More Residents to Be Alerted About Blasts

Developers of Dos Vientos Ranch must notify more residents before they can blast sections of rock with explosives, Thousand Oaks City Council members have decided.

The measure, initiated by Councilwoman Linda Parks and approved late Tuesday, doubled the notification area from 1,000 feet from the blast site to 2,000 feet.

However, a second initiative to restrict the times at which blasting can occur was not passed.

Parks originally wanted to give developers a two-hour blasting window, between 8 and 10 a.m., but Councilman Andy Fox said that was overly restrictive and would only lead to additional problems and delays.

However, developers said they will attempt to stay within that time frame anyway because wind direction during those times generally blows dust away from residential areas.

The measure came up after the city received numerous complaints from Newbury Park residents who were startled by the explosion of 134 pounds of dynamite last week. Another blast is scheduled Monday.