[CPEO-MEF] Digest for cpeo-military@igc.topica.com, issue 709

[Jana Herbert <reininthunder@earthlink.net>]

I have an issue with reverse encroachment...similar to reverse
discrimination and the USAF being above the law and not caring about how
they effect those who support them.  I turned in the paper below and have
yet to receive a reply...and, wonder how the DoD and USAF get anything 
done
right without being able to communicate from one side of the base to
another:

To:     Robert Nordahl                                Environmental 
Flight
Chief
Beale AFB

Date: November 10, 2002

_From: Jana M. Walsh, Resident
             Wheatland, CA 95692

Date:  November 10, 2002

Re:     BEALE AFB Military Housing Privatization   Proposed Rangeland 
Usage
on Southside of Existing Base Housing


This is regarding the "rangeland" that is being put out for bid as part 
of
Beale AFB's housing privatization.  The rangeland runs along the property
lines of several residents in the former Camp Beale area, nears the area 
of
Monarch Trail and their residents, and is seen by the remainder of the
residents out in former Camp Beale (Wheatland) who's houses and land face
Beale AFB.

Encroachment

Anything that will detract from military value constitutes encroachment.
But, this goes two ways. It has been the mind set of most good Yuba 
County
residents to not do anything to encroach on Beale AFB's mission.  
However,
with the possibility of Beale AFB extending the borders of the base 
housing
to back up to our backyards, you will be encroaching on us.  Currently, 
our
land cannot be split under 10 acres.  Many of us have horses, cattle, 
small
livestock, and other farm like animals.  Historically, neighbors who 
live in
small homes with small yards, who back up to rural homes with farm like
animals and horse ranches, are not happy with the flies, smells, dust, 
and
other things that come with rural living.  Backing these homes up onto 
us,
will encroach on our lifestyle, decrease our property values as a rural
community, and open your airwaves to many complaints...and, most likely,
cause some unneighborly conduct.  And, this does not just include those 
of
us who just border Beale property, but those who live within eyesight of 
the
housing already.  This is not a threat...but, it is a fact, all of us 
have
weapons, if only to keep the coyotes from eating our livestock.  When 
your
personnel's cats, dogs, and whatever, start to climb your fences and 
squeak
through open boards in fences, they will be fair game to the residents
currently out here.  Not to mention, you will really make a lot of people
angry, lost friends, and no longer have the support for your activities 
in
the future, once you opt to destroy our way of life.  (See attached map.)

Buffer Zone

Where is the buffer zone going to be.  After September 9, 2001 (9/11), 
all
of us looked out as mini-tanks armed with guns patrolled you borders, our
borders too, for security purposes.  After the initial shock of 9/11 wore
off, this became regular patrolling on motorcycles and other off road
vehicles with your military personnel.  Since that, every time there has
been a "high alert," an increase in patrolling these borders has 
occurred.
As it stands, there is not that much buffer between Beale AFB and the
citizens surrounding adjacent to the rangeland.  It is also a fact that
children who go to school and/or are friends with some of your military
personnel children already living on base, are seen often walking through
the rangeland, climb your fences, and visit their friends...then,
return...that is a fact.  Also, in September 2002, Colonel James 
Biemesser,
shot down the Yuba Highlands Housing Project's attempt to put a bypass 
road
around the East side of the Capehart housing complex to connect the Grass
Valley and Spenceville Roads.  Colonel Biemesser said the bypass road" 
must
have a much greater separation from (Capehart) and include a barrier or 
wall
for security and noise attenuation."  So, with this in mind...and since 
the
rangeland would have NO "barrier," where is the buffer zone.

