On Tuesday night 100 or so citizens of Hollister crowded a
junior high school gymnasium to discuss a topic that is decidedly
unglamorous. Sewage treatment.
On Tuesday night 100 or so citizens of Hollister crowded a junior high school gymnasium to discuss a topic that is decidedly unglamorous. Sewage treatment.
They sat and listened to officials explain a $120 million project and why rates for sewage need to be increased.
A decidedly unglamorous topic, at least until you get a water bill that will increase 165 percent in the next five years. Then they had their own say on what was presented.
“Concerned citizens” is a cliche on a par with “area man” or “Middle East peace process.” But on Tuesday night it meant something. Citizens listened intently and allowed speakers their time. It was a civil democracy. If you have ever attended public meetings in other cities you know people can be rude and downright obnoxious in presenting their views. They can cut off speakers, cut off each other, and generally obliterate the notion of rational discussion.
Not so on Tuesday night. The talk was refreshingly plain from officials and citizens alike.
“If we don’t do it now, the city will die,” Hollister City Councilman Brad Pike said. Whether he is correct could remain to be seen, but he stated his general belief with candor.
“To me this looks like a lot more money than Hollister needs to spend or has to spend. It’s like having a Volkswagon and wanting a Ferrari – and wanting someone else to pay for the Ferrari,” said one resident. This statement proves that a discussion on an unglamorous topic need not be boring.
This meeting was well attended despite the fact that the term “sewage treatment” is as much a tiresome cliche around here as any other mentioned already. But it is crucial to show interest in the topic so city officials don’t feel so comfortable that they rubber stamp any sort of proposal.
The meeting should also lead to more of the kind. The group with the overlong name, Community Leaders for Economic Activity and Recovery (but a catchy acronym: CLEAR), is to be commended for putting it together.
Hollister must have increased sewage capacity in order to grow. Someone has to pay for it. How the cost will be shared, what the numbers mean, the life expectancy of the facility – information like this is public. It’s great to see the public come out to discuss it.
