Despite delays, West Park project remains on track

Some recent West Park deadlines have been delayed, but the most important — a June 26 showdown before Stanislaus County supervisors — remains firm.

According to a July quarterly report, West Park and the county should have held two "notice of preparation" community meetings with West Siders in early August to discuss upcoming environmental documents.

They're now scheduled for Nov. 10 at Bonita Elementary School in Crows Landing and Nov. 17 in Harvest Hall at the Stanislaus County Agricultural Center, 3800 Cornucopia Way, off Crows Landing Road west of Ceres. Both start at 6 p.m.

The July report also demanded that developer Gerry Kamilos submit a formal application by early October; county deputy executive officer Keith Boggs now expects to receive it by Nov. 11, he said.

Kamilos initially hoped to produce an environmental impact report in 2008 and has blamed delays on a lawsuit. A draft, he said, will beat the June deadline set in stone in March by impatient county supervisors.

"Once we start a project, it's hard to get us off the track," Kamilos said.

He won the March reprieve on a 3-2 vote after downscaling plans from 4,800 acres to 2,800 acres. The new version also envisions fewer traffic-interrupting trains heading to and from Oakland, and Kamilos added a huge solar farm to generate cash required for industrial infrastructure.

— GARTH STAPLEY