Ordnance
Note:  Camp Beale Ordnance & Explosive Clean-up Project  Website:
http://www.campbeale.spk.usace.army.mil/
The rangeland your are proposing to use with your base privatization
expansion is adjacent to the"highest risk" area for unexploded ordnance
(UXO) what was formerly Camp Beale.  I know, from talking to Captain Mike
Strickler, that no one has even brought that concern up before me.  
And, I
do not think it would be to presumptive to think that Beale AFB has not 
done
a complete survey of that rangeland for UXO.  The USACE has just 
completed
spot surveying in the higher risk areas,
which back up to this range land, and those results will not be made 
public
for two years.  At that point, they will determine which areas have "hot
spots" that need immediate attention.  With the history of Camp Beale and
Beale AFB, the Department of Defense (DOD) cannot assume that the 
rangeland
is safe for any contractor to come in, bulldoze, excavate, and remove any
UXO, without grave risk to not only themselves and whoever is running the
heavy equipment, but to your neighbors (me included).  From the bottom 
of my
20 acres at the border to Beale AFB, there is at least a 30% grade to the
top of where your current base housing exists.  The area out here was 
only
given "surface use" only clearance when DOD first sold the land off in 
the
1950's.  I will not hesitate in saying that if no one brought the UXO 
issue
up until now, then Beale AFB has no idea what is out in the ground 
adjacent
to the bombing range land I bought into, bordering Beale AFB.  We fear
anytime we drill a well, put in a septic system, dig a post hole...but, 
we
are here, we were not told of the dangers when we bought here, so we live
with it.  Too, that land, if ever sold in the future should Beale AFB 
close
and/or downsize, will have to be given full disclosure to any potential
buyer of the UXO and potential contaminated soil beneath from the 
erosion of
the UXO.  And, in so doing, you will still be opening yourselves wide 
open
to future lawsuits should anything happen, as did, like Camp Elliott in 
San
Diego, CA.  Further, Tech Sgt. Glass advised me that on the average, 10
pieces of UXO are found on the base annually, while @10 pieces of UXO are
found off the base annually; but this UXO is typically just mini-rockets.
So, if you just use the land for base privatization, you still open
yourselves up to the same kind of lawsuits. The costs of surveying and
cleanup of UXO for just the small area of former Camp Beale, was once
estimated at costing over $200 million; is the DOD ready to incur even a
fraction of that for a viable cleanup on the range land.   And, let us 
not
forget that the taxpayers, ultimately, pay those expenses, one way or
another.

Yuba Highlands Proposed Community

There is a new community being proposed adjacent to the Northeast side of
Beale AFB; The Yuba Highlands Housing Project.  There are over 100 people
right now working to stop this, for many of the same reasons the 
rangeland
on Beale AFB should not be used.  If you give the go ahead to put a small
housing track in line with the current residents who back up to your 
border,
you will be opening up the future of this rural community to zoning 
changes,
which would make the entire area susceptible to splitting the acreages 
and
asking for more urban sprawl.  You are setting Beale AFB to eventually be
surrounded by more private housing...and, not the kind of housing you 
would
welcome near your Base.  The Yuba Highlands Housing Project is a primary
example of what you will have to the South of the Beale AFB, and, how, 
deep
pocketed builders/land owners/contractors can get their way and get 
rezoning
passed without the majority of a county knowing about it and its
implications.  Should your plan to expand base housing to meet our 
borders
come to pass, many of us, will give up, bail out, let the developers 
split
the land for a massive housing development, at which point we will be 
able
to sell high, and move somewhere else (of course we will sell with a full
disclosure that they are buying land that has UXO on it).

Traffic

Highway 65 from the junction of I-80 in Roseville to junction SR70 south 
of
Marysville:

In 2001, there were over 20,800 cars traveling Highway 65 per day

There were a total of 217 accidents that year, as opposed to the 248 in
2000.  189 of those 217 accidents involved multiple vehicles.  74 of 
those
accidents involved injuries; the number of people injured were 127, with 
two
fatalities.  These statistics do not reflect the fender benders nor other
accidents that were not reported by the various separate CHP entities.

On the Wheatland 2 mile Hwy 65 corridor, to date, there have been @15
accidents.  With homes built which are closest to the Spenceville Road 
AFB
entrance, we will see an increase in traffic congestion.  As anyone knows
who has traveled Spenceville Road, it is in dire need of road repair and
improvement.  With the addition of the Forecast Homes development just 
off
Spenceville, residents have already encountered the hazards of the 
increase
in traffic.  Too, it is not unusual to have base personnel speeding 
wildly
on Spenceville Road and not unusual to see their cars overturned on that
Spenceville curve where it bends toward the AFB entrance toward Vassar 
Lake.

By adding more homes to access off of Spenceville Road, where it is 
likely
most your new residents will be accessing the Base while commuting to and
from the Sacramento/Roseville area, the impact on the already overloaded
Highway 65 will impose significant hardships on the former Camp Beale
residents who must also use Spenceville Highway to work, school, grocery
store, etc., already.  How do you propose to handle the situation...will 
the
Base be able to incur the expense of upgrading Spenceville Road and 
adding
more military personnel to patrol your additional people, who will be
abusing the road, since we already have a problem with your current
personnel and their families doing it.

