· · ·CITY OF BARSTOW SPECIAL MEETING )
· · ·OF THE CITY COUNCIL, BARSTOW· · )
· · ·FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT AND· · )
· · ·ODESSA WATER DISTRICT· · · · · ·)
· · ·IN RE:· GENERAL PLAN UPDATE· · ·)
· · ·BARSTOW INTERNATIONAL GATEWAY· ·)
· · ·(BIG) SPECIFIC PLAN, AND· · · · )
· · ·RELATED ACTIONS· · · · · · · · ·)
· · ·________________________________)
·
·
·
· · · · · · · · ·REPORTER'S TRANSCRIPT OF PROCEEDINGS
·
· · · ·LOCATION:· · · · · · BARSTOW COMMUNITY COLLEGE
· · · · · · · · · · · · · · Performing Arts Community Theater · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 2700 Barstow Road
· · · · · · · · · · · · · · Barstow, California 92311
·
· · · ·DATE AND TIME:· · · ·Tuesday, June 2, 2026
· · · · · · · · · · · · · · 5:03 p.m. to 9:50 p.m.
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
· · · ·Reported By:· ·Cindy R. Bowden, CSR 12962
· · · · · · · · · · · Registered Merit Reporter
· · · · · · · · · · · Official Pro Tem Court Reporter
· · · ·JOB NO.:· 132410
·1· · · · · · · · · · · A P P E A R A N C E S
·2
·3· · ·CITY OF BARSTOW STAFF:
·4· · · · · · · ROCHELLE CLAYTON, City Manager
·5· · · · · · · Genesis Crank, City Planning and Community ·6· · · · · · · · · Development Administrator and Economic ·7· · · · · · · · · Development Specialist
·8· · · · · · · CHRIS HELDRETH, Community Development Director ·9· · · · · · · BRAD MERRELL, City Engineer
10· · · · · · · MATTHEW SUMMERS, City Attorney
11· · ·ALSO PRESENT:
12· · · · · · · LENA KENT, BNSF
13· · · · · · · JENNIFER HARRY, KIMLEY-HORN
14· · · · · · · MARK TEAGUE, PLACEWORKS
15· · · · · · · PUBLIC SPEAKERS (AS NOTED IN TRANSCRIPT) 16 17
18 19
20 21
22 23
24 25
·1· · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·SESSION
·2· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · PAGE ·3· · TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2026
· · · · Joint Special Meeting· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 4 ·4
· · · · Agenda Approval· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 6 ·5
· · · · Motion Approved - Unanimously· · · · · · · · · · · · 7 ·6
· · · · Public Speakers· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·54 ·7
· · · · Questions by Board Members· · · · · · · · · · · · ·113 ·8
· · · · Motion to Approve General Plan· · · · · · · · · · ·161 ·9
· · · · Motion Approved - Unanimously· · · · · · · · · · · 166 10 11
12 13
14 15
16 17
18 19
20 21
22 23
24 25
·1· · · · · · · · BARSTOW, CA; TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2026
·2· · · · · · · · · · · · · ·---oo0oo---
·3· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· With that, we will call this ·4· · ·meeting to order for the joint special meeting of the ·5· · ·City of Barstow council, Barstow Fire Station District, ·6· · ·and Odessa Water District for today June 2nd, 2026 at ·7· · ·5:03 p.m.
·8· · · · · · · I ask that everyone that can please rise for ·9· · ·our invitation and please stay standing after for the 10· · ·Pledge of Allegiance.
11· · ·(Pledge of Allegiance took place, but not transcribed.) 12· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Madam Clerk, can we have roll 13· · ·call?
14· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Council Member Hernandez.
15· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· Here.
16· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Mayor Pro Tem Noble.
17· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER NOBLE:· Here.
18· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Council Member Rose.
19· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER ROSE:· Present.
20· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Council Member Williams.
21· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAMS:· Here.
22· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Mayor Silva.
23· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Present.
24· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Roll call is completed.· All 25· · ·members are present.
·1· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Thank you.· Participation is ·2· · ·invited.· If you wish to be heard on any item of the ·3· · ·agenda, please indicate by filling out the speaker ·4· · ·request card, and hand it to the city clerk prior to ·5· · ·them -- I'm sorry -- and handing it to the city staff ·6· · ·located in the box office located in the lobby of the ·7· · ·performing arts center prior to the close of the public ·8· · ·hearing.
·9· · · · · · · If special accommodations are required, a 10· · ·48-hour notice must be given to the city clerk.
11· · · · · · · Code of ethics.· As your elected governing 12· · ·board, we will remember the code of ethics that we 13· · ·voluntarily and unanimously approved.· During this 14· · ·meeting we will treat each other and the public with 15· · ·civility, courtesy and patience.
16· · · · · · · The decisions made tonight will be for the 17· · ·benefit of the Barstow community and not for personal 18· · ·gain.
19· · · · · · · Review and approval of the agenda.· This is 20· · ·the time for members of the governing board to call for 21· · ·rearranging the order of the agenda adding items to or 22· · ·removing items from the agenda or removing items from 23· · ·the consent calendar for discussion and/or separate 24· · ·action.· Items may only be added to the agenda as 25· · ·allowed by state law including Government Code
·1· · ·Section 54954.2, Subdivision (B), allowing emergency ·2· · ·items to be added by majority vote and allowing items ·3· · ·that arose to the City's attention after the agenda ·4· · ·posting deadline, but which require immediate action to ·5· · ·be added by a two-thirds vote of the council members ·6· · ·present at the meeting or if less than two-thirds of the ·7· · ·council members are present, a unanimous vote of those ·8· · ·members present.
·9· · · · · · · May I ask for a motion and a second.
10· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· So moved to
11· · ·approve.
12· · · · · · · MAYOR PRO TEM NOBLE:· Second.
13· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· I have a motion by Council 14· · ·Member Hernandez and a second by Mayor Pro Tem Noble. 15· · ·Madam Clerk, roll call, please.
16· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Yes.· Council Member Hernandez. 17· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· Yes.
18· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Mayor Pro Tem Noble.
19· · · · · · · MAYOR PRO TEM NOBLE:· Yes.
20· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Council Member Rose.
21· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER ROSE:· Yes.
22· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Council Member Williams.
23· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAMS:· Yes.
24· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Mayor Silva.
25· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Yes.
·1· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· And the motion to approve the ·2· · ·agenda passes unanimously.
·3· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Okay.· We have one item on the ·4· · ·agenda tonight that is a public hearing.· The public ·5· · ·hearing is a General Plan update Barstow International ·6· · ·Gateway (BIG) Specific Plan, and related actions.· The ·7· · ·recommended action that the city council conduct a ·8· · ·public hearing, make appropriate findings under the ·9· · ·California Environmental Quality Act, CEQA and take 10· · ·these actions:
11· · · · · · · Adopt Resolution No. 5256-2026 to certify the 12· · ·City of Barstow General Plan and Barstow International 13· · ·Gateway (BIG) Development Project Final Environmental 14· · ·Impact Report, SCH No. 2024020501 with technical, 15· · ·appendices, adopt CEQA Findings on Impacts and
16· · ·Mitigation Measures, Statement of Overriding
17· · ·Considerations, and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting 18· · ·Programs for the General Plan and BIG interstate 19· · ·project.
20· · · · · · · Adopt Resolution No. 5257-2026 to adopt an 21· · ·update to the City of Barstow General Plan; Waive 22· · ·further reading and introduce Ordinance No. 1035-2026 to 23· · ·adopt a new zoning map and amend Title 19 of the Barstow 24· · ·Municipal Code (BMC) to create a Business Park, a BP, 25· · ·and High Density Residential (HDR) Zone Districts; Adopt ·1· · ·major changes to the Medium Density Residential Zone ·2· · ·(MDR) District; Eliminate the Estate Residential Zone ·3· · ·District; require adopted specific plans be incorporated ·4· · ·by reference into the BMC with copies available for ·5· · ·review at the City Clerk's office; and repeal
·6· · ·Chapter 1.05 as it is unnecessary and superceded by the ·7· · ·updated General Plan, and make conforming amendments ·8· · ·throughout Title 12 and Title 19.
·9· · · · · · · Waive further reading and introduce Ordinance 10· · ·No. 1043-2026 to adopt the BIG Specific Plan; adopt 11· · ·Resolution No. 5258-2026 to approve the BIG Tentative 12· · ·Tract Map (208720878-1-10) and consistent with the BIG 13· · ·Specific Plan and conditions of approval.
14· · · · · · · Waive further reading and introduce Ordinance 15· · ·No. 1044-2026 to approve the Development Agreement (DA) 16· · ·that memorializes agreements negotiated between the City 17· · ·of Barstow and BNSF over fees, service arrangements and 18· · ·other aspects of the BIG Project.
19· · · · · · · Adopt Resolution No. 5259-2026 to authorize a 20· · ·Road Maintenance Agreement with the County of
21· · ·San Bernardino for maintenance of the portion of Main 22· · ·Street Southeast of the BIG Specific Plan boundary that 23· · ·is excluded from the San Bernardino County Local Agency 24· · ·Formation Commission (LAFCO), Action Area A
25· · ·reorganization as defined in Resolution 5276-2026. ·1· · · · · · · Adopt Resolution No. 5260-2026 to authorize ·2· · ·and direct the City Manager to accept assignment of ·3· · ·certain easements from BNSF related to the BIG Project ·4· · ·consent to the recordation of the assignments of ·5· · ·easements and reporting and record said easements. ·6· · · · · · · Waive further reading and introduce Ordinance ·7· · ·No. 1045-2026 to prezone LAFCO, Action Area A for the ·8· · ·BIG Project, including 2,676 acres of the proposed BIG ·9· · ·Specific Plan area and approximately ten-acre parcel. 10· · · · · · · Adopt Resolution No. 5274-2026 of the City of 11· · ·Barstow acting as the city council and acting as the 12· · ·Board of Directors for the Barstow Fire Protection 13· · ·District (BFPD) to authorize principal terms for the 14· · ·exchange of property tax revenues with the
15· · ·San Bernardino County and the San Bernardino County Fire 16· · ·District resulting from the new organization of LAFCO 17· · ·Action Area A for the BIG Project.
18· · · · · · · Adopt resolution number 5276-2026 to approve a 19· · ·resolution of application by the City of Barstow 20· · ·requesting LAFCO initiate proceedings for reorganization 21· · ·for LAFCO Action Area A comprised of:· Annexations to 22· · ·the City of Barstow, BFPD, and Odessa Water District, 23· · ·detachment from the County Fire Protection District, 24· · ·it's north desert service zone and its zone FP-5 and 25· · ·attachment for the County Service Area 70; and.
·1· · · · · · · Adopt Resolution No. 76-2026 acting as the ·2· · ·Board of Directors of the BFPD in support of the City of ·3· · ·Barstow's application for reorganization of LAFCO Action ·4· · ·Area A.
·5· · · · · · · Adopt Odessa Water District Resolution
·6· · ·No. 01-2026 acting as the Board of Directors of the ·7· · ·Odessa Water District in support of the City of
·8· · ·Barstow's application for reorganization of LAFCO Action ·9· · ·Area A.
10· · · · · · · Waive further reading and introduce Ordinance 11· · ·No. 1046-2026 to prezone LAFCO Action Area B for the BIG 12· · ·Project, inclusive of six parcels totaling 99 acres. 13· · · · · · · Adopt Resolution No. 5275-2026 of the City of 14· · ·Barstow to authorize principal terms for the exchange of 15· · ·property tax revenues with the San Bernardino County 16· · ·resulting from the reorganization of the LAFCO Action 17· · ·Area B for the BIG Project.
18· · · · · · · Adopt Resolution No. 5277-2026 to approve a 19· · ·resolution of application by the City of Barstow 20· · ·requesting LAFCO initiate proceedings for reorganization 21· · ·for LAFCO Action Area B comprised of annexations to the 22· · ·City of Barstow and Odessa Water District and detachment 23· · ·from the County Service Area 70.
24· · · · · · · And adopt Odessa Water District Resolution 25· · ·No.· 02-2026 acting as the Board of Directors of the ·1· · ·Odessa Water District the support of City of Barstow's ·2· · ·application for reorganization of LAFCO action Area B. ·3· · · · · · · With that, I turn it over to the City Manager ·4· · ·for the presentation.· City Manager.
·5· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· Thank you, Mayor, ·6· · ·members of the council.· Good evening.· I'm Rochelle ·7· · ·Clayton, City Manager of Barstow.· I would like to ·8· · ·welcome everyone including residents, property owners, ·9· · ·agencies and members of the public.
10· · · · · · · Today's public hearing is to consider the 11· · ·City's General Plan and zoning updates, the Barstow 12· · ·International Gateway Specific Plan and proposed project 13· · ·including the development agreement, Tentative Tract Map 14· · ·and Road Maintenance Agreement and easements and so 15· · ·forth, that the Mayor just called out, which has an 16· · ·estimated investment of $4 billion into this community. 17· · ·This is a significant undertaking with the potential to 18· · ·have far-reaching and positive impacts on
19· · ·transportation, economic development, environmental 20· · ·resources and public safety.
21· · · · · · · The purpose of this hearing is to try the 22· · ·transparent public forum for the presentation of the 23· · ·project, review of the planning and environmental 24· · ·considerations and to receive public testimony.
25· · · · · · · The city council's role today is to carefully ·1· · ·evaluate the information presented; consider the plans, ·2· · ·regulations, and laws; and ensure that all interested ·3· · ·parties have an opportunity to be heard.
·4· · · · · · · We recognize that projects of this scale can ·5· · ·generate strong opinions and legitimate questions.· We ·6· · ·ask that everyone participate respectfully and
·7· · ·professionally so that Mayor Silva can maintain fair -- ·8· · ·a fair, orderly and productive hearing process.
·9· · · · · · · The format for today's meeting will begin with 10· · ·our presentation, an overview of the General Plan 11· · ·update, the applicants' presentation of the project's 12· · ·specific plan, and then a presentation on the
13· · ·environmental impact report and project specific 14· · ·information.
15· · · · · · · Mayor Silva will then open the public hearing 16· · ·for public testimony and comments, which will be two 17· · ·minutes per speaker or a total of four minutes if 18· · ·translation is needed to ensure the translator has the 19· · ·full two minutes to translate.
20· · · · · · · And all speakers will be called up in order. 21· · ·The names and numbers of the next five speakers will be 22· · ·projected on -- we don't have the large screen up, but 23· · ·will be projected for staff to call them up.· All 24· · ·testimony will be considered as part of the City's -- 25· · ·city council's deliberations.
·1· · · · · · · We encourage speakers to focus your comments ·2· · ·on relevant planning, environmental, transportation, ·3· · ·infrastructure and community issues as associated with ·4· · ·the proposal.
·5· · · · · · · At this time, I would like to turn the
·6· · ·presentation over to community development director ·7· · ·Heldreth to provide an update on the General Plan and ·8· · ·zoning.
·9· · · · · · · COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR HELDRETH:· Good 10· · ·evening, Mayor and council.· My name is Chris Heldreth, 11· · ·and I'm the community development director at the City 12· · ·of Barstow.· I'm going to go over a little bit of a 13· · ·General Plan update that we have been undertaking for 14· · ·the last several years.
15· · · · · · · Barstow has always been at the center of 16· · ·economic activity, trade, in fact, centuries.· Barstow 17· · ·has experienced lots of growth since the railroads came 18· · ·and continued blossoming through the 1950s all the way 19· · ·to the 1980s.· Over the past 35 years we've had a number 20· · ·of proposals of new ideas, new job creators and massive 21· · ·economic development opportunities.· But frankly, we've 22· · ·stalled out.
23· · · · · · · We focused on some short-term updates in 2015, 24· · ·and then in 2020 we kept hearing about potential 25· · ·developing interest including BIG.
·1· · · · · · · On the map, you can see some of that interest. ·2· · ·It was in residential.· Of course the casinos and some ·3· · ·other industrial uses.· So we saw the potential for ·4· · ·thousands of new homes and jobs and immediately
·5· · ·understood that we had to undertake a comprehensive ·6· · ·review of all of our long-range plans.· As you can ·7· · ·imagine, that's a lot to consider, and if we just ·8· · ·evaluate each of these individual projects one at a ·9· · ·time, we risk missing something if they all come to 10· · ·fruition.
11· · · · · · · The City's job is to make sure growth and 12· · ·development can accommodate -- can be accommodated while 13· · ·making sure everything will work and our quality of life 14· · ·can improve.· We have to make sure our roads will still 15· · ·work and your toilets will flush, the water will flow 16· · ·for both existing and future residents and businesses. 17· · · · · · · So we built a team to help us evaluate all of 18· · ·this potential growth.· City staff and the city
19· · ·consultants prepared city-wide studies and plans, 20· · ·reviewed and integrated BNSF's studies and plans into 21· · ·ours, and we assured the analysis and plans were 22· · ·accurate, feasible and integrated into all the overall 23· · ·system.
24· · · · · · · Out of all the various tools and systems the 25· · ·city uses to keep everything organized and functioning, ·1· · ·the general plans.· But all these planning systems need ·2· · ·to be in sync and be consistent.· As you can see in the ·3· · ·illustration, everything works together, and if anything ·4· · ·is misaligned, it will not work.
·5· · · · · · · The General Plan serves as the hub because it ·6· · ·provides the long-term vision for how Barstow will ·7· · ·improve.· The General Plan serves as a primary signpost ·8· · ·for making decisions and investments.· This plan is used ·9· · ·by your city council, planning commissioners and city 10· · ·staff.· It helps us make decisions when looking at 11· · ·development applications.· Also, it helps us with our 12· · ·city budgets and updating other plans.· Additionally, 13· · ·everyone else uses this plan, like developers and 14· · ·property owners.· Members of the public can use this 15· · ·document to help them understand how and why the city 16· · ·makes its decisions, which can, in return, help them 17· · ·make their own decisions about their property,
18· · ·neighborhood or businesses.· As I've previously said, 19· · ·the General Plan provides the long-term vision.· We are 20· · ·planning for how the City of Barstow will grow and 21· · ·improve over the next 20 years.
22· · · · · · · When considering all these changes to the 23· · ·City's future, we have to talk to the community.· We 24· · ·have to know what they think, what they like about 25· · ·Barstow, what changes they want to see, and what ·1· · ·questions they have about potential changes.· So the ·2· · ·city conducted extensive public outreach over the last ·3· · ·four years, reaching thousands of community members in ·4· · ·and around Barstow.
·5· · · · · · · During public outreach sessions, there were ·6· · ·a lot of questions.· There were a lot of priorities for ·7· · ·the community, such as:· Are we going to encourage ·8· · ·investment in the community, create livable wage jobs and ·9· · ·careers, expand housing projects, support local schools 10· · ·and college, improve public services and safety, and 11· · ·also increase recreation and amenities.· Some of the top 12· · ·questions we also received was:· When will it all 13· · ·happen?· How will all this growth affect me?· How many 14· · ·jobs?· Is there going to be training so I can get one of 15· · ·these jobs?· Will there be a lot of truck traffic?· Can 16· · ·the infrastructure handle it?· Where will the schools 17· · ·and parks go?
18· · · · · · · During the process, we also spoke to a lot of 19· · ·public agencies, especially those that serve Barstow, 20· · ·but also those that oversee and coordinate matters at 21· · ·the regional, state, and national level.· So the many 22· · ·years of working on this document have brought us here 23· · ·tonight, to propose a new General Plan and a new vision 24· · ·for the City of Barstow.· We want to honor our past 25· · ·while at the same time, push forward, creating a ·1· · ·complete community where our residents thrive, where ·2· · ·visitors discover why we call Barstow home, all while ·3· · ·making sure our current and future businesses can ·4· · ·flourish.
·5· · · · · · · The easiest way for me to show you some of the ·6· · ·most substantial changes is to compare our current and ·7· · ·proposed land use maps.· Here, we have a current land ·8· · ·use map up on the screen, which allows a lot of
·9· · ·development both in the city and in the unincorporated 10· · ·areas.· We want new investment and new development, but 11· · ·at the same time, we want them built responsibly.· What 12· · ·does that mean?· As you can see here, we have color all 13· · ·over the map, as we thought we can better organize these 14· · ·land uses.· Also, we wanted to avoid the mistake we've 15· · ·seen repeated in so many cities throughout California, 16· · ·where the new neighborhoods get the new parts, the new 17· · ·shops and the new schools, and the existing
18· · ·neighborhoods downtown are often set aside.· We wanted 19· · ·to avoid creating a new Barstow and an old Barstow. 20· · · · · · · During our outreach, we heard multiple times, 21· · ·"Please focus on our existing neighborhoods, our 22· · ·existing parks, and our downtown."· As you can see, with 23· · ·the new land use map, we have focused on new residential 24· · ·within central Barstow to direct new investment into our 25· · ·current neighborhoods, making sure new residents ·1· · ·directly support and see the value of improving our ·2· · ·existing parks, our existing schools, and the downtown. ·3· · ·Other changes include focusing on new job-generated uses ·4· · ·outside of central Barstow, integrating the plan for the ·5· · ·BIG Project, creating a spot for future job-generating ·6· · ·uses through a new business, part of the land use. A ·7· · ·lot of our land use map which reflects county land use ·8· · ·in addition to the assignment of new city boundaries, ·9· · ·and finding the alignment for Veteran's Parkway to help 10· · ·connect the east to the west.
11· · · · · · · These land use changes, along with
12· · ·improvements for transportation and infrastructure, sets 13· · ·the stage for our growth; and with the opportunities in 14· · ·front of us, Barstow could double in size over the next 15· · ·20 years.· The land use map is just one part of the 16· · ·City's General Plan.· The majority of the General Plan 17· · ·consists of policies and actions that address the 18· · ·various aspects of how to improve and grow Barstow. 19· · ·These aspects are grouped into topics that are called 20· · ·"Elements."· In addition to the new vision I spoke of 21· · ·earlier, the land use element focuses on priorities like 22· · ·compatibility between adjacent land uses and
23· · ·circulation.· The mobility element focuses on an easier 24· · ·way to get to and move around Barstow.· The housing 25· · ·element seeks ways to assist our existing residents and ·1· · ·create more new housing opportunities.· We also
·2· · ·emphasized improving on our parks' recreational
·3· · ·opportunities and conserving our natural resources. ·4· · · · · · · With all this potential growth, the key issue ·5· · ·is ensuring our public services, infrastructure, and ·6· · ·emergency services continue to be reliable, cost ·7· · ·efficient, and give us the ability to protect -- to be ·8· · ·protected and prosper.· Throughout all these elements, ·9· · ·the city addressed the topic of environmental justice, 10· · ·prioritizing improvements for conditions and services in 11· · ·those neighborhoods that are most disadvantaged.· And 12· · ·with all these potential changes to the General Plan, 13· · ·the city is also making parallel changes to the zoning 14· · ·ordinance to ensure consistency in the City's planning 15· · ·system.· This includes the adoption of the BIG Specific 16· · ·Plan, which will serve as the regularity zoning document 17· · ·for the development and implementation of the BIG 18· · ·Project.
19· · · · · · · And with that, I would like to invite
20· · ·Director Kent of BNSF to walk you through the BIG 21· · ·Project and the proposed specific plan.
22· · · · · · · DIRECTOR KENT:· Thank you, Chris.· It's great 23· · ·to be here tonight.
24· · · · · · · I just wanted to start off by saying good 25· · ·evening to the city mayor, city council members, city ·1· · ·staff, and members of the public.· My name is Lena Kent, ·2· · ·and I've been with BNSF now for close to -- actually, ·3· · ·over 30 years.· I'm the general director of public ·4· · ·affairs, based right here in San Bernardino County. ·5· · ·Tonight, I want to cover the purpose, benefits,
·6· · ·commitments of the Barstow International Gateway, ·7· · ·otherwise known as BIG, and how it aligns with the ·8· · ·City's long-term goals and visions.
·9· · · · · · · Before I get into really the meat of the 10· · ·project, I just want to take a moment and really thank 11· · ·the residents of Barstow, because it has been my 12· · ·pleasure really to meet so many of you, and the impacts 13· · ·that you have had.· You really do truly have a great 14· · ·city with a lot of great people.· So thank you for 15· · ·having me tonight.
16· · · · · · · Just a little bit about BNSF before we get 17· · ·into what the Barstow project is all about.· BNSF is the 18· · ·largest freight rail network in North America, and we 19· · ·are owned by Berkshire Hathaway.· We operate over 32,500 20· · ·route miles and three Canadian provinces.· At any given 21· · ·moment, we are operating roughly 1200 trains in the 22· · ·nation, and move more than 10 million units annually. 23· · ·Many of those units are those units that carry all the 24· · ·goods that us as Americans rely on, day in and day out, 25· · ·to survive.· BNSF is truly one of the backbones of the ·1· · ·national supply chain.· Our work force includes 30,000 ·2· · ·-- 37,000 employees nationwide.
·3· · · · · · · I'm proud to say that BNSF and its predecessor ·4· · ·railroads have been part of the Barstow community since ·5· · ·1886, more than 140 years.· Barstow's connection to the ·6· · ·railroad is reflected in the City's name; in fact, the ·7· · ·City of Barstow is named after William Barstow-Strong, ·8· · ·who served as the president of the Atchison, Topeka, and ·9· · ·the Santa Fe railroad.· Today, BNSF employs
10· · ·approximately 1,000 people locally, and continues to 11· · ·operate a major classification yard here in Barstow. 12· · ·The Barstow community is deeply connected to the rail, 13· · ·and it builds -- and BIG builds on that legacy.
14· · · · · · · A little bit about how goods currently move in 15· · ·Southern California.· I think it's really important for 16· · ·us to understand how that happens.· And so, goods come 17· · ·in through the ports of LA and Long Beach, otherwise 18· · ·known as the San Pedro Bay ports.· As those containers 19· · ·arrive at the ports, they are either loaded directly 20· · ·onto a railcar and taken out of the state via rail, and 21· · ·that goes through what is known as the Alameda Corridor, 22· · ·or they get picked up by a truck in most cases, and they 23· · ·travel to local distribution centers in the
24· · ·Inland Empire.· So that truck picks up the container, 25· · ·takes it to an Inland Empire warehouse, where they take ·1· · ·the contents of that container out -- so it could have ·2· · ·TVs and clothing items and food products -- and they ·3· · ·transload that and they put it into a 53-foot container. ·4· · ·Then a truck picks up that container and takes it to a ·5· · ·downtown rail yard, either in Los Angeles or in
·6· · ·San Bernardino, further congesting our highway system. ·7· · · · · · · We think there's a better way to do it, and we ·8· · ·have long been asked by communities to move more by ·9· · ·rail, move more on dock, and transport it across the 10· · ·nation more efficiently.· So that's exactly what they 11· · ·will help to do.· This project really came about, as 12· · ·well, during COVID.· And -- and so, when COVID happened, 13· · ·you really saw the supply chain melt down, where there 14· · ·weren't enough -- there wasn't enough spaces in
15· · ·warehouses, there weren't enough chassis or new
16· · ·containers in and around the area, and then the rail 17· · ·network started to melt down as well.· So we were 18· · ·approached at that time at the federal level and at the 19· · ·state level, to try to make some changes and come up 20· · ·with a more efficient way to move goods, to avoid 21· · ·something like that from happening again.· And that's 22· · ·exactly how BIG was designed.
