DUST-UP OVER PLANT LEADERS MAY MOVE ASPHALT FACILITY.

Byline: Beth Barrett Staff Writer

PACOIMA - State and local leaders are considering moving a controversial asphalt-recycling plant off city-owned land in order to build a bicycle path and park along the Pacoima Wash.

The plant - which saves taxpayers millions of dollars each year by providing the city with recycled asphalt for street paving - long has irritated residents over emissions and the diesel trucks that each day run past neighborhoods to the freeways.

While owner All American Asphalt of Corona has built a $10 million, state-of-the-art plant that has reduced dust and emissions, a plan that would allow it to sell to more customers than just Los Angeles has once again triggered debate over the facility's future.

``It doesn't belong there,'' said Assemblywoman Cindy Montaez, D-Mission Hills, who has long fought to move the plant. ``That's a neighborhood, and it's an incompatible use. The city of Los Angeles should never have permitted it.''

Montaez says moving the plant has become even more imperative as officials pursue state and federal funding for the Pacoima Greenway Project, a system of bike and walking trails and connecting parks.

Los Angeles City Council President Alex Padilla, who is running against Montaez in the 20th Senate District, plans to introduce a motion next week exploring moving the massive complex of asphalt and storage tanks, crushing rooms, conveyor belts and mixers.

``The Northeast Valley has been overburdened historically with landfills, heavy manufacturing, gravel pits, railroads coming through,'' Padilla said. ``All these uses are adversarial to the environment and quality of life.''

Meanwhile, the city's Planning Commission is scheduled to consider a permit change later this month that would allow the plant to sell to buyers in addition to Los Angeles.

Dan Stinson, asphalt plants manager for All American Asphalt, said expanding the number of buyers would not materially increase the approximately 100 truck trips per day - nor would it expand the plant's production capacity.

It would, however, help the company maintain business if the city's street-paving budget dipped.

City public works officials, meanwhile, say they hope to find a compromise that would allow the plant to remain while also adding a possible bike path along its border.

Dennis B. Rogers, chief management analyst in the city's Bureau of Street Services, said the city has used the site for a maintenance yard - which is in an industrial area about one-tenth of a mile from the closest homes - since the 1920s.

It became one of three city asphalt-recycling plants in 1985 under a previous owner, with All American Asphalt winning a recent management contract that runs through June 2007.

In that time, the city has recycled 2.5 million tons of asphalt at a savings of over $70 million in landfill disposal fees, in addition to saving on the purchase of new asphalt and rock, Rogers said.

While the company is permitted to recycle up to 76,875 tons per month - or up to 3,200 tons per day - the city's demand is less: In August, for example, the city's demand ranged from 1,000 to 2,500 tons per day.

Last year, the city bought a total of 360,000 tons from the Pacoima site - about 30,000 tons a month on average - at about $24 per ton.

``We fought to make the best asphalt plant we could,'' Rogers said. ``But it's still an asphalt plant. It's not a park.''

Beth Barrett, [phone]

beth.barrett(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

photo, map

Photo:

All American Asphalt's plant saves taxpayers millions of dollars each year by providing recycled asphalt for street paving.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer

Map:

Asphalt Recycling Plant

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