The proposed bypass of Hwy 65 in Placer/Sacramento Counties is not 
scheduled
for completion until 2005...and, it is planned to meet Hwy 65 just south 
of
Wheatland.  With the additional hardship that will be coming due to the
recently approved Indian Gaming Casino off of 40 Mile Road, this will 
only
increase the problem further.  What we have is another "Sun City" coming 
to
the Marysville area with the proposed Yuba Highlands Housing Project, 
where
the roads did not and still do not meet the needs of the commuters and 
the
tranquility of the town of Lincoln has been destroyed.

Finally, when you open up your back gates to increased traffic, there 
will
be friends and family visiting your homes.  There is not enough law
enforcement in Yuba County to patrol Spenceville Road.  As it is, we have
only two CHP's on duty at night to cover all of Yuba County and a couple
Wheatland Police on the roster.  And, since your personnel at this point,
can only patrol up to a short distance from the entrance, I suspect you 
will
not be able to stop the problems.  So, you can expect that the locals 
will
take patrolling  Spenceville Road into their own hands, when it starts 
being
abused more.  If you do not think that is possible, then you do not know 
the
people of this area.

Historic Property

The entire Spenceville Wildlife Preserve and surrounding lands, including
the rangeland you are putting out there for base privatization, is rich 
with
multi-cultural, pre-historic, Native American culture, fragile 
archeological
sites, etc.  Before you can consider demolishing any of this land, you 
must
first see if it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
and if
there are any Indian burial grounds present, in which case, you would 
need
to reach an agreement with the tribe (and the Council in some cases) on
measures to deal with any adverse effects to their heritage.

Water

All of Wheatland has big water problems.  Some people have wells that 
will
only deliver 1.5 gal/minute, while the lucky ones might get 10 
gal/minute or
a little more.  Oftentimes, when one person drills a new well, a 
neighbor's
well will go dry.  Should Beale AFB decide in the future to drill more 
wells
near our lands to take care of the increase in population, you will be
opening yourself up to major problems with existing residents out here.  
If
you want to maintain good relations with us, then, you need to do some
compromising and help us too.

What would the impact be on the residents already out here.  Also, 
drilling
for water in any of the areas out here, your current water treatment 
plant
is already out of compliance with its permit through the Regional Water
Quality Board.  In fact, from the gold mines, which are known to be
contaminated; arsenic being one agent from the Copper mines that lay 
just a
few miles from Beale AFB, the Trichloroethylene (TCE), and who knows what
else, you will be opening up a "pandora's box" much like Fallon, NV and
their naval air station.

Holding Tanks

There are two holding tanks on Beale AFB which sit up to the Northeast of
the range land.  The run-off of these tanks creates a natural creek that
comes down and runs across the backside of three pieces of property on 
both
Intanko and Kapaka Lanes.  If the Base decides to have their housing
expanded to include the range land, then the run-off from these tanks 
will
have to be diverted, most likely, to somewhere on the base with a 
makeshift
lake.  To do otherwise, Beale would have to cut into the hills to have 
it go
to the East.

In Closing

Beale AFB has three sites proposed for contractors/builders to bid on.  
All
three are essentially the same in in acreage.  However, two of them, are 
on
a part of the Base which will not impact the surrounding residents and 
still
have all the convenience of using existing Base facilities, water and 
sewage
systems, and other access roads.  So, the real question is: Why would 
Beale
AFB include a piece of property put out for bid, with so many flaws and
potential and real problems facing the builders/contractors, DOD future
legal issues, encroachment to Beale and neighbors, and, simply stated,
disrupting a community that does not need anymore problems than it 
already
has.  What appears to have happened is Beale AFB and their personnel have
never really looked into the hazards using  the rangeland and have
mistakenly proposed this land for use with little thought or research.  
This
land needs to be taken out of the bid package/s and left alone and used 
for
what it has been for years; grazing cattle.

Cc: Captain Mike Strickler, Beale AFB
       Secretary, Department of Defense
       Secretary, United States Air Force

Responding to:
I am a biologist with the Navy.  I hear about "encroachment issues" on a
daily basis.  None have ever been substantiated to my satisfaction. What
"vital need" has ever been stopped by this so-called encroachment?  The
military will do what is necessary when the time comes despite the law.
The real issue here is encroachment on how things are done by the 
civilian
community.  Civilians role in military issues should be to pay for it and
not get involved in every day matters.

  I have e-mailed my Congressman and Senator but have yet to receive an
answer.  I am usually non-political because it seems my thoughts are 
never
heard and little gets done.  It all becomes a battle of
bureaucracy and nobody ever wins.

  I'd like to win this one though, how can I help?

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