LAKELAND VILLAGE: A $600,000 misunderstanding
Water district doesn't need county redevelopment funds
By AARON CLAVERIE - Staff Writer | ∞
WILDOMAR ---- It's being called a "win-win" misunderstanding.
A committee of Lakeland Village and Wildomar residents was willing to kick in $600,000 in county redevelopment funds for a water district project, only to learn the money isn't needed.
The confusion began Wednesday, when a member of the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District's board, John Lloyd, gave a presentation during the Lakeland Village/Wildomar Project Area Committee's regular monthly meeting.
The committee of 17 residents is an advisory body that passes along recommendations to County Supervisor Bob Buster's office on how millions in redevelopment area funds should be spent.
The redevelopment zone in Buster's district consists of four unconnected areas in Lakeland Village, Sedco Hills and Cleveland Ridge. Part of the zone lies within the boundaries of the newly formed city of Wildomar.
Lloyd told the committee's board that the water district needed $600,000 in redevelopment funds to help pay for the construction of a reservoir and two booster pump stations. Booster stations help move water through the district's pipes, boosting water pressure for everything from showers to firefighting.
Funding infrastructure projects is one of the acceptable uses for redevelopment area funds, but some members of the committee's board weren't comfortable giving money to the water district.
Committee board member Barbara Dye said she was opposed to giving any money to the district because she contends it has wasted millions in trying to win state and federal approval to build a hydroelectric power plant on the western edge of Lake Elsinore. If it is ever built, the plant would be powered with water from a reservoir built in the mountains west of Lakeland Village.
Just the very thought of the power plant project "puts a knife in my heart," Dye said.
Another board member, John Garrett, described the power plant project as a sword hanging over the heads of area residents.
Garrett asked Lloyd whether the committee could make the funding conditional on the district killing the power plant project.
Lloyd, a district board member who has worked to unseal confidential documents related to the power plant project, said the project involving the reservoir and pump stations has nothing to do with the power plant proposal, and the boosted water pressure would help keep the area safer if there is a fire.
At one point, a committee member asked Lloyd what would happen if the committee didn't support the reservoir and pump stations. Lloyd said it would still be built eventually, but the committee's participation would help get the project started sooner.
At the end of the discussion, all nine members of the committee at the meeting voted to support funding the water district project.
On Thursday morning, as word of the committee's action spread, questions were raised.
Judy Guglielmana, the water district board member who represents the Lakeland Village area, wondered why she wasn't asked to present the funding request to the committee's board.
She said no one told her that Lloyd was going to be appearing at the meeting.
If she had known, Guglielmana said, she would have shown up to support the request, at the very least, because the reservoir and the pump stations are in the division she represents. The water district's service area is divided into five divisions, and Lloyd represents the Wildomar division.
"The whole thing is odd to me. I have a call in to the general manager to find out who authorized him (Lloyd) to do that, why we didn't have an engineer go and why I wasn't notified," she said.
Yet on Thursday afternoon, water district spokesman Greg Morrison said the entire reservoir and pump station project has already been funded by the district.
"We're not sure why the county is giving us money for this project," he said.
Lloyd sent The Californian an e-mail explaining in part why he addressed the committee.
"It was my understanding that this ($600,000) was the last portion of funding needed. The rest is included in other line items. I’m looking forward to the kick off," he wrote.
On Friday, Jeff George, a member of the advisory committee, said it has been discussing the reservoir and pump project for months. At one point, the committee had been told the district needed $1.2 million for the project.
After finding out on Thursday that the district doesn't need the redevelopment funds, George said he was going to ask the committee to reconsider its vote at a future meeting.
Water district General Manager Ron Young on Friday confirmed the information offered by Morrison.
He said the district has the full amount of funding needed for the $4.3 million project.
Contacted on the phone Friday, Lloyd said he found out Thursday that there had been "some kind of misunderstanding."
But the end result ---- a fully funded project and $600,000 in redevelopment funds that can be spent on another project ---- is a "win-win," he said.
"I'm happier than heck," he said.
Contact staff writer Aaron Claverie at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2624, or aclaverie@californian.com.
More Stories
Advertisement
James wrote on Jul 22, 2008 2:07 AM:Ms. Guglimiani needs to get with the act. She ran on the platform that she would not support LEAPS and yet she votes in favor of lEAPS and goes to Washington DC to talk with Darryl Issa about the prgress on the project. To EVMWD, once again no one is communicating to anyone, I blame EVMWD staff members for this miscommunication. ...
