WOODLAND HILLS : Warner Ridge Dirt Removal Delayed

The removal of 425,000 cubic yards of dirt from the Warner Ridge development to the Pierce College farm has been delayed until at least next month, raising concerns among neighbors about the possible effects of undertaking the project during the rainy season.

The dirt removal, approved last month by the Los Angeles Community College District’s board of directors, was originally scheduled to begin in early September.

But the project has not begun because the contract has not been signed and preparations at the farm are not complete.

“Nothing ever goes as quickly as I expect,” said developer Jack Spound, who spent eight years getting the Warner Ridge project approved.

“We are in agreement with the college and the district, but there has been extra time spent moving farm animals and looking over the contract,” he said.

The dirt-moving project will take at least six weeks, but could last “into the rainy season,” Spound said.

He said his company, Warner Ridge Associates, plans to fix any problems if the dirt turns into mud.

But Woodland Hills Homeowners Organization President Bob Gross said residents of the area, many of whom vehemently opposed the Warner Ridge development and, later, the dirt removal, are worried about the effects of rain on traffic and on the compacting of the dirt.

“It could be a disaster, although we hope it will not be,” Gross said. “There’s going to be additional traffic in the rain, more time delays, more cars that stall out in deep water. It’s just another impact that wasn’t addressed. You can’t move and compact dirt in rainy weather.”