[Watchdogs] Skate park gets $25K to expand; "The Pedernales Electric Cooperative is . . . a partner in the grant program." [The Highlander]

Fri Aug 7 21:19:52 CDT 2009

Dear Milton:  Thanks for the notice of the heartfelt desire of LCRA-PEC et al to give back to the community.

This must be some sort of primeval urge that hits these burocrats every now and then.  

Here they are, sitting on top of a gold mine, everybody has a humongous salary, no-one in recent history has been sent away because of poor workmanship.  The money just rolls in.  There is no competitor snapping at their backside. They do not have a care in the world except to raise their rates now-in-a-while.  The halls and offices are chock-a-block with surplus personnel, mostly needy relatives.  

And, the money just keeps stacking up .  What to do with the enormous  surplus that just keeps accumulating.  Shoddy management wont stop it.  Complete lack of any management will not stem the flow of money rolling in.  No manager has made a notable decision in recorded history, it is just "Let the Good Times Roll "  

You may think that I speak of the LCRA.  Not entirely, this is also the situation in PEC and many other Co-ops.

So, you got a surplus Lawyer sitting around with nothing to do and drawing about $200 K's per year and you got a surplus assistant General Manager, lolling about, bored to tears and drawing down about $200K per year.  The big boss tells them to get out there and give away a little of the excessive pile of loot.  "TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY".

I can only think that this is a pervasive itch that now and then, hits these folks in those Tax-Free, competitor-free Government-backed Co-ops.  Mainly a result of lack of work ethics and basic honesty.  In giving away our money, they get a little something to keep them busyand maybe, briefly,  off a barstool.

Best Regards,  Paul Langston   830-598-1322

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Milton Hawkins 
  To: 'Larry Landaker' ; 'Cristi Clement' ; 'Patrick Cox' ; 'Kathy Scanlon' ; 'O. C. Harmon' ; 'James Williams' ; Renee Oelschleger ; Lamont Ramage 
  Cc: 'Juan Garza' ; Mike Vollmer ; Paul Hilgers ; 'Merle L. Moden' ; 'Paul Langston' ; Dave Collins at hughes.net ; John Watson ; 'Carlos Higgins' 
  Sent: Friday, August 07, 2009 2:15 PM
  Subject: Skate park gets $25K to expand; "The Pedernales Electric Cooperative is . . . a partner in the grant program." [The Highlander]

  Members of the Board:

  I hope that PEC's participation in this program is limited to its owners' being forced by LCRA to pay more than they should for power usage in order to generate excess funds for LCRA bigwigs to shower back on naïve ratepayers who don't realize that the money being distributed in this fashion came first from their own pockets.  If PEC has a choice in the matter, whether or not to "partner," as it were, then we are being abused by our own officials!

  Regards to all,

  Milton

  http://www.burnetbulletin.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Skate+park+gets+-25K+to+expand%20&id=3114609&instance=highlander_news

  Skate park gets $25K to expand

  by Ashleigh Whaley
  Highland Lakes Newspapers

  10 hrs ago

  Plans for a bigger, better skate park in Marble Falls are closer to fruition with a $25,000 check presented Wednesday to the Highland Lakes Skate Park Association.

  Lori LeBlue, program manager for LCRA, and Ida Carter, LCRA board member, presented a check to Donylle Seals, HLSPA founder, at the skate park, located in Falls Creek Park.

  Local skaters, parents and several chamber and city-staff representatives gathered at the skate park to see Seals accept the grant donation, which will be used to expand the skate facility.

  "We're hoping for shade and maybe some lights for night," said Trey Vaughn, a skater from Horseshoe Bay. "These ramps are decent but I think the concrete ramps would be better. I've seen the plans for them."

  Seals sent some local skaters a text inviting them to the park at about 10 a.m. Wednesday to celebrate future improvements to the park, she said.

  The $25,000 donation "is one of a number of grants recently awarded through LCRA's Community Development Partnership Program," LeBlue said. "The program provides economic-development and community-assistance grants to cities, counties, volunteer fire departments, regional development councils and other nonprofit organizations in LCRA's electric and water service areas as part of LCRA's effort to give back to communities it serves. The Pedernales Electric Cooperative is one of LCRA's 43 wholesale electric customers and a partner in the grant program."

  http://www.lcra.org/community/ecodev/cdg.html

        Community and Economic Development community grant program 

        LCRA and its electric and water customers provide grants for community projects. LCRA's grant program helps local governments and nonprofit organizations fund capital improvement projects to benefit the public. These projects must be located within LCRA's service area.

        Community Development Partnership Program (CDPP)
        LCRA and its electric and water customers provide grants for community development projects in LCRA's service area. Volunteer fire departments, emergency medical services, school districts, libraries, civic groups, local governments and nonprofit organizations may apply for the grants. Social service projects -- such as food pantries, homeless shelters and drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinics -- are not eligible for funding.

                    Did you know?
                    (FY 1995 - FY 2009)

                      a.. LCRA and its customers have awarded 1,089 CDPP grants. 
                      b.. These grants total $18.6 million. 
                      c.. Communities have raised more than $103 million in matching funds. 
                      d.. The total investment in local projects is more than $122 million. 
                      e.. LCRA grants update for July 2009 

        Emphasis will be placed on projects that include energy efficiency, water conservation or household hazardous waste facilities

        Applicants requesting $5,000 or more in grant funding must have at least 20 percent in matching funds. Applicants may request as much as $25,000. Approved grant applicants may not always receive the level of funding requested.

         CDPP grant application deadlines
        LCRA's Board of Directors, in partnership with LCRA's wholesale electric customers, determines annually whether funds are available for CDPP grants. In years in which funds are available, grant applications are due on the following dates:

          a.. March 1 
          b.. September 1 
        For information on CDPP grants or to request an application, contact program director Lori LeBlue at 1-800-776-5272, Ext. 3393. Or e-mail ecodev at lcra.org.

        LCRA
        Community & Economic Development 
        PO Box 220
        Austin, TX  78767-0220
        1-800-776-5272, Ext. 3399
        (512) 473-3399
        (512) 473-3285 fax
        ecodev at lcra.org

  Milton Hawkins    mhawkins at tstar.net     830-868-9075

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  No virus found in this incoming message.
  Checked by AVG - www.avg.com 
  Version: 8.5.392 / Virus Database: 270.13.45/2286 - Release Date: 08/06/09 18:17:00
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://103.greenbuilder.com/pipermail/watchdogs/attachments/20090807/581b0022/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 73 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://103.greenbuilder.com/pipermail/watchdogs/attachments/20090807/581b0022/attachment.gif>