War? What war? So . . . I would like to take this opportunity to share with the entire community some issues that have been written by an individual and published on the website of the Voice of Nosara about the current ASADA board of directors that are simply NOT TRUE. I also would like everyone to know that never has anyone come directly to me or the board of directors with concerns, complaints or requests for an explanation of the water board’s actions. I have always been available to listen or provide a full explanation of the board’s actions and documentation of the AyA law supporting our actions. This board of directors has never created or enforced laws that were not the laws of AyA. According to the basic laws of AyA an ASADA has the responsibility to deliver water equally to every user and ensure that the ground water is not contaminated due to inadequate or faulty septic systems.
Anyone can make up statements and lies about how our ASADA provides water here in the project. But how many people are willing to put forward their dedicated volunteer services working to provide water to every individual, home and business. It takes money and planning to dig wells, construct tanks and put pipes in the ground. Since October 2006 to the present this ASADA has spent $411,000 on new infrastructure, well, tanks and pipes. Every cent of it coming from impact fees only. The money, time and effort does not come from anywhere except from this community, not one cent from AyA. The bigger your impact on the community water supply the more you need to pay to ensure you and your neighbor receive the same service.
Currently, the ASADA has been forced by a new law imposed on all ASADA’s to charge a new rate for water service. In November 2009 the ASADA received approximately $20,000 in water usage revenue from our previous approved rate. If we applied the new rate to November 2009 billings we would receive approximately $4000 in water usage revenue. The electric bill alone to pump the water from the ground into your faucets in November 2009 was $2000. The ASADA has asked its water users to pay a volunteer donation to make up the difference in revenue so it can continue to provide water to the community while we appeal the new law as a financial impossibility for this ASADA. Fortunately only about 20% of our water users have chosen NOT to pay the volunteer donation and have decided to let their neighbors bear the burden of good water service. Thank goodness the majority of the water users of this ASADA understand the value of “you get what you pay for” and supported the ASADA. Also regarding the statement in the letter “This ASADA justifies their excessive rates on the ‘excellent’ service that they provide, nonetheless, the service is not better than the one that we get, less than two kilometers away, at the Town of Nosara (“el Pueblo”) where the ASADA is managed by Ticos and the rates are at least 25 times less expensive.”
Comparing the ASADA of the pueblo with about the same amount of hectares as the playa ASADA is not possible. In this same coverage of area the ASADA of the pueblo have approximately a third of the meters and a third of the water demand. Let’s be honest, how many swimming pools alone are in the whole pueblo area and how many are there in the playa ASADA area? So comparing the pueblo ASADA’s and the playa ASADA rates, budgets and size is comparable to comparing apples and oranges.
In conclusion let me address the statement from the letter referring to the playa ASADA “This association is run by foreigners who do not respect Costa Rican Laws and, on the contrary, they show great skepticism and disdain towards the government and the country in which they so comfortably reside.” I take a very strong personal offense to this statement of ignorance. Not only have I served this community for five years on the ASADA board of directors as a vocal and president donating my hard work at no personal gain.
I have never ever been treated as an outsider or “foreigner” by any Guanacasteco from this area. So maybe those of you that have migrated to Nosara from other parts of Costa Rica could learn a lesson from the good people of Nosara who have been here for years and lived, worked and enjoyed having us foreigners around. I may have been born in another country but my heart, my soul and my hard work have been here in this community for many years. So I am very proud of the fact that my grandson to be born in March 2010 will be half Guanacasteco and half Gringo. Pura Vida!
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