Garberville Sanitary District Manager Addresses Social Media Statements
Press release from the Garberville Sanitary District
Garberville Sanitary District met on May 19th for their monthly Board Meeting, which was conducted through teleconferencing, in an effort to comply with social distancing and group meeting guidelines.
During this meeting, the Board continued the Prop 218 rate adjustment process until the June 23rd Board Meeting because of the COVID-19 health and safety orders. This postponement will allow the public to attend the meeting if desired and give their comments to the Board regarding service charges. If COVID-19 restrictions are still in place, arrangements will be made for members of the public to address the Board at that time.
All information regarding the District rate study and any possible adjustments can be found on the GSD website and will be updated prior to the June 23rd Board Meeting.
As an essential service, we have been working to meet the water demands of our customers while working from shelter in place locations and minimizing exposure to the public. The GSD office is closed to the public unless appointments are pre-approved by phone or email and at such time, safety precautions are enforced along with social distancing.
The Governing Board and staff realize the hardships faced during this tumultuous time and are working with customers to find payment options that assist with financial burdens while having uninterrupted water service but all customers who have deferred their payments because of financial hardship will be required to pay the outstanding service charges once the COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted for businesses to open. Payment plans may be available upon request.
There have been comments made recently through social media sites which are misleading or false, so we would like to correct some of the misinformation.
- GSD welcomes participation from the public and will always listen respectively to our customers because we work for them and will do our best to meet their water demands while implementing or considering the recommendations they make.
- When there is a Board Member opening, we post the position as legally required while working with the Elections Department but unfortunately, in 6 years there has only been one GSD customer interested in serving on the Board because people generally do not want the commitment or responsibility of public service and they do not want the barrage of criticism that comes from those who complain about all decisions without knowing the facts or getting involved themselves.
- As the General Manager of Garberville Sanitary District, I expect judgement of my performance because it is my responsibility to administer the policies of the Board while developing operational improvements and providing fiscal oversight. What is not acceptable is making derogatory comments about the Garberville Sanitary staff who work all hours of day and night as needed for your water demands while providing friendly customer service. They are dedicated to providing the best service possible and deserve more than they are paid because of the ongoing education and licenses they must have, along with the complex compliancy demands of the State and County Regulatory Agencies.
- The Garberville Sanitary District Board Members are the “Very Best” among you and are dedicated to serving their community, but rather than speak negatively about the Board Members who voluntarily serve you; Thank them for their willingness to work on your behalf while providing fiscally responsible oversight of the service charges received and daily operations to provide safe water service for your consumption..
Sincerely,
Ralph Emerson
General Manager
Garberville Sanitary District
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Hahaha.. What a caddy bunch of things to say… Go back to your other jobs.
“There have been comments made recently through social media sites which are misleading or false, so we would like to correct some of the misinformation.”
What “comments made recently through social media” are you referring to, which comments were “misleading and false”? Because you do not seem to be addressing those issues in your responses!
I also wanted to clarify what you did state:
“1. GSD welcomes participation from the public and will always listen respectively to our customers because we work for them and will do our best to meet their water demands while implementing or considering the recommendations they make.”
GSD is a Public Agency in the State of California, not just for GSD ratepayers or their customers. GSD has a responsibility to provide public records and documents under State law and not just “listen respectively” to your customers, but with all members of the public.
GSD uses water, diverted directly from the South Fork Eel River, which is
protected under the state and federal Wild & Scenic Rivers Act(s). The South Fork Eel River water is a precious resource, not only for humans, but also for the threatened and endangered species that cannot survive without it.
GSD is NOT a legislative body within Humboldt County, nor does it have the authority to approve development, commercial cannabis cultivation or consider itself to be a self proclaimed economic development agency for Garberville. For these reasons I ask questions to protect the South Fork Eel River from over allocation of water use.
For example, in your response #4 you stated:
“The Garberville Sanitary District Board Members are the “Very Best” among you and are dedicated to serving their community, but rather than speak negatively about the Board Members who voluntarily serve you; Thank them for their willingness to work on your behalf while providing fiscally responsible oversight of the service charges received and daily operations to provide safe water service for your consumption.”
What exactly are you saying here, that the public cannot question an elected or appointed public official of a public agency and hold them accountable for their actions? That is not how it works
As to your statement in #3, in part you stated:
“What is not acceptable is making derogatory comments about the Garberville Sanitary staff who work all hours of day and night as needed for your water demands while providing friendly customer service.”
