Sun Valley residents fear recycling center will attract unwanted element

For idealistic environmentalists, recycling centers represent community gathering spots to trade bottles and cans and re-use materials.

But a recycling center proposed for a section of Ratner Street in Sun Valley won't be a green utopia, according to locals who worry the center's location will draw transients and increase blight.

"Sun Valley has its share of recycling places," said Sun Valley resident Vicki Burch, co-chair of the Community Police Advisory Board, who backs the idea of the center but not its location. "More than its share. And I don't think we need more."

In a neighborhood known for a preponderance of landfills, auto salvage yards and scrap heaps, the issue of a recycling center -- even a small one, no larger than a trailer -- has divided this community.

Opponents, including the Sun Valley Neighborhood Council, believe a recycling center at Ratner Street will attract the homeless, who bunk every night at the nearby Sun Valley Recreational Park. It is located not only within 500 feet of the park, but also a liquor store. Locals fear transients will use the center as a virtual ATM, trading in bottles, heading to the liquor store, and back to the park. Additionally, neighbors worry about the proximity of the center to an elementary school and substance abuse rehabilitation center.

City Councilman Tony Cardenas initially sided with locals against the project, calling it "a perfect storm" for creating a transient gathering

place.

But he reversed his position last week.

"There was 'overcaution' against the project," said Daniel Skolnick, planning deputy for Cardenas, adding that strict conditions will regulate the use of the center.

Additionally, his office trusts the owner of the site, "who has a history with the city," said Skolnick. The City Council is expected to make the final decision by July 6.

Seen in renderings, the rePLANET Recycling Center looks colorful and inviting. The structure would consist of two 8-foot-by-11-foot containers and a 12-foot high kiosk, and rest on a parking lot between a Denny's restaurant and a party supply store at Ratner Street, near Vineland Avenue. Aluminum, glass and plastic containers would be exchanged for vouchers, which could be turned in for cash at the Payless Foods store across the street.

The center would sit on a parking lot owned by Victor Sampson, taking up a sliver of the large parking lot next to the Denny's. In most cases, landlords rent out the recycling centers for others to run, according to a representative for Corona-based rePLANET. Sampson declined to be interviewed.

At a hearing last year, Sampson's representative, Robert Lamishaw, said overblown fears are fueling opposition, particularly worries about the homeless overrunning the site.

"The chances of someone bringing in enough cans to be able to run over and buy a bottle of Jack Daniels at the liquor store is really pretty small," said Lamishaw. (Current payments for recyclables are 5 cents and 10 cents per can or bottle, according to rePLANET's website.)

But the proximity to the park is the largest issue for locals, who say the homeless and gang members use the park, discouraging use by families.

"We've been trying to take back the park," said Monica Vacas, a Sun Valley resident testifying against the project at a public meeting last week.

Additionally, Sun Valley Neighborhood Council members say a Payless Foods store also intends to put up a new recycling center, which would create two centers within a block of each other. The Daily News was not able to confirm Payless is applying for its own center.

Sgt. Herrold Egger of the LAPD Foothill Division says his office gets a steady stream of calls to respond to disturbances caused by transients at recycling centers in the region.

"They are gathering, urinating in public, and a lot of times, they are drunk," he said.

But not all centers cause problems, he says. "There are just pockets."

In response to concerns about the homeless, and a request by the Sun Valley Neighborhood Council, Cardenas' office recently began working with local agencies to help the transients in the park.

"We're not just putting blinders on and supporting the center, and ignoring the homeless," said Skolnick.

Cardenas' office points out there are numerous conditions for the center's approval, such as landscaping, regulated hours, and on-staff supervision. "Everyone supports recycling," he said, adding that it if the site becomes troublesome, the city can yank the permit after a year.

Source: http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_18358888?source=rss

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