Stanislaus leaders reject permit for firewood business by school. What concerns are
Students and teachers at Paradise Elementary School won’t have to deal with a noisy woodcutting business next door.
Stanislaus County supervisors rejected an application to legalize a firewood operation on property next to the school on California Avenue, west of Modesto.
On Tuesday, supervisors denied Anamiria Madrigal’s appeal of a county Planning Commission decision April 16 that rejected the project. During the Planning Commission hearing that month, nine people including nearby residents, parents and school representatives spoke against the use permit application.
They complained about portable restrooms and unsightly piles of wood and pallets, as well as noise generated by wood splitters and chainsaws. Speakers blamed the operation for an increase in rodents and potential hazards to students at Paradise School.
A school board meeting was held the night before the April hearing, where parents and staff said more rodents were seen at the school since the wood-cutting began. Some worried that semi trucks going in and out of the property would pose a danger to students walking or riding their bikes to school.
The woodcutting site, at the corner of Pauline and California avenues, is in an area with smaller agricultural parcels and homes.
According to the county, the Madrigal business receives wood from old orchards in Stanislaus and neighboring counties. It is cut by five employees and stacked in piles on the 4.5-acre parcel.
The firewood is not stored there for long. It is trucked to a site in Ripon and sold to customers, a county report said.
Madrigal filed the application in response to a code enforcement citation in 2022. The Ceres resident said at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors hearing that the code enforcement issues have been addressed and fees paid.
She denied accusations that the property next to the school has been used as an unpermitted event center. Any gatherings that occurred were for family members, she said.
Stuart Barnum, a nearby resident, said he took pictures of a uniformed security guard who collected admission from people arriving in cars and parking at the site. The gathering featured live music and alcohol sales, he said.
Kevin Wise, a Paradise school board member, said approval of a county use permit would lead to truck traffic near the school. In addition to woodcutting noise that disturbs classes, there are high weeds and dry vegetation on the property that pose a fire hazard, Wise said. The nearest hydrant is two miles away, he added.
County Supervisor Mani Grewal said the impacts on the nearby school were a huge issue for him.
Supervisor Terry Withrow said clients of his accounting business have included firewood sellers, but the cutting operations are usually on large parcels in remote areas. The appeal was denied on a 5-0 board vote.
