Letters & Shout-outs (March 6, 2015)

Letter: Failure of Measure N is a major loss for Lompico community
Editor,
Six years ago, I was elected to the Lompico Water board with nary a thought in my head about merger, just wanting to help.
It didn’t take long to realize the district was in trouble. This week we lost a two-thirds bond vote by less than half a percent. Pat McCormick of LAFCO called the loss tragic and a crisis for Lompico. Supervisor McPherson said Lompico isn’t going to be well served by actions of the minority.
Our water board is now forced to start raising rates — by $600 per customer this year, just to meet the minimum. A $404 yearly bond, along with SLV’s lower rates, was the better deal for our customers.
A former director says we should have the state do a rate study. The state did that in 2013, while he was on the board. His plan didn’t include the cost of a manager.
In 2009, we paid the manager $120,000 annual wages and benefits. At that same rate, it would cost us $3.6 million over 30 years — more than the $3.2 million bond, which includes a manager.
A Lompico resident engineer insists we don’t need four generators, because we could drag one around on a trailer from place to place in the event of a disaster. That’s just crazy.
We have multiple wells, treatment plants, pumps, and controls to operate, some in unison, and some in hard-to-reach locations.
This engineer also claims he offered to work on our treatment plant, but was turned down flat. The truth is we requested proof of insurance and his resume — as required to be pre-approved by the state. He failed to provide anything.
This is how Lompico got in trouble, and it needs to change. Our district board prefers to focus on compliance, and a healthy water system.
Lois Henry, Lompico
Letter: By not merging, Lompico Water District risks county seizure
Editor,
Ah, the tyranny of the minority is alive and well in Lompico!
A total of 66.47 percent of the voters were in favor of the life-saving merger with SLVWD, and 33.53 percent voted against. But shockingly, here the minority gets to tell the majority where to go.
What happens next is that 100 percent of the Lompico residents get to struggle with sky-rocketing bills, dangerous water scarcity, lack of firefighting capability, and plummeting property values.
Really, who is going to buy a house in a canyon where one has difficulty buying fire insurance because of water scarcity?
Now, the near-bankrupt Lompico Water District may go into receivership, and those few Lompico folks who stubbornly insisted on local control will lose all control when the County takes over.
Don’t you just love America?
Julie Hendriks, Boulder Creek