Thursday forum to focus on health impacts of asphalt plant

<p>A public forum focusing on the potential health impacts of a proposed Dutra plant by the Petaluma River, just south of the city, will take place on Thursday, Sept. 30 at the Petaluma Community Center.</p><p>The informational forum, which will be hosted by the Petaluma Health Care District, will run from 7 to 9 p.m. at the community center, located in Lucchesi Park, at 320 N. McDowell Blvd. </p><p>The meeting will focus on presentations by a panel of experts: Dr. David Weill, an associate professor of pulmonology and critical-care medicine at Stanford University Hospital; Dr. Alice Brock-Utne, a pediatrician in the pediatric environmental-health specialty unit at the University of California, San Francisco; Catherine Sutton Choate, a mechanical engineer with Astec; and James Clark, the principal toxicologist for Clark & Associates, an environmental consulting firm.</p><p>Speakers were agreed upon at meetings attended by representatives of Dutra, Friends of Shollenberger Park and Moms for Clean Air. Weill and Choate were recruited by Dutra, while Brock-Utne and Clark were arranged by opponents of the proposed plant.</p><p>“We had a very successful meeting that included members of these groups, which agreed on its format. It is a collaborative and cooperative effort,” said Daymon Doss, the PHCD's executive director.</p><p>Pam Granger, who has been working with the American Lung Association and several local organizations, will moderate the panel.</p><p>“It won't be a debate: Panelists will focus on presenting their materials,” Doss said.</p><p>Members of the audience will be able to use cards to write down questions, some of which will be addressed toward the end of the meeting.</p><p>The health-care district had planned to host such a meeting last year, but was unable to do so because well-qualified speakers from the medical field could not be arranged. </p><p>“Then, several weeks ago, Joan Cooper (a founding member of Friends of Shollenberger Park) came to a health-care district board meeting and asked the district to reconsider having a health forum about Dutra,” Doss said.</p><p>Assemblymember Jared Huffman hosted a public meeting about Dutra at the Petaluma Veterans Building on May 30 that included a panel of experts from several different agencies.</p><p>“But there really hasn't been a discussion about the possible direct health impacts of the proposed plant. The meeting on Sept. 30 will provide this, and it may very well be important, in terms of educating people in our community,” Doss said.</p><p>All members of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors and Petaluma City Council will be invited. </p><p>“We're making all of them aware of it,” Doss said.</p><p>The board of supervisors is scheduled to discuss the proposed plant again on Oct. 12.</p><p>(Contact Dan Johnson at dan.johnson@arguscourier.com)</p>