We told the FGUA board what you think...
Last Thursday [15 september] Jim Fleming, Robert Anderson, and I drove to Inverness to deliver your comments to the FGUA board.
Here's the press release of our road trip: Lehigh Residents Robert Anderson, Jim Fleming, & Mike Welch Comment at FGUA Board Meeting in Citrus County
Inverness, Florida, September 15, 2005:
Lehigh Acres residents and civic activists, Robert Anderson, Jim Fleming and Mike Welch, traveled to Citrus County today to participate at a meeting of the Board of Directors of Florida Government Utilities Authority, (FGUA). The meeting concerned the governmental group's budget, pending contracts, and their aggressive expansion plans for their system in Lehigh Acres and communities in four other Florida counties.
At the meeting the three Lehigh residents heard new information, about planned and budgeted projects in Lehigh Acres. Among the most significant items were: the almost immediate expansion of water and sewer service to 414 lots in Woodridge Preserve at the estimated cost of $9,420 per lot that's over $500.00 and to your yearly tax bill; the imminent construction of a deep well injection system for the disposal of local wastewater, and the 12" interconnect water line running along Lee Boulevard and linking up with the system owned by the City of Ft. Myers at the cost of 1.2 million dollars.
Jim Fleming, a member of the Lehigh Acres Community Planning Corporation, and a Supervisor of the East County Water Control District questioned the FGUA Board on their policy of issuing letters of capacity to local developers in Lehigh in light of evidence that their local plant is already overwhelmed by the growing number of hookups and rainwater infiltration. FGUA and Government Services Group staff members said that they had not issued letters of capacity to anyone for the last six months, and hinted that they would not issue and more such letters until the problems were fixed and their plant capacity was increased.
Mr. Fleming also asked if the Board intended to abide by the Lee County Commissioners' request that FGUA stop incurring further bonded indebtedness until the county government had negotiated for the purchase of the Lehigh Acres water and sewer system. The Board refused to answer the question, but did announce that they were in negotiations with Lee County, and that Lee County government had accepted the interlocal agreement to join FGUA, with county utilities director, Rick Diaz serving as a member of their board.
Mike Welch, president of Citizens United Against FGUA, then took the podium and repeated the often raised question of why FGUA was planning to embark on such an ambitious and expensive expansion plan in Lehigh Acres without providing scientific data that establishes an environmental, or any other, need for the massive project. No one from FGUA could answer.
Mr. Welch strongly emphasized that FGUA's grand project would damage the community as a whole, as the many citizens who could not afford the 10,000 to 17000$ tax assessments against their homes. Welch challenged the FGUA to include the people of Lehigh Acres in the decsion-making process in an effort to address the issues of Lehigh's sudden and rapid growth in a way that benefits everyone.
Robert Anderson, the president of the Lehigh Acres Watchdog civic group repeated those themes, and chastised the FGUA and its contractors for poor service and dangerous disregard for the health, safety and welfare of the community.
Mr. Anderson pointed out that the system operator, Severn Trent, had allowed treated effluent to flow into the Lehigh Acres canal system for 43 days, and ignored a potable waterline break for ten weeks, stating that the operators had more important priorities, like repairing the overburdened sewer plant.
Among the revelations at the meeting was the fact that Lehigh Acres water and sewer customers will soon see regular rate increases, despite earlier assurances that such rate increases had been capped until 2007.Under the new plan, residential and commercial customers in Lehigh Acres will see automatic, "cost of living" adjustments of 2.6% beginning this year, and continuing until 2010.
Mr. Anderson pointed out that the interconnect system with the City of Ft. Myers was originally slated for emergency use only, but FGUA reported at the meeting that the interconnect would also be used to address a "temporary" shortfall in water supplies in the local FGUA system. This should alarm Lehigh Acres customers, since the planned construction of the Mirror Lakes water treatment plant is not slated for completion until 2008 at the earliest.
In response to requests by Mr. Anderson, the FGUA Board's next meeting will be held on October 21, 2005, beginning at 10:00 AM at the East County Regional Library on Gunnery Road in Lehigh Acres.
Mr. Welch, on behalf of the concerned citizens of Lehigh Acres, urges all residents to attend to express their opinions of FGUA's services and its planned expansion, which will affect thousands of Lehigh Acres residents for years to come.
