thedrifter
01-25-08, 09:00 AM
Marines looking at training next to San Clemente
Camp Pendleton is evaluating options and environmental impacts of putting 600 acres of former agricultural fields to use.
By FRED SWEGLES
SUN POST NEWS
People driving along the freeway, living at the south end of San Clemente or visiting the San Mateo Campground may soon get a view of what it takes to train Marines to serve as combat forces in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Camp Pendleton is looking at the possibility of turning 600 acres of former agricultural land just south of San Clemente into a training area for Marine Corps ground maneuvers.
"At this point I don't think we envision any hardscape," said Larry Rannals, Camp Pendleton's community planning and liaison officer. The land would remain natural terrain, although he wouldn't rule out any eventual hardscape.
There could potentially be some helicopter operations in support of the ground training, Rannals said, not a hard-surface runway but short-term landings on dirt.
"We have helicopter operations that fly across that area today," he said. "They always have."
An Environmental Assessment that the base is preparing to evaluate training options will look at potential noise impacts, Rannals said. A contract was awarded last July to a firm that is conducting the Environmental Assessment.
Rannals said he doesn't foresee building up the former San Mateo agricultural area with facilities, with the possible exception of a large structure for indoor training with high-tech equipment, designed to simulate entering an Iraqi village and securing buildings.
"There's a tomato-packing plant built by one of the previous lessees … about 30,000 square feet," Rannals said. "We've already got some training activities under way inside that building."
He described it as a state-of-the-art unit known as an infantry immersive trainer. "It belongs to the MEF (Marine Expeditionary Force)," Rannals said.
The base might develop a second-generation immersive trainer, bigger than this one, Rannals said. A site hasn't been selected. It could be five years out.
San Clemente officials have been briefed on the Marines' training plan, still in a conceptual stage during drafting of the Environmental Assessment.
"It's my understanding that it's supposed to be released in mid-March," Mayor Joe Anderson said Tuesday. "Once we have a chance to review that, we'll be able to determine the scope of the operations, and we'll comment accordingly."
City Manager George Scarborough said the plan came as no surprise. "We certainly knew the agricultural lands were going to be used for something else when they stopped agricultural production," he said. "Though training activity is very important, we're going to be sensitive to ensure that the training activity doesn't create a significant impact to our residents. Obviously, training will occur. That's the purpose of the base. It's what they do. The base certainly understands the proximity to our residents."
Scarborough said the training would not involve live ammunition or explosives: "There may be small arms 'blanks' but no artillery, bombing or the other noisy explosives we all hear from time to time. And no small arms live ammo."
The site is flat land, visible from the I-5 Freeway, between the Cristianitos Road and Basilone Road off-ramps, extending inland almost to Camp San Mateo. Farm operations date back many decades, Rannals said, but the lease was terminated at the end of 2005.
Rannals said the training area may include enhancements to the natural habitat along San Mateo Creek, where the ranch used to farm right up to the edge of the creek and even on the other side at one time.
Asked if development of the 241 Toll Road along the base's boundary with San Clemente would have any bearing on the training proposal, Rannals said no. "This has nothing to do with the toll road," he said. "This reuse of the ag area is going to happen if the toll road happens or not. Neither one has any effect on the other."
Asked if use of the land for training might influence whether the state parks department's lease of Camp Pendleton property for San Onofre State Beach will be extended, Rannals said it is too early to tell, since the lease doesn't expire until 2021.
Steve Long, state park superintendent at San Onofre, said "it doesn't surprise me that they want to have a presence out there. We do know that they've held a couple of maneuvers out there over the last year, very small."
Rannals said a draft Environmental Assessment could come out in March, with a final EA due in July. The final EA will be published for public review, under terms of the National Environmental Policy Act. "The base commander will make the ultimate decision on what we'll do or not do," Rannals said.
Some possible uses for the 600 acres:
• Ground maneuversfor a battalion of a smaller-sized unit, including possible convoy operations and helicopter support.
• Iraqi villagesimulations.
• Increased use of Green Beach(the base's San Onofre recreational beach) for shore landings, with troops heading inland over paved roads to the former "ag field," as it's called, and then advancing inland as far as Case Springs in the interior of Camp Pendleton.
• Training with simulated IEDs(improvised explosive devices).
• Training for combat engineersat digging or building berms in natural terrain.
