To the Editor:A sad farewell to you all, It has been wonderful living in Santa Paula, and I hate to leave, but my health requires that I live near a daughter, so I am moving to San Diego.In addition to the beautiful setting here between two rows of mountains, I have loved the wonderful people. You know who you are, but let me refer to the people at the library, those at my church, those in the farm worker housing movement, and those in the League of Women Voters. You have made life rich and full.Especially memorable has been the education in democracy. We do no always agree, but we keep struggling to advance to our goals in spite of disagreeing. It’s a messy process, but we eventually get there. Thank each of you who contributed to this “lesson.”May God bless each of you and all of you together.Dora CrouchSanta PaulaSolving a mysteryTo the Editor:What is the mystery behind Gonzales, Fernandez and Luna giving PERC preferential treatment to design, build, finance and operate the Santa Paula wastewater treatment plant?Initially, the three council members wanted to limit the selection process to PERC, a company that has never built a plant under the above named conditions. After failure to limit the selection process and during a council meeting Fernandez made a motion to negotiate exclusively with PERC for 30 days. Since the start of the selection process, the 3 council members were only interested in awarding the contract to PERC. They did for specious reasons including a risk that does not exist but that will cost Santa Paula residents 22 or more million dollars than Veolia, the other contactor that bid on the project.To get to the bottom of this outrageous act one has to go back two years ago when Mayor Gonzales was hired at $60,000.00 by the Pinnacle Group to help promote the most monumental electoral hoax ever perpetrated on Santa Paula residents. Remember, an Ojai Valley Inn type hotel later lowered to a boutique type hotel that has now disappeared from the scene. Who can forget $22,000,000.00 annually to the city? Since then, Mayor Gonzales, Fernandez and Luna have become strong loyal supporters of the Pinnacle Group.Who will the key beneficiary be under the contract that was awarded to PERC? Why did the 3 council members approve such an impudent contract that defies all logic? The answer is simple, the Pinnacle Group without lifting a finger will benefit greatly from reclaimed water from the wastewater plant. PERC and Pinnacle have a close working relationship. Pinnacle can expect a sweetheart agreement for reclaimed water for their so-called world class, but private golf course. The 3 council members, loyal supporters of Pinnacle have known this all along this is why they have been fighting relentlessly in support of PERC.Meanwhile, Santa Paula’ working families, residents of the poorest city in the county who are now paying record housing, food and fuel prices will now bear the cost of the $22,000,000.00 extra the wastewater treatment plant will cost as a result of the Gonzales, Fernandez and Luna’s vote for PERC.Robert BorregoSanta PaulaEconomics 101To the Editor:A question for Councilmen Gonzales, Fernandez, and Luna:In these hard times, how can you justify approving a far more expensive project proposed by PERC — some $20 million dollars more — when the corporation has never designed such a project before over the more reasonably priced Veolia proposal when in fact Veolia has built many such plants in this county and around the world before? You are going for the most expensive proposal from the least experienced company?How does that make sense? We ratepayers would like to know.Richard and Audrey VincentSanta PaulaConcern about WWTP choiceTo the Editor:I have been reading in the Santa Paula Times and in the Ventura County Star several articles relating to the proposed Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) for Santa Paula. I am concerned that the City Council chose PERC over Veolia when the city Staff Report recommended Veolia.I understand the staff was requested to make a thorough study to determine which of the two companies would be the best choice. Staff stated their decision was based upon Veolia’s wide experience in installing the MBR technology while this would be the first such installation for PERC, and Veolia’s projected lower costs for the City in building the new WWTP and in subsequent rates the public will pay for this service.Other than to state their preference for the concrete block buildings that PERC would provide rather than the metal building Veolia would use, I cannot understand why the City Council would choose a company (PERC) with less experience and be more costly in both the near term and long term.I would like to be able to come to the next City Council meeting to express my concerns in person and hear the comments of members of the City Council but I will be out of the country at the time of the next meeting of the City Council. I do believe these concerns deserve thorough consideration.Joyce CarlsonSanta PaulaLocal generosityTo the Editor:The Santa Paula Firefighters Association would like to thank the following businesses for their sincere generosity in donating toward our Fire Association Poker Tournament: Logsdon’s, Chumash Casino, Do It Best Hardware, El Pescador, Pollo Bravo, La Cabaña, Round Table, H & H Auto, Daisy’s Tire, Copy Plus, and The Hair Dressers. Also special thanks to Chris Gomez for making this charitable venture a successful event.Santa Paula Firefighters Association
