Funny, when politicians play their "Columbo" card
...."Just one more thing Mr. Citizen!" "Oh, we have
been busting buns for months now trying to get the
cash to Dredge our bay......".....Yet, they failed
to mention that the first dip from the pig trough
was only enough to do half the job. This kind of
unresponsible bureaucratic "news release" mentality
is ridiculous and patently an insult to the voters.
OK, let's get down to cases..we previously reported
that we were thrilled that we got $17.3 Million Fed
bucks to do the necessary Dredging that we had sought
$13.1 Million for! Hey, we got a 4 million dollar
bonus....wasn't that nice? Now, the Councilmembers
and Staff can report: "We are actually short......
the money to do the "Lower Navigational Harbor area,
where the Harbor Patrol can run aground on errant
build-up sand bars, yachts going aground at low tide
and the bigger boats are really facing problems. As
the sand bars build up...it narrows the navigational
areas and makes for near misses - from boats coming
and going with accidents, physcial harm or various
levels of property damage.......truly unbelievable!
How much is this going to cost? Do we have an actual
number here...or haven't we even taken a Harbor survey
to determine the required work? What does our Parks
and Recreation Committee do? How about our Harbor
Committee? How about EQAC? How about anyone with two
brain cells that can open their mouth and ask the vital
question? Where is our Congressman on this issue again?
Brutal - Friends and fellow citizens....Brutal. We did
not invent the Harbor, the Upper Back Bay, commercial
or pleasure boating yesterday....well, at least not late
yesterday!
It was a nice touch to see that Leslie Daigle at least
mentioned the lack of funds for the Harbor and lower bay
in passing. So, where do they get this money again?
Senator Feinstein! Loretta Sanchez, Ed Royce,
Ken Calvert.......Monty Hall......"Come on down!"
There is little wonder that our City Manager Homer has
plans to retire in September, 2009. "Dave.......Dave..
...don't turn us off....Dave!" Dave, be aware however,
that if you volunteer to do something...you may not be
selected to replace Homer in October!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
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1 comments:
Dave Kiff, Asst. City Manager was kind enough to respond to this story with the following comments which he approved for publication:
Hi Ron –
This issue is a little more complex than one might think.
First, the US Army Corps sees the bay as two separate projects – the chart below shows why. Yes, it is a bit government-ese, but that’s how Congress and the Corps works right now (and over the past 20+ years).
Second, the additional money is not a bonus. There is a reason that the City requested less money than was ultimately granted to the Project. We were asking for the remaining amount authorized by Congress, because typically you can only get appropriated what has been authorized. This authorization cap, known as a “902 Cap,” was about $44 million, in part because it was authorized years ago before fuel costs spiked (it’s not cheap to move that material out to the dumpsite offshore). However, thankfully, the Congress and the Administration agreed that, if a Stimulus-funded project needs a little more money than has been authorized to actually finish up the project, it can go over authorization limits. This is unprecedented, and therefore we, out here this far from DC, were not so presumptuous as to ask for an amount that exceeded the 902 Cap.
It would be as if we were asking our folks for an advance on our allowance, knowing our allowance was $5 (but needing $6), and our parents decided that our need was rational and they gave us $6 anyway.
Third, having the Upper Bay funded at this level allows us to focus back on the Lower Bay – both in project planning and seeking funds. Recall this important point – the Upper Bay Project’s design includes two huge catch-basins for sediment trapping (20 years worth, assuming average rainfall). If that Upper Bay work was not done, and the Lower Bay was dredged, one or two storms could undo all of the work of that $15-16 million Lower Bay effort. That would be fiscally irresponsible.
The City has recently invested hundreds of thousands to prepare to dredge the Lower Bay – despite it being, officially, 100% a Federal responsibility. The City has, in effect, jump-started the environmental work, the disposal site’s permitting, the project’s permitting, and more. The Harbor Commission and City Council have been strong advocates of this – you must have missed a recent City Council Study Session with a detailed discussion about a “confined aquatic disposal” site in the Lower Bay.
We have also communicated to our friends in DC that, now that the UNB is funded, it is fair to fully fund the Corps’ request to do its obligated work in the Lower Bay. We have good friends there. I am hopeful that the Congressional earmarking process for FY 2010 will be fruitful for the LNB.
Dave
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