Irvine Unified School District officials continue to refuse to perform the appropriate tests to determine the safety of the proposed new Portola High School site. This refusal continues despite the facts outlined in several articles in this newspaper by Dr. Harvey Liss.
Put simply, the District did not test for the toxic chemicals used on a military airbase, but rather tested primarily for agricultural chemicals. Dangerous petrochemicals, later found on the 40-acre site, were missed.
Apparently, appropriate tests would cost less than $100,000 and need not delay the $300,000,000 project. This represents just 0.0333% of the overall project cost to ensure future safety. Why not be safe rather than sorry?
Franklin J. Lunding is the founding Publisher and Editor of Irvine Community News & Views. An experienced elections law attorney, Mr. Lunding was General Counsel for the Illinois Elections Law Commission and served as Chair of the Illinois State Board of Elections. After moving to Irvine, Mr. Lunding became Chair of the City's Transportation Commission and served on the Irvine Planning Commission.
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