Friendly Fortuna at it's finest...

early days of General Plan update

Another wonderful example.  

River Lodge filled again to make sure a tank didn't go in Rohner Park...

Last year was a different story...

(thanks Doug for trying)

The project they decided not to discuss?  
A new tank down the street from Vancil reservoir, where twice the storage of the proposed tank is sitting unused. 


However, rules are rules, 

so here's two years of information gathering whittled down to three minutes: 

 Why are we building a new tank?

Planning for the future is great, but first there's an obligation to spend the money as promised.  

I think Mr. Glaser has forgotten about Resolution 2006-25 passed and adopted by the City Council in 2006 to justify the rate increases.  It says the money's for

"projects that are required to fulfill the City's current operational responsibilities and are not driven by future development." 
  
Vancil reservoir was built in 1963.  We've spent more than $1/2 million to reline and upgrade it, but a new pipeline and larger pumps are still needed.

Isn't it time we use it?
Ironically Vancil has twice the storage we need today. 
So this reservoir can also provide for future city needs. 


The Council needs to know we are concerned that money raised for current needs is being spent on a project we may not need for 20 years or more. 

The Council needs to hear from you.

More on the tank issue...

The facts behind what we were told

Click image to view documentary

The Coffee Party

There was this email, "here's something you might enjoy," with a link.
But I was in the middle of something, two somethings actually.
One was the latest in the seemingly-never-to-end public records saga.
The next was a way to communicate what I had learned from that hopefully-soon-to-end public records saga.

A couple days later, the time was right. I did enjoy it and so here it is for anyone who happens by:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/us/politics/02coffee.html?em

A new movement, the Coffee Party. The slogan is “Wake Up and Stand Up.” The mission statement declares that the federal government is “not the enemy of the people, but the expression of our collective will, and that we must participate in the democratic process in order to address the challenges we face as Americans.”

I had overcome my anger, disappointment, an intense desire to just give up and had maintained civility. Thanks, Mr. Rogers for: What do you do with the anger you feel?

So I can take the pledge:
As a member or supporter of the Coffee Party, I pledge to conduct myself in a way that is civil, honest, and respectful toward people with whom I disagree. I value people from different cultures, I value people with different ideas, and I value and cherish the democratic process.

With this caveat: I can only thank the sender of the email privately, which I believe may be systematic of a breakdown of the democratic process here in Fortuna. "When in the course of human events..." that happens it is very hard to remain pleasant, but it is a worthy goal. Don't you think? Hopefully it keeps us moving forward.

Back to those two somethings...

Jan 18 meeting

If you saw Doug Strehl at the Dec 7th Council meeting suggest to the Council a public meeting on the tank issue, give him a call and thank him. Even if you didn't see it, call and thank him anyway. The difference between a hearing and a workshop is that the rules for public participation are more relaxed. It appears to me to have been a valiant attempt to provide a time to actually look at the tank issue, to hear what people think about it.

The Mayor agreed with the idea, even suggesting extensions of time could be allowed. He then asked the City Manager his opinion, and it looked like a go. They didn't ask the other three council members. But that isn't necessary because the City Manager, consulting with the Mayor, sets the meeting schedule. That task is delegated to him. Somehow, somewhere the idea got dropped. At the early January meeting, it was back to making both decisions at one meeting (to certify the negative declaration and approve the next step in the process). When the final agenda came out it is now just one agenda item. That means only one public hearing. What a wonderful time saving idea. I called and checked. There will be no extensions of time for speakers, no electronic images, and no expressing the opinion that the new tank isn't necessary. Anyway, that's the rules for the public. Except the last one, that one violates the Brown Act.

In any case, Doug Strehl deserves our thanks for trying to open the process up. Please call him, serving on the council shouldn't be a thankless job. He's in the phone book. I would save you the time, but I fear those little webby information gathering devices would pick up the number and put him on some call list.

If you have a bit more time call another member of the council and ask what their views are on public participation. Ken Zanzi, Mel Berti, Pat Whitchurch and Dean Glaser are all in the phone book.

Monday is the meeting. I know that one voice carries no weight, especially when that voice is saying something they don't want to hear. But I'll be there, a martyr to free speech and public participation. Please don't pity me, I hate pity. Understand that I believe in it. It actually can be fun. Come on down Monday, I could use some company. Oh, yes. It is at 6pm at the Courthouse.

Here is the link to my visual presentation I won't be showing. I checked the box for no sign-in required, hope it works. If you would like a hard copy leave that in a comment. I'll try to have one for you at the meeting. Also, I'll be giving a hard copy to the Council members, so it should be available at City Hall after the meeting. This is about the project, because that is what is on the agenda. The city reservoir at Vancil is not on the agenda.