The Division of Financial Assistance offered Prop 1 assistance to help PAPMWC produce the planning documents for construction of equipment upgrades. The DFA has set up the Prop 1 funding where they assign their own work team to complete the work. In this case, it would have been Sacramento State University and other assorted private consulting firms rounding out the team. However, PAPMWC turned down that particular assistance. Depending upon the developed workplan, this could have entailed as much as $400,000 in assistance provided without cost to the community. Instead Niambi’s sent a letter to them indicating that PAPMWC wanted to continue on the path with CRWA assistance to complete the funding application while also using its own engineering firm.
There was several attempts to explain to Niambi the service that Prop 1 funding would provide, but to no avail. Eventually, DFA determined to withdraw all help using third party assistance providers to PAPMWC. PAPMWC is now on their own for planning or constructing any system infrastructure project.
Click here for the letter the state has sent to PAPMWC. https://neighborsfbw.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Palo-Alto-Park-Mutual-Water-Company-Rescind-Letter.pdf