We'd like to put the focus this morning on a three-part Scott Schwebke article series now running in the Standard-Examiner. As most regular readers should be aware, Ogden City is now in the process of launching a comprehensive $52 million water system rehabiliation project, designed to correct water infrastructure problems our readers have been griping about for years.
Yesterday's article, "Ogden's water rehabilitation", is a fine piece of Ace Reporter Schwebke work. It provides a thorough overview of the existing problems with our dilapidated water infrastructure, along with a robust summary of the funding and fixes which are part of the city council-sponsored game plan.
Today's article, "Ogden residents eager for better water pressure," deals with the problems which are particular to citizens of Ogden's east bench.
We're pressed for time this morning, so we'll forego a lengthy analysis. There is however a segment of text from yesterday's article upon which we'd like to put the spotlight:
Jesse Garcia said that during his 15 years on the city council, no city administration has ever presented a comprehensive financial plan for addressing the most serious infrastructure needs.A Weber County Forum Tip O' the Hat to the Ogden City Council for finally getting the ball rolling on this. While the Godfrey administration sat on its thumbs, the council commissioned a study, held public hearings and forcefully brought this project to fruition.
About a year ago, the council decided to launch its own public input process, dubbed Water Horizons, which led to the rate study and ultimately funding for improvements, Garcia said.
“It was time to tackle this monster because if we didn’t do it now, the price tag would get bigger,” he said.
And there's a lesson for the city council in this, we think. Rather than sit back and wait for admininstration proposals, as our council has done in the past, the council has demonstrated that it has the power and the collective will to manage its own agenda, and find solutions to pressing Emerald City problems -- even when the administration is dragging its feet.
This bodes well for the future of other long overdue public projects, we think -- such as public transit.
And what say our gentle readers about this?