Eli wrote on Jul 22, 2008 2:21 AM:Good job Mr. Lloyd for letting us know what is happening, as for Miss G., please relax, you have a few more years for us to figure out your true intentions on the Board.
Joan wrote on Jul 22, 2008 2:26 AM:I guess it is up to Mr. Lloyd to tell Ms. Gugleminia that there is a meeting in her district? By the way, Mr. Lloyd doesn't need staff member approval to attend a meeting, they work for him, he doesn't work for them, or you Ms. Guglemenia.
Worried wrote on Jul 22, 2008 3:17 AM:Sounds like Ms. Guglemenia thought money was needed for the project like Mr. Lloyd did. Why does an engineer need to be present? RDA meetings happen all the time, maybe she should look at the meeting schedule and go. I wish Mr. lloyd represented our district, I am scared to death of the power lines that the EVMWD is pushing, Mr. Lloyd is the only member agaist the project.
Lakelander wrote on Jul 22, 2008 6:27 AM:Thank you Mr. Lloyd for coming to our meeting and for standing up against the LEAP power plant and transmission wires. Ms. Guglemenia never talked with us before so why would she be so upset that Mr. lloyd came to the meeting? We look forward to seeing her at our next meeting so she can update us on the LEAPs preoject and whether her position is for or against the project.
Wildomarian wrote on Jul 22, 2008 9:08 AM:"On Friday, Jeff George, a member of the advisory committee, said it has been discussing the reservoir and pump project for months." So this has been discussed for MONTHS and Guglielmana never knew about this???
clean up wrote on Jul 22, 2008 12:47 PM:Maybe the money should be spent towards cleaning up Lakeland Village. Grand Avenue needs a makeover and it would help to invest that money into workshops and programs that reward citizens who keep their properties clean.
What is Wrong wthe Picture wrote on Jul 23, 2008 7:38 AM:Why is Mr. Lloyd pushing a project that has full funding? Why don't the other board members know about this? This all seems very strange. Maybe Mr. Lloyd know s something that the rest of the board doesn't about the RDA funding.
What wrote on Jul 23, 2008 7:44 AM:I'm sure EVMWD has enough money to fund their own projects. There is no reason for John Lloyd to even come to the RDA and ask for money. Shame on the RDA for even voting to approve such a thing. Maybe the RDA members and staff need to start doing their own research instead of relying on Lloyd's reasoning for the funds.
RDAs Job wrote on Jul 23, 2008 8:26 AM:I thought the RDA's job was to improve blight. There has been no project (in my opinion) completed to in these 2 areas to improve blight. When are we going to see improvements to the area?
Julia wrote on Jul 23, 2008 5:11 PM:I am against LEAPS too but I don't understand the reasoning behind giving EVMWD this money. Now they don't need it? Why did they need it in the first place? EVMWD can fund their own projects. John Lloyd just needs to worry about his own problems not the RDA.
Uh Huh wrote on Jul 24, 2008 12:32 AM:Yeah...That's what happened, Mr. Lloyd came up with a nice round number and a project to associate it with to rip off the RDA. He didn't initiate the proceedings check the facts. This project started out at $1.2 and was initiated by someone other than Mr. Lloyd. I'd talk to EVMWD and ask when the project will be started and since they have FULL funding, where is it on the project list.
Lakeland Village wrote on Aug 2, 2008 11:36 AM:This whole thing started in April at a PAC meeting which we were informed about the need for this project for fire fighting needs and that EVMWD needed funds. We asked George, an EVMWD employee to have someone from EVMWD to come to our next meeting in May. George had some info at the May meeting but, someone from EVMWD was to do a presentation at our meeting and no one showed up. We put it back on the Agenda for June and neither George or an EVMWD employee showed up. We put it back on the Agenda for July and John showed up with information. Thank you John for keeping not only your constitutes but Lakeland Village's also. If Judy would go to any community meetings she would know what was going on in the community that she represents. If Judy was doing her job she would want to come and find out how her constitutes feel on water issues. She has been to 1 meeting in 19 months and didn't even introduce herself as Lakeland Village's representative from EVMWD. She was elected to be Phil's little puppet.
Villager wrote on Aug 3, 2008 10:20 AM:Why were two articles published on the
same subject? It looks to me like some-
one is trying to make John look bad.
As to Judy and others who have questions
about the RDA, they are welcome at all
PAC(project area committee) meetings.
They are open meetings.
Advertisement