A few weeks ago local realtor Anne Fashauer summarized the high points of the recent “Boonville Planners” meeting where a couple of dozen locals with parcels in the proposed downtown Boonville “service areas” discussed the ongoing planning efforts now being conducted by Sonoma County consultants Jack Locey and Dave Coleman of Brelje & Race consulting engineers.
At that meeting the locals were told that both the sewer and water projects look technically feasible so far, but currently available state and federal grants may not cover the full cost of construction, meaning either more grants must be identified, or very low cost long-term financing would have to be arranged and worked into a low monthly service charge.
The “Drinking Water” project, currently estimated at around 260 connections, is estimated to cost almost $14 million for the downtown area and around $15 million if it is extended down Anderson Valley Way. The water project would cost upwards of $18 million if it also includes Anderson Valley Elementary School. (But the school district would have to arrange for the additional funding.)
At present, according to state officials, Proposition 1, California’s “Water Quality, Supply and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014” could provide up to $10 million for the drinking water project.
In addition, the US Department of Agriculture could provide low interest loans, but given that Boonville is considered a “severely disadvantaged community” according to census income data, they might provide financing as an outright grant.
Community Development Block Grants might also be available for similar reasons.
Community Services District Trustees Valerie Hanelt and Kathleen McKenna who have been spearheading the project continue to identify other possible funding sources and at present they say they are still about $3-$5 million short for water project grants. But there are still possibilities of either increasing the amount the Water Board might authorize or, if the project could be spread out over some number of years, there might be additional funding opportunities for follow-on phases of the project.
The municipal sewer project covers a smaller area and is not expected to extend down Anderson Valley Way or the Elementary School. It is estimated to involve around 200 hookups at a cost of around $13.5 million for construction.
The sewer system project qualifies for $7.5 million in “Small Community Grant funds (also from Proposition 1) and an additional $8 million from Propostion 1’s “Groundwater to Septic-to-Sewer” funding. This funding would pay for the entire sewer system project as currently designed and estimated by the SoCo consulting engineers.
According to Hanelt and McKenna they will only go forward with one or both of the projects if they can be affordably financed.
The consultants are scheduled to finish their studies (funded at $500k each for the water and sewer projects) by the end of this calendar year at which time more refined cost estimates and project capabilities will be provided along with an accompanying Environmental Impact Report. Those reports will become the basis for arranging for construction financing.
As Trustee Hanelt has said in the past, Why would the state water board give Boonville $1 million to do all this very specific and technical planning only to turn down the funding? Especially considering that Boonville not only has nearly perfect gentle sloping topography for both a water and sewer system but also scores high in terms of economic need and the poor condition of many of the Valley’s aging water and septic systems.
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