23· · · · · · · Okay.· So the Barstow International Gateway is 24· · ·designed to change the process by moving goods more 25· · ·efficiently.· It would allow cargo to move by train, ·1· · ·directly from the port of Los Angeles or Long Beach, ·2· · ·through the underutilized Alameda Corridor.· The project ·3· · ·is more than a $4 billion private investment, and would ·4· · ·create a state-of-the-art master planned intermodal ·5· · ·facility.· BIG would fully integrate rail and transload ·6· · ·operations, including onsite warehouses, development, ·7· · ·and provide access to one of the fastest intermodal ·8· · ·routes and largest hub networks.· The goal is to create ·9· · ·a more efficient, cost competitive, and sustainable 10· · ·supply chain solution.
11· · · · · · · The BIG conceptual site plan:· This map shows 12· · ·the full BIG footprint, including the intermodal 13· · ·facility, transload warehouses, a solar farm, and 14· · ·supporting infrastructure.· The site plan illustrates 15· · ·how the facility would be organized to support efficient 16· · ·movement of containers between trucks, trains, and 17· · ·warehouses.· The design includes private roads, storm 18· · ·water basins, new rail lines, and multiple access 19· · ·points.· The layout is engineered to maximize efficiency 20· · ·while minimizing the impacts on public roadways and 21· · ·surrounding neighborhoods.· Additionally, there is 22· · ·approximately 636 acres for the Mojave River buffer, 23· · ·more than 15 percent of total property area.· Of that, 24· · ·545 acres have been set aside as a conservation
25· · ·easement, and will never be developed.
·1· · · · · · · I think, you know, as we get into the next ·2· · ·slide, I really want to talk about the closed-loop ·3· · ·system.· BIG will operate as what is known as a
·4· · ·closed-loop system, meaning container movement stays ·5· · ·within the site.· As you may recall, how it currently ·6· · ·moves today, it's going back and forth on the highway to ·7· · ·warehouses that are offsite, and then back to rail ·8· · ·yards.· This put it all on one footprint, and that ·9· · ·closed-loop system keeps that off of the City's streets. 10· · ·International 40-foot containers would arrive by the 11· · ·ports by rail at BIG's intermodal facility.· At the 12· · ·intermodal facility, containers would be lifted off 13· · ·railcars by electric cranes and zero-emission electric 14· · ·hostlers and moved to transload warehouses.
15· · · · · · · At the transload warehouse center,
16· · ·international containers would be transloaded into 17· · ·53-foot domestic containers.· After the transloading, 18· · ·the domestic containers would be returned to BIG's 19· · ·intermodal facility by electric trucks, and then depart 20· · ·to rail to destinations across the United States.· This 21· · ·closed-loop system is intended to reduce truck trips 22· · ·outside the facility, and support a more efficient 23· · ·movement process.
24· · · · · · · BNSF has made important commitments as part of 25· · ·the BIG Project.· BNSF assigned a project labor
·1· · ·agreement to ensure union labor for construction.· We ·2· · ·will deploy a dedicated Tier 4 locomotive fleet, the ·3· · ·cleanest diesel technology corporately available between ·4· · ·the ports and BIG.· All cranes and cargo handling ·5· · ·equipment at BIG will be zero-emission electric.· We are ·6· · ·also committing to increase renewable fuel use, which ·7· · ·will significantly reduce diesel particulate matter. ·8· · ·This project also includes a 140-acre solar farm, ·9· · ·rooftop solar on warehouses beyond legal requirements, 10· · ·and solar on rail yard canopies.
11· · · · · · · Additionally, we will voluntarily replace 12· · ·existing switches at our current Barstow yard with Tier 13· · ·4 switches, reducing emissions by up to 99 percent. 14· · ·BNSF has entered into a memorandum of understanding with 15· · ·the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District, for 16· · ·the testing of Tier 4 hybrid line-haul locomotives.· And 17· · ·so, if you're not familiar with what the Tier 4 hybrid 18· · ·line-haul locomotives are:· When they are going up Cajon 19· · ·Pass, for example, they would be in diesel mode; when 20· · ·they enter into the facilities, they would go into 21· · ·zero-emission mode, reducing any impacts to the
22· · ·surrounding communities.
23· · · · · · · BNSF has also entered into an MOU with the 24· · ·California Air Resources Board to explore the
25· · ·feasibility of additional emission reduction measures. ·1· · ·These commitments would be implemented through a ·2· · ·development agreement, mitigation monitoring and ·3· · ·reporting program, conditions of approval and
·4· · ·cooperative agreements.
·5· · · · · · · Together, these commitments are intended to ·6· · ·ensure that the project incorporates cleaner technology ·7· · ·and enforceable measures.
·8· · · · · · · BIG would be the first-of-its-kind rail ·9· · ·facility in the United States.· It improves efficient -- 10· · ·efficiency regionally and across the U.S. supply chain 11· · ·by shipping containers, sorting and processing away from 12· · ·congested ports and the Inland Empire.
13· · · · · · · The project eliminates approximately 800,000 14· · ·truck trips per year reducing congestion and emissions 15· · ·on our highways.
16· · · · · · · Economically, BIG will generate an estimated 17· · ·62,000 construction-related jobs throughout the state as 18· · ·well as the region and locally and 15,000 operational 19· · ·jobs.· This includes direct, indirect and induced jobs. 20· · · · · · · The estimated construction economic benefit is 21· · ·approximately $11 billion with an operational economic 22· · ·benefit of approximately 7 billion.
23· · · · · · · For the City of Barstow, the estimated
24· · ·economic benefit is over $7 billion.· We would be remiss 25· · ·if we didn't talk about our schools.
·1· · · · · · · BIG will generate significant tax revenue that ·2· · ·would support global schools including the Barstow ·3· · ·Unified School District.· The project will also support ·4· · ·workforce development through the Barstow Community ·5· · ·College by adding new programs aligned with industry ·6· · ·standards and specific employer needs.
·7· · · · · · · Before I go on, I really just also want to ·8· · ·recognize the Barstow Community College and for all the ·9· · ·efforts that they have put in to -- to begin working to 10· · ·bring the next generation of employees forward and 11· · ·having a robust training, programming and certainly have 12· · ·been very cooperative as we've worked to bring this 13· · ·project forward, so I definitely want to thank the 14· · ·Barstow Community College for all their support. 15· · · · · · · The City will also be able to enhance public 16· · ·safety staffing and equipment beyond what is required 17· · ·for BIG, including the purchase of a new ladder fire 18· · ·truck, an additional firefighter and police staff. 19· · · · · · · Infrastructure upgrades including flood 20· · ·control, bridges and roadway improvements will benefit 21· · ·local residents in both the city and the county. 22· · · · · · · We talked a lot about the benefits that it 23· · ·brings to the Barstow region but I also want to talk a 24· · ·little bit about the benefits that it runs through 25· · ·communities between the ports and BIG.
·1· · · · · · · BIG will not only benefit Barstow but also the ·2· · ·communities within that -- that corridor by maximizing ·3· · ·the use of on-dock infrastructure and the
·4· · ·underutilized --
·5· · · · · · · The dedicated Tier 4 locomotive, again, which ·6· · ·is the cleanest diesel equipment we can currently buy ·7· · ·today between the ports and BIG.· The 900 percent ·8· · ·increase in use of renewable fuel and decrease in trucks ·9· · ·will also result in reduced emissions along the
10· · ·corridor.· In fact, the comprehensive regional health 11· · ·impact analysis shows no regional or cumulative impacts 12· · ·in the south coast basin.
13· · · · · · · The -- the next slide, sorry.· The 2024 14· · ·California State Rail Plan also recognizes BIG as a 15· · ·transformative project that would provide additional 16· · ·efficiency, resilience, and liability.· By shifting 17· · ·freight process inland, BIG reduces truck trips, 18· · ·emissions, and highway congestion.· It also supports 19· · ·on-dock rail and improves supply chain resiliency. 20· · · · · · · The State Rail Plan also highlighted BIG as a 21· · ·model for modern freight infrastructure.· I'm really 22· · ·proud that the Governor also weighed in on our project. 23· · ·BIG is the first transportation-related infrastructure 24· · ·project certified by the Governor under SB 149.
25· · · · · · · What does that mean?· This designation is ·1· · ·reserved for critical infrastructure that advances ·2· · ·climate, mobility, and economic goals.· It is also one ·3· · ·of only ten transportation projects that will receive ·4· · ·this designation.
·5· · · · · · · The Governor determined that BIG represents a ·6· · ·$4 billion private investment in California and it would ·7· · ·help reduce congestion and port adjacent communities, ·8· · ·improve supply chain reliability and support the ·9· · ·transition to a zero emissions freight system.
10· · · · · · · This certification also recognizes that BIG 11· · ·would support a road shift from heavy-duty trucks to 12· · ·rail, removing hundreds of thousand of truck miles from 13· · ·the national highway network.
14· · · · · · · The Governor further determined that BNSF 15· · ·provided information showing the project would minimize 16· · ·impact to disadvantaged communities and result in a net 17· · ·reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
18· · · · · · · Overall, BIG is positioned as a long-term 19· · ·investment that will strengthen California's great 20· · ·infrastructure, support environmental goals, and create 21· · ·lasting economic opportunities.
22· · · · · · · I just want to say thank you for your time 23· · ·tonight.· We look forward to continuing to work with the 24· · ·City of Barstow, the residents, local agencies, and 25· · ·residents as this important project moves forward. ·1· · ·Thank you.
·2· · · · · · · CITY ENGINEER MERRELL:· You know, all I heard ·3· · ·was 800,000 trucks a year.· I did a quick math on that, ·4· · ·that's 22,000 trucks off of Interstate 15 per day.· I'm ·5· · ·excited about that.· I travel up the pass and down the ·6· · ·pass three to four times a week.
·7· · · · · · · My name is Brad Merrell.· I'm the city
·8· · ·engineer of the City of Barstow.· I've been the city ·9· · ·engineer since 2011.· And almost 30 years ago, I left 10· · ·the City of Las Vegas to be the community development 11· · ·director, what he is, in Barstow.· I graduated from 12· · ·Barstow High and went to Barstow Community College.· I'd 13· · ·say I know where the bones are buried in Barstow. 14· · · · · · · So as a city engineer, my job was to make sure 15· · ·all of it works and it wasn't just me, I have a whole 16· · ·team working with me.· But we looked at two items here. 17· · ·We're not just talking about the specific plan tonight, 18· · ·we're talking about the General Plan.
19· · · · · · · So the overall plan for Barstow and how it's 20· · ·going to grow and how we're going to meet all the 21· · ·objectives.· So we need to not forget that tonight that 22· · ·we are looking at the General Plan too and not just the 23· · ·specific plan for BNSF.
24· · · · · · · So making sure everything works.· So we looked 25· · ·at roads, we looked at the water system.· We looked at ·1· · ·the sewer systems.· I get excited about that one.· And ·2· · ·then the storm drain and the electrical system.· All ·3· · ·these I get excited about.· Let's talk a bit about the ·4· · ·roads.
·5· · · · · · · So here, you can see in the purple, a new road ·6· · ·in the General Plan that goes from Veterans Parkway here ·7· · ·behind us, across Interstate 15 all the way to Lenwood ·8· · ·Road.· That's one of our goals.· And it's adopted and it ·9· · ·will be adopted tonight in this General Plan so that we 10· · ·can apply through grants to get that crossing over 11· · ·Interstate 15.
12· · · · · · · The new road, if you look at Hinkley Road, 13· · ·those three maps here, it's on the left here of the 14· · ·highlighted yellow.· Hinkley Road will have a brand new 15· · ·crossing over the Mojave River that gets washed out 16· · ·every ten years.· You will have a brand new 100-year 17· · ·flow bridge and then Hinkley Road that connects to 18· · ·Jasper Road and connects to National Trails Highway.· So 19· · ·we will have a new Hinkley Road.· Jasper Road runs along 20· · ·the north side of the tracks.
21· · · · · · · West Main is being widened, Lenwood Road is 22· · ·being widened, and the other thing that's a key here is, 23· · ·wow, there's a brand new city road going through the 24· · ·project.· BNSF is going to put all their trucks on that 25· · ·city road.· No, there's a bridge going over that city ·1· · ·road to keep their trucks off ours.· So there's multiple ·2· · ·bridges in this project.
·3· · · · · · · Water.· Go to the next slide here.· So I'm a ·4· · ·slide behind.· This shows you the blowup of what I was ·5· · ·talking about, the Hinkley Road will have a bridge over ·6· · ·connected to Jasper Road, the new bridge on the Mojave ·7· · ·River and main streets in the yellow.· And then the new ·8· · ·entrance to the place would be a club drive so it will ·9· · ·be a four-way intersection into the main unit there. 10· · · · · · · All right.· So here, we have the offsite 11· · ·sewer.· And we will get to it.· We're talking about 12· · ·this -- water.· We will get to it.
13· · · · · · · So the offsite sewer.· This looks great about 14· · ·the offsite sewer and I'm really excited about it 15· · ·because we are literally building a new sewer on the 16· · ·north side of the tracks.· So the existing -- the 17· · ·assessment district sewer is -- is going away and we 18· · ·have a new one with greater capacity which opens up not 19· · ·only development for BIG, but in the General Plan, it 20· · ·will open, wide open the development out at outlet 21· · ·center.· All the development at outlet center has been 22· · ·held back because not everybody had connection rights to 23· · ·the sewer.· With this new line going in, everybody will 24· · ·have rights in capacity to it, with additional capacity. 25· · · · · · · We were also getting a new sewer line crossing ·1· · ·the Lenwood channel.· If you guys lived here long, you ·2· · ·know that Lenwood get -- West Main gets washed out at ·3· · ·the Lenwood channel.· We lost our trunk line there in ·4· · ·the monsoons of '14 which was a mess, a BIG 22-inch line ·5· · ·rupture.· So that is all being replaced.· We're getting ·6· · ·a new crossing there on storm drains.
·7· · · · · · · And let's see if I can provide a slide here. ·8· · ·We're back to water now.· So let's talk about water. ·9· · ·Water, it is not the City of Barstow's responsibility, 10· · ·it's Golden State, they are a public utility.· Ours is 11· · ·the oversight working with Golden State.· So part of 12· · ·this project is going to drill new wealth for our Golden 13· · ·State in the good areas where there's really good water 14· · ·in Barstow across the river.
15· · · · · · · It's going to add major trunk lines to west 16· · ·Barstow.· There will be water lines now at our country 17· · ·club and beyond.· These are all improvements that BIG 18· · ·will have to build and install and convey to the water 19· · ·company for them to maintain.
20· · · · · · · Let's look -- let's talk a little bit about 21· · ·drainage and I need to speed up and shut up here.· So 22· · ·that the bridge -- we're going to have a new bridge over 23· · ·West Main that crosses the Lenwood channel.· The Lenwood 24· · ·channel is the blue line you see on this map and it 25· · ·drains over 138 square miles of the Stoddard Valley and ·1· · ·it drains to Mojave River and goes across West Main. ·2· · · · · · · We're going to have multiple bridges on West ·3· · ·Main.· On West Main, on Hinkley, Jasper Road, we will ·4· · ·have bridges inside the project.· All new concrete ·5· · ·bridges and no dips, exits or errors in the crossings or ·6· · ·Texas water crossings.· If you guys are familiar with, ·7· · ·we live with that here in the desert.· With flash ·8· · ·floods, you turn around, you don't drown, you don't ·9· · ·cross it.
10· · · · · · · So the Mojave River will also have a brand new 11· · ·outlet.· So it will start at the valley when it floats 12· · ·to West Main and then tries to get to the river, it 13· · ·chokes through a culvert, a bridge on the railroad 14· · ·tracks, and then it spreads into our industrial park and 15· · ·it just -- it goes everywhere, it's a BIG flood lake. 16· · ·That will all be corrected.
17· · · · · · · The last thing I want to talk about, you know, 18· · ·and I will quit.· Is a -- this is a blowup of the 19· · ·Lenwood channel and the new bridge we're having.· This 20· · ·is Country Club over here on the left.· We actually did 21· · ·a new road to Sweeten Lane.· And I know Victor Council 22· · ·(phonetic) will be happy about that.· He's probably not 23· · ·here tonight.
24· · · · · · · Electrical.· This is another one that's 25· · ·amazing.· This project is spending over $200 million and ·1· · ·taking from the substation that sits right at our door ·2· · ·here, Tortilla Substation, taking a new transmission ·3· · ·line all the way out to Country Club Drive and beyond ·4· · ·for over $200 million.
·5· · · · · · · Our job is to oversee the engineers on this ·6· · ·and make sure they are all doing it the right way and I ·7· · ·think we're doing a good job on that.· I know there's, ·8· · ·some say, we lack in some areas, but we have done our ·9· · ·damndest to get this thing approved and on the right 10· · ·track.
11· · · · · · · And with that, I will shut up and turn the 12· · ·time over to Genesis, our economic development manager. 13· · · · · · · CITY PLANNER CRANK:· Good evening, Mayor, 14· · ·members of the council, and members of the public.· My 15· · ·name is Genesis Crank.· And I have the honor of serving 16· · ·you as the City's economic development specialist. 17· · · · · · · Today, I will be covering the environmental 18· · ·impact portion of tonight's presentation.· So let's get 19· · ·right into it.
20· · · · · · · The environmental impact report also known as 21· · ·an EIR, for consideration today is a combination of a 22· · ·program and project EIR.· The program EIR evaluates the 23· · ·General Plan from the high-level prospective of policies 24· · ·and programs that would apply to future projects.· The 25· · ·project EIR evaluates the Barstow International Gateway ·1· · ·Specific Plan, also referred to as the BIG Specific Plan ·2· · ·and the overall development project in detail
·3· · ·recommending projects, specific mitigation measures that ·4· · ·relate to specific project impacts.· Because of the ·5· · ·scope of the BIG Specific Plan and the development, the ·6· · ·two EIRs were combined into a single document.
·7· · · · · · · As noted on the slide, this overall --
·8· · ·overview -- excuse me -- provides some detail of the ·9· · ·purpose of the California Environmental Quality Act also 10· · ·referred to as CEQA.· Regardless of the type, the goal 11· · ·of the EIR is to provide information about potential 12· · ·environmental impacts, recommend ways to mitigate those 13· · ·impacts by changing the project, or once informed of the 14· · ·impact, decide that the impacts are acceptable because 15· · ·of the benefits associated with the project.
16· · · · · · · CEQA compliance includes a process that 17· · ·stretches from notice of preparation, your public 18· · ·hearing, such as this one.· The major milestones are 19· · ·shown here on this slide starting with the scoping being 20· · ·held in early 2024, the release of the draft EIR 21· · ·component review in late 2025, and the release of the 22· · ·final EIR last month in May.
23· · · · · · · The public input process is a vital component 24· · ·of environmental analysis.· It's a requirement for CEQA 25· · ·compliance.· The scoping meeting detail here was held in ·1· · ·early 2024 to introduce the overall project and obtain ·2· · ·input from the public on issues to be addressed in the ·3· · ·EIR.
·4· · · · · · · The whole of the project being evaluated by ·5· · ·the EIR includes updates to the General Plan and zoning ·6· · ·and the specific plan and accompanying documents and ·7· · ·agreements, along with subsequent Local Agency Formation ·8· · ·Commission, also known as LAFCO, actions associated with ·9· · ·the proposed annexation.
10· · · · · · · The EIR itself covers a wide variety of topics 11· · ·for both the General Plan, the BIG Specific Plan and 12· · ·LAFCO.· The primary focus is to identify and evaluate 13· · ·the proposed change and to determine that the proposed 14· · ·changes are potentially significant based on unique 15· · ·threshold set within each topic.· If there is no impact 16· · ·or the potential impact is below the threshold, no 17· · ·additional changes or actions are needed or even allowed 18· · ·to be required by the city.
19· · · · · · · However, if the potential impact is above the 20· · ·threshold, then the city is obligated to impose feasible 21· · ·strategies and actions that would reduce the project's 22· · ·potential impact below the threshold of significance. 23· · ·The strategies and actions are called mitigation 24· · ·measures.· A feasible mitigation measure can not reduce 25· · ·the impact less than significance.· The city may still ·1· · ·act on the project but must make findings of overriding ·2· · ·considerations to do so.
·3· · · · · · · Before we dive into the next few slides ·4· · ·covering those specific mitigation measures, it is ·5· · ·important to again note that the General Plan is a ·6· · ·policy covering the entirety of the city limits, and the ·7· · ·plan itself hopes to provide a long-term framework or ·8· · ·blueprint to help guide future development that is not ·9· · ·yet clearly defined nor proposed through the year 2048 10· · ·prompting broad mitigation approaches specific to the 11· · ·General Plan and its specific impacts.
12· · · · · · · The BIG Specific Plan, however, is a
13· · ·development project that is well defined, has known 14· · ·project features and it defines project area.· There are 15· · ·many green elements to the project.· The entire project 16· · ·was evaluated for environmental impact, and mitigation 17· · ·measures have been established for impacts found to be 18· · ·significant.· Both the project and the mitigation 19· · ·measures are included within the development agreement 20· · ·and approvals of the project.
21· · · · · · · With that, you will find in the following 22· · ·slides, display provide mitigation measures and
23· · ·strategies for the General Plan, the BIG Project and 24· · ·findings of the impacts for each.
25· · · · · · · Our first mitigation measure is going to be ·1· · ·the topic of aesthetics.· Aesthetics refers to visual ·2· · ·changes such as lighting or glare from large-scale ·3· · ·development.· Within the General Plan, future
·4· · ·developments whether residential, commercial or
·5· · ·industrial would prompt installations and additional ·6· · ·lighting.
·7· · · · · · · The BIG Project and development of -- requires ·8· · ·installations of lighting that have been included in the ·9· · ·analysis.· However, there are mitigation measures and 10· · ·approaches that will be imposed such as those noted 11· · ·here.· For both the General Plan and the specific plan. 12· · ·Although, with the implementation of feasible mitigation 13· · ·measures and strategies, aesthetic impacts for both the 14· · ·General Plan and BIG would be considered significant and 15· · ·unavoidable.· Of those referenced, visual changes cannot 16· · ·be fully screened or mitigated over time, especially at 17· · ·night.
18· · · · · · · Our next topic focuses on agricultural and 19· · ·forestry resources.· As the BIG Project and its project 20· · ·area is defined and has been analyzed, impacts to 21· · ·agriculture and forestry resources are deemed less than 22· · ·significant, as it does not conflict with agricultural 23· · ·zoning -- excuse me -- and farm land preservation.· The 24· · ·General Plan again references development that would 25· · ·occur citywide.· Due to this, impacts to the agriculture ·1· · ·and forestry resources would be significant and
·2· · ·unavoidable, prompting strategies such as avoiding ·3· · ·development on land designated as prime farmland and ·4· · ·others referenced here.
·5· · · · · · · Our next topic is air quality.· Development of ·6· · ·both the General Plan and construction and operations ·7· · ·BIG.· They generate emissions that exceed thresholds ·8· · ·even after applying feasible mitigation.· Construction ·9· · ·of proposing future developments could impact air 10· · ·quality.· Increases in population in turn increase car 11· · ·and vehicular traffic could impact air quality.· And for 12· · ·certain developments operations could impact air quality 13· · ·prompting strategies such as -- excuse me -- technical 14· · ·assessments or health risk assessments.
15· · · · · · · With the BIG development project with
16· · ·implementation of the feasible air quality mitigation 17· · ·measures, impacts remain significant and unavoidable. 18· · ·For the General Plan, with implementation of feasible 19· · ·mitigation approaches, the impact will remain
20· · ·significant and unavoidable.· However, future
21· · ·developments would be closely evaluated against local 22· · ·regional and state air quality standards and where 23· · ·required prompted to meet or complete mitigation 24· · ·strategy as noted here.
25· · · · · · · Onto our next topic, cultural resources.· The ·1· · ·development, or simply put, the movement of dirt during ·2· · ·tasks such as site grading, could permanently alter or ·3· · ·destroy unknown or significant historic or archeological ·4· · ·resources despite surveys and documentation,
·5· · ·highlighting that locating these resources can be ·6· · ·challenging to predict or identify ahead of
·7· · ·construction.
·8· · · · · · · Future developments under the General Plan ·9· · ·could require preparation of a project level historical 10· · ·or archeological resources assessment.· The BIG Project 11· · ·mitigation measures will require onsite archeological 12· · ·and tribal monitors during construction, training of 13· · ·construction workers on procedures if resources are 14· · ·encountered, along with other noted measures.· Although, 15· · ·with implementation and feasible mitigation measures and 16· · ·approaches, impact would remain significant and
17· · ·unavoidable for the General Plan and BIG.
18· · · · · · · The next topic focuses on geology, soils and 19· · ·mineral resources.· Future developments under the 20· · ·General Plan could prevent access to mineral resources 21· · ·which could not be replaced or mitigated.· And due to 22· · ·the inability to replace these resources, there is no 23· · ·feasible mitigation, placing impacts under the General 24· · ·Plan within the significant and unavoidable category. 25· · · · · · · Impacts to geology, soils and mineral
·1· · ·resources under the BIG Project equate to less than ·2· · ·significant with mitigation.
·3· · · · · · · On to greenhouse gas emissions.· Under the ·4· · ·General Plan, citywide roads increase emissions beyond ·5· · ·targets with long-term reductions being unable to fully ·6· · ·offset increases.· With the implementation of mitigation ·7· · ·strategies, impacts would be significant and unavoidable ·8· · ·for the General Plan, prompting city measures such as ·9· · ·the creation of a qualified climate action plan and 10· · ·requiring implementation of project-specific measures to 11· · ·be imposed upon future developments.
12· · · · · · · BIG, with the implementation of the project 13· · ·and the air quality and energy mitigation measures 14· · ·result in a reduction of GHG emissions, reducing GHG 15· · ·emissions to less than significant with mitigation. 16· · · · · · · Our next topic is noise and vibration.· Noise 17· · ·and vibration can be generated through various things 18· · ·such as construction, traffic and -- traffic -- excuse 19· · ·me -- and population increases.· More development, 20· · ·operational noise, vehicles on the roads, and people 21· · ·occupying the area can increase noise and vibration. 22· · · · · · · Revoke the General Plan and BIG Project with 23· · ·implementation of feasible mitigation measures and 24· · ·strategies, impacts remain significant and unavoidable 25· · ·for the General Plan and BIG.· The General Plan and ·1· · ·mitigation strategy surrounding noise and vibration ·2· · ·would, for example, limit hours of construction and ·3· · ·consider use of sound wall barriers when feasible. ·4· · ·Sound wall barriers.
·5· · · · · · · The BIG Project requires a construction noise ·6· · ·plan, construction of two noise barriers and other ·7· · ·measures as alluded to here.