What “derogatory comments” are you talking about? Are not GSD “staff” being compensated and paid overtime to “work all hours of day and night as needed for your water demands while providing friendly customer service”?
To me, IMHO, GSD needs to remember where the water comes from and protect it for its own sake, not just to make a profit and be paid $120,000 a year plus benefits!
“GSD is NOT a legislative body within Humboldt County”
Actually they are. They write the ordinances regarding services provision in their sphere of influence.
I would have to disagree. GSD cannot approve subdivisions, building permits, conditional use permits, business licenses etc. GSD “ordinances” are not enforceable unless adjudicated in a court of law. GSD’s jurisdictional boundary, place of use and sphere of influence are for GSD to provide water and wastewater services, not a means to control or influence developers and projects to induce growth that increase water and wastewater demand over and beyond the water sources capacity. GSD is not the economic engine for Garberville. However, GM Emerson seems to think he is, and you need to go through him first, outside of a public meeting. Hell, Emerson might even get GSD to pay most or all of the connection and consulting fees, he does it all the time.
Another example, GSD approves “will serve letters” to provide water for cannabis cultivation operations without even checking if they have the proper County and State permits or licensing.
And, GSD does have an “ordnance”, that states:
“Sec 7.1 Water Waste. No customer shall knowingly permit leaks. Where water is wastefully or negligently used on customer premises seriously affecting the general service, the District may discontinue the service if such conditions are not corrected within five (5) business days after giving the customer written notice.”
https://www.garbervillesd.org/files/07ab68d4f/Water+Ordinance+May+19%2C+2019.pdf
However, GSD currently leaks and wastes over 15,000,000 million gallons
of water a year between its $5 Million dollar water treatment plant and customer meters and does nothing to fix it. In fact, GM Emerson states they cannot find the leaks. And this was after GSD replaced the old Alderpoint Road water storage tank that for years was leaking like a sieve. And it was only replaced after years of complaints filed with the State Water Board. So how come GSD cannot do what they say in their ordnance above?
Ralph, the criminal from Ione.
The company you keep rather defines you.
Did you know it’s actually possible to do something rather than just making nasty comments? I don’t know if either “Swine” or “furies” is registered to vote within the boundaries of GSD, but if you are, why not apply for a seat on the board at the next opportunity (check with the county Elections Office if you don’t trust GSD)? This would give you a chance of making an actual difference. Give it a try.
How bout you are condescending an anonymous stranger on the internet. Do u feel better about yourself?
I left Gaberville and SOHum for shit just like this…
Yes it is sad that so many of the financially downtrodden that live in Gville can’t seem to make it to a GSD meeting.
I’ve been paying attention to those clowns since Herb Schwartz put forward a ‘reasonable’ water rate of $100/month and that was more than a decade ago. How are those financially challenged Gville residents suppose to handle a 100$+ water bill??
And why does Ralph the criminial from Ione rate a $210,000/yr salary? (Along with the clown at the hospital).
Stop and smell the corruption Gville.
The micro is a reflection of the macro…
Because we tend to hire those from outside who we are then convinced we can’t live without. Could be true but it is what it is so better make the best of it, until someone comes up with a better solution.
Blatantly negative comments show more about you than about who you’re attacking, just sayin’…
Nah
Just informing folks, Ralph.
They about killed one of their workers trying to hide what they were doing near Kimtu and the park. Some of us don’t forget that. Ralph is a sociopath.
When was that?
@Ed Voice
2010 or 2012? They made Jim Fish go in the sewer holes by himself with no back up. His girlfriend came to safety spot him while in the hole. He had known back problems and told them when hired and they gave him the task of lifting each and every cover by himself without the right equipment. Wanted him to go inside and photograph each one. By himself- dangerous and illegal. Meanwhile they were working on those lines themselves and in hindsight it looks like they gave him that chore so he wouldn’t know what they were doing. Or maybe they wanted him gone as their old employee/friend was getting out of prison soon.
Then when Jim’s back went out very seriously bad (guy couldn’t walk much for months etc) they refused him unemployment or medical because GSD said he had a pre-existing condition. Assholes.
Jim was a very good worker- didn’t deserve any of that.
I think it was 2010 or 11. Not 2012. Definitely when they were working on those lines- heard about it later and a friend and I realized it was right at that time.