SANTEE TOWN HALL MEETING ON CABLE SKI PARK SPARKS HEATED DEBATE
August 13, 2009 (Santee) -- The Santee City Council held a town hall meeting on Wednesday, August 12th to discuss a proposed cable ski park at Santee Lakes.
During the four-and-a-half hour session, Padre Dam officials said after six years of study, they have concluded that environmental impacts such as noise and traffic would be minimal. The overflow crowd included several Santee residents and numerous wakeboarders and coastal wakeboard shop owners speaking in favor of the measure, as well as many are residents who voice concerns that the project would negatively impact their quality of life. (For details on the proposal, see our previous story at http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/?q=node/1640.)
Nineteen community members spoke against the measure, including 18 Santee homeowners. Mayor Voepel voiced concern over traffic and parking, as well as plans for a restaurant to serve hard alcohol nightly until 11 p.m.
“The deal breaker would be if Sudweeks Development does not change their contract with Padre Dam to exclude hard alcohol from the restaurant and serve only beer & wine,” said Santee resident Julie Naggar, who opposes the cable ski and wakeboarding facility, noting that Sudweeks may balk at losing revenues from hard liquor sales. The Mayor also requested that the restaurant & pro shop be moved to the North side of Lake One instead the West end to lessen noise & minimize view obstructions. “If Sudweeks cannnot comply to these changes, then it may get voted down,” Naggar said.
She added, “We are not done campaigning against this. We handed out over a thousand flyers in the neighborhood prior to the meeting last night.” In addition, opponents plan to start a petition drive to “show the Mayor & Councilmembers at the next meetingt the community is truly against this,” she revealed, adding, “They just don't seem to be listening.”