Council that business is important
to our community, and that this City must enthusiastically support sensible
transportation solutions to, in and around our town.
The
Board of Directors of the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce issued a
resolution on August 7th, 2013 to support City of South Pasadena
Resolution #7172 re-affirming the City’s official position regarding the State
Route 710 Freeway Extension, supporting multi-modal alternative and rescinding
Resolution 7171. I’m pleased to announce it.
Scott Feldmann is the
President & CEO of a very small, very local Chamber of Commerce located in
South Pasadena, and his remarks are made in an attempt to reflect what he’s
finding out in the marketplace, by walking and talking among the merchants and
businesses who make up the Chamber Membership – 241
businesses, as of this writing.
Opposition to SR 710 Resolution
Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce
On August 5, 2013, the Board of Directors of the South Pasadena Chamber of
Commerce voted overwhelmingly in support of City of South Pasadena
Resolution #7172 re-affirming the City’s official position on the State Route 710
Freeway Extension, supporting multi-modal alternative and rescinding Resolution
7171.
Whereas, a superior alternative to the flawed, proposed SR 710 Tunnel
exists, known as the Multi-Modal alternative; and
Whereas, the resources required to complete the proposed freeway are
not available given the status of the project as “constrained,” while many
other important transportation projects that rightly have a higher priority
because they will improve mobility and healthy living standards and quality
of life in the San Gabriel Valley are in need of those resources for
completion; and
Whereas, the local economy and business district would be harmed
substantially by the impacts of construction and subsequent increase on
cut-through traffic upon freeway completion, as congestion on the 710
increases yet the drivers seek to avoid the proposed tolls; and
Whereas, the quality of life in South Pasadena and neighboring cities will
be diminished by the pollution of our air and our emergency response
teams will be overburdened by the responsibility of providing for public
safety with the substantially increased risk of traffic collisions caused by
the dangerous conditions inside one of the longest tunnels ever built,
which is an untested design scheme resulting in the volatile combination
of high speeds in restricted spaces with limited escape exits; and
Whereas, the City Council of South Pasadena unanimously voted to pass
Resolution #7172 on July 20, 2011 listing many other reasons why the
State Route 710 project, whether by surface route or bored tunnel, should
forever be abandoned; therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, that the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce
supports the City of South Pasadena’s official position opposing the
completion of the State Route 710 Freeway, supports the adoption of the
Multi-modal transportation approach, and rescinds previous Resolution
#7171,
RESOLVED FURTHER; That the Chamber of Commerce emphasize to
the City Council that business is important to our community, and that this
City enthusiastically support sensible transportation solutions that will
protect our historic fabric while increasing access and mobility in an
environmentally sensitive manner and a forward thinking, efficient and
effective transportation strategy rather than the outdated mentality that
building more and bigger highways will somehow reduce congestion
instead of exacerbate it.
Respectfully Submitted,
Odom Stamps, Chairman
TALLY 08/05/2013
Chamber of Commerce Directors:
Odom Stamps, Chair Yes July 20
Michele Downing, Chair Elect Yes July 19
Richard Gerrish, Treasurer Yes July 20
Steve Dahl, Past Chair Yes July 19
Samuel Muir, Scty Yes July 19
Jeff Burke Yes August 5
Dennis Chiappetta Yes July 19
Tom Field Yes July 20
Jon Primuth Yes August 3
Jason Rubin Yes August 3
Rich Roche Abstain August 3
Tony Tartaglia Abstain July 21
Carol Zorn Yes July 20
Recorded by Scott Feldmann, President & CEO on Monday,
August 5th, 2013
South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 3446
South Pasadena CA 91031
A 501c6 nonprofit mutual benefit organization
www.SouthPasadena.net