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Bloomington and Zimmerman residents press Colton Joint Unified on construction and air-quality protections
Summary
Multiple residents and community organizers told the Colton Joint Unified board they are concerned about demolition, warehouse construction and truck traffic near Zimmerman and Bloomington schools and asked the district to clarify relocation plans and to increase monitoring and communication.
During the public-comment period at the July 17 Colton Joint Unified School District board meeting, residents and community organizers urged the district to clarify construction and relocation plans near several school sites and to take steps to protect students from dust, traffic and pollution.
Ben Pratt, vice president of IBEW Local 477, opened public comment with an update about a pre-apprenticeship electrician program that has funding and a planned start in the February semester, describing the workforce benefits and how students can gain direct interviews with apprenticeship committees. After that announcement, several Bloomington and Zimmerman community members described recent demolition near schools and expressed concern about air quality and traffic.
A Zimmerman Elementary grandmother, Sochi Pedraza, told the board she and other parents want to know what measures the district will take to protect students from dust, noise and traffic during construction or relocation. "Last year the houses were destroyed and the only barrier that our students had from the playground was just the chain link," she said, asking for details on dust mitigation and traffic controls.
Student Jocelyn Torres and community organizer Tania with the People's Collective for Environmental Justice said demolition and proposed warehouses had caused increased traffic, noise and pollution and asked for more transparent communication from the district and for active monitoring. Jen Montez, also with the People’s Collective, described a study that placed air monitors on students and urged the district to explore additional monitoring and student education about protecting themselves from air pollution.
District staff responded that they would take contact information for follow-up and would reach out to community members to discuss concerns; trustees encouraged staff to follow up. Board members did not commit to or adopt any new district policy at the meeting; they confirmed staff would contact the speakers and follow up on the concerns raised.
The comments underscore local concern about how nearby development and demolition may affect student health and attendance at Zimmerman and Bloomington campuses and the degree to which the district will seek mitigation and interagency coordination.