Here's the press release of our road trip: Lehigh Residents Robert Anderson, Jim Fleming, & Mike Welch Comment at FGUA Board Meeting in Citrus County
Inverness, Florida, September 15, 2005:
Lehigh Acres residents and civic activists, Robert Anderson, Jim Fleming and Mike Welch, traveled to Citrus County today to participate at a meeting of the Board of Directors of Florida Government Utilities Authority, (FGUA). The meeting concerned the governmental group's budget, pending contracts, and their aggressive expansion plans for their system in Lehigh Acres and communities in four other Florida counties.
At the meeting the three Lehigh residents heard new information, about planned and budgeted projects in Lehigh Acres. Among the most significant items were: the almost immediate expansion of water and sewer service to 414 lots in Woodridge Preserve at the estimated cost of $9,420 per lot that's over $500.00 and to your yearly tax bill; the imminent construction of a deep well injection system for the disposal of local wastewater, and the 12" interconnect water line running along Lee Boulevard and linking up with the system owned by the City of Ft. Myers at the cost of 1.2 million dollars.
Jim Fleming, a member of the Lehigh Acres Community Planning Corporation, and a Supervisor of the East County Water Control District questioned the FGUA Board on their policy of issuing letters of capacity to local developers in Lehigh in light of evidence that their local plant is already overwhelmed by the growing number of hookups and rainwater infiltration. FGUA and Government Services Group staff members said that they had not issued letters of capacity to anyone for the last six months, and hinted that they would not issue and more such letters until the problems were fixed and their plant capacity was increased.
Mr. Fleming also asked if the Board intended to abide by the Lee County Commissioners' request that FGUA stop incurring further bonded indebtedness until the county government had negotiated for the purchase of the Lehigh Acres water and sewer system. The Board refused to answer the question, but did announce that they were in negotiations with Lee County, and that Lee County government had accepted the interlocal agreement to join FGUA, with county utilities director, Rick Diaz serving as a member of their board.
Mike Welch, president of Citizens United Against FGUA, then took the podium and repeated the often raised question of why FGUA was planning to embark on such an ambitious and expensive expansion plan in Lehigh Acres without providing scientific data that establishes an environmental, or any other, need for the massive project. No one from FGUA could answer.
Mr. Welch strongly emphasized that FGUA's grand project would damage the community as a whole, as the many citizens who could not afford the 10,000 to 17000$ tax assessments against their homes. Welch challenged the FGUA to include the people of Lehigh Acres in the decsion-making process in an effort to address the issues of Lehigh's sudden and rapid growth in a way that benefits everyone.
Robert Anderson, the president of the Lehigh Acres Watchdog civic group repeated those themes, and chastised the FGUA and its contractors for poor service and dangerous disregard for the health, safety and welfare of the community.
Mr. Anderson pointed out that the system operator, Severn Trent, had allowed treated effluent to flow into the Lehigh Acres canal system for 43 days, and ignored a potable waterline break for ten weeks, stating that the operators had more important priorities, like repairing the overburdened sewer plant.
Among the revelations at the meeting was the fact that Lehigh Acres water and sewer customers will soon see regular rate increases, despite earlier assurances that such rate increases had been capped until 2007.Under the new plan, residential and commercial customers in Lehigh Acres will see automatic, "cost of living" adjustments of 2.6% beginning this year, and continuing until 2010.
Mr. Anderson pointed out that the interconnect system with the City of Ft. Myers was originally slated for emergency use only, but FGUA reported at the meeting that the interconnect would also be used to address a "temporary" shortfall in water supplies in the local FGUA system. This should alarm Lehigh Acres customers, since the planned construction of the Mirror Lakes water treatment plant is not slated for completion until 2008 at the earliest.
In response to requests by Mr. Anderson, the FGUA Board's next meeting will be held on October 21, 2005, beginning at 10:00 AM at the East County Regional Library on Gunnery Road in Lehigh Acres.
Mr. Welch, on behalf of the concerned citizens of Lehigh Acres, urges all residents to attend to express their opinions of FGUA's services and its planned expansion, which will affect thousands of Lehigh Acres residents for years to come.
posted by Editor Facts & Myths @ 9:14 PM
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