Morro Bayans … listen up. Our little town is grappling with enormous generational challenges. We need you to get involved, get educated, and work together to find our best solutions.
Our harbor’s infrastructure, much of it built prior to or during WWII, is in dire need of repair. A recent citizen’s initiative intended to provide a steady revenue stream for harbor repairs did not pass.
The condition of our paved streets is gradually declining. In spite of recent repairs — we don’t have sufficient funds to keep up with the declining conditions.
Our housing stock does not provide truly affordable options for our workers or those on fixed incomes. While many of our challenges can be remedied with unidentified revenue sources, some cannot.
The homeless population grows with no solution in sight. What are we to do? The impacts of climate change loom large. Recent heavy storms have resulted in flooding and millions of dollars in damages. A potential grid scale, battery storage project is being planned for our old power plant site. Will our high school students and visitors be safe if there’s a fire? Morro Bay will be the closest port to the first windfarm project on the west coast and could become a support facility. Could this ruin our pristine harbor?
Each of these issues is real and seem to be happening all at once! Yikes! How can we possibly navigate these troubled waters?
Frankly, I’m not quite sure. But I am sure of one thing – we must resist denigrating others with whom we disagree. Whether it’s an elected official, a CEO of a corporation, members of a different political party, City staff, a friend or a neighbor — different opinions are to be expected, listened to, and given full consideration. This will be is our toughest challenge.
Morro Bay needs us all to get involved, get educated, and get to work. Together, if we attack the challenges in front of us rather than the people with whom we disagree- — our best solutions will emerge.
Jeff Heller
Former City Council Member