To the Editor:
Recently I was shown a document comparing sewer plant costs between Fillmore & Santa Paula. Individuals who seemed credible prepared this document.
Supposedly, Fillmore was given a guaranteed proposal for a more than adequate plant in 2002 for $13 Million, but the Fillmore City Council and staff chose to purchase a smaller plant for $43 Million in 2005. How can this make any sense?
Also, Santa Paula just recently negotiated a 2.3 times larger plant for just $3 Million more. How can this be?
In addition, Fillmore chose to not use the state revolving funds and chose to barrowed money on the commercial market at an increased cost to the Fillmore Sewer Rate Payers of $60 Million. How can these things be true?
These numbers are so damming, I am wondering when the city is going to come forward and show us that this situation is not true.
If this is true this is a serious scandal for the City of Fillmore.
Brian Sipes

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To the Editor:
Today in Fillmore there are 500 homes with Salt Water Softeners. Once installed this is the cheapest way to soften home water systems. But there is a price to pay for the perceived savings. The discharge from these softeners has high chloride content. This makes water downstream harmful to plant and animal life. All of the agricultural activity downstream receives this high chloride water, which can potentially kill whole crops. The state also has a requirement that by 2013 Fillmore’s discharge is at or below 100 milligrams (mg.) per liter. Fillmore now averages 137 mg. per liter. Of this 137 mg. per liter, 57 mg. is from salt water softener discharge. If the 500 homes do not switch to a “clean” system Fillmore will have to build a $35 million plant to pull the chloride levels down to requirements. This will cost EVERY home in Fillmore $35 a month. This is about the same cost as the 500 homes would have to pay to switch to a “clean” system like Culligan or Rayne. So, just imagine what the friends and neighbors must think of the 500 homes who don’t switch. Please switch today, the farmers and ranchers downstream will be grateful and the residents of Fillmore will be grateful.
Voice of El Dorado Mobile Homeowners Association

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To the Editor:
[The Voice of El Dorado Homeowner’s association sent the following letter to the L.A. RWQCB On July 9, 2008]
Dear Chairman of the Board,
El Dorado Mobile Home Estates is a senior community with over 300 homes, located in Fillmore (population approximately 14,000), in Ventura County. The undersigned represents this park’s Homeowner’s Association.
Your recent Draft Storm Water NPDES permit is quite a shock to all of us, and as demonstrated at our special City Council meeting on Monday, July 7th by the residents of the City of Fillmore. In spite of the fact that your appointed panel of experts studied the feasibility of this permit and reported back that the project would NOT be feasible to implement, you chose to move forward. This is unconscionable! In addition, there is no financial mechanism (State Revolving Fund programs, grants etc.), currently established in the State of California to generate the funds as in the past.
We strenuously object to this permit because we CANNOT afford to pay for it. We are a small agricultural community with more than 50% of our population in the low-income bracket. Many folks in El Dorado and in town survive on Social Security alone or other government supplementals, and the state of today’s economy is overwhelming their meager budgets. In addition, all residential water bills have recently increased by $50 per month to pay for our new sewer plant, and will increase to nearly $100 per month in the near future, and now you want to pile on more?
This city already suffers from only a 20% occupancy rate for HUD section 8 housing. People are leaving town. Our mobile home park has many vacant coaches and close to 40 coaches are for sale, mostly because of the runaway costs of living here. Many elderly residents in El Dorado cannot even afford to move out. There has to be better ways to achieve cleaner water with far less expense that low-income people can afford.
It seems to us that the little town of Fillmore, the second poorest in Ventura County, is not the proper place to implement this massive project. You must rethink your demands for we simply cannot do what you require. The future of Fillmore and its residents could be devastated if you do not reconsider.
We in El Dorado as well as the vast majority of the residents of Fillmore are strongly urging our City Council to fight against the implementation of this permit, and the financial destruction it will surely cause. The future of our town and 14,000 residents depend on it!
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Paul Schifanelli, President,
Voice if El Dorado Mobile Homeowner’s Association

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$9 Million More?
To the Editor:
“Attention Residents”
In regards to the important issue of chlorides in our water, we are at 125 mm/l; our goal is 100 mg/l. December 6th we were 150 mg/l. This subject is really boring but your wallet won’t think so if we don’t get to 100 mg/l. I can’t overstate the importance of reaching 100 mg/l in our water system.
The Fillmore City Council and staff are preparing a $9 million plus system to clean the water system of chlorides (salts). These salts are discharged from our homes and businesses.
We can’t afford another over-priced capital project that the City will demand of us.
Residents using salt/brine water conditioners please report this use and convert to currant allowable water conditioners. Just a few hundred such water conditioners exist in Fillmore so this should not be a difficult solution.
“A city program is in place fore conversion.” Public education and participation will stop a very, very expensive solution which will raise your water bills again and again in the future.
We can do this, let’s take back Fillmore
Gary Creagle,
Fillmore

