Other Issues of Concern

By Sid Williams

Here are some other issues to consider during this election. Many of them go to support one of the two key issues discussed above.

2. Decide on the proper use of MCWD's desalination plant. It is currently broken. Should we repair it or wait until the decisions are made about what type of new water sources we will consider and when. How long will that be? Will the plant deteriorate if not used or maintained? At a recent board meeting staff was asked to advise on what would be required to place the plant in a standby status so that it could be brought on line in emergencies.

3. Ensure that the MCWD staff is properly sized, trained and ready for the impending workload from the redevelopment of the former Ft. Ord.

4. Because of the nature of the service area for MCWD on the Ord Community, it is important that the board have a good relationship with other jurisdictions in order to effectively prepare for and to serve their water/wastewater collection needs. We should strive to improve those relationships. We must work with other water/wastewater collection agencies to search out and develop new and expanded sources of water for our district and service area. We can no longer just take care of ourselves.

5. Board and Staff Development: Earlier in this document I said that we must be prepared with augmented staff to be able to plan, build and inspect the new projects and infrastructure coming to the district and its service area. The board should also work to improve its relationship with staff. Such strengthened relationships will garner good will and greater support from staff experts when the board must consider the important decisions ahead. The board must ensure that it deliberates in a professional manner aimed at consensus building to find solutions to the many important issues coming in the near and distant future.