Every time now that I leave my parents’ home in Los Osos to return to mine in Morro Bay, I pull up onto Highway 1 off of South Bay Blvd. and immediately see the initial construction of the totally unaffordable sewer plant, and I literally get sick to my stomach. We all know how much financial harm it will do to the low- income citizens of Morro Bay, along with the elderly citizens on a fixed income.
We also know how it will financially harm the many small business owners like the restaurants and t-shirt shops because 100 million dollars in one time discretionary money will now have to be spent on the construction of the Water Reclamation Facility boondoggle—a new plant could have been built 8 years ago for a 100 million dollars less on the abandoned Hanson Concrete property.
What is sad is that the designer of the original plant still has the blueprints in his garage, and he is still shocked that our previous mayor, Jamie Irons, purposely killed the project at a very clandestine California Coastal Commission meeting where he begged the CCC to NOT issue a permit for the then designed plant, repeatedly lying to them about the need to move it to pristine agricultural land behind an assisted living facility while lying about the true increase in cost.
There is no question in our minds that under-the-table payoffs occurred while back room deals were made with Tri-W Enterprises and Black & Veatch. It is now too late to stop the project, and save the many low-income people, some who may be forced to leave their homes. Oh what I wouldn’t give to connect with a couple of whistle blowers from Tri-W or Black & Veatch, since whistle blowing is now in style and has become a badge of honor and courage.
Mark C. Hanson
Morro Bay