By Kathy Santos-Reed, Special to RioLindaOnline.com
ERWIN HAYER BRAGGED…. “I got the Well #15 Ground Breaking Stopped!!! March 2011 NCN Page 3
This statement is 100% false.
No one stopped Well 15 because of Erwin; and, Erwin never made the comment Vivien has attributed to him!
Traditionally, Well 15 has been used for previous photo ops. Â Every time there is a need to impress someone – hard hats are donned, reflective vests are worn and a drilling rig is backed into position. Â With auger running, photos are taken and wing tipped shoes are dusted off. Â Then everyone leaves the job site.
Vivien mentions September 22, 2010 was scheduled for the ceremony, a committee was formed, invitations designed and local organizations were contacted.  I spend my days at the Chamber of Commerce and we weren’t contacted, RLE Recreation and Park District was not contacted, I don’t think the Moose Lodge was contacted!  What organizations DID they contact?  Maybe the Sac Bee was contacted to give some credibility to their performance.  Where YOU contacted?
Directors even had gold painted shovels they planned to hold as they posed for cameras in their bright reflective vests and hard hats.  After the pictures had been taken for this solemn ceremonial occasion, everyone would have gone home – including the drilling rig – which was only there as a prop.
It would never have gone beyond that point, because the RLECWD did not receive the NOAA letter until after October 1, 2010.  The NOAA letter, dated October 5, 2010, states it is merely  “Notice of Application Acceptance†of the SRF application for a loan.  It does not authorize the district to commence construction of anything; and if the district did, the amount commenced before they received approval would not be covered under the SRF loans
Vivien was well aware the photo op/pseudo-ground breaking ceremony was not going to happen. Â The entire ceremony was merely to use in the upcoming election November 2010 to convince the community the 2008-2010 board was actually accomplishing something related to the compliance orders! Â It is now March 2011 and the approval of the SRF loans will hinge almost entirely on the Rate Increase Hearing scheduled for March 7, 2011.