·8· · · · · · · On to the topic of transportation.· Vehicle ·9· · ·miles traveled from projected growth exceeds thresholds 10· · ·defined within the EIR.· Vehicle miles traveled, also 11· · ·known as VMTs, measure the total miles driven by all 12· · ·vehicles in a specific region over a given period.· An 13· · ·increase in population, drivers and commuters would 14· · ·increase -- increases in community members driving to 15· · ·and from work or personal activities would increase vMTs 16· · ·prompting no feasible mitigation with impacts remaining 17· · ·significant and unavoidable for the General Plan. 18· · · · · · · Following analysis of the BIG Specific Plan, 19· · ·impacts would be less than significant on the topic of 20· · ·transportation, as this is a rail-based industrial 21· · ·project with far fewer trucks would be anticipated for a 22· · ·traditional warehouse project.· It is also important to 23· · ·note, many of the people and the new jobs created will 24· · ·live locally further reducing vMTs.
25· · · · · · · Tribal cultural resources are our next topic. ·1· · ·And as noted, culturally specific -- significant -- ·2· · ·excuse me -- tribal resources may be accidently
·3· · ·disturbed, more particularly during construction and ·4· · ·developments and cannot always be preserved even with ·5· · ·mitigation.· Future developments proposed under the ·6· · ·General Plan would be subjected to the noted mitigation ·7· · ·strategies aiding in the preservation of tribal cultural ·8· · ·resources and potential discoveries made on development ·9· · ·sites.
10· · · · · · · The BIG Project requires specific mitigation 11· · ·measures on the topic of tribal cultural resources such 12· · ·as those noted here.· Native American tribes have been 13· · ·contacted and consulted through this process and will 14· · ·continue close coordination with BNSF.· Impacts on this 15· · ·topic under both the General Plan and BIG are considered 16· · ·to be significant and unavoidable.
17· · · · · · · Onto our next topic, utilities.· Plainly put, 18· · ·under the growth -- under the General Plan and BIG will 19· · ·prompt the need for more infrastructure and utilities. 20· · ·For BIG there are a number of defined mitigation 21· · ·measures throughout the EIR that would reduce impact on 22· · ·future development related to construction of additional 23· · ·infrastructure.· Similar to BIG, the General Plan 24· · ·carries mitigation approaches to assist with mitigating 25· · ·impacts.
·1· · · · · · · Similar to other topics noted today, future ·2· · ·development and the need for additional infrastructure ·3· · ·to accommodate development would be closely evaluated ·4· · ·ahead of construction for formal project reviews to ·5· · ·ensure proper mitigation strategies and careful planning ·6· · ·for utility additions.· Impacts on the topic -- on this ·7· · ·topic for the General Plan and BIG are considered to be ·8· · ·significant and unavoidable due to construction impacts, ·9· · ·not the inability to provide services.
10· · · · · · · You all survived all of those topics.· Now, 11· · ·onto the overall project objectives.· Consideration of 12· · ·the alternatives to a project are an essential part of 13· · ·the environmental evaluation.· The intent of
14· · ·alternatives is to reduce or eliminate one of the 15· · ·significant impacts disclosed in the EIR.· Each
16· · ·alternative is compared to project objectives.· In this 17· · ·instance, there are objectives for both the General Plan 18· · ·and the BIG Specific Plan.· It is important to note that 19· · ·alternatives may also have impacts.
20· · · · · · · The project alternatives evaluated in the EIR 21· · ·are summarized here with both the advantages and 22· · ·disadvantages.· As required by CEQA, the EIR identifies 23· · ·an environmentally superior alternative.
24· · · · · · · For the General Plan, the no BIG -- more 25· · ·specific or excuse me -- General Plan reduced
·1· · ·development alternative was considered environmentally ·2· · ·superior.· And for the BIG Specific Plan, the west ·3· · ·trains load alternative was considered environmentally ·4· · ·superior.· CEQA does not require the city to select the ·5· · ·environmentally superior alternative, but does require ·6· · ·findings to override any significant and unavoidable ·7· · ·impacts.
·8· · · · · · · The portion of the EIR that covers the General ·9· · ·Plan is conservative, in that it assumes that for many 10· · ·of the environmental -- excuse me -- the environmental 11· · ·topics, a significant and unavoidable impact could occur 12· · ·because we do not know the types of future projects. 13· · ·There is simply a wider range of future projects the 14· · ·General Plan could allow that may have impacts.· The 15· · ·portion of the EIR that covers the BIG Specific Plan 16· · ·development has fewer significant and unavoidable 17· · ·impacts because there is a real project with detail that 18· · ·can be used to develop project-specific
19· · ·mitigation-reducing impacts.
20· · · · · · · As I mentioned before, CEQA allows the city to 21· · ·balance the significant and unavoidable impacts
22· · ·disclosed in the EIR against the benefits of the 23· · ·project.· If the city makes written findings that the 24· · ·benefits outweigh the potential environmental impacts, 25· · ·the city can still approve the project.· However, all ·1· · ·mitigation measures and conditions -- or, excuse me -- ·2· · ·all mitigation measures are conditions of approval, are ·3· · ·still required and monitored by the city as part of the ·4· · ·mitigation monitoring and reporting program adopted with ·5· · ·the project.
·6· · · · · · · This particular slide provides an overview of ·7· · ·the types of EIR comments after the city released the ·8· · ·draft EIR in late 2025, we received many comments; many ·9· · ·in support, and others that expressed concerns and asked 10· · ·questions regarding the analysis.· All comments were 11· · ·responded to in detail in the final EIR.· During 12· · ·preparation of the response to comment, we also made 13· · ·refinements to the EIR and attachments, and provided 14· · ·information to support our responses.· Again, this 15· · ·highlights the comments received, that 2,052 showing the 16· · ·overall total of comments received during that draft EIR 17· · ·public review.
18· · · · · · · And with that, I will turn it back over to 19· · ·Ms. Clayton to wrap up the presentation.· Thank you. 20· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· Thank you, Genesis. 21· · · · · · · I will present an overview of the proposed 22· · ·annexations, financing, the next steps.
23· · · · · · · The purpose of a city annexation is a process 24· · ·where a city expands its boundaries to include an 25· · ·adjacent unincorporated land.· After annexation, the ·1· · ·unincorporated area becomes part of the city and is ·2· · ·subject to its laws, taxes, and governance.· The BIG ·3· · ·Specific Plan includes two proposed annexations for the ·4· · ·city and for the Barstow Fire Protection District.· As ·5· · ·shown on this map, the project area in purple, the BIG ·6· · ·Specific Plan, covers both city and unincorporated ·7· · ·county jurisdictions.
·8· · · · · · · You can see the upper, and I don't know if you ·9· · ·can read this because the print is small, but the upper 10· · ·portion with the -- well, the almost black, darkest line 11· · ·that is slightly dotted is the City's jurisdiction, and 12· · ·the lower part of the purple area with a orange-ish, a 13· · ·slight orange dotted line, is the unincorporated area. 14· · ·So, again, the project covers both city and
15· · ·unincorporated area, which is the primary factor in 16· · ·proposing the annexations.· With the project crossing 17· · ·two jurisdictions, it would be very challenging to 18· · ·provide public safety and infrastructure services 19· · ·governed by two separate jurisdictions.
20· · · · · · · First, the first annexation.· The proposed 21· · ·city annexation is comprised of, as you see here, Area A 22· · ·and Area B.· Area A is the total -- that purple area in 23· · ·the county unincorporated area.· And Area B, which is 24· · ·also, again, hard to see on this, but you can see in the 25· · ·bottom -- the bottom lettering that says "Area B," to ·1· · ·avoid creating an unincorporated island, is a very small ·2· · ·area just outside of the project, as depicted by the red ·3· · ·dotted lines.· Again, I know, I apologize that this ·4· · ·might be hard to see.
·5· · · · · · · The reason to extend beyond the project and ·6· · ·include Area B is that area would become what is ·7· · ·referred to, as stated here, "an unincorporated island," ·8· · ·as that area would nearly be surrounded by city, ·9· · ·becoming an island as it relates to providing the 10· · ·jurisdictional services.· The second annexation is the 11· · ·proposed Barstow Fire Protection District annexation, 12· · ·which would similarly be beneficial in having one fire 13· · ·agency provide fire safety services to the project area, 14· · ·rather than two separate agencies.
15· · · · · · · If the project is approved, an application 16· · ·would be submitted to the Local Agency Formation 17· · ·Commission, or LAFCO, for evaluation of this annexation. 18· · ·That is a process of about six to nine months, so that 19· · ·does take some time.· The major factors considered 20· · ·include the City's services and administrative
21· · ·efficiency.· An annexation simplifies governance by 22· · ·eliminating the overlapping jurisdictions, standardizing 23· · ·regulations and zoning ordinances, and would extend the 24· · ·services of fire protection, police, and public safety, 25· · ·water and sewer systems, and roads and street
·1· · ·maintenance, to name a few.
·2· · · · · · · Major financial impacts on the city include ·3· · ·both increased tax revenue -- but that does come with a ·4· · ·higher cost to provide those services to that area, that ·5· · ·new area that could be annexed into the city.· The new ·6· · ·revenues include property taxes, unitary taxes,
·7· · ·development fees, business license fees, and the ·8· · ·ancillary revenues that come with the temporary
·9· · ·construction, if -- if approved, with the revenues of 10· · ·sales tax, gas tax and hotel TOT revenue.
11· · · · · · · The higher service costs are primarily
12· · ·associated with the addition of police and firefighters 13· · ·which enhance public safety.· The total project -- the 14· · ·total projected property tax, I should say -- alone, at 15· · ·full build-out, is $9.9 million, which includes revenues 16· · ·generated not only for the city, but it includes 17· · ·revenues for the school district and education, the 18· · ·Barstow Community College, Barstow Cemetery District, 19· · ·Mojave Water Agency, and Mojave -- I'm sorry -- Mojave 20· · ·Desert resource conservation.
21· · · · · · · The increased revenue to the city does exceed 22· · ·the cost to provide services to the area, leaving a 23· · ·$2.6 million surplus.· The financial impacts and 24· · ·potential benefits to the city and community include, 25· · ·again, better police and fire response, access to city ·1· · ·utilities, higher property values, more development ·2· · ·options, and improved infrastructure.
·3· · · · · · · Now, those revenues that are projected will ·4· · ·not be immediate.· This projection is, again, at full ·5· · ·build-out, but the immediate impacts will be noticeable ·6· · ·during the construction period, when the city receives ·7· · ·the one-time revenue for development impact fees and ·8· · ·prevent fees and again, those ancillary revenues that I ·9· · ·mentioned regarding sales tax and gas tax for people 10· · ·that are here local during the construction period, and 11· · ·spending their time at lunch, after work, before work, 12· · ·and getting gas and so forth.
13· · · · · · · What does this project mean for the city?· The 14· · ·total estimated jobs for this project is a high number, 15· · ·but it includes direct, indirect, and induced jobs 16· · ·throughout the region, in addition to other jobs 17· · ·statewide in that larger number that BNSF provided 18· · ·earlier.
19· · · · · · · This depicts the local direct jobs that are 20· · ·demonstrated.· The estimated jobs during construction is 21· · ·over 8,000 jobs over the total construction period.· As 22· · ·BNSF presented earlier, they have signed project labor 23· · ·agreements to ensure union labor for construction. 24· · ·After construction, the initial jobs are estimated to be 25· · ·over 3,500 at project completion.
·1· · · · · · · BNSF is working with the college to provide a ·2· · ·training program, as mentioned earlier, to meet the ·3· · ·specific needs of the new employers coming in for the ·4· · ·BIG Project.· Future jobs are estimated five years -- ·5· · ·within five years of the completion of the job, which ·6· · ·also estimate over 4,000 additional jobs.· This is a ·7· · ·major benefit to Barstow and its surrounding
·8· · ·communities.
·9· · · · · · · To give a little bit of information on the 10· · ·development agreement and those key development -- I'm 11· · ·sorry -- the key agreement -- agreements or commitments 12· · ·to the community, the development impact fees are 13· · ·approximately $49 million that will provide a funding 14· · ·mechanism to pay for the infrastructure and equipment 15· · ·needed to serve the project area.
16· · · · · · · The environmental commitments that BNSF 17· · ·presented earlier include:· The replacement of the 18· · ·switchers at the existing Barstow yard with the
19· · ·99 percent cleaner Tier 4 switchers; the use of
20· · ·renewable fuels for the entire fleet; zero-emission 21· · ·electric cranes and cargo equipment, and a 140-acre 22· · ·solar farm, to name a few of those commitments; the 23· · ·substantial infrastructure improvements to street, 24· · ·sewer, and water; a purchase of a new fire ladder truck 25· · ·and maintenance equipment for the drainage facilities; ·1· · ·and the increased tax base and values to the city and ·2· · ·community.
·3· · · · · · · The last point I'd like to make is just going ·4· · ·back to the importance of the governor's certification. ·5· · ·The SB 149 judicial streamlining certification of this ·6· · ·project is a demonstration that it is environmentally ·7· · ·supported by the governor and State of California, and ·8· · ·an internationally monumental project to reduce truck ·9· · ·and freeway traffic and improve U.S. supply chain and 10· · ·distribution.
11· · · · · · · With that, that concludes staff's
12· · ·presentation, and I will turn it over back to the mayor. 13· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Thank you, Ms. Clayton.
14· · · · · · · We will now open the public hearing at 6:20 15· · ·p.m.
16· · · · · · · Madam Clerk, please give direction and
17· · ·instruction for the public comment prior to calling the 18· · ·names.
19· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Yes, Mayor.
20· · · · · · · To prepare for public comments, we will now 21· · ·review the public comments procedures.
22· · · · · · · Speaker names for the next five speakers will 23· · ·be displayed on the screen.· As your name appears, 24· · ·please make your way to the designated speaker area 25· · ·located on the right side of the Performing Arts ·1· · ·Center's auditorium.
·2· · · · · · · Each speaker will be provided with two minutes ·3· · ·to address the council.· If you are not at the
·4· · ·designated speaker area, your name will be called three ·5· · ·times before moving to the next speaker.· If you miss ·6· · ·your turn and still wish to speak, you will need to ·7· · ·complete and submit a new speaker request card before ·8· · ·the end of the public hearing, and you will be placed at ·9· · ·the end of the speaker line.
10· · · · · · · We respectfully ask all speakers and attendees 11· · ·to remain courteous and respectful throughout the 12· · ·meeting.· Thank you.
13· · · · · · · Our first speaker is Ms. Rose Beardshear. 14· · · · · · · MS. BEARDSHEAR:· Can you hear me?· Okay. 15· · · · · · · Good evening, Mayor and Council Members. I 16· · ·have served on the Board of Directors for the Newberry 17· · ·Springs Chamber of Commerce as their treasurer and 18· · ·official government liaison.· In 50 years as a resident 19· · ·of both Barstow and Newberry Springs, I've never been 20· · ·hopeful about our region's future.· For decades, our 21· · ·area was managed with a Lone Ranger mentality that 22· · ·limited our growth.· Those days are gone.
23· · · · · · · Today, I'm incredibly impressed by this 24· · ·council's foresight.· Particularly in bringing on a 25· · ·professional City Manager equipped to handle complex ·1· · ·corporate and county negotiations.· We will finally seeing ·2· · ·the power of true regional partnership.· The collaboration ·3· · ·with San Bernardino County on the BIG Project combined ·4· · ·with county's current investment in the greater Barstow ·5· · ·region, economic development strategy, proves what is ·6· · ·possible when we pull our resources to support and ·7· · ·attract major corporate investment.
·8· · · · · · · Our numbers reach chambers stands in full ·9· · ·support of the BNSF BIG Project.· We understand that 10· · ·Barstow's economic health directly impacts the
11· · ·surrounding unincorporated communities.· For too long, 12· · ·outlying areas have been overlooked.· This unified 13· · ·approach ensures that the entire region rises together. 14· · ·This partnership bridges the gap between city lines and 15· · ·rural communities, creating a sustainable economic 16· · ·engine for the High Desert.
17· · · · · · · Thank you, City Council, for your leadership, 18· · ·your professionalism and your commitment to a vision 19· · ·that lifts us all up together.· We look forward to 20· · ·working alongside you.
21· · · · · · · MR. SNELL:· ET Snell, clown community
22· · ·activist.· The poverty rate in Barstow is double the 23· · ·state and national.· We need this project, but let's fix 24· · ·the deadly infrastructure first.· No matter how you 25· · ·short your responsibility, blame jurisdiction or ·1· · ·control, you can table the EIR and fix the road. ·2· · ·Wealthy neighbors fix the infrastructure first.
·3· · ·San Bernardino County Transit Authority and Caltrans ·4· · ·which coincidently our mayor sits on that board.· It is ·5· · ·a conflict of interest.
·6· · · · · · · He has deliberately and maliciously diverted ·7· · ·infrastructure money from fixing the deadly highway for ·8· · ·fixing roads near the facility.· EIR says the
·9· · ·financially set Beltline Rail will be supported by 10· · ·transit agencies, so we will not need to fix the deadly 11· · ·highway.· That's a false narrative.· It won't -- it 12· · ·won't be finished until 2030.· So what do we do?· Count 13· · ·the dead babies until 2030?
14· · · · · · · My goal today is simple.· One, save the 15· · ·children because without children, clowns will be out of 16· · ·business.· It's simple.· Put the EIR on hold and fix the 17· · ·infrastructure of one of the deadliest highways or allow 18· · ·many more deaths.· Common sense and protecting innocent 19· · ·children have no place in this camp tonight.
20· · · · · · · Council -- this council has pulled some really 21· · ·bonehead moves, and I remember trying to publically 22· · ·speak about the City Manager and her drunk driving 23· · ·August 30th, 2025.· It was not allowed.· Let's not screw 24· · ·the pooch once again and put Barstow at the bottom of 25· · ·the pudding.· Whoever approves this project today will ·1· · ·ultimately be looking for a new seat and recall. ·2· · · · · · · Folks, you know, it's really sad that this ·3· · ·EIR -- and I appreciate the honesty of BNSF.· It does ·4· · ·not mention the road for Barstow to Stateline.· That's a ·5· · ·deadly highway, children die all the time.· Put a bunch ·6· · ·of trucks on there, you'll have a bunch more dead ·7· · ·children.· Thank you for your time, ladies and
·8· · ·gentlemen.
·9· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Your time is up.· Thank you. 10· · · · · · · MR. HILL:· John Hill.· To the General Plan and 11· · ·the downtown center.· Small art is right now called 12· · ·signage, and you have to have a permit for signage to 13· · ·get small art created.· I'd ask that that be changed so 14· · ·that small art can be art and go through the process of 15· · ·the small art.· I hope the arch bridge for the First 16· · ·Avenue might be built that was tore down.
17· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Mr. Hill, are you speaking -- 18· · · · · · · MR. HILL:· I'm speaking to the General Plan of 19· · ·the downtown center.
20· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· I need you to tie it into the 21· · ·agenda items.
22· · · · · · · MR. HILL:· Yes.· Thank you, Mayor.· The 23· · ·General Plan in downtown -- the monorail for Barstow 24· · ·Arts District.· As far as public safety, there's an open 25· · ·mine shaft on Hinkley road.· I was there on a bicycle. ·1· · ·I found it.· I reported it to the BLM.· They have the ·2· · ·information.· To the cultural resources, tribal cultural ·3· · ·resource issue you had, I have discoveries that link ·4· · ·Barstow's budget block to Ankerplatte, Stonehenge, ·5· · ·the Vatican City and the Giza pyramids.
·6· · · · · · · It would be really interesting to know as you ·7· · ·were talking about the mitigations involved in that -- ·8· · ·that you keep an eye out for those.· I'm published in ·9· · ·Ancient American Magazine and Ancient Origins.· John 10· · ·Printz was a president of the Mojave Desert Gem mineral 11· · ·clubs.· As far as mineralogical resources that you're 12· · ·talking about, he was very interested in a possibility 13· · ·of looking at a stone that might be under the digs 14· · ·itself for the possibility of going through that and 15· · ·bringing through Jaspers and all kinds of other stones. 16· · ·And he works with the mineral club.
17· · · · · · · Thank you.
18· · · · · · · MR. POIRIEZ:· Hi.· Good evening, Mayor Silva, 19· · ·Council Members, and staff, special staff.· They don't 20· · ·get credit for all the hard work they do on these BIG 21· · ·projects so I want to include them.· My name is Brad 22· · ·Poiriez.· I've served as the executive director for the 23· · ·Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District for the 24· · ·past 10 years, and I have over 33 years of air quality 25· · ·experience in Southern California.
·1· · · · · · · The district has reviewed the draft and final ·2· · ·EIR for the General Plan update and BIG including the ·3· · ·responses on a range of air quality comments.
·4· · · · · · · The district appreciates the City's
·5· · ·consideration and resolution of the comments raised by ·6· · ·the district on the draft of the EIR.· The district ·7· · ·concurs with an analysis of bindings for the General ·8· · ·Plan update and the BIG Project as presented in these ·9· · ·documents.· From the district's perspective, the city 10· · ·has required and BNSF has agreed to implement all 11· · ·feasible air quality mitigation measures, not only with 12· · ·BIG, improve that job/housing balance within the 13· · ·district, just as important, it will reduce traffic 14· · ·pressure and thereby also reduce vehicle emissions on 15· · ·the critical Cajon Pass which is a major heavy-duty 16· · ·truck and passenger corridor.
17· · · · · · · Finally, I want to commend BNSF for
18· · ·voluntarily agreeing to enter into a cooperative 19· · ·agreement and a subsequent MOU with my district that 20· · ·requires BNSF to replace 15 existing Barstow yard 21· · ·switcher locomotives with six Tier 4 Locomotive
22· · ·Engines on or before the first day of real operations at 23· · ·BIG.
24· · · · · · · These agreements, along with a zero emissions 25· · ·and near zero emission technology being implemented as ·1· · ·part of the project, will result in cumulative overall ·2· · ·air quality improvements by directly reducing emissions ·3· · ·in our air basin.· I thank you for the opportunity to ·4· · ·speak tonight and I'm available if the council members ·5· · ·choose to ask further questions.
·6· · · · · · · MR. BRADY:· Good evening, Mayor, city council, ·7· · ·residents.· My name is Joseph Brady.· I'm proud to be a ·8· · ·38-year resident in the High Desert region.· I'm proud ·9· · ·to own multiple companies within this great city, 10· · ·Coldwell Banker Golden West Real Estate Alliance 11· · ·Management Group.· We are the builders of Barstow 12· · ·Highlands.· And I'm proud to be the master developer of 13· · ·The Shops in Spanish trails.
14· · · · · · · Tonight is really a big night.· Tonight 15· · ·sitting in Heaven watching this meeting are many leaders 16· · ·that have come before us, would be so happy to come 17· · ·together tonight because it's what I consider to be the 18· · ·City's most important meeting ever.· Former mayors and 19· · ·council members Barney Keller, Helen Runyon, Katy 20· · ·Yslas-Yent, Lawrence Dale, Robert Hartwick, Jim Gillon, 21· · ·Paul Christian, Al Vigil, Margo Saenz and Malvin Wessel. 22· · ·They are all sitting up in heaven and watching this. 23· · ·This is the biggest meeting that the city, I think, has 24· · ·ever had.
25· · · · · · · I'd also like to take my hat off and thank ·1· · ·some people I know that have worked really, really hard. ·2· · ·Lena Kent, Mike Lewis, Jeanette Hayhurst and the ·3· · ·chairman of BNSF, Katie Farmer.· Thanks for your support ·4· · ·here.
·5· · · · · · · Also, there's some great agencies that have ·6· · ·been a part of this.· And quality management is here. ·7· · ·Mojave Water Agency, Mojave Regional Water Quality ·8· · ·Board, Barstow Chamber of Commerce.· Eugene, you do a ·9· · ·great job.· Barstow Community College, Dr. Bagg, you're 10· · ·the best.· Barstow hospital, the City of Victorville. 11· · ·Their mayor and their city council.· Thousands of 12· · ·Barstow residents and others who have submitted letters 13· · ·in support of BIG.· And most importantly, I think the 14· · ·action that out governor took with SB 149.· Placeworks, 15· · ·Kimley-Horn.· And, of course, Brad Merrell from Merrell 16· · ·Johnson Engineering.
17· · · · · · · The point that I think we see tonight is 18· · ·something I think we want to see across America.· You 19· · ·know, Republicans, Democrats getting together working 20· · ·towards a common bond.
21· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Thank you.· That was your time. 22· · · · · · · MR. BRADY:· Please stand if you support this 23· · ·project like I do.
24· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Thank you, Mr. Brady.
25· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Romana Evatt is our next speaker. ·1· · ·Romana Evatt.· Last call for Romana Evatt.
·2· · · · · · · Our next speaker is Ben Pratt.
·3· · · · · · · MR. PRATT:· Good evening, Mayor and Council. ·4· · ·My name is Ben Pratt.· I currently serve as vice ·5· · ·president of IBEW Local 477.· We are the electrician and ·6· · ·power professionals of San Bernardino of Inyo Counties. ·7· · ·Roughly half of our members reside in High Desert all ·8· · ·the way from Hesperia to Stateline all the way out to 29 ·9· · ·Palms.
10· · · · · · · First, I would like to thank Mayor Silva for 11· · ·always picking up the phone and hearing what's on our 12· · ·minds and engaging with us.
13· · · · · · · I would also like to thank Ms. Kent and 14· · ·everybody over at Sante Fe for your commitment to 15· · ·skilled and trained labor on this project.· In showing 16· · ·the citizens of Barstow and the taxpayers a way to get 17· · ·the best bang for their buck.· And also I want to thank 18· · ·our friends at Barstow Community College for your 19· · ·partnership.
20· · · · · · · Constantly we hear the narrative that these 21· · ·are temporary jobs.· I urge everybody in this room to 22· · ·view these as apprenticeship opportunities.· And what 23· · ·apprenticeship opportunities are a springboard to the 24· · ·middle class for those who received them.· IBEW is 25· · ·committed to the true partnership with the City of ·1· · ·Barstow and the community college to ensure that those ·2· · ·apprenticeship opportunities go to people right here in ·3· · ·Barstow.· I've brought two of my colleagues with me ·4· · ·tonight who will explain what that partnership looks ·5· · ·like going forward.· And, again, I just want to thank ·6· · ·this council, this city for a thorough job that you have ·7· · ·done and for the many opportunities that you have given ·8· · ·for public engagement.
·9· · · · · · · And I would also just like to add that I am a 10· · ·part of these processes quite a bit in my line of work, 11· · ·and rarely have I seen anything as thorough as this, so 12· · ·thank you for your engagement, your cooperation.· Have a 13· · ·good evening.
14· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Our next speaker is Dena Martel. 15· · · · · · · MS. MARTEL:· Good evening, Mayor, council. 16· · ·This is not a question of whether someone supports this 17· · ·project or opposes it.· It's a question of impact. 18· · ·Tonight you're looking at using statement of already 19· · ·considerations which is acknowledging that significant 20· · ·environmental impacts remain and cannot be fully 21· · ·mitigated.· The EIR does not say those impacts
22· · ·disappear.· It says they are significant and
23· · ·unavoidable.
