San Juan Bautista
– Construction on the city’s long-awaited water improvement
project may be on the horizon, said City Manager Jan McClintock.
But some City Council candidates said they’re worried that the
project’s $3.8 million grant from the national Economic Development
Administration may still be in danger.
San Juan Bautista – Construction on the city’s long-awaited water improvement project may be on the horizon, said City Manager Jan McClintock. But some City Council candidates said they’re worried that the project’s $3.8 million grant from the national Economic Development Administration may still be in danger.
“The grant is still moving forward – every single piece of it,” McClintock said. She added that she hopes to go out to final bid in December.
The EDA awarded a grant in February of 2005 to help fund repair of San Juan Bautista’s outdated water and sewer system. The grant was awarded to both the city and the San Benito County Water District; however, the agencies disagreed about who would control the bulk of the project and negotiations eventually broke down, leading to the grant’s suspension in August of 2005.
In June of this year, the water district sent a letter to the EDA saying it was withdrawing from the grant. According to the letter, the district’s involvement will be limited to supplying San Felipe water to the plant and providing $2 million to reimburse the city’s expenses when the plant is completed. Both McClintock and Councilwoman Priscilla Hill have said the project is moving forward, but Councilman Chuck Geiger said he’s not convinced.
“They’re candy-coating the situation, saying everything’s fine,” Geiger said.
Both Geiger and fellow candidate Jim Pereyra said they have been told by EDA representatives that the grant remains in limbo.
“The federal government is holding up the money because they have concerns,” Pereyra said.
EDA representatives in the Seattle regional office said all media requests must go through their public affairs department in Washington, D.C. The public affairs department did not respond to the Free Lance’s phone calls or e-mails, except to send a lone e-mail saying someone would be calling back.
Pereyra also said McClintock misleadingly said at a recent City Council meeting that the city has everything it needs for the grant; he criticized the city for moving forward with the project.
“To operate on the basis that this award has been granted is foolhardy,” Pereyra said.
When asked about Pereyra’s statement, McClintock said the city is still waiting to receive a new grant cover sheet from the EDA, which she hadn’t known at the time of the meeting.
“I thought we had the cover sheet back,” she said. “It wasn’t misrepresentation.”
McClintock added, “The city has followed all of the required steps, which the EDA has acknowledged.”
District Attorney John Sarsfield confirmed that he has been contacted about the situation.
“We’re looking at the complaint,” he said. “We’ll have more to say about it when we’ve looked at it longer.”
Hill and Geiger are both up for re-election today; they will be competing with Pereyra, Jeffrey Bagley and Robert Paradice for three open seats on the council. Hill has said San Juan Bautista residents should vote for her because of the work she’s done on the water project.
Geiger, on the other hand, has said re-electing Hill will just lead to more problems for the city. In addition to supporting him, Geiger wants residents to cast their votes for Pereyra and Paradice.
Geiger and Pereyra told the Free Lance they want the city to follow the San Benito County Grand Jury’s recommendations. The Grand Jury’s report, which was released in February, said that “a mixture of misunderstandings, personality conflicts, and general mistrust on the part of both sides has led to this stalemate situation.” The report recommended that a task force led by a court-appointed mediator help the two agencies reach a mutually acceptable joint agreement. The report also said that the city and the district must be partners on the project.
“All Chuck and I are saying is that San Juan Bautista doesn’t have the expertise to go it alone,” Pereyra said.
According to the Grand Jury report, the water improvement project was originally estimated to cost $7.9 million; due to inflation, the cost is now nearly $9.2 million.
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or ah*@fr***********.com.