Letters to the Editor
April 25, 2008
Opinion
Council a model to follow
To the Editor:Regarding the Santa Paula Decision to Contract with PERC for New SewerI want to applaud the Santa Paula City Council for the measured decision regarding the contracting for your new sewer. I want to especially applaud council members Luna, Fernandez and Mayor Gonzales. I sat through many hours of your city council meeting on this topic, and would like to express these thoughts:The Veolia bid was non-compliant. Where I come from this is grounds for disqualification. If the city staff thought that tax-exempt bonds were the way to go then PERC should have been asked to bid that way. It was evident that coordination with PERC regarding this issue had not been done when the City Council had to ask the staff to do so.The smaller footprint of the PERC plant is a big deal. Santa Paula will have more space for percolation and expansion if required.The quality of the PERC plant looks superior: masonry over metal building.A guaranteed price is the safe way to go until Santa Paula determines the risk of tax-exempt bonds is acceptable.Santa Paula made the right decision. Why would a small city like Santa Paula want to deal with a large multi-national firm like Veolia, and their reputation over a local corporation with a solid reputation?I think city council members in other local cities should watch a video of the Santa Paula council members to see and understand how these difficult decisions should be accomplished.Clay WestlingFillmoreBless our City CouncilTo the Editor:We all owe our new City Council serving us a big debt of gratitude for doing their homework and finally making a decision for a new, workable, wastewater plant that complies with all requirements. The city has known for years about our problem but kept sweeping it under the carpet – procrastinating – which is somewhat understandable due to the huge costs involved. Congratulations, Mayor Bob Gonzales, Councilman Ray Luna and Vice-Mayor Ralph Fernandez. You spent many hours to learn about how a system works in order that you could make an intelligent decision, the one made last Tuesday. We salute you! There were some wonderful, concerned and knowledgeable citizens encouraging you along the long learning curve.This does not happen very often; those that study and achieve an honest understanding and then make the right decision. Some people did not work as hard to learn about today’s technology and wanted us to use the competing company. As a result of this decision, there may be some changes in the wind. Let’s hope that the naysayers as to the decision made have enough common sense and loyalty to the city, now that a decision has been made, to stop the whining and sniping and get on board with that decision and support our City and its Council.David KaiserSanta PaulaDue diligence doneTo the Editor:Re: Santa Paula DBOF bidSanta Paula is finally on its way to getting their new sewer plant underway. I was at several of the Santa Paula meetings and I believe that the Council made the correct decision. The Council members did their due diligence and even took an extra week to ensure that they understood and evaluated the proposals fairly.The PERC team complied with the requirements of the proposal that mandated a Design, Build, Operate and Finance component. The other bidder did not comply with these requirements. This made the NPV and rates difficult to compare. That is why some thought that the other proposal was better, but it was not. The numbers were not comparable.The PERC proposal presented a best value to the City with their superior design which will save millions in electrical and effluent disposal costs. Their proposal also provided the required secure financing that removed all financial risk for the City, particularly in today’s turbulent markets. The so-called “low bidder” was a financial risk for the City according to the financial analysis report... “... it remains noteworthy that, while the PERC proposal is a defined cost proposal, the (other) proposal is not and introduces financial risk through the limited level of commitment to proposed payments and cost elements.” (Page 2)The PERC plant design and cost was a better deal for the citizens of Santa Paula and I look forward to seeing the project completed.Gayle WashburnFillmoreShare the pleasureTo the Editor:I want to express my pleasure in and gratitude for two experiences I had recently in Santa Paula.Last month my family and I went to our Santa Paula Airport. We arranged with CP Aviation to take flights over our valley. Three at a time (plus the pilot) we looked down to see Santa Paula, Saticoy, then Ventura and the beach unfold all around us.Identifying landmarks we only knew from ground level was fascinating. Because the folks at CP Aviation made the sequence of rides work well (there were 16 of us), it was a delight.It’s a great adventure, try it.Then, yesterday I went to the Santa Paula Theater Center to see “Visiting Mr. Green.” It is an excellent production. I was captured by the thought provoking content, buoyed by the humorous dialogue, and swept into tears of compassion for the characters.I hope you will take the opportunity to go see this play for yourself.Carol HardisonSanta PaulaSaying goodbye
