Richard Rolke, reporter with the Morning Star, wasn't even there.
Coldstream Councillor Kiss stated that NO media were present at the Thursday, June 13, 2013 Water meeting at the Regional District.
No newspaper, no radio.
Nada.
So where'd this Morning Star story come from three days later?
Or, perhaps more to the point, who wrote it?
Richard Rolke
"Greater Vernon residents will have a say on multi-million-dollar upgrades.
A petition process or referendum could be held in the spring or in November 2014 to determine if there is public support to borrow funds for the $111 million master water plan.
"It's important for the politicians to allow the public to weigh in on this," said director Jim Garlick.
The initial borrowing could be for $68 million and Garlick says there would be an awareness campaign leading up to any vote.
"The public needs an opportunity to understand the plan and the Interior Health Authority requirements."
A negative vote, though, may not mean borrowing or the project have stalled.
"If it's not supported, there is the opportunity for IHA to step in and order it to be done. They could order us to borrow without (public) consent," said Garlick.
Option 2 provides for filtration to be provided at the Duteau Creek treatment plant for $26.5 million and at the Mission Hill plant for $30 million.
There is also raising the height of the Aberdeen damn, an Okanagan Lake pump station, distribution improvements and separating irrigation water in Lavington from domestic use.
The scope of the plan covers until about 2037.
"The master water plan is being brought on us because of IHA requirements to have more safety built into the system," said director Bob Spiers.
"Water rates will definitely be impacted. You will see a doubling of rates in eight to 10 years as they are calculated now."
The plan does include pursuing senior government grants to try and offset the cost.
"I hope the province and the feds will come in with their one-third, one-third (funding) as they have in other places, said Spiers.
The Greater Vernon Advisory Committee has recommended the master water plan (26 pages of VERY interesting reading) to the Regional District of North Okanagan board, which will consider approval June 26. The document must also be ratified by the Interior Health Authority."
"Maybe it's ESP reporting," offers Kia.
Whoever wrote the story, the fact remains that $111 million is going to be borrowed and spent on the water system upgrades. Residents will have a say, but those results mean nothing, as the Interior Health Authority is demanding filtration of domestic water. And since the recently constructed Duteau Creek Water Treatment plant (it's so new, they're still calling it NEW) today serves domestic and irrigation customers--without separated (twinned) lines--filtration will occur there as well as the Mission Hill Water Treatment plant.
Other options were considered by the same consultants (who recommended building the Duteau Creek Water Treatment plant), and the directors (politicians).
Several options would've resulted in water consultants and politicians being ridden out of town on a rail -- right after being tarred and feathered.
You can add the Interior Health Authority to that rail trip, as they bring no money to the table regardless of which option is followed.
Why? Because it would be proof that the Duteau Creek Water Treatment plant should never have been built. Raw water should serve irrigation customers in Lavington. Chlorinated and filtered water should serve domestic customers, the majority of whom live West of Coldstream/Lavington.
That would leave the Mission Hill Water treatment plant for domestic filtration, with the bulk of twinned lines occurring off the single-piped lines at West Coldstream. The relatively (in volume comparison to irrigation usage) small number of domestic customers in Lavington? Probably cheaper to buy 'em all a reverse osmosis unit! Maybe a combination of filtration and sand filters?
Whatever happens, three things are certain:
- Residents will pay, pay, pay, pay. And pay!
- We miss Brian Harvey, former manager of the Vernon Irrigation District more than ever! His common sense and logic would've prevented (indeed, eliminated) all the wasted money so far.
- We'll wish Al Horning of the Black Mountain Irrigation District in Kelowna had resided in Vernon. He was instrumental in many aspects of their state-of-the-art system. He not only got grants from government, he and his group enlarged their water source and kept rates half what ours are today. Today their water system even produces electricity for the hydro grid!
"No such people here," muses Kia, "but we do have invisible reporters."
With fewer reporters and so many council, committee and regional district meetings, we can't attend everything. So we follow up with elected officials. We can't be everywhere all the time, but we do our best to ensure that the facts still reach the readers.
ReplyDeleteWhile we sure appreciate how challenging it is to keep up with so many levels of government (and here in the Okanagan we have just a few too many). But its frustrating for residents to have our issues with the decisions and behavior of elected officials sanitized by the very people we have the issues with. The best "political" take on any political issue would be to listen to politicians who are vested in spin. I think the past has proven (and continues to prove) that those in power often forget where they came from and whom they serve (serve being an outdated notion it seems). Times they are a-changing though. As more and more elected officials are being scrutinized perhaps our politicians may become a little more careful. A few courses in ethics should be top of the list. And, it is because of the dogged work of reporters in most cases that abuses of power come to light. Many of us in the Okanagan want our newspapers to be controversial and shed light on some of the darker places in the valley - those council chambers and bureaucracies that can make or break a community or a family. Personally I'd like to thank Jennifer, The Morning Star, and CHBC for helping my family over the last few years by exposing some truths about misuse of power. Its time to do more and make our politicians accountable all the time not just some of the time.
DeleteSomething as important as the need to inject a further $111 million into our area's water plan deserves more priority than has been given, both this--and last--time. The public expects (indeed deserves) balance.
ReplyDeleteBureaucrats and politicians invariably have numerous vested interests, not the least of which would be to try to avoid blame for possibly having wasted $30 million ($12 million of which was Federal money) when the Duteau Creek Water Treatment plant was constructed. The Interior Health Authority demanding filtration isn't the only thing at play here.
Consider: Should the full DCWTP have been built to that tech level? Would the money have been more wisely spent (as Councillor Kiss believes) to separate irrigation lines from domestic? How much more money could have been put into the Mission Hill water treatment plant, which abuts the majority of domestic water-use population? Or a combination of the two?
And how about comparing our system to the Black Mountain system that Al Horning and directors built which keeps their rates half ours? Is no-one interested in Best Practices anymore?
THAT would've been a story!
Otherwise you're merely mirroring a Press Release.
PLUS Agenda items are available on the internet well in advance of meetings.
ReplyDelete