We have probably reached the point of no return on the Sewer Project. Despite all assurances that this project will cost the city nothing, the USDA and the interim loan company are requiring the City of Walsenburg to sign contracts to guarantee the loans. They are not quite as trusting of the Northlands residents as the city is.
The project should have been completed before the Northlands was annexed. The current situation is a patch and band aid approach. It involves the city assuming the responsibility for every part of the venture. The only beneficiary for the project is the Northlands community of about twenty persons. If businesses flood Walsenburg with applications to locate there, it will be a great thing. The key word is "if".
A city official has said there is misinformation about this project. Most of the misinformation has been promoted by those who are trying to push this project through regardless of its long-term indebtedness for the city. Though Walsenburg officials continue to believe the Northlands residents will pay for the project, there has been little evidence that they have paid any of the bills so far. The latest example is a new legal bill for processing the loans. This bill is $27,000. The whole process is based on the loans covering all expenses, but a loan has to be repaid.
It reminds me of the joke where a person is telling a friend that he didn't have the money to buy a new car. The friend says, "You don't need any money. All you have to do is write a check."
My investment in Walsenburg is a house and some friendships. My responsibility is to attempt to protect both. This is why I am concerned.
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