Answer Me This, Please!

On Jan. 16th, 2007, I sent the following email to Twyla Graff, Chief Administrative Officer of the District of Lantzville:

Twyla,
I have read the District's 'Public Notice - Proposed Local Area Service Sanitary Sewer Collection System - Phase 1' in the Saturday, January 6/07 edition of the Nanaimo News Bulletin, which has raised several significant questions in my mind:
1. The District's B.C. Community Water Improvement Program infrastructure grant application for collector sanitary sewers states that "(e)lector assent will not be sought until the senior government grant is confirmed". Also, the footnote at the bottom of the District's 'Five-year Financial Plan 2005-2009' states that "approval from the community (emphasis is mine) is necessary for this project to proceed" (referring to the phased sanitary sewer collection system). Since the District has already installed the shoreline interceptor at a cost of approx. $800,000, which is a part of the costs being covered by the parcel tax (and/or initial one-time payment) for the proposed Local Area Service, why is elector assent by counter petition only now being sought, months after construction of this line was begun? And why is the whole community not being asked to provide their assent, as referenced in the financial plan, especially since their sewage would ultimately flow through the trunk lines within Phase I?
2. the costs of Phase I, as provided in the public information session financial presentations of Nov. 29 & Dec. 2/06, include the cost of constructing the trunk sewer lines up Ware Road to Aulds and along Aulds Rd. to Harwood Dr. Why is this segment not included within the Phase I boundary on the map contained in the notice? It would have been much 'cleaner' if LPL and LFE had contributed to Phase I only to the extent that the main lines needed to be over-sized for their needs and then constructed the line to their respective properties at their own expense as 'out-of-sequence' connections. Do these lines, servicing new development as they do, even qualify for funding under the B.C. Water Improvement Program infrastructure grant?
3. the Notice mentions an annual cost of $168 for 20 years under the $3290 initial one-time payment option (this amount is also included in the $497 annual payment option). It is my understanding, from talking to Paul Sangalang, that this amount is for the operation, maintenance and specialized servicing equipment replacement for the sewage collection system. Therefore, could you please explain to me how a charge which pays to operate the collector system and includes labour, materials, electricity, etc. can cease after 20 years and why it has no inflation factor built into it over those same 20 years?
4. the notice entitled 'District of Lantzville Community Update Sanitary Sewer Collection System - Phase I', mailed out to all households around Nov. 20/06 states that "Council intends to conduct additional information sessions early in the New Year". When and where are these sessions scheduled to be held?
Although it would appear that you have met the notice requirements of Sec. 213 of the Community Charter, it is unfortunate that the costs provided in the notice are only the 'statutory' costs - there generally being several more charges to pay before an individual can have sewer service (adding up, in most cases, to thousands of dollars).
If there is something that I am not understanding or don't have quite right about this, please explain it to me. I look forward to receiving your reply by return email and thank you in advance for your assistance.

Sincerely,
Hans J. Larsen

Having received no reply, I then sent her this follow-up email on Feb. 2nd, 2007:

Twyla,
Having sent you the 'attached' email on Jan. 16th with questions relating to the timing of obtaining Elector Assent and the implementation of a Sewer Local Area Service, I was hoping to have received a reply by now. Can you please tell me when you will be able to provide me with answers to my questions?

Sincerely,
Hans J. Larsen

As of the posting of this article at 10:00 am on Feb. 9/07, I have yet to receive any reply whatsoever to my emails. Frankly, I am at a loss to explain why our senior civil servant would not be prepared to answer questions, answers which could affect a large number of Lantzville residents. If any of you readers have any ideas, please click on the 'Comments' link at the bottom of this article (you may have to register with Blogger first) and give me your thoughts.