24· · · · · · · For residents like mine, closest to this 25· · ·project, those impacts begin on day one, not years from ·1· · ·now, not in the future.· Day one.· The air pollution, ·2· · ·freight activity, noise, lighting and disruption become ·3· · ·an immediate reality for the people living nearest to ·4· · ·this development.· But what starts at this project site ·5· · ·doesn't stay at this project site.· It will migrate.· It ·6· · ·will come to Barstow, and it will come to The Heights, ·7· · ·it will come to all of the other nice communities. ·8· · · · · · · Over time, this will continue to expand ·9· · ·throughout Barstow as freight activity grows and 10· · ·industrial development expands, traffic increases and 11· · ·the character of this community changes.· Whether 12· · ·someone supports this or doesn't change -- does not 13· · ·change the facts.· It doesn't eliminate the impacts. 14· · · · · · · And whether someone supports this project or 15· · ·not doesn't relieve the Council of its responsibility to 16· · ·honestly acknowledge who will bear the burden.· We are 17· · ·being told this project represents Barstow's future. 18· · ·But Barstow has been a railroad town for generations. 19· · ·If expanding freight activity guaranteed prosperity, why 20· · ·are we being asked to accept significant and unavoidable 21· · ·impacts in exchange for promises of future benefits. 22· · · · · · · Tonight's decision is not simply about
23· · ·approving a project.· It's about deciding what impacts are 24· · ·acceptable, who will live with them, and what kind of 25· · ·community Barstow will become.· I ask you to focus not ·1· · ·on promises but on the impacts, because long after ·2· · ·tonight's vote, those impacts remain and my community is ·3· · ·directly affected.· Thank you.
·4· · · · · · · MS. HACKBARTH:· Mayor, Council Members, and ·5· · ·staff.· I'm Julie Hackbarth, former mayor of the City of ·6· · ·Barstow.· Thank you for allowing me to speak on behalf ·7· · ·of support of this General Plan update.· As our
·8· · ·community looks for the future, it is critical that the ·9· · ·plan fully recognizes and prepares for the
10· · ·transformational project of the BNSF BIG Project.· This 11· · ·investment represents one of the most significant 12· · ·economic development opportunities in Barstow's history 13· · ·and has the potential to reshape our city for
14· · ·generations to come.
15· · · · · · · The General Plan has a clear framework for 16· · ·managing the growth that will accompany this, including 17· · ·planning, transportation, infrastructure, public safety 18· · ·and our college prepares for the workforce development, 19· · ·the quality of life amenities that will support both 20· · ·current and future residents and the new jobs and the 21· · ·economic activity the project is expected to bring. 22· · · · · · · At the same time, growth must be balanced and 23· · ·protected with the character of our community and 24· · ·ensuring that the benefits of the development are shared 25· · ·throughout Barstow, should be intentional about creating ·1· · ·opportunities for local businesses and attracting new ·2· · ·investments and preparing our workforce so that Barstow ·3· · ·residents and the -- and the position to benefit ·4· · ·directly from this historic project.
·5· · · · · · · The General Plan is our roadmap to the future ·6· · ·and by -- by adopting it and moving it forward, we are ·7· · ·looking to make sure that Barstow stays a strong vibrant ·8· · ·community for decades to come.· Thank you to the City of ·9· · ·Barstow, to all the staff and council members, and to 10· · ·the mayor for moving this project forward.· This has 11· · ·been a long time coming.· Thank you.
12· · · · · · · MS. CARMICHAEL MILLER:· Good evening,
13· · ·everyone.· First and foremost, I would like to thank the 14· · ·staff, the city council, our mayor and everyone that has 15· · ·worked so hard on this project.· You have done the hard 16· · ·thing.· You guys are very brave.· And for the -- I mean, 17· · ·I've been very proud to be a citizen if Barstow for 18· · ·68 years -- well, in September, 68 years.· And -- but I 19· · ·can't even think of any other time I have been as proud 20· · ·of this.
21· · · · · · · I've been a citizen when things happened that 22· · ·we didn't think Barstow could come back from.· When they 23· · ·closed Ft. Irwin.· When they closed the Harvey House, 24· · ·and they changed everything with Sante Fe.· You remember 25· · ·how everybody freaked out over the classification yard ·1· · ·and, you know, when they closed three elementary ·2· · ·schools, closed a high school.
·3· · · · · · · And then, I mean, there's just so many of ·4· · ·them.· And of course they -- a BIG -- you know,
·5· · ·kerfuffle over the new bridge that everybody, I think, ·6· · ·pretty much loves as much as I do.
·7· · · · · · · Anyway, I didn't have anything else to add. I ·8· · ·just wanted to let everyone know that I'm in support of ·9· · ·you and thank you.
10· · · · · · · MR. LOREN:· Good afternoon or evening. I 11· · ·appreciate you guys listening to this.· So I have five 12· · ·questions for the staff.· You guys don't have to answer 13· · ·them or whatever.
14· · · · · · · One is why are we taking Hinkley Road out from 15· · ·going across the railroad tracks?· I'm a first
16· · ·responder.· That cuts down my response time to that side 17· · ·of Route 66.· It adds an extra 25 minutes.· I drove it 18· · ·today just to find it.
19· · · · · · · The second one is why are you guys not
20· · ·including a lot of these communities.· We're going to 21· · ·say Sylvan -- Silver Lakes, Hinkley, all of them.· You 22· · ·guys are looking into Barstow, and I understand that. 23· · ·We're also part of your communities.· If Sante Fe 24· · ·doesn't put a bridge over Vista and Silver Lakes, my 25· · ·nearest hospital at Barstow, and if they are not ·1· · ·available, I do not get no help for an hour.· You guys ·2· · ·need to think about that.
·3· · · · · · · The other thing is -- is you guys are doing a ·4· · ·great job.· I'm all for this.· I've lived here for ·5· · ·almost 60 years.· My grandparents have been here since ·6· · ·the early '50s.· I've seen Barstow grow, and I've seen ·7· · ·Barstow shrink.· I want to see Barstow grow more. I ·8· · ·think as a city council and all that, that you guys need ·9· · ·to look at the surrounding areas and think about your 10· · ·first responders having to get to these areas.· It could 11· · ·be somebody's life.· It could be your life.· You got to 12· · ·remember that.
13· · · · · · · Right now where I live at, I live in Hinkley. 14· · ·I'm the only firefighter EMT that's out there.· I rely 15· · ·on Barstow and Silver Lakes for help all the time.· And 16· · ·if you guys prolong that, it's going to cost somebody 17· · ·dearly.
18· · · · · · · And for -- you said that Hinkley river bridge 19· · ·keeps washing.· It's not Hinkley river bridge, its 20· · ·Lenwood Road.· Hinkley river bridge has not washed out 21· · ·in 46 years.· I've lived there all my life.· Thank you. 22· · · · · · · MS. HAMMOND:· Good evening, City Council, 23· · ·Mayor and the staff of the City of Barstow.· My name is 24· · ·Ann Marie.· I'm a long-time resident of the City of 25· · ·Barstow.· And I'm a realtor here for three decades.· And ·1· · ·I'm in strong support of the Barstow International ·2· · ·Gateway Project and the new General Plan.
·3· · · · · · · For years, we've talked about bringing more ·4· · ·jobs and investment to Barstow.· This project gives us ·5· · ·an opportunity to do exactly that.· It means economic ·6· · ·growth, new opportunities for local families and a ·7· · ·strong future for our city.· As a realtor, I see people ·8· · ·all the time and talk to them, and they want good jobs, ·9· · ·thriving business and new homes and a reason to stay and 10· · ·invest in Barstow.· This project makes that happen, 11· · ·makes it possible.
12· · · · · · · I also believe the future of Barstow should be 13· · ·shaped by the people who live here and work here and 14· · ·play here and raise their families here.· We care about 15· · ·the environment.· And I believe that this project will 16· · ·improve the lives of all SoCal residents as it cuts down 17· · ·on the trucks on our freeways.
18· · · · · · · We care about creating opportunities for our 19· · ·residents and our future generations right here.· This 20· · ·project is a chance for Barstow to move forward.· We are 21· · ·the gateway.· I encourage the city council to support 22· · ·and approve this project.· Thank you.
23· · · · · · · MS. MARQUEZ:· Good evening.· I'm here to say a 24· · ·few things in regards to the BNSF BIG Project and will 25· · ·lay them out accordingly.
·1· · · · · · · First, BNSF fails to address full rail
·2· · ·electric efforts which have been proven to be a viable ·3· · ·option at no extra cost over a locomotive life span to ·4· · ·this billion dollar corporation by existing scholarship. ·5· · ·It also fails to provide mitigation for Sylvan Avenue ·6· · ·community members whose air quality, water quality and ·7· · ·quality of life will be majorly impacted.· And it fails ·8· · ·to address mitigations for the Silver Lakes Helendale ·9· · ·community, whose main point of ingress and egress is at 10· · ·risk of being blocked by miles long trains during states 11· · ·of emergency.· Just because they are outside of the city 12· · ·doesn't mean their lives don't matter.
13· · · · · · · Second, Barstow has already built around the 14· · ·rail.· Named after the former president of the Sante Fe 15· · ·Railway, already having an existing intermodal, like I 16· · ·mentioned, I ask why is it that BNSF is held as some 17· · ·kind of saint meant to bring this community out of 18· · ·economic depression.· If BNSF is so great, why hasn't 19· · ·Barstow already reached the supposed economic benefits? 20· · ·Why is Barstow still a dilapidated embarrassment 21· · ·compared to the rest of the High Desert?
22· · · · · · · Lastly, the class divide is so obvious in 23· · ·hearing other citizens of the city speak.· It's
24· · ·incredibly selfish to celebrate your properties going up 25· · ·in value because of this project while my rent will only ·1· · ·get more expensive.· It's selfish to admit that this ·2· · ·increase means you will eventually sell your homes and ·3· · ·leave Barstow after the environmental fallout.· I would ·4· · ·say I can't wait to say we told you so, but you will be ·5· · ·long gone any way, disappointed but not surprised. ·6· · · · · · · Council, you must project the FEIR for the ·7· · ·City because so many neighbors' health and well being. ·8· · ·Just because this project brings money, doesn't mean it ·9· · ·brings good health and prosperity.· Thank you.
10· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Before the next speaker, we do 11· · ·have a talented court reporter, a recorder here. 12· · ·However, you must speak slowly.· It takes time to get 13· · ·the message, so that was the interruption that you heard 14· · ·there.· Please consider that.
15· · · · · · · MS. LUU:· Good evening, Barstow Mayor and city 16· · ·council members.· My name is Julie Luu, and I'm a 17· · ·representative with the Western States Regional Council 18· · ·of Carpenters.· We are here tonight in support of 19· · ·Barstow International Gateway Project.
20· · · · · · · I understand the environmental concerns 21· · ·surrounding this project, and I believe those concerns 22· · ·deserve serious attention.· At the same time, I believe 23· · ·responsible growth and environment stewardship can exist 24· · ·together.
25· · · · · · · California already has some of the strictest ·1· · ·environmental and workplace regulations in the country, ·2· · ·and projects like this must undergo obviously extensive ·3· · ·review.· As a union carpenter in Southern California, I ·4· · ·am grateful for the strong safety standards, training ·5· · ·programs and labor protections that allow workers to ·6· · ·build saving careers.· Because of those opportunities, ·7· · ·many tradesmen and women have been able to support ·8· · ·themselves and their families through honest work ·9· · ·contributed to our communities and build a better 10· · ·future.
11· · · · · · · Liveable wages, healthcare, retirement
12· · ·benefits, safety standards and apprenticeship programs 13· · ·creates stability not only for workers but for the 14· · ·entire community.· But those opportunities only exist 15· · ·when projects and investments create jobs in the first 16· · ·place.· Barstow has long been an important
17· · ·transportation hub, and this project represents a 18· · ·significant investment in the future of this community 19· · ·and its workforce.
20· · · · · · · Thank you, City of Barstow and BNSF, for the 21· · ·hard work and long-term vision of this project in so 22· · ·many ways.· For those reasons, on behalf of the Western 23· · ·States Regional Council of Carpenters, we respectfully 24· · ·and strongly support the approval of the Barstow 25· · ·International Gateway Project.· Thank you very much for ·1· · ·your time.
·2· · · · · · · MR. QUINTANAR:· I know you all just sat down, ·3· · ·but all of our lovely union workers, I do ask that you ·4· · ·stand again.· My name is Wesley Quintanar.· I'm with the ·5· · ·Holiday Inn Express in Barstow and we stand with you. ·6· · ·We know what you guys do.· We see what you do, building ·7· · ·hotels, building railroads, building our homes, building ·8· · ·our future.· And this is what BIG stands for, is our ·9· · ·future.· Is there anything that we can give our kids, 10· · ·our future in Barstow right now aside from hope with 11· · ·this project?· No, there isn't.
12· · · · · · · We continue to have poverty well beyond the 13· · ·threshold for the High Desert over here in Barstow.· So 14· · ·the only way to do that is we have to mitigate the 15· · ·issues.· I'm sorry.· No project is perfect.· There are 16· · ·going to be issues with this project and not everyone is 17· · ·going to be happy.· But at the end of the day, we have 18· · ·to think about how much it is going to benefit all of us 19· · ·together.· We work together.· We live together.· We 20· · ·stand together.· So think about the children.· Think 21· · ·about what you are leaving them.· There are no jobs if 22· · ·we don't have any jobs.
23· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Our next speaker is Sally Arnett. 24· · ·Sally Arnett.· Last call Sally Arnett.
25· · · · · · · Next speaker is Ryan Calbreath.
·1· · · · · · · MR. CALBREATH:· Hey everybody.· Ryan Calbreath ·2· · ·with the United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers. I ·3· · ·got cut off at the planning commission hearing, so ·4· · ·consider this a part two.· You may recall I made some ·5· · ·really excellent points.· Everyone was laughing and ·6· · ·clapping.· And made up, you know, basically the irony ·7· · ·that a town where I would be surprised if, what, 20, ·8· · ·30 percent of residents here pulled the lever for Gavin ·9· · ·Newsom.· Probably a lot of you were asking for his 10· · ·recall election in 2021.· And now we're all singing his 11· · ·praises because they are accelerating a project for a 12· · ·multibillion dollar company owned by one of the richest 13· · ·men to ever live.· It's pretty sad and ironic.
14· · · · · · · I identify the -- the unholy alliance between 15· · ·Wall Street, BNSF and the real estate sector here and 16· · ·the local politicians who are acting as their puppets to 17· · ·force this thing through without an accurate and legally 18· · ·abiding by the environmental impact report.
19· · · · · · · This is an international project, this is the 20· · ·International Gateway.· People from down the hill, 21· · ·100 percent have a say into it.· I hate to break it to 22· · ·you.· We are all connected.· We are all neighbors.· I'd 23· · ·be willing to bet any of our trades representatives here 24· · ·don't live in Barstow themselves, and that's fine. 25· · ·That's good.· We are all in a connected community.· But ·1· · ·you got to just recognize the nature of the work here. ·2· · · · · · · Yeah.· This -- this is going to completely ·3· · ·change the lives of hundreds of people who live
·4· · ·immediately around this project on day one.· And you all ·5· · ·are, I'm guessing, going to rubber stamp this flawed, ·6· · ·environmental impact report and condemn those people to ·7· · ·completely have their lives turned upside down.· And I ·8· · ·have a six-word political philosophy for the people that ·9· · ·think this won't impact them.· It will come to your 10· · ·door.· So it's going to start there on day one and 11· · ·spread to the rest of the area.· I appreciate you all. 12· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Thank you.· That is your time. 13· · · · · · · MR. PINA:· Good evening, city council.· My 14· · ·name is Jose Pina, and I am here representing Ascend 15· · ·Care California.· We are here tonight to support the 16· · ·Barstow International Gateway Project.· The approval on 17· · ·this massive project will have full short-term and 18· · ·long-term positive impacts on the Barstow community and 19· · ·on the entirety of California for decades to come. 20· · · · · · · From the creation of thousands of jobs to the 21· · ·reduction of traffic on Southern California roadways, 22· · ·this project stands to be the first step in the future 23· · ·growth of our state.· We need projects like this one to 24· · ·move us into a prosperous future and to build the 25· · ·economy of tomorrow.
·1· · · · · · · Because of all these benefits and so many ·2· · ·more, we support the project and seek your yes votes on ·3· · ·it tonight.· In fact, the City's own logo is that of a ·4· · ·train marching forward.· There is no project that ·5· · ·represents this city better than this one.· Thank you. ·6· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Michael Brown is up next.
·7· · · · · · · MR. BROWN:· Good evening mayor and council, my ·8· · ·name is Mike Brown.· I live in the Sylvan community. ·9· · ·The reason I'm talking -- I know there's been a lot of 10· · ·talk about environment here.· I'm just going to talk 11· · ·about my environment, my community where my people live. 12· · · · · · · We've looked through this FEIR, and we looked 13· · ·for mitigations for our area.· We talked -- we asked for 14· · ·a sound wall, we asked for some turn lanes into our 15· · ·community.· We don't see any of that.
16· · · · · · · And at the last meeting, I was -- one of the 17· · ·responses I received back was that a sound wall would 18· · ·only benefit five people in our community.· I'd like to 19· · ·disagree, because I believe that while five people might 20· · ·have gotten maximum benefit, our whole community would 21· · ·benefit from it.· I live there.· I know how sound 22· · ·travels.· I know how things disrupt our area.
23· · · · · · · So at this point, it looks like this project 24· · ·is going to go forward, which is great.· I'm for, you 25· · ·know, community development and jobs and everything ·1· · ·else.· I was hoping that through this process, that some ·2· · ·mitigations would have been given to us.· So at this ·3· · ·point, I'm -- I'm imploring for BNSF to just be good ·4· · ·neighbors to us, and I know it's going to cost a lot of ·5· · ·money, but give us a sound wall.· Cover the sound, cover ·6· · ·the light, cover all the trains.· It's going to change ·7· · ·the way our community looks out there, and that's where ·8· · ·we live.· We can't turn it off.· Once it starts, it's ·9· · ·24/7.· Give us something between us and you.· Good 10· · ·fences make good neighbors, so be a good neighbor. 11· · ·Thank you.
12· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Our next speaker is Marco Ortega. 13· · · · · · · MR. ORTEGA:· Good evening, everybody.· Thank 14· · ·you for showing up.· I know it's Tuesday and everybody 15· · ·is working and whatnot.· I appreciate all the planning 16· · ·committee members for holding this.
17· · · · · · · And I'm Marco Ortega, I've lived in the High 18· · ·Desert for 25 years.· I'm also a proud union worker, 19· · ·Local 43 and Local 416.· And this project is going to be 20· · ·very -- just, everyone is going to benefit from this 21· · ·project.· The people that live here are going to have 22· · ·property value go up.· The people that -- the youth that 23· · ·live here are going to have good-paying jobs for the 24· · ·future, and they are going to want to stay in Barstow. 25· · ·And even the people that don't agree with this project ·1· · ·are going to have more things to protest against, so ·2· · ·everyone is going to benefit from this.
·3· · · · · · · I'm just tired of Barstow being a pit stop for ·4· · ·people to get coffee, you know, on their way back and ·5· · ·forth to Vegas.· Barstow is a beautiful city.· It should ·6· · ·be on the map just like Victorville and Napa Valley. ·7· · ·They progressed, this city needs to progress too.· And ·8· · ·I'm proud to be living here, I'm proud to be a union ·9· · ·member.· God bless America, God bless Barstow, and God 10· · ·bless the union.· Thank you very much.
11· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· The next speaker is
12· · ·Jason Scheffs.
13· · · · · · · MR. SCHEFFS:· Good evening, everyone.· My name 14· · ·is Jason Scheffs.· It's spelled completely different 15· · ·than it is on the screen.
16· · · · · · · I'm here tonight to express our support for 17· · ·the BIG Project.· We are definitely asking for a yes 18· · ·vote from the council tonight.· I represent over a 19· · ·thousand members, a large part of which all live 20· · ·throughout the High Desert.· Almost none of them work in 21· · ·their local communities, they all travel for work. A 22· · ·job of this size would put hundreds of union brothers 23· · ·and sisters to work.· Not only would it help support 24· · ·their families and pay their benefits, it would open up 25· · ·so many opportunities for apprenticeship.
·1· · ·Apprenticeship is what the union trades look for, it's ·2· · ·what we do.· It's how we build these communities, by ·3· · ·creating these well-trained and well-paid jobs for ·4· · ·our -- for our youth and our communities in general. ·5· · · · · · · Our skilled entering members are ready to ·6· · ·build the highest wall of the project to move Barstow ·7· · ·and Southern California into a booming economic future, ·8· · ·and I hope that we see this project move forward on and ·9· · ·get more and more of our local community members into 10· · ·apprenticeships in well-paid and well-trained jobs. 11· · ·Thank you.
12· · · · · · · MR. BECKER:· Good evening.· First of all, I 13· · ·would like to thank the council for all their hard work 14· · ·and all the staff's hard work that has been done on 15· · ·this.· I would also like to thank BNSF for making a 16· · ·commitment to skilled and trained labor.
17· · · · · · · My name is Jason Becker, I'm a business 18· · ·representative for Operating Engineers Local 12.· More 19· · ·importantly, I'm a High Desert resident, I have been for 20· · ·almost 20 years.· I represent thousands of members that 21· · ·live in the San Bernardino County desert communities and 22· · ·mountains.
23· · · · · · · The skilled trade workforce that you're going 24· · ·to bring in when you approve this project and approve 25· · ·these zoning changes is something that nobody else in ·1· · ·this country can say they have, "We have the best ·2· · ·construction workers in the United States."· Not only -- ·3· · ·not only that, the opportunities for our children that ·4· · ·maybe aren't capable of college, don't want college, ·5· · ·want to work with their hands, find something else to ·6· · ·do, this project is going to give our children the ·7· · ·opportunity to come in to the building trades as well, ·8· · ·as our new apprentices are apprentices of tomorrow. ·9· · · · · · · In the building trades, we're a lot like the 10· · ·military.· We like to give each other a hard time, you 11· · ·know, just like the other branches of service do in the 12· · ·military.· But when it comes to what's important and 13· · ·putting quality infrastructure in America, we come 14· · ·together and we get the job done.· The City of Barstow 15· · ·has the opportunity to show the rest of the High Desert 16· · ·something that they are afraid to look at:· What union 17· · ·labor brings to the table.
18· · · · · · · Completing projects on time, on budget, 19· · ·sometimes under budget, and not allowing these
20· · ·fly-by-night companies to come in, undercut the
21· · ·workforce by committing wage theft, and taking that 22· · ·money out of state.· When this project gets built by 23· · ·skilled and trained labor, the rest of the High Desert 24· · ·will see what union members in the High Desert could do 25· · ·for them as well.· Thank you.
·1· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Next up is Sherry Baily.
·2· · · · · · · MS. BAILY:· Good evening, Mayor, the City ·3· · ·Council staff, and City of Barstow.
·4· · · · · · · As someone living surrounded by this proposed ·5· · ·business park, solar farm, and the Barstow International ·6· · ·Gateway, this city cannot treat the Sylvan Avenue ·7· · ·community -- close enough to be on the maps, close ·8· · ·enough to be discussed in the EIR, to warrant responses ·9· · ·to our concerns -- yet too far away, too far removed to 10· · ·receive specific enforceable mitigations; significant 11· · ·and unavoidable impacts, issuing overriding
12· · ·considerations while failing to provide Sylvan Avenue 13· · ·with meaningful community-specific protections for those 14· · ·of us who are expected to live with the consequences. 15· · · · · · · I ask, public safety, exactly for who?· We 16· · ·have participated in every possible scope, town meeting, 17· · ·reaching out to our public officials from Senate to 18· · ·county to state to EPA, just trying to get answers. 19· · ·Political momentum may be aligned, but that only makes 20· · ·it more important to stand firm on what really should 21· · ·have been required from the beginning:· Health
22· · ·protections, safety for our communities, and real 23· · ·enforcement mitigations.
24· · · · · · · We have made your maps right in the center of 25· · ·this project.· I oppose building the future of this ·1· · ·project on neighborhoods that were never fully
·2· · ·protected.· I thank you for this opportunity to learn ·3· · ·and to participate.· My perspective has now evolved, and ·4· · ·so has my purpose.· Again, I ask you, public safety for ·5· · ·who?· Benefits for who?· What about my 100 neighbors? ·6· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Thank you.· That was your time. ·7· · · · · · · Our next speaker is Timothy Aumen.
·8· · · · · · · MR. AUMEN:· Good evening, City Council and ·9· · ·staff.· My name is Timothy Aumen, I am with the IBEW, 10· · ·the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, 11· · ·Local 477.· Thank you for taking the time to hear us 12· · ·tonight, and I just want to speak a little bit about 13· · ·what I bring to the table.
14· · · · · · · I do work with our veteran's electrical entry 15· · ·program.· We just had our first graduating cohort back 16· · ·in February, here at Barstow Community College.· I'm 17· · ·privileged to work with Barstow Community College, be 18· · ·accepted into the Barstow community with this program, 19· · ·have a memorandum of understanding with the Barstow 20· · ·Community College and with the Marine Corps Logistics 21· · ·space.
22· · · · · · · We currently operate seven of these veteran 23· · ·electrical entry programs nationwide.· This one in 24· · ·Barstow is the only one that eliminates 100 percent of 25· · ·the cost to the veteran service member.· The model that ·1· · ·is being used here in Barstow is setting the standard ·2· · ·for the whole nation.· With programs like BIG coming in, ·3· · ·it expands our opportunity to train more veterans, to ·4· · ·deliver them to their homes across the country.
·5· · · · · · · Programs like this will affect everyone in the ·6· · ·area, I agree:· Our service members across the country ·7· · ·that are going to come here and train and remember this. ·8· · ·To the driving on the roads and the security of our ·9· · ·kids, I've heard the comments mentioned.· But in a few 10· · ·years, my daughter will drive too.· Knowing that she is 11· · ·not going to have to dodge semi trucks doing 80, makes 12· · ·me happy.
13· · · · · · · Thank you for this project.· Thank you for 14· · ·bringing it to Barstow.· I support and approve it. 15· · · · · · · MR. DILL:· Good evening, Mayor Silva and the 16· · ·esteemed city council and city staff.· My name is 17· · ·Aaron Dill, and I cover government affairs for SAC 18· · ·Health.· I'm proud to represent SAC Health because our 19· · ·commitment to Barstow and to the BIG is real.· SAC 20· · ·Health is a faith-based nonprofit, federally-qualified 21· · ·health center that has committed to whole-person care 22· · ·for mind, body and spirit.· That means we do more than 23· · ·just treat illness; we work to treat every patient with 24· · ·respect and dignity, especially the individuals and the 25· · ·families who rely on Medi-Cal, Medicaid, and other ·1· · ·public coverage for their care.
