SOUNDING OFF:

A campaign of letters to the editor, fliers and posters are making inaccurate statements in hopes of defeating the vote to put utilities underground on Balboa Island. Regardless of your stance, it is important that we all distinguish misconceptions from truth.

Let’s take a hard look at some misconceptions:

Misconception: The assessment process should have been done differently. This argument has been raised by a property owner with an exceptionally large lot who is upset over having to pay a larger assessment. Doing the assessment differently would require the redistribution of the additional cost for homeowners with larger lots to everyone else. This would raise the assessment on 86% of the homeowners on the island who own normal-sized lots.

Misconception: Timing is not the best due to the economy, so it should be rebid. There is no question that the economy is tough right now, but the bids for standard-sized lots initially came in at $23,000 to $30,000. Our city has used this bad economy to our advantage and gotten a new bid at $16,782, which, by the way, is firm and guaranteed. The mayor and the director of public works have both stated that “it will never be any cheaper than it is right now.”

Misconception: The hook-up fees will be an additional $10,000. This is an undocumented amount that has no validity. The city estimates that most homeowners will pay an average of $2,000 to $5,000. The higher estimate is intended to cover extreme and unusual circumstances. One city official living in West Newport reported that his hook-up fee was $1,250.

Misconception: Our streets and alleys will be torn up for four or five years. While the project may take up to four years to complete, the work in any one alley will take about three weeks. Even then, the work will not be continuous and special parking permits will be issued for any who are inconvenienced. Many of our streets and alleys will be torn up regardless of our decision on the undergrounding of utilities, due to the already planned and long overdue installation of new water and sewer lines. Doing these two projects simultaneously is more efficient and will avoid the disruption of digging up our streets and alleys twice.

Misconception: The city is not participating in the cost. At the request of Balboa Island petitioners, the city has spent more than $1 million in drawing the plans for the project and facilitating the vote. They are also spending another $4 million for the water and sewer lines. If we do not pass this project, more than $1 million will have gone for nothing.

We have 45 days to make up our minds. If you would like to verify any of these facts with the city, I encourage you to do so. I am personally convinced it is in the best interest of everyone living on Balboa Island to vote “YES.”

BARRY MEQUIAR lives on Balboa Island.