Contact the writer: fswegles@ocregister.com or 949-492-5127
Ellie
Camp Pendleton is evaluating options and environmental impacts of putting 600 acres of former agricultural fields to use.
By FRED SWEGLES
SUN POST NEWS
People driving along the freeway, living at the south end of San Clemente or visiting the San Mateo Campground may soon get a view of what it takes to train Marines to serve as combat forces in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Camp Pendleton is looking at the possibility of turning 600 acres of former agricultural land just south of San Clemente into a training area for Marine Corps ground maneuvers.
"At this point I don't think we envision any hardscape," said Larry Rannals, Camp Pendleton's community planning and liaison officer. The land would remain natural terrain, although he wouldn't rule out any eventual hardscape.
There could potentially be some helicopter operations in support of the ground training, Rannals said, not a hard-surface runway but short-term landings on dirt.
"We have helicopter operations that fly across that area today," he said. "They always have."
An Environmental Assessment that the base is preparing to evaluate training options will look at potential noise impacts, Rannals said. A contract was awarded last July to a firm that is conducting the Environmental Assessment.
Rannals said he doesn't foresee building up the former San Mateo agricultural area with facilities, with the possible exception of a large structure for indoor training with high-tech equipment, designed to simulate entering an Iraqi village and securing buildings.
"There's a tomato-packing plant built by one of the previous lessees … about 30,000 square feet," Rannals said. "We've already got some training activities under way inside that building."
He described it as a state-of-the-art unit known as an infantry immersive trainer. "It belongs to the MEF (Marine Expeditionary Force)," Rannals said.
The base might develop a second-generation immersive trainer, bigger than this one, Rannals said. A site hasn't been selected. It could be five years out.
San Clemente officials have been briefed on the Marines' training plan, still in a conceptual stage during drafting of the Environmental Assessment.
"It's my understanding that it's supposed to be released in mid-March," Mayor Joe Anderson said Tuesday. "Once we have a chance to review that, we'll be able to determine the scope of the operations, and we'll comment accordingly."
City Manager George Scarborough said the plan came as no surprise. "We certainly knew the agricultural lands were going to be used for something else when they stopped agricultural production," he said. "Though training activity is very important, we're going to be sensitive to ensure that the training activity doesn't create a significant impact to our residents. Obviously, training will occur. That's the purpose of the base. It's what they do. The base certainly understands the proximity to our residents."
Scarborough said the training would not involve live ammunition or explosives: "There may be small arms 'blanks' but no artillery, bombing or the other noisy explosives we all hear from time to time. And no small arms live ammo."
The site is flat land, visible from the I-5 Freeway, between the Cristianitos Road and Basilone Road off-ramps, extending inland almost to Camp San Mateo. Farm operations date back many decades, Rannals said, but the lease was terminated at the end of 2005.
Rannals said the training area may include enhancements to the natural habitat along San Mateo Creek, where the ranch used to farm right up to the edge of the creek and even on the other side at one time.
Asked if development of the 241 Toll Road along the base's boundary with San Clemente would have any bearing on the training proposal, Rannals said no. "This has nothing to do with the toll road," he said. "This reuse of the ag area is going to happen if the toll road happens or not. Neither one has any effect on the other."
Asked if use of the land for training might influence whether the state parks department's lease of Camp Pendleton property for San Onofre State Beach will be extended, Rannals said it is too early to tell, since the lease doesn't expire until 2021.
Steve Long, state park superintendent at San Onofre, said "it doesn't surprise me that they want to have a presence out there. We do know that they've held a couple of maneuvers out there over the last year, very small."
Rannals said a draft Environmental Assessment could come out in March, with a final EA due in July. The final EA will be published for public review, under terms of the National Environmental Policy Act. "The base commander will make the ultimate decision on what we'll do or not do," Rannals said.
Some possible uses for the 600 acres:
• Ground maneuversfor a battalion of a smaller-sized unit, including possible convoy operations and helicopter support.
• Iraqi villagesimulations.
• Increased use of Green Beach(the base's San Onofre recreational beach) for shore landings, with troops heading inland over paved roads to the former "ag field," as it's called, and then advancing inland as far as Case Springs in the interior of Camp Pendleton.
• Training with simulated IEDs(improvised explosive devices).
• Training for combat engineersat digging or building berms in natural terrain.
Contact the writer: fswegles@ocregister.com or 949-492-5127
Ellie