·2· · · · · · · In 2021, IHP reached out to SAC Health, asking ·3· · ·us to open a clinic in Barstow.· Currently, there are ·4· · ·over 17,000 IHP members in Barstow alone.· Combining ·5· · ·other communities such as Amboy, Dagget, Newberry ·6· · ·Springs, there are over 22,000 Medi-Cal eligible ·7· · ·individuals within the northern High Desert.· SAC Health ·8· · ·is seeing just over 5,000, and our own limitation to ·9· · ·seeing more, is space.
10· · · · · · · SAC Health has made a direct investment in 11· · ·Barstow by purchasing our current facility.· We
12· · ·understand that patients need local access to care, they 13· · ·need providers -- nurses, and medical assistance, 14· · ·behavioral health support, referrals, and patient 15· · ·support staff who understand this community.· SAC Health 16· · ·is currently providing care to -- excuse me, I'm on the 17· · ·wrong part.
18· · · · · · · To meet the future demands, SAC Health
19· · ·estimates that expanded service in Barstow could require 20· · ·approximately 90 additional full-time equivalent 21· · ·positions.· That includes approximately 46 direct 22· · ·clinical care positions, physicians, advanced practice 23· · ·providers, behavioral health specialists, medical 24· · ·assistants, and LVNs.· It also includes approximately 23 25· · ·local support and operations positions, such as patient ·1· · ·service representatives, custodial staff, security, and ·2· · ·operations staff.· This could result in over $15 million ·3· · ·in payroll.
·4· · · · · · · Thank you so much for this -- this project. ·5· · ·We are in strong support.
·6· · · · · · · MS. WEASMA:· Good evening, city council staff ·7· · ·and the general public and neighbors of mine.
·8· · · · · · · My concerns is that this project has some ·9· · ·problems.· There is no firm commitment from BNSF to 10· · ·switch to full electric locomotives.· Even if they do so 11· · ·for hauling up the Cajon Pass, it is clear from the 12· · ·record that even if they do it from LA to Barstow, all 13· · ·engines leaving Barstow to the east will still -- still 14· · ·be the diesel electrics.· I do not trust the city 15· · ·council to fully monitor BNSF's actions.· They have 16· · ·proven themselves to be untrustworthy to those people 17· · ·who are residing in Section 7.
18· · · · · · · To improve the electric capacity, the BNSF 19· · ·should mount solar electric on top of the engines. I 20· · ·understand that all City Attorney Matthew Summers and 21· · ·the firm he works for will be the ones to go to for 22· · ·answering any future questions.· Is this true, City 23· · ·Council?· How many years does BNSF have to switch to 24· · ·fully electric engines for this project?
25· · · · · · · I would like to have an answer from the city ·1· · ·council as soon as possible.· Thank you very much. ·2· · · · · · · MR. WILKEY:· Good evening, Mayor and City ·3· · ·Council.· Thank you for hearing me out this evening.· My ·4· · ·name is Paul Wilkey, I'm a third-generation Barstownian, ·5· · ·seventh-generation Californian.· Currently, I am one of ·6· · ·five generations living in the 92311 zip code.
·7· · · · · · · I fully support this project.· I'm a former ·8· · ·Teamster, Local 166 for 16 years -- it's okay, you don't ·9· · ·have to stand.· I'm a business owner.· I've donated, 10· · ·giving several thousands of hours to the local
11· · ·community, coaching sports.· Some of the youth that I 12· · ·have coached are represented here this evening, some of 13· · ·the current law enforcement personnel that are here, 14· · ·those that are working for our fire department.· And my 15· · ·kids, I have two other generations behind me that live 16· · ·here in the city.· And I strongly encourage this city 17· · ·council and mayor to fully support the City's General 18· · ·Plan, the BNSF BIG Project as it's presented, and 19· · ·recommend actions through this -- through this program. 20· · · · · · · I'm also an elected official of Barstow 21· · ·Community College Board of Trustees, and we -- yes, we 22· · ·have a partnership with the IBEW, and they have
23· · ·successfully graduated trained electrical union
24· · ·preemptive members for the future in our community.· And 25· · ·we encourage more of that at Barstow Community College. ·1· · ·Thank you.
·2· · · · · · · MS. PETERSON:· Good evening, Mayor and City ·3· · ·Council.· I appreciate you taking this time to hear us. ·4· · ·My name is Paula Peterson.· I've been a resident of ·5· · ·Barstow for 48 years.· I came here as a high school ·6· · ·junior because my dad got a job at Yellow Freight, a ·7· · ·living-wage job at Yellow Freight.· He did not have that ·8· · ·living-wage job before we got here.
·9· · · · · · · And Barstow has been good to me.· I worked for 10· · ·the public assistance social service office for
11· · ·30 years.· When I started, there were about 20 of us 12· · ·that issued public assistance to the city residents that 13· · ·needed it.· When I left after 30 years, there was more 14· · ·than 50 of us, but those people didn't have living 15· · ·wages.· The people that we served didn't have
16· · ·living-wage jobs, that's why the rolls went up and up 17· · ·and up, and more people were relying on public
18· · ·assistance.· And I think this BIG Project will help 19· · ·alleviate that with the living-wage job commitment that 20· · ·you've had, that all the other people associated with 21· · ·this have made commitments to this community, because we 22· · ·do need living-wage jobs here.
23· · · · · · · We also need healthcare.· I spent three hours 24· · ·driving to LA this morning for a doctor's appointment 25· · ·for an orthopedic surgery that I had last summer, and ·1· · ·it's because we didn't have the services here that I ·2· · ·needed to help straighten my legs.· And I thank the ·3· · ·medical professionals down there at Cedars-Sinai, and ·4· · ·the doctors that helped me through that process.· I am ·5· · ·able to walk the streets of Barstow now for exercise, ·6· · ·and it's just -- it makes me feel that good that I can ·7· · ·walk those streets and feel safe at times in certain ·8· · ·areas; other areas, I wouldn't even attempt to walk. ·9· · · · · · · But I appreciate you taking the time to hear 10· · ·us, and I support this project because I think we need 11· · ·to grow this community.· Thank you.
12· · · · · · · MR. TEMPLE:· Good evening, Mayor and council 13· · ·members.· My name is Gregory Temple, and I own a 14· · ·business for IBEW 477, which is San Bernardino's local. 15· · ·And this is actually my backyard also, because we 16· · ·have -- we're home to the largest jurisdiction in 17· · ·America, and so this is one of our areas here.· I'm a 18· · ·38-year member, and also too, I am one of the
19· · ·instructors that train the apprentices that we bring in 20· · ·when we have BIG projects like this.
21· · · · · · · And what we do in the IBEW is, we don't just 22· · ·come into a town, we help check all the boxes.· If 23· · ·there's jobs needed for the younger generation, we help 24· · ·bring those in.· We also, to check the box, we have 25· · ·justice-involved programs, which I'm the director of ·1· · ·a -- a ERP program, it's Electrical Reentry Pathway ·2· · ·programs, where we take people that are justice-involved ·3· · ·and we bring them into the apprenticeship program.· And ·4· · ·so far, in two cohorts, we actually brought in ten ·5· · ·people that are actually -- were justice-involved; some ·6· · ·were released as close as three years ago, and now they ·7· · ·are apprentices inside the IBEW.
·8· · · · · · · So that's the kind of success stories that we ·9· · ·bring in to jurisdictions, and I am strongly for this 10· · ·project.· Thank you.
11· · · · · · · MR. HARRIS:· Hello, I'm John Harris, Jr. I 12· · ·really came here tonight to protest the evil
13· · ·machinations of a person terrorizing my neighborhood. 14· · ·But all I've heard here tonight is fluff and
15· · ·obfuscation.· If you look to the east when you leave 16· · ·here, you will see a row of white buildings.· That's 17· · ·where I was born, in the infirmary.· And my dearest 18· · ·memories of my brothers and I and the Eastman brothers, 19· · ·running across this desert from stem to stern.· We know 20· · ·every piece of it.
21· · · · · · · And so what I failed to hear tonight is how 22· · ·this project is going to destroy the intrinsic beauty of 23· · ·this desert that I love.· I haven't heard anything about 24· · ·how, from the original California Air Resources Board 25· · ·report.· Why is that?· And I know that this city, before ·1· · ·we elected the people who destroyed our economic ·2· · ·superiority and our discretionary superiority, that the ·3· · ·reason that people are out on the street homeless is ·4· · ·because we sent their jobs to China.· Unless we -- we ·5· · ·sent it to China and give them the money to live for ten ·6· · ·years, waiting for a job, after 600 million Chinese have ·7· · ·to get it, it would be okay.
·8· · · · · · · But we need to talk about more about this. ·9· · ·And most importantly, we need to put off this -- this 10· · ·vote until after the November elections, because if the 11· · ·Republicans get booted out of office, then the trade 12· · ·with China will diminish incrementally, one year at a 13· · ·time.· So then, we will be stuck with a hole in the 14· · ·ground.
15· · · · · · · Thank you for listening.· Please consider what 16· · ·I've said.· Good evening.
17· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Our next speaker is
18· · ·Debbie Aguayao -- oh, I'm sorry -- Eugene Butticci. 19· · · · · · · MR. BUTTICCI:· Good evening.· My name is 20· · ·Eugene Butticci, and I represent the Barstow Chamber of 21· · ·Commerce.· I want to emphasize that the Barstow Chamber 22· · ·of Commerce fully supports the agenda item concerning 23· · ·the General Plan update, which encompasses the vital 24· · ·Barstow International Gateway specific plan.
25· · · · · · · The General Plan update is carefully designed ·1· · ·to promote sustainable growth.· It thoroughly
·2· · ·considers -- or thoughtfully, excuse me -- considers ·3· · ·current zoning, especially in the central to east side ·4· · ·of Barstow, with the goal of improving residents' ·5· · ·quality of life.· Importantly, the plan aims to build ·6· · ·upon existing developments, rather than creating an ·7· · ·entirely new Barstow from scratch.· Additionally, the ·8· · ·up -- the update includes completing several plans ·9· · ·initiated before my arrival to Barstow in 1990,
10· · ·demonstrating the commitment to continuity and
11· · ·thoughtful growth.
12· · · · · · · To realize -- to realize this expansion and 13· · ·achieve these goals, targeted population growth is 14· · ·essential.· On the west side of Barstow lies the 15· · ·strategically-important Barstow International Gateway 16· · ·specific plan.· Santa Fe has a century-long history with 17· · ·Barstow, demonstrating its commitment as a reliable and 18· · ·responsible neighbor.· While no business is perfect, the 19· · ·minor issues that arise are outweighed by the numerous 20· · ·benefits and the proven track record of cost
21· · ·partnership.· I would also like to recognize BNSF for 22· · ·taking the lead to electrify their portion of the 23· · ·Barstow International Gateway Project.
24· · · · · · · Any significant growth inevitably brings 25· · ·environmental and traffic challenges; however, this ·1· · ·project has the strong backing of Governor Newsom, a ·2· · ·formidable advocate of environmental stewardship.· His ·3· · ·support underscores the project commitment to
·4· · ·responsible growth.· Thank you.
·5· · · · · · · MS. AGUAYO:· Good evening, City Council and ·6· · ·audience, residents of Barstow.· I'm Debbie Aguayo, and ·7· · ·I was employed by Santa Fe BNSF, along with my father ·8· · ·and another four generations total employed here in ·9· · ·Barstow.
10· · · · · · · One of the things that is cemented in your 11· · ·brain when you are employed -- and this was learned at 12· · ·Santa Fe and carried on to BNSF -- is, "safety first." 13· · ·It is something that we wear, along with the safety 14· · ·glasses, the goggles, everything that we need to go 15· · ·prepare for the position and the jobs.· "Safety first" 16· · ·is not something that they assume or something that they 17· · ·just say.· It is something that they support and that 18· · ·they have every employee follow through with procedures 19· · ·and policies, to go to work and to go in and return the 20· · ·way that you went in, all in one piece.· It's something 21· · ·that every railroader knows in Barstow, and it's 22· · ·something that is -- that their families know as well. 23· · · · · · · So I have confidence that BNSF has done the 24· · ·work, that you all have done the work, because they will 25· · ·not sell short of safety first.· It's not just a ·1· · ·promotion, it's not a slogan.· It's what we breathe when ·2· · ·we go down to those terminals, to the yards, on the ·3· · ·rails, across the desert.· This is something that is ·4· · ·carried in with every employee.· I feel that this is ·5· · ·something that we need to always remember, because the ·6· · ·employees down there know their job and they know what ·7· · ·they are doing, and the managers know what they are ·8· · ·doing.
·9· · · · · · · And I believe that this is only going to make 10· · ·Barstow better.· We need the jobs, our children need the 11· · ·jobs, and we just really need this to take care of 12· · ·ourselves.
13· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Thank you.· That was your time. 14· · · · · · · MS. RIZZO:· Hey, everybody.· My name is 15· · ·Adriana Rizzo, I'm here with California Electrical Rail. 16· · · · · · · Barstow is going to have to choose between 17· · ·good jobs and clean air if we electrify the BIG. 18· · ·Electric freight rail with overhead catenary is a proven 19· · ·technology and used for over 100 years.· India has 20· · ·electrified its entire freight rail network and is 21· · ·buying locomotives from Siemens, which operates its 22· · ·factory right here in California.· Electric trains offer 23· · ·more power to get over the passes and reduce BNSF's 24· · ·reliance on oil amidst a global shortage and
25· · ·sky-rocketing diesel prices.· Electric trains are more ·1· · ·efficient and will increase profits for BNSF.· BNSF can ·2· · ·be a leader in clean technology by electrifying the BIG. ·3· · ·The city needs to hold them to it by redoing the EIR to ·4· · ·show that there are real mitigations for the air quality ·5· · ·impacts of electric -- of all the locomotives.
·6· · · · · · · On an unrelated note, the lack of mitigations ·7· · ·for VMT in the EIR is also concerning.· Barstow needs a ·8· · ·transit link to the rest of the High Desert, as many ·9· · ·people will be commuting in from that area.· This is 10· · ·something the city and the region needs to plan for. 11· · ·VMT can be mitigated, and it will make -- it improves 12· · ·everybody's life to do so.
13· · · · · · · Please rectify these issues in the EIR.· Thank 14· · ·you.· Have a great day.
15· · · · · · · MR. GOPINATHAN:· Hi, my name
16· · ·Narayon Gopinathan.· I'm a pro candidate at UCLA, so 17· · ·it's a bit of a drive to talk about sustainability. I 18· · ·drove here for four hours across the Inland Empire in 19· · ·traffic from UCLA because I'm the only person who has 20· · ·conducted an economic impact -- an economic analysis of 21· · ·this real corridor, from LA to Barstow and back, without 22· · ·being paid by BNSF.· And I have found that this corridor 23· · ·can be done cost-effectively, just as profitable for 24· · ·BNSF, using 100 percent clean electricity.
25· · · · · · · And so to those who support this project and ·1· · ·its economic benefits, I want to thank you for your ·2· · ·support, because I do think this project can be very ·3· · ·good.· I want the economic benefits, but I also want to ·4· · ·have no pollution.· I want this project to be done ·5· · ·right.· I've estimated that air pollution from the ·6· · ·locomotives on this rail corridor costs the local ·7· · ·communities and the global communities billions of ·8· · ·dollars every single year, in terms of both greenhouse ·9· · ·gasses and criteria pollution, the docks that cause the 10· · ·smog in the Inland Empire.
11· · · · · · · Right now across the Inland Empire, the smog 12· · ·and the traffic and the heat are palpable, and it is 13· · ·clear that we have solutions to this problem.· This is 14· · ·not aviation, there is a technology we have that works 15· · ·to move trains without carbon emissions, which is known 16· · ·as overhead wiring.· The technology has been around for 17· · ·a century.· So, as the previous speaker emphasized, we 18· · ·don't have to choose between the economic benefits of 19· · ·this project and having clean air, and -- across the 20· · ·SoCal air basin, and a stable climate around the world. 21· · · · · · · The more we burn fossil fuels, the more the 22· · ·planet will keep warming and warming and warming.· And 23· · ·we also are seeing global economic crisis in the oil 24· · ·market, and we don't want to be relying on the
25· · ·geopolitically-unstable oil markets.· We want the ·1· · ·economic benefits of extended rail corridors, and we ·2· · ·want them to not rely on diesel fuel.
·3· · · · · · · And so to the folks at BNSF, I urge you to do ·4· · ·this project right.· To the folks at -- if you expand ·5· · ·your solar panels, then you can run the trains using ·6· · ·your own electricity.
·7· · · · · · · To the folks on the city council, I urge you ·8· · ·to --
·9· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Thank you.· That was your time. 10· · · · · · · MR. GOPINATHAN: -- do something to --
11· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Thank you.· Your time is up. 12· · · · · · · MR. GOPINATHAN:· Thank you.
13· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· We're going to hold on the next 14· · ·speaker.· We are going to take a five-minute break right 15· · ·now.
16· · · · · · · · · · · · · · (Recess.)
17· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Our next speaker is
18· · ·Jennifer Cardenas.
19· · · · · · · Jennifer Cardenas?· Last call,
20· · ·Jennifer Cardenas.
21· · · · · · · Our next speaker is Sharon Mabon.
22· · · · · · · MS. MABON:· Good evening.· I'm Sharon Mabon, 23· · ·and I represent one of the about 6,000 residents of the 24· · ·Helendale, Silver Lakes area.
25· · · · · · · Now, in the EIR, "significant and unavoidable" ·1· · ·was a phrase we heard.· As Ms. Genesis eloquently spoke, ·2· · ·we heard it repeatedly.· Just because it flowed off her ·3· · ·tongue smoothly in a polished manner does not give me ·4· · ·any comfort or reassurance as to any of the positive or ·5· · ·safe results.· Now, my friends here from the Sylvan ·6· · ·area -- Sylvan Avenue area -- are worried that they will ·7· · ·be impacted by excess vibration and noise levels.· The ·8· · ·chain link fence proposed by BNSF will do nothing to aid ·9· · ·their noise or vibration levels.· I ask that you 10· · ·reconsider a proper wall.
11· · · · · · · Now, I thank Lux Marquez and Pitts Loren, the 12· · ·first responder, for mentioning the safety needs of a 13· · ·bridge or a grade separation on the Vista Road in 14· · ·Helendale to reach Station 4, one of the local fire 15· · ·stations that's critical to the safety of this whole 16· · ·area.· And I would like to bring up the fact that 17· · ·several years ago, a lot of funding from San Bernardino 18· · ·County that was meant for a multiphase bridge and road 19· · ·improvement in my area was suddenly reapportioned to 20· · ·Lenwood for the main street overpass, and I now see that 21· · ·additional improvements are planned to that same 22· · ·overpass, and that disturbs me.
23· · · · · · · And apparently, my community is not important, 24· · ·but I would like to publicly request that work -- 25· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Thank you.· That was your time. ·1· · · · · · · MS. MABON:· Oh.· I would like a bridge -- ·2· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Thank you.· Your time is up. ·3· · ·Thank you.
·4· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Renee Kaminski.
·5· · · · · · · MS. KAMINSKI:· Should I begin?
·6· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Yes, please.
·7· · · · · · · MS. KAMINSKI:· Hi.· My name is Renee Kaminski, ·8· · ·and I'm actually the president of the chamber of ·9· · ·commerce in Newberry Springs.· And I wanted to share 10· · ·with you right now that I'm so excited and hopeful with 11· · ·this project.· I think for the first time what we see in 12· · ·our outlying unincorporated area, we see hope for all of 13· · ·us, for our residents.
14· · · · · · · But I did want to bring up one thing is 15· · ·that -- we haven't really talked about is the
16· · ·homelessness that still exists in Barstow, probably will 17· · ·exist in Barstow.· I think a previous speaker did make a 18· · ·good point.· The discrepancy between homelessness, and 19· · ·it's really wonderful we're bringing these really 20· · ·fantastic jobs to workers.· It's great.· But I will 21· · ·share with you I own my own property.· I rent to these 22· · ·gentlemen who I love.· But none of them live in Newberry 23· · ·Springs.· None of them live in Barstow.
24· · · · · · · So I think my concern I have that from a 25· · ·chamber of commerce point of view and as a resident here ·1· · ·in Newberry Springs is just to ensure that we do have a ·2· · ·robust pipeline of job training.· I think this is a ·3· · ·golden opportunity for Barstow and surrounding areas. ·4· · ·We've got 25 percent of the population living below the ·5· · ·poverty line.· We've got 12,000 people living on ·6· · ·benefits.· That's one reason why we can't get home ·7· · ·developers to come and build homes in Barstow.· Why ·8· · ·would they want to build homes to people when we've got ·9· · ·82 percent of them on benefits?
10· · · · · · · So I'm just -- my hope, and, you know, I 11· · ·support this project 100 percent, is that we do through 12· · ·the city working with the chambers, working with the 13· · ·community college and working with BNSF, we have a 14· · ·sincere robust job training program for our local 15· · ·residents so we can raise up our own.
16· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Thank you.· That was your time. 17· · ·Our next speaker is Darby Osnaya.
18· · · · · · · MR. OSNAYA:· Good evening.· I'd like to -- I 19· · ·would like to acknowledge that we are on traditional 20· · ·land of the Yuhaaviatam and the Mojave tribe.· And with 21· · ·projects like this, we continue to disgrace them.· As 22· · ·with BNSF and the City of Barstow lied when they claimed 23· · ·that BNSF --
24· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Sir, you need to slow down so 25· · ·the court recorder can get your comments, please. ·1· · · · · · · MR. OSNAYA:· Okay.· So we are the Yuhaaviatam ·2· · ·and Mojave tribes.· Being very disrespectful with ·3· · ·disgracing them with all the pollution.· The American ·4· · ·Lung Association believes San Bernardino County once ·5· · ·again and for ozone pollution.· We are actually ranked ·6· · ·number one in the nation.· Electrifying is not
·7· · ·difficult.· It is done globally.
·8· · · · · · · And also what is BNSF offering to all the ·9· · ·other cities and towns which their lines run through and 10· · ·that will impact the traffic and the traffic congestion? 11· · ·Because I live here in the IE.· Plenty of times I am 12· · ·running late because I'm stuck behind a train.· That's 13· · ·going to take millions if not billions, actually.· So 14· · ·BNSF is really talking about the money.· Show us the 15· · ·money.· A lot of our little town cannot afford to keep 16· · ·on subsidizing you so that we can take care of our 17· · ·people and our roads because you keep wanting to run 18· · ·through us.
19· · · · · · · So even with electric, you're still going to 20· · ·be running through us and making it very difficult with 21· · ·all the traffic in the -- so, yeah, you're going to take 22· · ·away from traffic from the highway, it's going to keep 23· · ·us from getting to work, getting to our kids on time, et 24· · ·cetera.· So yeah, there's so much that you need to offer 25· · ·us.· Thank you.
·1· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· This speaker will get four ·2· · ·minutes for translation.
·3· · · · · · · MS. GONZALEZ:· Good evening.· My name is Ma Carmen ·4· · ·Gonzalez.· I am an organizer with Colectivo Popular para la ·5· · ·Justicia Ambiental. I've been in front of this community, more ·6· · ·or less, 20 years.· Out of this 20 years I've seen how help ·7· · ·gets deterioratingdue to locomotives, due to trucks, and I see ·8· · ·people dying in my community.· And I'm against this project -- ·9· · ·well, I'm not against this project.· I'm against the 10· · ·contamination that it brings, the pollution.
11· · · · · · · I'm in favor of the jobs, but I'm against 12· · ·this, because you can't bargain for your health.· And 13· · ·so the corridor goes from Barstow to the IE, and I 14· · ·think this is going to bring more pollution is going to 15· · ·contaminate more, so why don't we try to go 100 percent 16· · ·electric.· It will be a good option, and we will be 17· · ·saving lives.· Technology has been available for many 18· · ·years now.· Why don't we do it?· Thank you.
19· · · · · · · And think about the heath, the health of 20· · ·children and the health of the people that keep dying on 21· · ·the daily basis.
22· · · · · · · Thank you for listening to us.
23· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· The speaker will also get four 24· · ·minutes for translation.
25· · · · · · · MR: AVALOS:· Good evening.· My name is Jose ·1· · ·Avalos.· I'm from the San Bernardino Community.· I'm here ·2· · ·to talk to the residents of Barstow so the same thing ·3· · ·that happened to us in the Inland Empire doesn't happen ·4· · ·to you guys.· We are fighting -- we have been fighting ·5· · ·against BNSF for many years now where we -- we have won ·6· · ·one of the battles already in Sacramento where we're ·7· · ·trying to make trains to go electric, but their power is ·8· · ·immense.· They have already backtracked on that battle ·9· · ·we won.
10· · · · · · · And that's why I'm here to tell you, the 11· · ·people in Barstow, to the unions, to the people that 12· · ·live here to be careful with BNSF.· They don't care if 13· · ·the children don't go out to play.· They don't care if 14· · ·adults go out, the youth goes out.· They don't care 15· · ·about you guys due to the contamination that they will 16· · ·be creating.· They don't -- the only thing that moves 17· · ·them is their interest for money.
18· · · · · · · If they really care about this project they 19· · ·would have -- they would have brought electric trains to 20· · ·begin with.· That way they wouldn't keep polluting this 21· · ·system that we have that is already in bad shape.· They 22· · ·don't care if you get sick from asthma or cancer or you 23· · ·suffer a heart attack.· They don't care if you have a 24· · ·family member, a friend, a neighbor, somebody in your 25· · ·community that gets sick.· Do you think BNSF is going to ·1· · ·care about that?· No, they care more about their money. ·2· · · · · · · That's why I'm here, to let you know that ·3· · ·before you come to an agreement, before you sign any ·4· · ·agreement, they should make an amendment to make all the ·5· · ·trains electric.
·6· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Thank you.· That is your time. ·7· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Thank you.
·8· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Our next speaker is Vanessa ·9· · ·Villanueva.
10· · · · · · · MS. VILLANUEVA:· My name is Vanessa
11· · ·Villanueva.· And I'm coming from Colton today to urge 12· · ·you to consider the pace at which you are accepting this 13· · ·project.· The reality is that the BNSF railroad project 14· · ·will harm communities and workers by producing toxic and 15· · ·carcinogenic air pollution.
16· · · · · · · I'm here to support the communities that are 17· · ·clearly being ignored.· They are asking for sound walls 18· · ·and different mitigations not to halt the project 19· · ·completely, but to reevaluate what this is going to do 20· · ·to local communities, right?· And if you're talking 21· · ·about having a sustainable and thriving community, you 22· · ·really need to slow down and understand what the asks 23· · ·are.· The demands are that the City of Barstow must fix 24· · ·the EIR, right.· The environmental impact report is 25· · ·flawed.· It is deeply inadequate and fails to meet state ·1· · ·legal requirements.· It also fails to evaluate the ·2· · ·complete range of impacts on public health; energy ·3· · ·usage, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, water ·4· · ·quality and noise.
·5· · · · · · · It also fails to properly evaluate zero ·6· · ·emission and electric locomotives, switchers, trucks and ·7· · ·other equipment that would reduce the actual pollution ·8· · ·and save lives.· What we're asking for is consideration ·9· · ·and protection for these local communities.· We've seen 10· · ·these type of projects being rushed because of the 11· · ·economic benefits, potentially.· Short-term, long-term, 12· · ·oftentimes they end up being short-term.
