Letters & Shout-outs (March 13, 2015)

Shout-out: A call to the SLV community for help with parade
Editor,
Hello to everyone here in Felton, and in the San Lorenzo Valley.
Every year on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, we have two down-home celebrations. These events have become an annual get-together, the Felton Remembers Parade and the Covered Bridge Festival. Both of which are sponsored by the Felton Business Association.
The Felton Business Association is seeking volunteers! We need your people power to accomplish the Parade and Festival.
So we do hope some of you take this to heart and help us keep having these fun events, as that is what makes a community, people coming together, giving a little of their time so we can keep having fun!
On the back page of this issue of the Press Banner is an ad, explaining in more detail what we need for these upcoming events or call 612-9103.
The Felton Business Association
Letter: Engineer’s clarification on Lompico Water issue
Editor,
First my apology to the people of SLV and Scotts Valley who are no doubt sick of seeing letters about Lompico Water filling up the paper.
However, since Lois Henry decided to take a less-than-subtle shot at me in her letter of March 6, 2015, I feel the need to set the record straight.
The truth is, I never received a request from the Lompico board for a resume or insurance information as indicated in her letter.
I was contacted by a Sentinel reporter about Lompico water issues. I described to the reporter my experience at a 2011 board meeting where I pointed out to the board that getting a two-thirds vote for a significant tax increase was very difficult and that they should have a backup plan.
Not the board, but a man in the audience said a backup plan required a registered engineer at a cost of $5,500, which they did not have. I told them I was a registered engineer and that I would help.
As I left that meeting, that man cornered me in the parking lot, got right in my face, and tried to intimidate me out of doing the work. That was the last I heard of it, but it was clear to me they didn’t want my help.
Later, I was called by a board member and asked if I would do any needed structural engineering on his $30,000 plan to repair the Lewis treatment plant. I agreed to help, only to find the board voted down his plan and went with a fix costing over $100,000.
Regarding the generators, Lompico has about four days of gravity-fed storage, three times the state-required storage, and in 25 years has never needed to use its generator.
What’s crazy is spending $80,000 now on unneeded generators and waiting another year to fix the Mill Creek treatment plant.
John Cunliffe, Lompico
Letter: Merger supporters couldn’t keep their story straight
Editor,
I have now read a third article, on what is required by the state for a Lompico manager.
First, I read that what was required was a full-time position plus benefits and retirement — $3 million or so.
Next, I read that we only need a part-time manager — I don’t appreciate being lied to.
Now, I read that one isn’t really required by the state, but they need to oversee work being done in the district?
Do you not see these inconsistencies as you are typing these articles? I am a “no” voter and this is why.
I don’t trust any of these “yes” folks, because they can’t keep their story straight.
We spent the money and built the interie…now is that not sufficient and needs to be expanded or changed or whatever?
Really, this also makes me mad. And untrusting of the whole thing.
Last, I read that chlorine has been put into the water for 15 years, this is certainly not true.
Mr. Eggleston never put it in; in the toxic levels that occur today. I could smell it in my bathtub — day one — and immediately installed a water filter system for the whole house. 
The test lab in Watsonville was concerned with the results that I handed him, I also wrote the state, with no response.
So here we are, and in my water bill, I am basically threatened by rising costs because I voted “no.”
With these folks on the board, I will never vote “yes.”
As an unbiased newspaper, I would hope that you would look up these facts, as you are printing them.
My nose tells me that someone’s pocket is being lined — that would be a news story — I challenge you to this task.
We have made improvements, in the last couple of years, and as it is with home improvements, we don’t need to do all of them, all at once with some huge bond. I feel more conservative than that.
The whole lot of you are not trustworthy in my opinion.
I hope that I was that one vote.
Lois Taylor, Lompico
Letter: Negativity, inconsistencies lost votes for Measure N
Editor,
It is my feeling that the Lompico water board does not have the residents in the Lompico area in their best interest.
They have been presenting skewed numbers and presenting gloom and doom for the Lompico Water District. Every member on the current water board pushed for a merger and hand-picked a so-called Citizens’ Advisory Committee — all of which are/were pro-merger.
Not one person presented truthful facts as I see it showing both sides merge/non-merge with the pros and cons of both sides. It was all merge or doom.
In a past issue, the president of the Board, Lois Henry, presented the cost of the bond at $404 per household — which is different from info passed out at a meeting held at the Zayante Fire station saying it would cost $468 per year per household.
Then, in another issue, Director Rick Harrington said it would cost over $600 per year per household. What is it?
Also, we were told a large part of the bond was to pay for the intertie. Didn’t state and federal funds handle that?
Everything presented contradicts other information that was passed out and they want our trust. Really?
Then, in the latest water bill, there is a very snide-sounding letter of defeat saying they had an informational workshop to give customers factual unbiased information, again a load of B.S.
Now, they are moaning about the vote was defeated by a minority who made the decision for all of us and the merge was the best, smartest alternative — boo hoo.
If the board does not want to run a water company, please resign. There are others willing to take their seat on the board.
It is all this negativity I get from the current board that made me vote “no.”
Steve Vizena, Lompico