I urge the Grants Pass Tribune to investigate the skyrocketing costs of the Water Treatment Plant, which has ballooned from an estimated $37 million in 2013 to a projected $137 million by 2024. This surge far outpaces inflation and wage growth, and raises serious questions about the necessity and scale of the project for a city of our size. It’s becoming clear that some individuals with vested interests in the city’s finances are waiting to see just how high they can push these costs. According to Jason Canady at the City, even $137 million may not be the final price tag.
In 2012, I conducted extensive research into a city project that should serve as a cautionary tale. The City Council approved $530,000 for five bus shelters, each of which retailed for $8,000—a total of $40,000. After speaking with transportation directors in other Oregon cities, I found that the same shelters were installed by community groups at minimal cost. For example, in Bend, the Rotary Club volunteered to install these shelters in a weekend, and in Lincoln City, the Boy Scouts performed the same task. I presented my findings to the then-editor of the Courier, Dennis Roler, but my concerns were ignored. However, after I sent my research to the Oregonian, the story was picked up by the Wall Street Journal, prompting the City Council to hold an emergency meeting and reduce the cost of the shelters to about $480,000. By that point, however, Oregon Bridge & Engineering had already been paid $130,000 for unnecessary “engineering,” despite the shelters being sold pre-engineered. The city also wrote a fraudulent grant for federal funds—funds that come with strings attached, but nothing close to justifying the inflated price tag for five bus shelters.
The shelters were impractical for our rainy climate and could have been purchased much more affordably. In fact, I spoke with the purchasing manager at Tri-Met in Portland, who offered to add five shelters to their bulk order for only $4,000 each, totaling $20,000. Despite this, the city proceeded with a much more costly plan. After my efforts were disparaged in a front-page article by the Courier, I felt blindsided, but the outcome speaks for itself—an out-of-control budget reduced only after media attention.
I believe the Grants Pass Tribune has a responsibility to investigate the escalating costs of the Water Treatment Plant, just as Gordon Langenbeck, an engineer and former budget committee member, recently argued in a letter to the Courier. These ballooning costs are not justifiable, and they will have long-lasting consequences for other critical community development projects.
I’ve only recently moved back to Grants Pass, and I’m continually hearing about “needs and wants” the city can’t afford: a new library, a new swimming pool, expanded museum spaces, affordable housing, and, most pressing of all, a solution to the homeless issue. These are all worthy causes, but the city’s escalating water treatment costs are putting them out of reach. Tax increment financing will tie up resources for decades, limiting our ability to pursue any other necessary projects.
I urge the Grants Pass Tribune to take a hard look at these issues. Our community deserves transparency and accountability, especially when it comes to managing taxpayer dollars.
Sincerely,
Toni Webb
