Bob MacKaben: Grant proposal vital to city's future

I read Ms. Meeker’s article (“City grant process questioned,” Feb. 6) and felt several items needed clarification. These are my comments; I’m not speaking for the entire City Council.

This grant application is very time-sensitive. It must be completed and to the Economic Development Association by March. Ordinances allow the city to bypass competitive bid processes in some instances, including time-sensitive issues. Experience and success rate on precious EDA grants would have been the most important aspect for bid evaluation had competitive bids been requested.

Plans to expand the city’s water system include two new wells; treatment facilities for a total of five wells to fix the manganese and sulfate (stinky smell) of the water; a new water reservoir; and a booster pump.

The M.S. Davis Co. has a substantial record of success in obtaining federal and state funding for infrastructure projects including over $80 million in EDA funding for projects exceeding $275 million. They have worked on EDA grant applications for numerous companies and California cities including Watsonville, Hollister, Scotts Valley, San Jose, Dinuba and Visalia.

Ms. Meeker’s article mentioned issues with an EDA grant in San Juan Bautista. The City Council researched Ms. McClintock’s involvement in this prior to hiring her as Colusa’s city manager.

The MS. Davis Co. successfully obtained three EDA grants for San Juan Bautista. The city had financial management issues in the last 1990s and early 2000s, which were discovered during a federal audit in 2007. Those management issues were the responsibility of city staff, not the M.S. Davis Co., and resulted in EDA terminating the third grant. While Ms. McClintock was employed by the city of San Juan Bautista at the time of the audit, she was not employed when the financial mistakes were made.

In seeking to obtain this grant from the EDA, the city has one shot to get the application right. Additional federal funding for infrastructure projects is included in the economic stimulus package just passed by Congress. There is no second chance on this grant application that includes the potential for additional stimulus money.

The city has to complete these water system upgrades. If the grant application is unsuccessful, the city’s water customers will have to pay the total costs for the work, estimated between $7.2 and $7.8 million. This would be very difficult for these customers.

Therefore, the City Council believes both timing and quality are critical factors for this grant application to succeed. Instead of taking a risk with an inexperienced firm, the City Council chose to select a firm with a proven track record of success.

Bob MacKaben is mayor of Colusa.