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Scary Times in Fillmore
To the Editor:
Recently an old time Fillmore resident told me that if I had lived here longer I would think differently about things. I don’t think so. I believe that based upon the three items on the 7 July 2008 City Workshop all Fillmore residents (old and new) should truly be worried for their little town. The worry items as I see them are two fold as follows: 1) Will we find real solutions to the underlying problems? For example, after FEMA, Water Shed Protection, and other agencies get done with their analysis regarding the Sespe Creek, will there be a timely solution to the levee that we can afford? 2) How do we defend ourselves from the bumbling bureaucracies that have a real affect on our city? FEMA, the County Water Shed Protection, and the Los Angeles Regional Water Board conduct themselves like medieval fiefdoms rather than what you would expect in a democratic society. The off hand admission that a FEMA hired consultant made the mistake of showing the Sespe Creek running the middle of Fillmore makes you wonder how many other consultant mistakes can affect our lives.
These three problems; Sespe Creek 100 year flood, storm water runoff and the chlorides in our water are items that need to be and can be addresses reasonably and in a cost efficient way.
What we can’t do is to let the current city management practices and relationships get between our needed solutions and us. No Boyle Engineering, Hawkins-Delafield & Wood, American Water and the rest of the legion of consultants can be allowed. There must be a wholesale change from what was done during the sewer plant fiasco.
Clay Westling,
Fillmore

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Wake Up Citizens of Fillmore!
To the Editor:
WAKE UP CITIZENS OF FILLMORE!! It is time to take back our town. It has been run by outsiders for too long. The city officials have no vested interest in what goes on here. Their salaries are obscene. At several of the city council meetings I heard more than once "this is a poor town." Well, it can't be such a "poor town" if it can pay the outrageous salaries of the ones in charge. They are laughing all the way to the bank, while the citizens are paying for sub standard performance. A few examples are: 1. Rail road crossing at Central Ave. - how much to fix the problem? 2. Pole Creek debris basin - how much to enlarge after it was built? 3. B Street - how much to complete - a street to no where? 4. The bus stop on Santa Clara St. - how much to fix that? 5. Levee Drive - how much to fix that? What is the cost of all of these mistakes?
We need to ask for the resignation of all parties listed in the paper with salary increases. The city council should be recalled for allowing the salaries to be put into place. The city officials aren't paying the enormous --water/sewer bills and now they hit us with the possibility of another hundred plus dollars per month. Is it a coincidence that we find out about the additional fees right after they receive their raises? Amazing isn't it? How long have the officials known about this?
Mr. Mosbarger was right on-take out the planters. We don't have that many rain days. This isn't Seattle. This is sunny Southern California. Put that money to better use like our water bills. Oops, too late. What drainage problems are they trying to fix?
The officials didn't listen to the "old timers" when they were told of flooding from the Santa Clara River and the Sespe. The houses were still built.
The city officials say they are "business friendly." WRONG!! Just ask any one trying to open a business here. I know of a few that may be closing because of the high cost of doing business here.
We need city officials that will pay attention and listen to the citizens of Fillmore. Not outsiders with their own agenda.
We don't need big developers dangling a "carrot" in front of the officials with promises of future monies. That never seems to happen. Planned, small growth approved by the citizens of Fillmore seems to be the way to go.
It is time to clean house. Tell them we aren't going to take it anymore. We've had enough.
Tom Dawson and FRIENDS,
Fillmore

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To the Editor:
A group of Fillmore Chloride Control Volunteers met on July 22nd to begin work to vigorously publicize the need for Fillmore to rid itself of the chloride polluting Brine (Salt) Discharging Water Softeners. These brine water softeners dump 1 pound of salt each day into the Santa Clara River, thus placing Fillmore in jeopardy of having each household pay $25 to $35 monthly, State of California fines for the excess chloride (salt) dumped into the river. Our next meeting will be held: July 30th, at 7PM at the Fillmore Senior Center, 533 Santa Clara St. All Fillmore residents are invited to help Lick The Salt Problem!
Mary Farkas
Fillmore, CA