13· · · · · · · And what we see in the long-term is the health 14· · ·impacts, the mental health impacts of living near these 15· · ·noisy construction sites, but also long-term rail yards. 16· · ·We really need your support to have these thriving 17· · ·communities and protect our long-term health.· That's 18· · ·what I'm here to really just implore you to reconsider 19· · ·and do a new EIR.· Thank you.
20· · · · · · · MS. BIRCHFIELD:· Hello.· My name is Ann 21· · ·Birchfield.· My family came to Barstow in -- because of 22· · ·the Marine Corps in 1972.· Over all of these years, we 23· · ·retired here, and we have watched Barstow grow and then 24· · ·decline, grow and decline.
25· · · · · · · Finally, the infrastructure that has all gone ·1· · ·to the neighboring communities such as Hesperia and ·2· · ·Victorville.· We have an opportunity right here right ·3· · ·now thanks to all the people up there at that table and ·4· · ·BNSF railroad to bring -- to bring everything to ·5· · ·Barstow, and we need it.· We won't get the new homes, ·6· · ·the home builders won't take a chance on us.· But if we ·7· · ·finally, finally bring the jobs and the growth, let us ·8· · ·have it.
·9· · · · · · · I'm very happy, and I'm very pleased that so 10· · ·many people have been working hard for this project. I 11· · ·can't thank you enough.· And for the youth and the next 12· · ·generation of Barstow, which we'll all have a stake in. 13· · ·Thank you.
14· · · · · · · MR. SPEISSER:· Hello.· My name is Steve 15· · ·Speisser.· I've been in Barstow since 1959.· I'm just a 16· · ·minor -- consider my wife.· She's been here since 1950, 17· · ·and she has seen Barstow change, like Ann has said, up 18· · ·and down and to Barstow right now.· And just look at 19· · ·Main Street.· It is a dying breed.· It's a window of 20· · ·opportunity that we have to change it around.· We 21· · ·definitely need to do something.
22· · · · · · · Beside -- all the union people that have 23· · ·worked for the railroad, stand up right now or had 24· · ·some -- something to do with the railroad makes an 25· · ·economical difference.· I want to thank you for your ·1· · ·service and what you come to, and I take exception to, ·2· · ·like, people that says that BNSF just don't care about ·3· · ·their health.· I have been with the railroads, I ·4· · ·think -- let me think -- 45 years.· And not one day that ·5· · ·I didn't go down there and didn't worry about the people ·6· · ·of Barstow.
·7· · · · · · · As far as -- as the environment goes and stuff ·8· · ·like that, I agree with your worry about the air ·9· · ·pollution.· But look at every truck that's going to get 10· · ·off the road or how fast, just going down the Cajon Pass 11· · ·in the last few years.· You saw what happens.· It's 12· · ·going to get worse.· Do you think it's going to get any 13· · ·better?· We all got to get together and think actually 14· · ·for the benefit of all.
15· · · · · · · Yeah, I understand the outlying area that 16· · ·might be affected by it, but let's get something going 17· · ·first.· Let's move forward and then we will -- we will 18· · ·take care of everybody.· I have property outside the 19· · ·area right across the street.· You know, we will work 20· · ·through it.· I'm sure we will.· Thank you.
21· · · · · · · MR. CROMWELL:· Good evening, council and 22· · ·Mayor.· My name is Emmett Cromwell, and I'm a business 23· · ·representative for the Western States Council of 24· · ·Carpenters.· And I'm a representative of their rights. 25· · · · · · · So part of my job is to help our members find ·1· · ·work and create opportunities for men and women to build ·2· · ·successful careers in the skilled trades.· The Barstow ·3· · ·International Gateway Project is a great opportunity for ·4· · ·our members and for our young men and women who live in ·5· · ·Barstow and the surrounding communities.· I have been a ·6· · ·union member with the millwrights for 27 years.· I was ·7· · ·raised, you know, in the IE area.· My mom and dad live ·8· · ·in Victorville.· I have two sisters and two nieces that ·9· · ·live there that commute down that Cajon Pass for a job. 10· · ·This right here would be a great opportunity for them. 11· · · · · · · Also, projects like this are what we gave -- 12· · ·or projects like this gave me an opportunity to join a 13· · ·union and build a career that changed my life.· The 14· · ·skilled trades provides me with a good living, quality 15· · ·healthcare, retirement security and the ability to 16· · ·support my family.
17· · · · · · · I know firsthand the impact opportunity like 18· · ·this can have on a person's future.· This project will 19· · ·create good paying construction jobs, long-term careers, 20· · ·opportunities and economy growth for the region.· It 21· · ·will provide a pathway for local residents to earn a 22· · ·living, support their families, and build a future right 23· · ·here in their own community.
24· · · · · · · I believe this project is a positive
25· · ·investment in Barstow, its workforce, and its future. ·1· · ·And I respectfully encourage your support on this ·2· · ·project.
·3· · · · · · · MR. MARTINEZ:· Good evening, Council.· My name ·4· · ·is Chris Martinez, I am a business representative with ·5· · ·Millwright Local 2159, Southern California, and I'm here ·6· · ·with the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters. ·7· · · · · · · So long story short, my Uncle Dave, he was a ·8· · ·small business owner in Hesperia, California.· And him ·9· · ·being a small business owner, he had a ranch up here, 10· · ·and I grew up in the area bucking hay for a living when 11· · ·I was on my summer breaks.· A lot of -- a lot of the 12· · ·good friends that I met and made in the area, as they -- 13· · ·or as we grew older, they kind of went and moved on to 14· · ·other states, chasing the work and developing their 15· · ·lives in other places.· I believe this would give an 16· · ·opportunity for our youngsters to grow up, to get the 17· · ·proper education in the trade, and succeed in our local 18· · ·community.
19· · · · · · · I'm definitely for this.· And I just want to 20· · ·thank you for all letting me to speak.· I appreciate 21· · ·you.
22· · · · · · · MS. BRANNON:· Hi, good evening.· My name is 23· · ·Heidi Brannon, and I'm president of a company called 24· · ·Preservation Ranch, with operations here in Barstow just 25· · ·to the southeast of us, doing conservation and
·1· · ·mitigation work with the Bureau of Land of Management and ·2· · ·US Fish and Wildlife Service.· I am a former resident of the ·3· · ·High Desert, and I have worked in the San Bernardino High ·4· · ·Desert area for -- since 2008.· And I know how difficult ·5· · ·it has been to get economic development in this region ·6· · ·and how important it is to the residents who live up ·7· · ·here in the High Desert, the City of Barstow, and ·8· · ·surrounding rural communities.
·9· · · · · · · All of my field crew is located in residences 10· · ·in Barstow, and one of the things that they'd expressed 11· · ·to me recently is how difficult it has been for their 12· · ·family and their friends to find jobs, good-paying jobs 13· · ·so they can support their children and their families. 14· · ·And then -- and I think that this project will bring 15· · ·great job opportunities for the residents of Barstow and 16· · ·my staff alike.
17· · · · · · · Another thing that I think would be a benefit 18· · ·of this project and the General Plan update, is just the 19· · ·level of traffic and the change in traffic.· I commute 20· · ·for -- I have commuted from the LA basin to this area 21· · ·for work, and now I commute the opposite direction, from 22· · ·Las Vegas.· And I'm in the Barstow region regularly, and 23· · ·getting the number of trucks off -- off the 15 would be 24· · ·a great benefit.· I've had a number of close calls 25· · ·myself.
·1· · · · · · · So with that, I want to say that I support ·2· · ·this project.· I support the council and the City of ·3· · ·Barstow staff for all the hard work that they've put ·4· · ·into this.· And I also want to say that I support all of ·5· · ·you in this room who've participated and shared your ·6· · ·thoughts on this project, and also your concerns.· Thank ·7· · ·you very much.
·8· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Our next speaker is John Burrill. ·9· · ·John Burrill?· Last call for John Burrill.
10· · · · · · · Our next speaker is Jennifer Cardenas.
11· · · · · · · MS. CARDENAS:· Everybody else was much taller 12· · ·than me.· So hello, good evening.· My name is
13· · ·Jennifer Cardenas.· I am the campaign organizer for the 14· · ·Sierra Club, but I am also a resident of the
15· · ·Inland Empire.
16· · · · · · · I think you heard a lot from community members 17· · ·about the impacts.· I want to remind you that you are so 18· · ·powerful, that you can make a difference.· And all of 19· · ·these people wanting a job are still going to have that 20· · ·job.· But what you can do that no one else is doing is 21· · ·electrifying a project like this.· It's creating a 22· · ·legacy where people will remember you for cleaner air, 23· · ·for communities where they don't have to have their 24· · ·children impacted.
25· · · · · · · As an organizer, I can tell you what I hear ·1· · ·from communities where I'm fighting every day.· These ·2· · ·jobs that are polluting, these gentlemen and women that ·3· · ·work there have to pay their medical bills after.· That ·4· · ·retirement fund is not there anymore, that is a medical ·5· · ·fund.· We talk about the future of children.· Do you ·6· · ·know that when they are polluted in this kind of manner, ·7· · ·that their lungs do not grow at the same rate as other ·8· · ·kids?· So any sport that they want to do in the future, ·9· · ·that's not going to be available for them.· I know this, 10· · ·because I've seen kids in middle school want to be 11· · ·soccer players, want to be football players, want to be 12· · ·baseball players; by the time they get to high school, 13· · ·they have asthma.· They don't play those sports anymore. 14· · ·You will hear stories of kids, and then that's the 15· · ·legacy you want to leave?· That's what's going to 16· · ·happen.
17· · · · · · · You've been waiting for this project, what's a 18· · ·little longer for it to actually be electrified and make 19· · ·a difference?· How many of you had to teach a
20· · ·three-year-old how to use an asthma device?· I hope none 21· · ·of you.· But this is the legacy that you will leave if 22· · ·you rush a project like this.· The legacy of your names 23· · ·is going to be attached to those kids forever.· Thank 24· · ·you.
25· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· And our last speaker is
·1· · ·Mr. Ken Courtney.
·2· · · · · · · MR. COURTNEY:· Well, I see they've saved the ·3· · ·best for last.· Well, for those of you don't know me, ·4· · ·Ken Courtney, I'm a local real estate and investment ·5· · ·broker here in town.
·6· · · · · · · My family has been in Barstow since the '50s. ·7· · ·My grandfather migrated up from Arkansas.· My father was ·8· · ·in the military stationed out at the Marine Corps ·9· · ·logistics base.· And I understand that the things that I 10· · ·have experienced and seen here in Barstow in my 61 years 11· · ·that I have been here have been -- there's been a lot of 12· · ·good, there's been a lot of devastating things, and I 13· · ·understand about the good things that happened and the 14· · ·bad things that happened.· And this project right here, 15· · ·I think, is going to be one of the best things that ever 16· · ·happened to Barstow because, what we have to realize as 17· · ·a community is, we have to have progress.
18· · · · · · · Without progress, we will basically just 19· · ·implode within ourselves.· We asked about all of these 20· · ·things that we're wanting for the community, but we have 21· · ·to realize that that comes from tax dollars.· Without 22· · ·tax dollars, we have nothing.· So I -- I strongly 23· · ·support the project.· I understand the concerns and I 24· · ·understand the benefits.· But at this point, I think the 25· · ·benefits outweigh the negatives for this whole City of ·1· · ·Barstow.· And I hope that the council makes a decision ·2· · ·and looks out for the greater part of Barstow, but also, ·3· · ·don't neglect the others as well.
·4· · · · · · · So whatever you can do to try to mitigate ·5· · ·through some of their concerns, by all means, do what ·6· · ·you can.· But for the betterment of Barstow, I think ·7· · ·this is one of the top things that's happened in my ·8· · ·61 years of my life living here in Barstow.· Thank you. ·9· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· That's all the speakers we have. 10· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Could you repeat that, please? 11· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· That is all the speakers we have. 12· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Thank you.
13· · · · · · · With no additional speakers, I will now close 14· · ·the public hearing at 8:07 p.m.· We will now take a 15· · ·30-minute recess and reconvene at 8:37.
16· · · · · · · · · · · · · · (Recess.)
17· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· And staff, for any additional 18· · ·points or information staff would like to provide. 19· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· Thank you, Mayor and 20· · ·members of the council.
21· · · · · · · I would like to address some items that were 22· · ·raised during the public hearing, and at this time, I 23· · ·would first like to invite Mark Teague from Placeworks 24· · ·up to provide some additional information.· And he does 25· · ·have a handout that he has prepared, that has been given ·1· · ·to all of council and has also been made available in ·2· · ·the lobby.· And off to the side, we have somebody that ·3· · ·will have copies if you would like more information. ·4· · · · · · · And with that, I would like to invite
·5· · ·Mark Teague up to provide more information.
·6· · · · · · · MR. TEAGUE:· Thank you very much.· My name is ·7· · ·Mark Teague, I'm the project manager for the EIR, and I ·8· · ·thought this evening that it would be useful to respond ·9· · ·to some of the late-comers that came in so that the 10· · ·councils could meet and the public will pay attention to 11· · ·those things.· We are going to cover three basic topics 12· · ·here.
13· · · · · · · So, the first is the difference between carbon 14· · ·EIR from the project EIR.· And there's a little bit of a 15· · ·disconnect between the detailed mitigation measures that 16· · ·occur for the BIG Project and the more policy-driven or 17· · ·wide-open mitigation measures that we use for general 18· · ·planning.· And that's because for the General Plan, 19· · ·we're looking into the future.· We don't know what 20· · ·projects we're likely to receive, so we focus on the 21· · ·process.· We focus on the types of things we study, and 22· · ·we guess or we estimate the anticipated outcome. 23· · · · · · · For BIG, of course, we have a lot of detail. 24· · ·We have an entire project and we have a lot of
25· · ·construction information to help us develop precise ·1· · ·mitigation measures, and that's why, in some of the ·2· · ·comments I heard, Well, why don't we have this kind of ·3· · ·precision for the General Plan?· That is because we just ·4· · ·don't know what projects will likely be received in the ·5· · ·future, and that's why we're in the process open-ended. ·6· · · · · · · Another comment that was raised had to do with ·7· · ·environmental justice and the application of certain ·8· · ·state laws that are against discrimination or ensure ·9· · ·fairness and equality.· Some of those are -- it's all 10· · ·been addressed in the final EIR and all of the
11· · ·documentation.· In this particular instance, the 12· · ·application of Government Code 1135.· Now, that really 13· · ·applies to the operations of the city, it doesn't really 14· · ·apply to the General Plan.· Now, the General Plan 15· · ·assumes that we're following all of the state laws, 16· · ·including that one, and it assumes that we don't need to 17· · ·have special policies that say, Follow the law.· We 18· · ·don't need to do that in the General Plan, and it's 19· · ·assumed within the operations of the city.
20· · · · · · · As part of that, of course, is environmental 21· · ·justice.· Environmental justice is very important.· It's 22· · ·a provision of the General Plan.· There are a couple of 23· · ·ways to handle that.· One is with an environmental 24· · ·justice element or, in this particular instance, we have 25· · ·taken the environmental justice policies and we've run ·1· · ·them through the entire General Plan so they aren't ·2· · ·overlooked in an element that may not be necessarily ·3· · ·implemented.· We like that approach as planners because ·4· · ·that ensures that every time we do a project consistency ·5· · ·analysis with the General Plan, we are considering ·6· · ·environmental justice.· And interestingly enough, ·7· · ·environmental justice is not required as part of the ·8· · ·analysis in the environmental document.· We do cover a ·9· · ·lot of the things that environmental justice would touch 10· · ·on, such as air quality and noise and pollution and 11· · ·those things.· Those are, in fact, covered in great 12· · ·length in the EIR.
13· · · · · · · And lastly, we're going to talk about energy 14· · ·impacts, VMT reduction and those types of things that 15· · ·advance clean fleets.· Just as the General Plan assumes 16· · ·that we're following state law, so does all the
17· · ·regulatory pieces that come down from the state and from 18· · ·the federal government.· We are assuming compliance with 19· · ·those provisions that are brought into the law and 20· · ·applied by the regulatory agencies.· And that would 21· · ·apply to CARB.· It would apply to the Clean Water Act. 22· · ·It would apply to regional water quality control people. 23· · ·Any time they establish a regulation we are, of course, 24· · ·required to comply.· We have a policy that says that 25· · ·that is the law and how the State of California
·1· · ·functions.
·2· · · · · · · The general planning did not discover
·3· · ·significant environmental energy impacts because it ·4· · ·doesn't evaluate a specific project.· The BIG Project ·5· · ·did have information, does have mitigation measures, and ·6· · ·those are included in the EIR and the final EIR.· And ·7· · ·those are the differences there in terms of how the ·8· · ·document is put together and how things are mitigated ·9· · ·over time.
10· · · · · · · The documentation that I have here goes into a 11· · ·little more detail on some of the comments that were 12· · ·raised in the comment letter.· Please avail yourselves 13· · ·of a copy.· From my perspective as a staff member in 14· · ·having, you know, a few minutes to take a look at this, 15· · ·we don't believe there is anything in here that would 16· · ·trigger a recirculation.· A lot of this information was 17· · ·already disclosed in the draft EIR, and again
18· · ·reconfirmed in the final EIR.· And there's information 19· · ·in here about the policies and how they would function. 20· · ·I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.
21· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· At this time, if we 22· · ·could hold any questions and have staff answer a couple 23· · ·more comments, and then we will come back to questions 24· · ·if you are available.
25· · · · · · · MR. TEAGUE:· Absolutely.
·1· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· Thank you.
·2· · · · · · · MR. TEAGUE:· I'll be backstage.
·3· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· So I would like to ·4· · ·invite Community Development Director Heldreth to ·5· · ·provide a little further clarification on some items ·6· · ·raised.
·7· · · · · · · DIRECTOR HELDRETH:· Thank you, Ms. Clayton. ·8· · · · · · · The one item I wanted to touch on, and I know ·9· · ·it was brought up during the comments, was in regards to 10· · ·fire response time from the Hinkley station by a first 11· · ·responder.· To touch on that, the two closest fire 12· · ·stations serving Hinkley Road area are both county fire 13· · ·stations, Hinkley Road -- or Hinkley Fire Station 56 to 14· · ·the north, located at 37284 Flower Road in Hinkley. 15· · ·Additionally, you've got Helendale's Fire Station 4 to 16· · ·the southwest, at 27089 Helendale Road in Helendale. 17· · · · · · · During the BIG operation, vacating the
18· · ·southern portion of Hinkley Road would remove direct 19· · ·access from Helendale Fire Station 4 to the Hinkley Road 20· · ·area via Main Street; however, alternative emergency 21· · ·access would be provided from Fire Station 4 via Jiggs 22· · ·Road, which would be widened to 26 feet to accommodate 23· · ·fire truck access.· Yes, response time from alternate 24· · ·access would be 24 minutes, 7 minutes longer than the 25· · ·existing 17-minute response time via the same access ·1· · ·point currently.· Also, no change in access would occur ·2· · ·from Fire Station 56 from the north.· Additionally, fire ·3· · ·from the existing Barstow Fire Protection District ·4· · ·Stations 361 and 363 from northeast via Highway 58, and ·5· · ·other jurisdiction resources when needed for mutual aid. ·6· · · · · · · Further, under proposed General Plan
·7· · ·conditions, in addition to the Barstow Fire Protection ·8· · ·District Stations 361 and 363, the station on Old ·9· · ·Highway 58 would be reestablished, and two new fire 10· · ·stations would be constructed which would have access 11· · ·and provide service when needed through mutual aid. 12· · ·Additionally, they did not provide information about 13· · ·what we are going to -- you know, whenever the statement 14· · ·was made that they drove it, and it took 20-plus 15· · ·minutes -- that doesn't take into consideration that the 16· · ·new Jasper Road will be built, and it would have a 17· · ·direct access point to Lenwood Road as well.
18· · · · · · · So that's -- we just wanted to touch on that 19· · ·public safety comment, and I will turn it back to the 20· · ·City Manager Clayton.
21· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· Thank you,
22· · ·Mr. Heldreth.
23· · · · · · · Next, I would like to invite -- to cover some 24· · ·of the traffic items raised, I would like to invite 25· · ·Jennifer Harry from Kimley-Horn to provide some traffic ·1· · ·clarification.
·2· · · · · · · Thank you, Ms. Harry, for coming up.
·3· · · · · · · MS. HARRY:· Thank you.· Jennifer Harry, ·4· · ·Kimley-Horn.· We prepared the environmental impact ·5· · ·report for BIG, including the traffic analysis.· I will ·6· · ·just go through a couple of the things that we heard and ·7· · ·clarify those, and then, again, I'm happy to follow up ·8· · ·on any questions that you may have.
·9· · · · · · · I would like to just inform the council that 10· · ·we did submit a letter to address many of the comments 11· · ·that were submitted through the EIR process, and we 12· · ·believe they address the comments that have been raised. 13· · ·So I will focus on a couple of the traffic comments that 14· · ·I heard, and then again, feel to free to ask additional 15· · ·questions.
16· · · · · · · I know there were questions about how many 17· · ·trucks were coming in and the route they will take. 18· · ·I -- just to be clear, BIG is forecast to generate about 19· · ·600 trips in the opening year 2028, increasing to about 20· · ·930 trips in 2048.· This includes both inbound and 21· · ·outbound trucks, both directions.· It proposes to only 22· · ·use city-designated truck routes.· Those truck routes 23· · ·are SR-58, I-15, I-40, Lenwood Road, Main Street, and 24· · ·then the proposed Hinkley Road realignment.· And these 25· · ·are identified in the General Plan.
·1· · · · · · · The trucks are going to access the site or the ·2· · ·Project BIG, specifically the rail yard, via Main Street ·3· · ·at Country Club, and then the warehouses via the new ·4· · ·realigned Hinkley Road at Lenwood Road, so that Jasper ·5· · ·connection that Chris was talking about.· Specific to ·6· · ·the increase or decrease in trucks, I do want to note ·7· · ·that BIG is actually going to remove 627,000 annual ·8· · ·truck trips from the Southern California roads in ·9· · ·opening year 2028, and that is going to increase up to 10· · ·962,000 annual truck trips removed in arising 2048. 11· · · · · · · I will stop there.· I know that Lena would 12· · ·like to specifically address the comments related to 13· · ·that great crossing, so I will let her jump in.· And 14· · ·then again, I'm happy to follow up on any specific 15· · ·additional questions about the traffic.
16· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· Thank you.
17· · · · · · · DIRECTOR KENT:· Thank you, Jen.
18· · · · · · · I know that there has been a few questions 19· · ·that have been raised about Vista Road in the Silver 20· · ·Lakes community.· I think one of the benefits of being 21· · ·with BNSF for over 30 years, I've had the opportunity to 22· · ·interact with a number of community members.· I would 23· · ·say, for the past 25 years of my 30, Vista Road has been 24· · ·a topic of discussion, where those residents would like 25· · ·a grade separation.· It is a county road, it is the ·1· · ·responsibility of the county to build a grade
·2· · ·separation.· BNSF, however, does contribute to grade ·3· · ·separations across the network.· We would contribute up ·4· · ·to -- it's 5 to 10 percent, based on whether or not ·5· · ·there are state or federal funds involved.· So our ·6· · ·contribution could be as much as $10 million for the ·7· · ·grade separation at Vista Road, should the county choose ·8· · ·to pursue one.
·9· · · · · · · I would also add that BNSF, as a voluntary 10· · ·good faith measure to that community, has committed to 11· · ·giving $2 million to upgrade an additional crossing 12· · ·adjacent to the Vista Road crossing for alternate 13· · ·access.· I think it's also important to mention that the 14· · ·BIG Project would actually help not only the Vista Road 15· · ·crossing, the communities there, as well as many other 16· · ·communities here in the High Desert.
17· · · · · · · What's unique about Barstow is, we will have 18· · ·several long tracks that we can pull trains into. 19· · ·Should we encounter a service interruption along our 20· · ·network, we have a place to pull trains into and hold 21· · ·them, versus now, if we have a service interruption, 22· · ·they stop where they are at because we have no place to 23· · ·pull into.· So this certainly provides an alternative 24· · ·location to help alleviate some of the congestion that 25· · ·we may experience on our network as a result of the ·1· · ·service interruption.· Thank you.
·2· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· Thank you, Ms. Kent. ·3· · · · · · · I would next like to ask that Genesis Crank ·4· · ·provide more information raised about the tribal ·5· · ·consultation.
·6· · · · · · · Genesis, can you please provide more
·7· · ·information regarding this?
·8· · · · · · · CITY PLANNER CRANK:· Absolutely.
·9· · · · · · · The city did complete a tribal consultation 10· · ·process in accordance with state law.· In total, seven 11· · ·tribes were contacted to consult on the project.· Two in 12· · ·particular responded to the consultation:· Morongo Band 13· · ·of Mission Indians and the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel 14· · ·Nation.· It is additionally important to note that San 15· · ·Manuel, or also Yuhaaviatiam of San Manuel Nation, also 16· · ·provided a letter of support regarding the SB 129 17· · ·judicial street lining certification.
18· · · · · · · Overall, I think it's important to highlight 19· · ·again that the City of Barstow did complete and conduct 20· · ·a tribal consultation, again in accordance with AB 52 21· · ·guidelines.
22· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· Thank you, Genesis. 23· · · · · · · With that, I would like to turn it over to the 24· · ·mayor and council for any further questions.
25· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Thank you, Mrs. Clayton.
·1· · · · · · · With that, I will bring it back to the council ·2· · ·for discussion and questions of staff.· We will start ·3· · ·immediately to my left.
·4· · · · · · · Council Member Hernandez, any questions or ·5· · ·discussion?
·6· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· Thank you.
·7· · · · · · · We have focused so much on the BIG Project, ·8· · ·and I think we haven't focused enough on what Barstow is ·9· · ·going to get out of this.· So my first question, because 10· · ·it was brought up in a concern about sewer, because when 11· · ·the conversation ordinarily began, it appeared that we 12· · ·as a city were going to be more responsible in regards 13· · ·to the sewer issues.
14· · · · · · · So I would appreciate our city engineer to 15· · ·explain how much Barstow is going to get because of the 16· · ·BIG Project.
17· · · · · · · CITY ENGINEER MERRELL:· Sure,
18· · ·Councilman Hernandez.
19· · · · · · · We -- the biggest item on the ticket here is 20· · ·the sewer.· I could probably get the most excited about 21· · ·it, because we are literally blowing up what we have on 22· · ·Main Street to build anew.· And what that does is, 23· · ·it -- it puts -- it puts a sunset on the assessment 24· · ·district because now, we have a means to build a new 25· · ·line with more capacity.· It will allow a line to be put ·1· · ·on Jasper Road on the north side of the tracks, which ·2· · ·more -- more people can connect to, and will also ·3· · ·increase the capacity for the outlet center area.· The ·4· · ·Lenwood Road trunk line goes all the way up to the ·5· · ·outlets.
