A crowd converged on Shollenberger Park Sunday afternoon to rally against the Dutra Asphalt Plant and encourage the city to continue a legal fight against the plant.
Organizers described the rally as the largest protest event to take place at the popular city park, which is situated across the Petaluma River from the proposed plant. Organizer Joan Cooper estimated that between 300-400 people showed up, including "many new faces" to the cause. There were, "oldsters, people in wheelchairs, dozens of kids, dogs on leashes, babies in stroller, couples, bike riders all standing up for the park," she said.
Mayor David Glass and Councilmember Teresa Barrett were there too, she said.
Several groups opposing the plant, including Friends of Shollenberger, Moms for Clean Air, Occupy Petaluma, and Petaluma Tomorrow called for the rally, with the goal of gathering support for an appeal of the dismissal of a lawsuit against the plant.
The city filed suit to stop the plant earlier this year, along with a coalition of citizens and neighborhood groups.
The groups involved in the lawsuit are seriously considering an appeal and are urging the City of Petaluma to join.
Aimi Dutra, a spokeswoman for the Dutra Group, responded to the rally, saying that there are supporters on both sides. She said that Dutra has also heard from hundreds of supporters since the judge's ruling and as the city has been considering whether or not to appeal, and that the message she was getting was that supporters want the plant to move forward.
She said in an earlier interview that Dutra plans to move forward with meeting the remaining requirements and hopes to have the plant up and running by late 2012 or early 2013.
The City Council is expected to discuss whether or not to join an appeal at an upcoming meeting.
(Contact Jamie Hansen at jamie.hansen@arguscourier.com).
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