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1.
RECD FEB 10 2004
February 12, 2004
Mr. James Maass, President
& Fellow Board Members
Truckee Donner Public Utility District
PO Box 309
Truckee, CA 96160
Dear Mr. Maass & Fellow Board Members,
I am currently performing my due diligence on purchasing a piece of mixed-use zoned property in
downtown Truckee, located @ 10363 High Street. In continuing with my involvement and
research on the referenced property, I understand that the current water distribution system would
need to follow a proposed District upgrade, due to required fire flows - not usages-prior to the
construction of the property I am considering buying. My research on the water distribution
system for this area indicates that this property is at the end of a dead end system that has been on
TDPUD `s Master Plan to be completed as a loop system since at least the year 2000.
I have met with the District's staff and spoken to them about this area. I understand their
position: that the upgrading of this water flow from a dead end system into a beneficial loop
system is developer driven. I also understand that the District has higher priority projects in
providing reliable water to our community. I don't, however, feel it is equitable that the dead end
system be upgraded to the improved loop system primarily by the owners of the vacant property it
fronts. This proposed loop system has been on the Master Plan books prior to any of the more
recent development interests. By putting the financial burden of the District's proposed upgrade
on a small group of property owners is over and beyond what a typical customer in Brickelltown
is responsible for and makes their projects more difficult to "pencil out." There have been many
projects that have been proposed in this area, but they have been unsuccessful due partly to the
financial burden of this proposed upgrade.
From my understanding, I see that the beneficiaries of a complete loop water distribution system
are numerous and not limited to five owners considering the construction of modest office
buildings on the vacant land. I see that TDPUD would greatly benefit from having this dead end
system upgraded into a much enhanced and reliable water distribution system, especially at
someone else's expense. But considering how many of your customers would benefit from this
upgrade, I question whether asking five property owners to pay for this upgrade is equitable. All
the residential and commercial properties in the Brickelltown area of downtown Truckee would
benefit from an enhanced and reliable water system provided by TDPUD.
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I am hoping that the President and Fellow Board Members of the TDPUD can also see the
benefits to the District's water system and the community it serves. I believe that because of the
District's end benefit and the benefit to it's customers, that TDPUD consider a better way of
funding this project that has been on the District's Master Plan for many years. Obviously the
District has felt that the proposed loop system is a benefit to it's water systems, adding it to their
master plan originally, naming TDPUD as the responsible parry for the construction and noting
facility fees as the funding source. Additionally, with the District paying for the District's
proposed upgrade, they are in fact directly involved in strengthening Truckee's economy, a goal
in which the district seems to embrace.
This spring two of the five property owners are looking to start construction. In an effort to
expedite this process, I will attend your upcoming Board meeting and read this letter during the
public comment section. I would hope that this matter might then be added to the next available
Board Agenda so an equitable solution can be worked out with all involved.
Sincerely,
Dennis E. Zirbel
cc Bill Quesnel
Bob Hunt
Myrone Kamenetsky
Mitch Clarin
Ed Taylor
Peter Holzmeister
PO Box 296 Truckee, CA 96160