·6· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· What is the
·7· · ·situation at the outlets, in regards to the sewer ·8· · ·service?
·9· · · · · · · CITY ENGINEER MERRELL:· Well, the problem with 10· · ·the outlets is the assessment district.· If you were 11· · ·part of the assessment district at the beginning, there 12· · ·are acres and acres of land that the outlets cannot tie 13· · ·on to it because they were not part of the original 14· · ·assessment, and they don't have the capacity.
15· · · · · · · So with the sunsetting of the assessment 16· · ·district and in the increased capacity of the trunk line 17· · ·that the BIG Project is building, there is no longer a 18· · ·capacity issue and all of the properties south of the 19· · ·outlets can now tie into the sewer without any
20· · ·conditions, other than they will have to build a line. 21· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· And what -- how 22· · ·much financially are we investing in this?
23· · · · · · · CITY ENGINEER MERRELL:· So the developer, of 24· · ·course, has to do what we call, "an install and convey." 25· · ·And so when we talk about how many billions this project ·1· · ·is costing, the developer, BNSF, has to front the money, ·2· · ·build it, install it, and then convey it to the city for ·3· · ·our asset.· We maintain it because it's been designed ·4· · ·under our supervision and our standards, but they are ·5· · ·responsible for all of the financial expansion of the ·6· · ·sewer -- not only the sewer, but the roads, bridges, the ·7· · ·culverts.· It's in the billions that they are building ·8· · ·and giving to the city.
·9· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· Another question I 10· · ·had was over the water.· We know it's Golden State Water 11· · ·that's responsible.· I'm hoping it lowers our bills.· It 12· · ·probably won't, but --
13· · · · · · · CITY ENGINEER MERRELL:· You're dreaming. 14· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· Hey, I can dream. 15· · ·But what about --
16· · · · · · · CITY ENGINEER MERRELL:· But, yeah, the -- 17· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· But what about the 18· · ·water quality?· I know it's an issue for a lot of our 19· · ·residents.· You know, we're putting these type of 20· · ·projects in and, you know, how is that going to affect 21· · ·us?
22· · · · · · · CITY ENGINEER MERRELL:· Well, part of the 23· · ·agreement with the railroad is they are going to provide 24· · ·finances for a new well.· And there are areas in Barstow 25· · ·that have really good-quality water, and throughout in ·1· · ·this area, across to the north side of the river at the ·2· · ·old Gale Canyon property ranch, the wells out there are ·3· · ·really good, and they can drill another well there and ·4· · ·put it into their Tortoise Road reservoir, which has ·5· · ·enough capacity to serve the system.· So they are going ·6· · ·to extend that zone to the limits of their project with ·7· · ·12 and 16-inch lines -- which, again, they are
·8· · ·installing and conveying millions of dollars of water ·9· · ·lines and giving it to the water company.
10· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· So more -- I would 11· · ·assume, more of our residents will be able to tie in -- 12· · · · · · · CITY ENGINEER MERRELL:· Yes, yes.
13· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· -- as opposed to 14· · ·wells?
15· · · · · · · CITY ENGINEER MERRELL:· Right now, like, 16· · ·Country Club Drive doesn't even have water.· They are on 17· · ·a private water system that doesn't have -- I mean, it's 18· · ·sufficient for what they have.· We have been talking 19· · ·about improvements out there forever.· This will allow a 20· · ·trunk line to Country Club, where they can have Golden 21· · ·State Water.
22· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· The other question 23· · ·I have and everybody is talking about, electrification. 24· · ·How is the railroad going to put in their electrical 25· · ·lines?
·1· · · · · · · CITY ENGINEER MERRELL:· Well, as I talked ·2· · ·about in my presentation, the substation just to the ·3· · ·east -- the west of us here, the Tortilla Substation ·4· · ·which is owned by Southern California Edison, they are ·5· · ·putting in an overhead at Mosley and underground line ·6· · ·that runs from here and all the way out, West Main out ·7· · ·to Country Club Drive, and then on to their site.· So ·8· · ·it's -- it's well over an estimated $200 million that ·9· · ·they are expanding of Southern California Edison's 10· · ·system to put a 33 KB transmission line out to their 11· · ·site.· This is what killed all of our projects in the 12· · ·industrial park, is the lack of electricity and water. 13· · · · · · · I mean, at one time, we were talking about 14· · ·putting prisons in our industrial center, we were 15· · ·talking about putting 12 million chickens in our 16· · ·industrial center, and we didn't have the water or the 17· · ·electricity to support any of it.· This is what they are 18· · ·going to be doing now, is putting electricity, water, 19· · ·and sewer to the industrial park.
20· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· That's why I want 21· · ·the Barstow residents to know what we're getting. 22· · · · · · · The other question I had is about the
23· · ·mitigation, the traffic tracking, because that is a 24· · ·concern, you know.· Okay, we have a contract, then who 25· · ·is tracking it and who is making sure that you're ·1· · ·complying with the rules?
·2· · · · · · · So for the public, I would like them to know ·3· · ·that we are and have looked at that.· So who is going to ·4· · ·be doing the tracking of -- to make sure we're doing our ·5· · ·mitigation?· And how often are they going to be doing ·6· · ·that?
·7· · · · · · · DIRECTOR HELDRETH:· So I will take that ·8· · ·question.
·9· · · · · · · So some mitigation measures can be monitored 10· · ·by existing staff, such as our engineering and planning 11· · ·reviews, the required documents and all else.· So they 12· · ·are obviously required to submit some of these documents 13· · ·when they are going through the construction phases, 14· · ·right?· Others require technical expertise, and the city 15· · ·does not maintain that analysis.· So the city will hire 16· · ·qualified consultants for those measures.· It's a 17· · ·standard practice for most agencies.
18· · · · · · · For complex measures involving biological or 19· · ·cultural resources, those standards must be met and 20· · ·monitored by the appropriate provincial specialties. 21· · ·The development agreement that you have in your packet 22· · ·requires BNSF to pay for all consultant monitoring 23· · ·costs, in addition to permit fees and grading and 24· · ·building and permits.· BNSF also is required to prepare 25· · ·a compliance matrix document showing how each mitigation ·1· · ·measure will be satisfied.
·2· · · · · · · So there will be extensive monitoring of that, ·3· · ·some by city staff.· And if we're not capable or ·4· · ·qualified, then we will be engaging any consulting firms ·5· · ·to be able to help us monitor this.
·6· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· The other question ·7· · ·I had is, people are concerned -- and I have been, ·8· · ·because the city hasn't been very successful in
·9· · ·development agreements.· So that was the concern to me, 10· · ·so the first question that I wanted to know is, when do 11· · ·we get the money?
12· · · · · · · DIRECTOR KENT:· We will start with that. 13· · · · · · · UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:· You want to take that 14· · ·one?
15· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· Well, there's been 16· · ·a lot of, you know, The project is worth this amount of 17· · ·money, and everybody thinks we're going to get the money 18· · ·right away.· And that's not the case, so, you know, for 19· · ·the public, an explanation on, how is that process? 20· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· Yes.· So as the project 21· · ·progresses and permits are pulled, that is -- at the 22· · ·time of permits being pulled is when we require payment, 23· · ·and the development impact fees associated with the 24· · ·permits being pulled.· So as we are going -- as, you 25· · ·know, again, the project progresses, that's when the ·1· · ·revenue will be received on the -- those are the ·2· · ·one-time monies that are coming in.
·3· · · · · · · Now, the future impacts are not -- not related ·4· · ·to the development agreement, but upon project
·5· · ·completion is when we will realize that the revenue ·6· · ·that's projected in the analysis, in the fiscal
·7· · ·analysis.
·8· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· Right, because I ·9· · ·read that and I went, Wait a minute, I want to know more 10· · ·specifically when we're getting what.
11· · · · · · · The other question is, I saw in the
12· · ·development, possessory tax.· Because that was another 13· · ·question my husband felt very strongly about, is, how 14· · ·much tax money is Barstow going to get?· And that turn, 15· · ·when I was told, Well, the railroad pays a different 16· · ·tax, and then I see that other tax.
17· · · · · · · So could you explain what it is?· Because 18· · ·people think we're going to get not that much, and some 19· · ·people think we're going to get too much.· So if you 20· · ·could explain the difference of it, I would appreciate 21· · ·that.
22· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· So the -- the BNSF, for 23· · ·the intermodal facility, will be a lesser amount of 24· · ·income -- of property tax.· That's where you get the 25· · ·difference between the possessory tax versus the unitary ·1· · ·tax, is what we're looking at related to the
·2· · ·warehousing.· Even though BNSF will own the warehouses, ·3· · ·they will be leasing them out, so there is a formula ·4· · ·that -- that calculates what that -- that unitary tax is ·5· · ·in relation to the calculations that we -- that went ·6· · ·into the fiscal impact analysis.· And that is where we ·7· · ·derive some of those figures.
·8· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· So that possessory ·9· · ·tax, is that a property tax?· Or how is that?
10· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· I'm going to ask the 11· · ·attorney, Assistant City Attorney Summers, to assist in 12· · ·answering that.
13· · · · · · · ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY SUMMERS:· Yeah, let me 14· · ·add a little clarification on that.
15· · · · · · · So possessory interest tax is standard
16· · ·property taxes on property that's leased by the railroad 17· · ·to any other business.· So in this case, the
18· · ·expectations are that the railroad will be leasing the 19· · ·land, and other people will build the warehouses, and 20· · ·those would be subject to possessory interest taxes, 21· · ·which is the standard property tax system, on the full 9 22· · ·million square feet in the warehouses, which drives a 23· · ·lot of the expectation for this property tax revenue 24· · ·coming to the city -- but not coming on day one.· It's 25· · ·coming --
·1· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· No, I understand ·2· · ·that.
·3· · · · · · · ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY SUMMERS:· -- it's ·4· · ·coming when they are built and when they are assessed at ·5· · ·that higher evaluation upon completion of the
·6· · ·certificate of occupancy.
·7· · · · · · · And then the rail facility part, the
·8· · ·intermodal facility where they are rebuilding all their ·9· · ·trains, as Ms. Crank covered, that is subject to tax, 10· · ·but it's subject to the unitary tax system by which the 11· · ·railroad pays property tax, but it's shared through a 12· · ·different formula with the rest of the state, as a 13· · ·statewide asset.· So we will still get our portion of 14· · ·that, but it's a slightly lower percentage than
15· · ·possessory interest tax.
16· · · · · · · But one more point to know, the -- because of 17· · ·the value of this project -- it's over $100 million, 18· · ·which is the first in the state, to our knowledge -- 19· · ·there's a special set aside:· 20 percent of the property 20· · ·tax value of the intermodal facility is not subject to 21· · ·the unitary system.· It will come through the regular 22· · ·system, which we will get our standard share of, that 20 23· · ·percent set aside.
24· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· Well, I think my 25· · ·husband just wants to know that we are getting our fair ·1· · ·share.
·2· · · · · · · ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY SUMMERS:· Through the ·3· · ·20 percent set aside, we'll be getting more than our ·4· · ·fair share from a standard railroad project.
·5· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· And with the lease ·6· · ·that we're getting property tax?
·7· · · · · · · ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY SUMMERS:· We will get ·8· · ·full property participation on the lease hold interest. ·9· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· So he's interested 10· · ·in where the money comes from so that everybody gets 11· · ·their fair share in Barstow.
12· · · · · · · The other thing was, and I thought it was 13· · ·interesting, the question about traffic.· Is the traffic 14· · ·going to increase because it's coming to the yard?· Or 15· · ·it's just, the traffic is coming in and it's being 16· · ·processed a different way?· So that -- that's my 17· · ·question, yeah.
18· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· So --
19· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· The trains, when 20· · ·they come in with the loads, is it going to increase? 21· · ·Are more trains going to be coming up?
22· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· I would like to invite 23· · ·Jennifer Harry again from Kimley-Horn to provide more 24· · ·clarification on the traffic question.
25· · · · · · · MS. HARRY:· Yeah, it sounds like it.· And I ·1· · ·will take a stab at it, and feel free to follow up if I ·2· · ·don't answer your question.
·3· · · · · · · I think your question is:· How many more ·4· · ·trains essentially are going to be coming up from the ·5· · ·port and into the facility, if I understood that. ·6· · · · · · · So it's about three trains in 2028, increasing ·7· · ·to about five trains in 2048.· So as -- you know, as ·8· · ·customers come on board and convert their truck loads, ·9· · ·right, which going by truck to train, we expect that to 10· · ·increase over time.· Just to give you kind of a
11· · ·comparison, 90 percent of the containers that will 12· · ·arrive at BIG, will arrive by train; 3 percent -- or go 13· · ·to and from, I should say, from BIG via train.
14· · ·Three -- about 3 percent will go to and from via trucks. 15· · · · · · · So it kind of gives you, again, emphasizing 16· · ·what Lena said in her presentation, how this is really a 17· · ·rail-served rail site facility.
18· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· Okay.· And my last 19· · ·question:· Electrification.
20· · · · · · · I have been on the Mojave Air Quality Board 21· · ·for the last ten years, and that agreement with Mojave 22· · ·Air Quality is part of our project that is included, 23· · ·about the Tier 4?
24· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· Yes.· I'm looking to 25· · ·see who can provide more clarification.
·1· · · · · · · CITY ENGINEER MERRELL:· Yes, we do have -- ·2· · ·BNSF does have an MOU with Mojave Air, as you heard from ·3· · ·their, I believe it is the CEO of the Mojave Air ·4· · ·District.· He was here and spoke on it.
·5· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· Yes.
·6· · · · · · · And as far as those engines, so much of that ·7· · ·are not being manufactured at this point; is that ·8· · ·correct?
·9· · · · · · · CITY ENGINEER MERRELL:· I would defer to BNSF 10· · ·to -- if you want to --
11· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· The agreement is 12· · ·when they are?
13· · · · · · · CITY ENGINEER MERRELL:· To my understanding. 14· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· So they will have 15· · ·to test that, to my understanding?
16· · · · · · · DIRECTOR KENT:· I'm sorry, I wasn't quite 17· · ·hearing your question.· I believe you're talking about 18· · ·the hybrids that we signed with the Mojave Desert Air 19· · ·Quality Management District, so --
20· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· Right.
21· · · · · · · DIRECTOR KENT:· So those locomotives, they 22· · ·would -- they are a hybrid.· They haven't been used 23· · ·here, and we have agreed to require them to test them 24· · ·out.· And so when they are operating up the Cajon Pass, 25· · ·because it takes a considerable amount of power to get ·1· · ·up the Cajon Pass, they would be in Tier 4 mode.· And ·2· · ·then when they go into the yard, they would go into ·3· · ·zero-emission electric mode.
·4· · · · · · · So, it's certainly something that's state of ·5· · ·the art, and something we're willing to test out as part ·6· · ·of this project.
·7· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· Yeah, but that's my ·8· · ·understanding on the switches too?
·9· · · · · · · DIRECTOR KENT:· Yeah.· They --
10· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· That's the
11· · ·agreement?
12· · · · · · · DIRECTOR KENT:· That's correct.· And we're 13· · ·voluntarily replacing.· Even though it's not required as 14· · ·a part of this project, as an effort to be a good 15· · ·neighbor here in Barstow, we are also replacing the 16· · ·older switch engines that operate in our existing 17· · ·facility with Tier 4 locomotives.· So that is a
18· · ·significant investment on our part, and certainly an 19· · ·effort to be a good neighbor here to the community. 20· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· And I think that's 21· · ·one of the best benefits for our yard that is going to 22· · ·occur.· That's it for me.
23· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Thank you, Councilman Hernandez. 24· · · · · · · Council Member Rose?
25· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER ROSE:· Thank you.· Can you hear ·1· · ·me clearly?· Perfect.
·2· · · · · · · So I would be remiss if I didn't thank each ·3· · ·and every one of you that has come out to speak to us. ·4· · ·It is very important that we are not all woven from the ·5· · ·same cloth, that we hear the diversity, that we hear the ·6· · ·concerns, that we hear the pros and cons.· This evening, ·7· · ·we had 49 speakers.· We had 49 speakers.· Of the 49 ·8· · ·speakers, we had 28 pro in favor of the BIG Project, we ·9· · ·had 19 cons with the concerns, and we also had two 10· · ·no-shows.
11· · · · · · · I think this was a pretty balanced amount of 12· · ·speakers.· It was very well-balanced, and I think it's 13· · ·important for each and every one of us up here, that 14· · ·when we make a decision tonight, that we are
15· · ·well-informed on what we've already read, what we've 16· · ·heard tonight.· And I just want you to know that I heard 17· · ·each and every one of you.· I heard from the carpenters 18· · ·to the apprentice, to the local residents, to the 19· · ·elected official, to the Sylvan residents, and from the 20· · ·out-of-towners.· I think it's important that we hear 21· · ·from everyone.
22· · · · · · · There's some things that were brought up this 23· · ·evening that I would never have thought about, so I 24· · ·thank you for that.· I would also be remiss if I didn't 25· · ·thank the Barstow Community College, my employer until ·1· · ·the end of June -- because I'm retiring.· But I want to ·2· · ·thank them for everything that they have done to house. ·3· · ·They have done everything they possibly can to make sure ·4· · ·that we are here and we were set up to have this ·5· · ·evening, and with everything from the technology ·6· · ·to -- to make sure that the speakers were heard.· So I ·7· · ·want to thank them as well.
·8· · · · · · · To the Barstow Police Department, thank you. ·9· · ·Safety comes first, and I appreciate the whole team for 10· · ·being here.
11· · · · · · · So I'm going to go ahead and move on to my 12· · ·questions.
13· · · · · · · And I also want to thank, by the way, the 14· · ·Barstow -- the City of Barstow team.· It's a small team 15· · ·that has pushed forward for many years.· They've worked 16· · ·together, small but mighty.· They have done amazing 17· · ·work.· And to the staff of the City of Barstow, thank 18· · ·you so much.
19· · · · · · · And to the team with BNSF, the best of the 20· · ·best.· Thank you.
21· · · · · · · So my questions would go straight into the 22· · ·mitigation monitoring reporting program.· So in reading 23· · ·the mitigation program, things shifted from who is 24· · ·responsible from doing like, such things as
25· · ·construction, lighting and screening plan.· Who's ·1· · ·responsible to -- I will jump to another one -- who is ·2· · ·responsible to -- who is responsible for the fugitive ·3· · ·dust emissions, and who is responsible for monitoring ·4· · ·the reduced exhaust emissions from offroad construction ·5· · ·equipment?
·6· · · · · · · It shifted from BNSF or the -- or the -- the ·7· · ·project applicant, to the City of Barstow.· So the City ·8· · ·of Barstow is responsible for many things.· So my ·9· · ·question is:· Since the City of Barstow is responsible, 10· · ·I know, and I believe everybody up here knows, that we 11· · ·don't have the staffing.· And this is going to be 12· · ·full-time -- if approved tonight, full-time for somebody 13· · ·to ensure that everything that we're responsible for 14· · ·under this mitigation reporting program, that it is 15· · ·being done consistently, daily and precise.· Because for 16· · ·me, yes, the money is extremely important, what it's 17· · ·going to do for Barstow, but safety is first.· And I 18· · ·just want to make sure, you know, that we get the 19· · ·answers on, what is our staffing plan?
20· · · · · · · If approved tonight, how aggressive is our 21· · ·staffing plan, and where is the funding going to come 22· · ·from initially to get this started?
23· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· So the mitigation 24· · ·measures, as it relates directly to the project, is the 25· · ·responsibility of the project.· While staff is
·1· · ·responsible for that, we do not have a large staff at ·2· · ·this point, as you've just pointed out.· But we do have ·3· · ·consultant staff that we have contracts in place for, ·4· · ·and we will be contracting with those consultants.· And ·5· · ·the payment responsibility, which is part of the ·6· · ·development agreement as far as processing for the ·7· · ·project-related items, will be the responsibility of the ·8· · ·applicant.
·9· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER ROSE:· "Of the applicant," so 10· · ·we could say that once we gear up with the staffing, 11· · ·that we can say we're going to get paid in 30 days? 12· · ·60 days?· Or 90 days?· Or what is -- how aggressive? 13· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· So we will be setting 14· · ·up a deposit account and monitoring as we are using 15· · ·those consultants.· So those items that are the full 16· · ·responsibility of the project, those will come from that 17· · ·deposit account, and will continually monitor the -- the 18· · ·City's responsibility in that -- those mitigation 19· · ·measures, as it relates to the consultants and the 20· · ·balance in the account, the billing and so forth. 21· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER ROSE:· As far as the staffing 22· · ·planning, how aggressive are we going to be on ensuring 23· · ·that we have enough staffing to handle everything that, 24· · ·of course, we will be facing?
25· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· So staff has been ·1· · ·meaning to talk about future growth, and we've got a ·2· · ·phased approach based on the level of the work that's ·3· · ·required.· I will ask Community Development Director ·4· · ·Heldreth, because his team will be overseeing much of ·5· · ·that process, to provide any clarification on the ·6· · ·immediate needs.· Future needs will need permanent ·7· · ·employees, not consultant employees, and that's as -- ·8· · ·as -- as needed by -- determined on the -- the workloads ·9· · ·and so forth that will be on the project.
10· · · · · · · But as it relates to the project, I will turn 11· · ·it over to Chris Heldreth to provide more information. 12· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER ROSE:· Thank you.
13· · · · · · · DIRECTOR HELDRETH:· Yes.· In regards to 14· · ·project and staffing levels, we will utilize consultants 15· · ·to help us monitor the project.· Additionally, Mojave 16· · ·Air District will also be involved with monitoring some 17· · ·of these things because they will issue permits to the 18· · ·project as well.· And we have a great relationship with 19· · ·them, working with them one-on-one on other projects in 20· · ·the city, and they will also be helping us with this 21· · ·project.
22· · · · · · · So we'll use contract labor consultants and 23· · ·then also city staff will be dedicated to it.· And then 24· · ·it's kind of a phased-in approach.· So with this 25· · ·project, as you described, the 36-month development ·1· · ·timeline.· After that, you know, or during that, we ·2· · ·don't know what's going to happen, so we're not going to ·3· · ·hire a lot of staff, so to speak, as the community ·4· · ·development department will utilize the consultants to ·5· · ·come and help us in the meantime.
·6· · · · · · · And then after things progress, we can then ·7· · ·determine if we're going to bring up permanent staff in ·8· · ·that department specifically.
·9· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER ROSE:· Thank you for that. 10· · · · · · · So as far as the monitoring as well, we're 11· · ·going to need some kind of a program to -- to do the 12· · ·monitoring, because I doubt it's going to be on an Excel 13· · ·spreadsheet or Word.· So what's the plan for that? 14· · · · · · · DIRECTOR HELDRETH:· So there is a program that 15· · ·some of the contractors will be utilizing, but also city 16· · ·staff.· It's a matrix documenting that -- obviously, 17· · ·what we do is we build that matrix based off the 18· · ·requirements that are set forth.· So I will just throw 19· · ·in the dust mitigations that you were referring to. 20· · ·There's a whole little packet that is required for that, 21· · ·that monitoring.· So what we do is -- and there's been 22· · ·many -- of what we have is in a spreadsheet.· That goes 23· · ·through that, and we base it off of that and we get the 24· · ·reports that are required based off that.
25· · · · · · · And we have our own system that will upload ·1· · ·that too so that it will be a permanent file.
·2· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER ROSE:· Thank you.
·3· · · · · · · So just for that question, I just want to make ·4· · ·sure that if this passes tonight, that our city is able ·5· · ·to take care of it, that our city is able to do what we ·6· · ·are responsible for doing.· And I believe that we -- ·7· · ·that we will do what we have to do if it's passed ·8· · ·tonight.· So thank you for that.
·9· · · · · · · Thank you for answering the traffic questions, 10· · ·I had a quite a few myself.· And I'm sure it's going to 11· · ·fluctuate and, you know, I'm sure that there will be 12· · ·data collected, because I think that's extremely 13· · ·important that data is collected on the mitigation 14· · ·program, on the traffic, on everything about that, so 15· · ·that we can see where the trends are and how we can 16· · ·continue to, you know, to improve if this project is 17· · ·passed tonight.
18· · · · · · · My next question is going to be about
19· · ·Highway 66 between Barstow and Helendale.· We heard 20· · ·about Vista Road, and I just want to say that, you know, 21· · ·during construction -- if this is approved tonight, I 22· · ·will keep saying that -- during construction, how is it 23· · ·going to affect travellers?· Because we have a lot of 24· · ·residents that live in Helendale, who live on Sylvan 25· · ·that, you know, that are in this path of all this ·1· · ·construction, that actually work in Barstow.· What -- ·2· · ·you know, what are we going to do to help mitigate ·3· · ·impediments and slower time to get to work or and/or, ·4· · ·you know, hazards during the construction areas? ·5· · · · · · · DIRECTOR HELDRETH:· I will take that one as ·6· · ·well.
·7· · · · · · · A BIG proposal is to widen Main Street from ·8· · ·two lanes to four lanes between Country Club Drive and ·9· · ·Lenwood Road.· This will be resulting in a consistent 10· · ·four-lane roadway through Barstow.· Additionally, the 11· · ·existing two-lane Main Street bridge over the channel 12· · ·water crossing would be replaced with a new, four-lane 13· · ·bridge that accommodates the 100-year flood that we have 14· · ·all referenced.
15· · · · · · · A temporary bypass will be constructed to 16· · ·facilitate a Main Street and Lenwood channel bridge 17· · ·reconstruction to maintain one lane in each direction 18· · ·during construction, to limit delays that would be 19· · ·normally experienced during bridge construction.· The 20· · ·bypass that was shown in Mr. Merrell's presentation 21· · ·tonight, as you've seen, and is included in our EIR. 22· · ·The temporary bypass would include private driveways for 23· · ·nearby residents and will be open for approximately 18 24· · ·months for the bridge reconstruction period.
25· · · · · · · The remaining roadway improvements outside the ·1· · ·bridge construction to widen the road to four lanes ·2· · ·would take approximately four months, but one lane each ·3· · ·direction will remain open for the majority of that ·4· · ·duration.· As with most construction phases or projects, ·5· · ·the construction activities and construction traffic may ·6· · ·lead to increased delays along the corridor.· The ·7· · ·contractor will prepare a detailed traffic control plan ·8· · ·to minimize the impact of construction activities in ·9· · ·close consultation with the city, local law enforcement, 10· · ·and the fire district.· And that is during construction. 11· · · · · · · Operations after construction and changes in 12· · ·traffic operations will be evaluated consistently with 13· · ·city level of threat standard thresholds.· With BIG's 14· · ·proposed transportation improvements and fair share 15· · ·contributions, BIG would also not create transportation 16· · ·deficiencies inconsistent with the city or county level 17· · ·of service among those thresholds.· So there would be a 18· · ·lot of coordination going back and forth during the 19· · ·construction, and also afterwards.· It would be a nice 20· · ·road.
21· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER ROSE:· Thank you for that. 22· · · · · · · And I also have a concern about the train 23· · ·crossings in Helendale, and we've been talking about 24· · ·that.· You know, we have loved ones that live in the 25· · ·adjacent communities, and I do worry about, you know, if ·1· · ·there's too many trains going by, because I will go out ·2· · ·there three times a week and sometimes, I'm waiting for ·3· · ·two different trains going both ways.· My daughter ·4· · ·barely made it to the hospital -- stop and drop mom. ·5· · ·She delivered -- she went to the hospital, got there -- ·6· · ·because two trains were in the way, she got to the ·7· · ·hospital at 7:01 and delivered at 7:22, stop and drop ·8· · ·mom.· And that is my concern, is a safety concern. ·9· · · · · · · And I understand that the -- that this is 10· · ·counties out of our jurisdiction, but you know, if this 11· · ·passes, it is my hope that -- I heard from the BIG 12· · ·Project that they would be willing to work with
13· · ·Helendale, if I understood correctly.· But if we did -- 14· · ·I mean, if the bridge is built, it's like a billion 15· · ·dollars.· Where does the money come from?· So I'm just 16· · ·worried about that.· Can you tell me if you know 17· · ·anything about what our concerns could be about that? 18· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· So I think Ms. Kent 19· · ·touched on this previously, but I would like to invite 20· · ·her to provide more clarification on this again. 21· · · · · · · DIRECTOR KENT:· Sure.· So it is already a very 22· · ·active red line through that area.· A line has been 23· · ·there for well over 100 years.· And when that community 24· · ·was built, it chose the less expensive route, and that 25· · ·was to go at grade versus building a new overpass, like ·1· · ·you currently see on your highway system.· Again, this ·2· · ·has been an issue that has been brought up to the county ·3· · ·for many, many years.· And from what I understand, the ·4· · ·county does collect a tax on those residents to help ·5· · ·with transportation-related issues.
·6· · · · · · · BNSF is willing, and does across our entire ·7· · ·network, contribute to grade separations.· And we are ·8· · ·willing to also contribute to the Vista Road crossing, ·9· · ·if the county chooses to work to build an overpass.· We 10· · ·do have trains that are moving at all times, you know, 11· · ·in both directions.· Again, this project, by 2048, adds 12· · ·five trains to that count.
13· · · · · · · And in addition to our willingness to
14· · ·contribute to the Vista Road crossing, we have also 15· · ·voluntarily have committed the $2 million for alternate 16· · ·access just south of the Vista Road crossing, if the 17· · ·county continues to work towards that.· We have already 18· · ·given them funding towards the design of that, but 19· · ·they -- they still -- it's in their hands.· They are 20· · ·still working through that process.
21· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER ROSE:· I appreciate that.· It 22· · ·just shows that BNSF is working and we are -- the 23· · ·consideration for the safety of those residents is at 24· · ·the forefront.· So I appreciate that.· And I hope that 25· · ·as we move forward, that the county really does engage ·1· · ·and they try to improve what we need for neighboring ·2· · ·communities as well.· This is not just about Barstow, ·3· · ·it's about the surrounding communities and how it ·4· · ·affects everyone.· So I appreciate that.· Thank you. ·5· · · · · · · I also would like what we talked about or what ·6· · ·Mr. Heldreth talked about, old Barstow, new Barstow, the ·7· · ·plan for that.· I love that.· I love the fact that we ·8· · ·are looking at Barstow as it sits right now, and there's ·9· · ·going to be some changes within old Barstow.
10· · · · · · · So can you explain to me and to everyone else 11· · ·what E-7 on the map of Barstow wrote, what the
12· · ·improvement will be, and for why?
13· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· I would like to ask if 14· · ·Ms. Crank can provide more information on this question. 15· · · · · · · CITY PLANNER CRANK:· Absolutely.
16· · · · · · · So I -- to the point of Mr. Heldreth's
17· · ·presentation and the emphasis on old Barstow/new 18· · ·Barstow, that is absolutely an important component.· But 19· · ·I think, speaking generally on the entirety of the land 20· · ·use map that's been created, and more specifically the 21· · ·zoning that impacts it, we were very calculated with the 22· · ·entirety of the area.· So again, with that old
23· · ·Barstow/new Barstow reference, of course that means 24· · ·we're focusing on our vacant land.
25· · · · · · · So for example, we're pretty close sitting in ·1· · ·this building, to a lot of existing residential land ·2· · ·that's available to us.· So we were careful in thinking ·3· · ·about where new residential may go, whether that's ·4· · ·single family or multifamily, and on the topic of ·5· · ·essentially ensuring that there's a good balance between ·6· · ·where new development goes that may be industrial or ·7· · ·commercial.· So again, ensuring that we were careful and ·8· · ·calculated about where we'd want new development to be ·9· · ·placed, and more particularly, residential, expanding 10· · ·existing neighborhoods, not necessarily creating brand 11· · ·new ones in new locations, but really remaining within 12· · ·the footprint and then of course, not abandoning areas 13· · ·like our downtown.
14· · · · · · · I'm Barstow born and raised, and I understand 15· · ·the changes that our downtown has seen.· I would like to 16· · ·see it revitalized just as much as, I'm sure, many of us 17· · ·would.· So I think that emphasis, again, of old Barstow 18· · ·and new Barstow goes back to ensuring that we're not 19· · ·abandoning the fabric that we have there, but expanding 20· · ·and revitalizing where we can.
21· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER ROSE:· Thank you.· And can you 22· · ·explain -- or Mr. Heldreth -- on the use of --
23· · · · · · · · · · (Reporter clarification.)
24· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER ROSE:· I'm sorry.
25· · · · · · · I was asking Mr. Heldreth if he can explain ·1· · ·what E-7 on the map that was shown to us earlier, at ·2· · ·Barstow Road and Armory, there's going to be some ·3· · ·construction going on?· And I wanted for them to explain ·4· · ·that process.
·5· · · · · · · CITY PLANNER CRANK:· Yes, ma'am, I can cover ·6· · ·that one as well.
·7· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER ROSE:· Thank you.
·8· · · · · · · CITY PLANNER CRANK:· So that actually alludes ·9· · ·specifically to the transportation modification number 10· · ·7.· That really, quite simply, refers to growth that we 11· · ·anticipate between now and the year of 2048.· So with 12· · ·that being said, of course we did review some regional 13· · ·transportation models, and as a result of that, the 14· · ·models essentially reflect that there will be increased 15· · ·traffic volumes, not only in certain areas of town, but 16· · ·city-wide.· And focusing on this particular area, 17· · ·essentially -- it essentially would prompt a restriping. 18· · · · · · · So you would have restriping westbound of the 19· · ·right-turn lane from just a free right, to right-turn 20· · ·only and adding a westbound right-turn to prevent -- or 21· · ·excuse me -- right-turn to overlap phase.· So in all 22· · ·reality, it alludes to widening and ensuring that 23· · ·there's proper flow with increased traffic in the area. 24· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER ROSE:· Thank you for that. 25· · · · · · · So with the additional homes that are being ·1· · ·proposed within -- within the residential areas that are ·2· · ·already existing, I did have, you know, have this ·3· · ·question.· For instance, there's going to be potentially ·4· · ·residential homes that are built in my district, ·5· · ·District 3, right up the street from where I live.· And ·6· · ·in that, my question would be:· Would the district lines ·7· · ·change because it's based -- our districts are based on ·8· · ·certain criterias and population, and would my districts ·9· · ·become more condensed because of that, because of more 10· · ·population?· And if so, when would that happen?
11· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· So with census changes, 12· · ·that does -- that does trigger an evaluation of the 13· · ·district lines and population changes, again with the 14· · ·census track and those evaluations.· There are other 15· · ·criteria that feed into that, but I will ask
16· · ·Attorney Summers to provide additional clarification on 17· · ·that.
18· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER ROSE:· Thank you.
19· · · · · · · ATTORNEY SUMMERS:· Thank you.· I would be 20· · ·happy to add additional clarification on that.· So as 21· · ·you know, and folks who live this know, every ten years 22· · ·on the ten years -- so 2020 to 2030 -- we will require a 23· · ·new complete redistricting.· We will look at and take 24· · ·into account the drawn lines for the four districts, all 25· · ·of the population of the residents at that time.· So ·1· · ·some district lines may shift, both naturally and as a ·2· · ·result of the road, and that ensures that those new ·3· · ·residents are properly accounted for in the districting ·4· · ·process on that ten-year cycle.· It doesn't happen ·5· · ·automatically until we get to the ten-year cycle. ·6· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER ROSE:· Thank you, Mr. Summers. ·7· · · · · · · And my final question, it's not really a ·8· · ·question, but it's a request:
·9· · · · · · · If approved tonight, there's a lot of
10· · ·stakeholders.· Each and every one of us is a
11· · ·stakeholder.· Each and every one of us has a concern, 12· · ·whether it's a pro or con -- and you may a pro tonight, 13· · ·but you can be a con tomorrow, depending on how things 14· · ·shift, what environmental impacts may come up that -- I 15· · ·just want to ensure and request that our city will have 16· · ·city hall, town hall meetings on the project progress if 17· · ·approved tonight, so that residents from all over have 18· · ·an opportunity -- where they have an opportunity to come 19· · ·and ask their questions, raise their concerns.
20· · · · · · · And it gives also us an opportunity to
21· · ·educate.· If something shifted, something that has gone 22· · ·too far to the far left that we absolutely need to 23· · ·address, that we have an opportunity to -- to address it 24· · ·properly and allow everybody that opportunity to come 25· · ·and ask those questions.· So that is my request, and I'm ·1· · ·hoping that that is something that we can do.
·2· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· So, yes, absolutely. ·3· · ·And you know, I had already started a full
·4· · ·communications plan and evaluation of our current ·5· · ·processes, and going forward with outreach on certain ·6· · ·programs.· That, I will continue.· If this project is ·7· · ·approved, I will have to engage a different consultant ·8· · ·to assist with a communications plan to go forward, but ·9· · ·it's absolutely critical that we get regular
10· · ·communication out.· When you have any construction 11· · ·progress and large-scale projects, it's important to get 12· · ·that information out to the communities.· I've been 13· · ·involved with another similarly large project where we 14· · ·conducted regular town hall outreaches out into the 15· · ·communities, gained some, you know, information from the 16· · ·public and our community residents, and asking them to 17· · ·bring their concerns so we can address those concerns. 18· · · · · · · So that's absolutely something that the city 19· · ·will go forward with on the staffing level, and we will 20· · ·again engage somebody to assist with that outreach since 21· · ·we do have limited staffing.· But it's really important 22· · ·for us to be engaged with the public and go throughout 23· · ·this process together.
24· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER ROSE:· Thank you.· And I just 25· · ·hope and want to emphasize that, if approved, that the ·1· · ·city speaks with one voice -- that it's a PIO, which ·2· · ·somebody just spoke about -- that we speak with one ·3· · ·voice so that we ensure that what we're getting out to ·4· · ·the public is accurate and it's -- it's put out with ·5· · ·full thought, not on our personal feelings.· But it's ·6· · ·accurate, it's based on fact, so that, you know, just -- ·7· · ·I'm just asking for one voice, that we speak with one ·8· · ·voice as to not create confusion or division or
·9· · ·unnecessary, undue concerns.
10· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· Absolutely.· Those are 11· · ·items that are led by the City Manager, myself.· And I 12· · ·will get the accurate information out, with staff's 13· · ·assistance, always available with those town hall-style 14· · ·community outreach programs.
15· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER ROSE:· Thank you.
16· · · · · · · And my final, just one comment is that, my 17· · ·father was a railroader all of his life, and this is 18· · ·when Santa Fe was in the middle of Barstow downtown. 19· · ·Diesel, 100 percent, 120 percent.· They did deal with 20· · ·asbestos during that time, but I can ensure you that my 21· · ·father lived a good life.· Eight of his brothers lived a 22· · ·really good life.· And you know, but -- but I love what 23· · ·I heard earlier.· I believe that it was Ms. Aguayo that 24· · ·said that when you are hired with Santa Fe BNSF, it's 25· · ·safety first.
·1· · · · · · · You could see the safety as an S for dollars, ·2· · ·but you make the money because you're safer.· You make ·3· · ·the money and you haven't been in business all these ·4· · ·years because only the money.· The safety is priority, ·5· · ·and I believe that if this is passed tonight, that BNSF ·6· · ·is going to 100 percent continue to look to safety and ·7· · ·to make any kind of changes that need to be made. I ·8· · ·believe in what my father did for a living.· I believe ·9· · ·in what my uncles did for a living.· And I believe that, 10· · ·if approved tonight, that BNSF is going to take care of 11· · ·any concerns or safety issues.
12· · · · · · · Thank you.
13· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Thank you, Council Member Rose. 14· · ·Mayor Pro Tem Noble?
15· · · · · · · MAYOR PRO TEM NOBLE:· Thank you, Mayor. I 16· · ·just had a couple of questions.· I really want to go 17· · ·back to where you were talking about the old versus the 18· · ·new Barstow.· And the -- my concern is, the Barstow west 19· · ·of 15, can you elaborate a little bit more on how the 20· · ·General Plan will benefit the members of our community? 21· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· Absolutely.· And I know 22· · ·Mr. Heldreth did provide that portion of the
23· · ·presentation, so I will ask him to elaborate on that for 24· · ·the information.
25· · · · · · · DIRECTOR HELDRETH:· Yeah, so as a lot of ·1· · ·people are aware, in our other communities, you've seen ·2· · ·how new development comes in and creates a new and an ·3· · ·old, and even worse sometimes, an "us versus them" ·4· · ·mentality.· Our current land use plan allowed or allots ·5· · ·new development, new residential development and shops ·6· · ·west of the 15.· If we were to stick with this pattern, ·7· · ·we would likely see a lot of new homes bringing in new ·8· · ·parks and new schools to the west end of Barstow, and ·9· · ·central Barstow being left behind.· So the thought 10· · ·process behind the new proposed land use, we are 11· · ·focusing job-generating uses in the west, placing new 12· · ·homes around our current neighborhoods.· So these new 13· · ·folks can care about and improve our existing parks, the 14· · ·existing schools, shop in our downtown and get it 15· · ·revitalized, and bring other improvements and needs to 16· · ·our existing residences and businesses in Central Barstow 17· · ·as well.
18· · · · · · · MAYOR PRO TEM NOBLE:· There was -- there was a 19· · ·lot of questions in reference to jobs in the workforce, 20· · ·and what are we doing to get the -- what are we doing to 21· · ·get our workforce ready for the expansion?
22· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· So I know there are -- 23· · ·there are some programs that have -- that BNSF has 24· · ·worked on bringing forward with the college, and so I 25· · ·would like to invite Ms. Kent up to provide more ·1· · ·clarification on those programs.
·2· · · · · · · DIRECTOR KENT:· Thank you.
·3· · · · · · · Certainly it is really important for BNSF and ·4· · ·for our potential customers at the site to have a robust ·5· · ·workforce.· So from the onset of making the
·6· · ·announcement, we have been working with the Barstow ·7· · ·Community College.· We have also reached out to the ·8· · ·schools in the area early on, to really discussion how ·9· · ·we get people ready for these jobs.· I think this really 10· · ·gives an opportunity for people here in Barstow, that 11· · ·want to stay in Barstow and raise their families here, 12· · ·it gives them an opportunity for a good, well-paying 13· · ·job, and we want to see that happen.· So BNSF is 14· · ·certainly committed to doing our fair share in working 15· · ·with the college and the high schools in the community 16· · ·to get them ready for the jobs that will come as a 17· · ·result of the project.
18· · · · · · · I think, for our customers, they need to 19· · ·understand that there are people that are here that want 20· · ·to stay here and want to work here, and in the entire 21· · ·High Desert region as well.· So we are very committed to 22· · ·working to make sure that comes to fruition.· I'd say 23· · ·the college is very impressive.· They have a great 24· · ·program.· They have been working very hard since we made 25· · ·the announcement in coming up with various programs ·1· · ·to -- and curriculum to do just that.· And we certainly ·2· · ·want to stay very connected with them as they work to ·3· · ·train the next generation of employees here in the High ·4· · ·Desert and Barstow.
·5· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· Thank you, Ms. Kent. ·6· · · · · · · MAYOR PRO TEM NOBLE:· Thank you for that.· And ·7· · ·I appreciate that feedback because of the number of ·8· · ·folks that have been focusing on job creation here in ·9· · ·the community, looking for jobs.· I appreciate that, and 10· · ·I hope that, partnered with the college, it is a benefit 11· · ·not just for BNSF, but for the folks that are going to 12· · ·be looking for the jobs, so I appreciate it.· That's all 13· · ·I have.
14· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Thank you Mayor Pro Tem Noble. 15· · · · · · · Council Member Williams?
16· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAMS:· I really don't have 17· · ·any questions.· But City Manager, if you need my help 18· · ·getting the message out, you know, I've gotten over a 19· · ·million views in the last 30 days, I am more than 20· · ·willing to help you do that.
21· · · · · · · CITY MANAGER CLAYTON:· Thank you.
22· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Thank you, Council Member 23· · ·Williams.
24· · · · · · · We'll come back to Council Member Hernandez. 25· · ·Any further discussion or questions?
·1· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· No, but a comment. ·2· · ·And I'm glad the part about the old Barstow and the new ·3· · ·Barstow, because that almost happened so many years ago. ·4· · ·They were intending to build a new Barstow out of pods, ·5· · ·and that always bothered me.· So I'm glad that you ·6· · ·addressed that in the General Plan, and the fact that ·7· · ·our residents are where -- the potential has always been ·8· · ·for housing, and we had developers come and nothing has ·9· · ·happened, but that to -- to zone that and continue to 10· · ·keep it so that the town grows in the direction it 11· · ·should and that it unites us as a community, rather than 12· · ·divides us with that other development would have, I 13· · ·think.
14· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Thank you, Council Member 15· · ·Hernandez.
16· · · · · · · Council Member Rose?
17· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER ROSE:· I just want to thank 18· · ·everybody for being here and for everybody's -- your 19· · ·voices.· It's very important, and I just can't drive 20· · ·enough about, you know, if this passes tonight, that the 21· · ·City of Barstow takes it extremely serious in regards to 22· · ·what our responsibilities are and, you know, that we 23· · ·rely heavily on the consultants that our City Manager 24· · ·has spoken about to help us get the job done.· And to 25· · ·speak with one voice is extremely important.· Thank you. ·1· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Thank you, Council Member Rose. ·2· · · · · · · Mayor Pro Tom Noble, any further questions or ·3· · ·discussion?
·4· · · · · · · MAYOR PRO TEM NOBLE:· No, I have no questions. ·5· · ·But I really want to just say thank you to the staff and ·6· · ·BNSF for putting this project together and bringing it ·7· · ·before the college, and I look forward to whatever the ·8· · ·outcome is and I hope it is positive.· Okay.
·9· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem Noble. 10· · · · · · · Council Member Williams?
11· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAMS:· Again, nothing. 12· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Thank you.
13· · · · · · · I also want to thank the staff, public, 14· · ·consultants, and everybody here present.· As mentioned 15· · ·before, the information is heard.· And with that, at 16· · ·this time, I will call for a motion in a second. 17· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER ROSE:· Mayor, I would like to 18· · ·make the motion.· I would like to make the motion to 19· · ·approve the General Plan update for Barstow
20· · ·International Gateway specific plan and all related 21· · ·actions as presented.
22· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· And I would like to 23· · ·second.
24· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· I have a motion by Council 25· · ·Member Rose and a second by Council Member Hernandez. ·1· · · · · · · City Attorney, would you please clarify the ·2· · ·written action?
·3· · · · · · · CITY ATTORNEY SUMMERS:· I will restate the ·4· · ·motion for the record.· Apologies for the length, but ·5· · ·this is for the record.
·6· · · · · · · The motion is to approve and adopt Resolution ·7· · ·No. 5256-2026 to certify the City of Barstow General ·8· · ·Plan and Barstow International Gateway Development ·9· · ·Project Final Environmental Impact Report; with
10· · ·technical appendices, adopt CEQA Findings on Impacts and 11· · ·Mitigation Measures, Statement of Overriding
12· · ·Considerations, and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting 13· · ·Programs for the General Plan and BIG Project; to adopt 14· · ·Resolution No. 5257-2026; to adopt and update to the 15· · ·City of Barstow General Plan; to waive further reading 16· · ·and introduce Ordinance No. 1035-2026; to adopt a new 17· · ·zoning map and amend Title 19 of the Barstow Municipal 18· · ·Code to create a Business Park and High-Density
19· · ·Residential Zone Districts; adopt minor changes for the 20· · ·Medium-Density Residential Zone District; Eliminating 21· · ·the Estate Residential Zone District required; adopt a 22· · ·specific plan to be incorporated by reference into the 23· · ·BMC with copies available for review at the clerk's 24· · ·office; and repeal Chapter 1.05 as it is unnecessary and 25· · ·is superseded by the updated General Plan; and make ·1· · ·conforming amendments throughout Title 12 and Title 19; ·2· · ·to waive further reading and introduce Ordinance ·3· · ·No. 1043-2026; to adopt the BIG Specific Plan; to adopt ·4· · ·Resolution No. 5258-2026 to approve the BIG Tentative ·5· · ·Tract Map, No. 20878-1-10, as consistent with the BIG ·6· · ·Specific Plan and conditions of approval; to waive ·7· · ·further reading and introduce Ordinance No. 1044-2026, ·8· · ·to approve the Development Agreement that memorializes ·9· · ·agreements negotiated between the City of Barstow and 10· · ·BNSF over fees, service arrangements, and other aspects 11· · ·of the BIG Project; and to adopt Resolution
12· · ·No. 5259-2026, to authorize a Road Maintenance Agreement 13· · ·with the County of San Bernardino for maintenance of the 14· · ·portion of Main Street southeast of the BIG Specific 15· · ·Plan boundary that is excluded from the San Bernardino 16· · ·County Local Agency Formation Commission and Action 17· · ·Area A reorganization as defined to adopt Resolution 18· · ·No. 5260-2026; to authorize and direct the City Manager 19· · ·to accept assignment of certain easements for buildings 20· · ·related to the BIG Project; consent to recordation of 21· · ·the assignment of easements and record said easements; 22· · ·to waive further reading and introduce Ordinance 23· · ·No. 1045-2026 to prezone LAFCO action Area A for the BIG 24· · ·Project, including 2,676 acres of the proposed BIG 25· · ·Specific Plan area and an approximately ten-acre parcel; ·1· · ·to adopt Resolution No. 5274-2026, of the City of ·2· · ·Barstow acting as the city council and acting as the ·3· · ·Board of Directors of the Barstow Fire Prevention ·4· · ·District; to authorize principal terms for exchange of ·5· · ·property tax revenues with the San Bernardino County and ·6· · ·the San Bernardino County Fire District resulting from ·7· · ·the reorganization of LAFCO Action Area A for the BIG ·8· · ·Project; to adopt Resolution No. 5276-2026, to approve ·9· · ·the resolution of application by the City of Barstow 10· · ·requesting LAFCO initiate proceedings for reorganization 11· · ·for LAFCO Action Area A, comprised of annexations to the 12· · ·City of Barstow, BFPD, and Odessa Water District, 13· · ·detachment from the County Fire Prevention District, its 14· · ·north desert service zone, and its zone FP-5, and 15· · ·detachment from County Service Area 70; to adopt Barstow 16· · ·Fire Prevention District Resolution No. 76-2026, acting 17· · ·as the Board of Directors for the Barstow Fire
18· · ·Prevention District, in support of the City of Barstow's 19· · ·application for reorganization of LAFCO Action Area A; 20· · ·to adopt Odessa Water District Resolution No. 01-2026; 21· · ·acting as the Board of Directors for the Odessa Water 22· · ·District in support of the City of Barstow's application 23· · ·for reorganization of LAFCO Action Area A; to waive 24· · ·further reading and introduce Ordinance No. 1046-2026, 25· · ·to prezone LAFCO Action Area B for the BIG Project, ·1· · ·inclusive of six parcels totalling 99 acres; to adopt ·2· · ·Resolution No. 5275-2026, the City of Barstow to ·3· · ·authorize principal terms for the exchange of property ·4· · ·tax revenues with San Bernardino County resulting from ·5· · ·the reorganization of LAFCO Action Area B; to adopt ·6· · ·Resolution No. 5277-2026, to approve a resolution of ·7· · ·application by the City of Barstow requesting LAFCO ·8· · ·initiate proceedings for reorganization for LAFCO Action ·9· · ·Area B, comprised of annexations to the City of Barstow 10· · ·Water District; and to adopt Odessa Water District 11· · ·Resolution No. 02-2026, acting as the Board of Directors 12· · ·of the Odessa Water District in support of the City of 13· · ·Barstow's application for reorganization of LAFCO Action 14· · ·Area B, each as presented.
15· · · · · · · Thank you.
16· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Thank you, Mr. Summers -- thank 17· · ·you, Mr. Summers.
18· · · · · · · At this time, Madam Clerk, may we please have 19· · ·a roll call vote?
20· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Yes, Mayor.
21· · · · · · · Council Member Hernandez.
22· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER HERNANDEZ:· Yes.
23· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Mayor Pro Tem Noble?
24· · · · · · · MAYOR PRO TEM NOBLE:· Yes.
25· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Council Member Rose?
·1· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER ROSE:· Yes.
·2· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Council Member Williams?
·3· · · · · · · COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAMS:· Yes.
·4· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· Mayor Silva?
·5· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Yes.
·6· · · · · · · CITY CLERK:· The motion to approve has been ·7· · ·unanimously passed.
·8· · · · · · · MAYOR SILVA:· Thank you.· At this time, by ·9· · ·consensus of the members, without objection, this 10· · ·meeting may be adjourned at 9:50 p.m.
11 12
13 14
15 16
17 18
19 20
21 22
23 24
25 ·1· · ·STATE OF CALIFORNIA· · · ·)
· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·)· SS.
·2· · ·COUNTY OF San Bernardino· )
·3
·4· · · · · · · I, Cindy R. Bowden, 12962, a court reporter of ·5· · ·the state of California, in and for the County of San ·6· · ·Bernardino, hereby certify that I reported in machine ·7· · ·shorthand the proceedings in the matter of City of ·8· · ·Barstow Commission Special Meeting, June 2, 2026, and ·9· · ·that the foregoing transcript, consisting of pages 10· · ·numbered 1 through 167, inclusive, is a full, true, and 11· · ·correct transcript of the said proceedings.
12· · · · · · · Dated at Barstow, California, this 4th day of 13· · ·June, 2026.
14 15
16 17
18 19
20· · · · · · · · · ·________________________________________ · · · · · · · · · · ·Cindy R. Bowden, CSR, RPR, RMR
21· · · · · · · · · ·Registered Diplomate Reporter
22 23
24 25
00 - 132410 Barstow Council Meeting 06-02-26_full
Barstow City Council
June 16, 2026
- Document
- 00 - 132410 Barstow Council Meeting 06-02-26_full
- Meeting
- June 16, 2026
- Body
- Barstow City Council
- Original file
- 1.3 MB
Text extracted from the city's file for reading and search. Open the original on barstowcityca.iqm2.com. That file is the official record.