Morro Bay Life • April 2020

Making Communities Better Through Print™

APRIL 2020 • EVERYTHING MORRO BAY • MORROBAYLIFENEWS.COM

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2 • April 2020 • Morro Bay Life

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in this

Together

Nic & Hayley Mattson

A

Co-Publishers

s we start to see the changes in the spring season allow for more light and warmth in the air, we are faced with a challenge never seen nor experienced before. April is one of our favorite times of the year because it seems to be the month that we as Californians start to get that sunshine bug to get outdoors after months of hibernating inside due to the cold and darker days. And even though the sunshine is starting to shine again and that bug is nipping at our toes, we all have been forced into an economic health crisis like never before.

For only a month ago, we were a prosperous and lively community. Today we are all trying to make sense of a life that literally was written for a movie thriller and not reality.

With the school closures, our cities declaring a State of Emergency, physical distancing becoming a necessary new form of “normal.”

To mandatory “Shelter at Home” and businesses fighting to find a way to connect with their loyal consumers in order to remain safe and open. It has made us stop and reflect on what really is important.

We have seen our communities pull together, schools offering free meals to all children whether they are in the district or not, our local Chambers reaching out to all their business partners to provide help and assistance in this time of need. Foodbank volunteers continuing to step up to ensure no person or family is without. Volunteers

offering to shop for groceries, prescriptions, and necessary items for those at risk.

Distilleries making hand sanitizers so that our community heroes can remain safe while they are providing support services.

To multiple people sewing masks for our healthcare workers and grocery store clerks to give them a necessary guard against the novel coronavirus due to the shortage of all protective gear.

We have seen our local restaurants regroup and start a new business models that allow them to remain open and offer fresh market produce, curbside pick-up, and/or weekly meal plans. We have seen our favorite local shops, create stay-athome kits and learning tools, and creative ways to shop their stores online, by offering personal assistance. We have seen strength in our numbers, together as a community.

As the publishers of Morro Bay Life and other local publications we are facing the same challenges as everyone else. No one person or company is immune from the economic impact this will have our community. We are all in this together, and that is what we are pulling strength and hope from.

Together we are one. Together we will get through this, it just may not look like what we planned when we walked into 2020.

Our promise to you, we will continue to share the stories of the incredible people and businesses that make up our community. We value each of our business partners’ support which allows us to print and mail to every home in Morro Bay and beyond. We will use our platform to seek out and recognize the Essential Hero’s whose stories may not have been told if this epidemic had not occurred. We will do everything we can to help support and love our communities as we all walk through this no matter what it looks like on the other end. Because at the end of the day, we are all in this together. And together, we can do anything.

We hope this issue of Morro Bay Life brings a smile to your face and warmth to your heart. Please be safe and well.

All our love, The Mattson Family

Making Communities Better Through Print™

Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce

PAGE A monthly showcase of Chamber programming and membership.

3

Morro Bay Life • April 2020 • 3

LET’S DO OUR PART In the Recovery

Shopping small & local.

Eat at local restaurants.

Thank and help our visitors with as much enthusiasm as we do our community members.

Give outrageously good customer service.

Being civil and supportive.

A Letter to the Business Community

This is the time of the month when we would normally publish the Chamber’s “On Your Behalf ” column and distribute it to our members.

It was a playful communications piece intended to inform our members and the business community about the big and small things that we worked on for them over the past month. This month we would have commented on our work with the Vacation Rental Ordinance, Tidelands Lease Policy, Waterfront management, our promotional efforts for the City’s vintage, antique and upcycle second hand stores, our reinvigorated Ambassador’s Committee that is reaching out to members on a one-to-one basis, and half a dozen other efforts and initiatives.

3

RESOURCES

Your Chamber CEO, Erica Crawford, has been part of the EOC, serving as an information resource on the state of business and quickly evolving needs and conditions. And, the Chamber board, under the leadership of Chairman Steve Peck, and staff immediately changed the focus of its operations by activating its Ambassadors to reach out to each member to make sure that they were and continue to be aware of resources available to them and their employees.

We raised our “paywall” and made our services available to all local businesses.

We expect that the Chamber’s only task over the next 60 days will be to help the community’s businesses to adjust to the economics of this disaster. Check out our resources available to businesses and their employees.

RT A ST We

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will soon be in recovery mode. While nothing is certain, health care experts expect that the effects of the disease and the number of new cases will start to subside and that the third and fourth business quarters of the year will see some progress toward “normalcy.” Make no mistake, some businesses may be gone forever.

As of this writing, the overall fundamentals of the economy are strong. Morro Bay is clean, natural and desirable for our valued visitors, and we have both dedicated workforce and skillful businesspeople. Getting back to “normal” will require that we do a thousand different things to get back to work and get back in business.

ER TH O

Erica Crawford Chamber CEO

Fortunately, the City quickly mobilized its own resources and formed an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to address the sometimes-hourly changes in state and federal regulations, and to make sure that those most vulnerable are taken care of.

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All that changed three weeks ago when the reality of COVID-19 sank in and state, federal and local agencies started to impose restrictions to slow the spread of the virus. First, it was voluntary social distancing, then it was restrictions on the maximum number of people who could assemble in one place, and now it is a complete shuttering of schools and many businesses. Over that three weeks our friends and colleagues have been laid off, and many of our merchants have become worried about losing their businesses.

Many communities will be competing with us for business to get back on their feet. So, we need to do it better than we ever have and better than the rest. The Chamber will be there to help. The Chamber is also tapping into your legislators, regional chambers, and local economic development corporations. Most importantly, the Chamber is and will continue to work hand in hand with the City staff and the Mayor and Council members to make sure your voice is heard; the Chamber commends them all for their tireless dedication to the community and recognition of the Chamber as a vital partner.

During this period of economic instability in our community, the Chamber will continue to invoice membership dues with a compassionate understanding that many will need to defer their investment for a period of time or seek to pay in installments. We will make every effort to championing a strong community that needs strong business fundamentals to function, and convening (albeit virtually for now) community We, like many of you, have also laid off dedicated employees and transitioned to working with a skeleton crew. We are fortunate to have over two dozen volunteers from the business community serving on our Board of Directors, Governmental Affairs Committee, and Ambassadors Committee willing and able to work on behalf of our members. In fact, they are now working on behalf of all businesses in Morro Bay. These are serious times that require serious, dedicated people. The time for petty squabbling is over. The time for arguing about progress is over. The Chamber is here for you, and will continue to work “On Your Behalf.” These are challenging times for ALL of us, but we’ll come through it stronger – together.

#MEMBERSMEANBUSINESS

•Bookmark our resources page at https://www.morrochamber.org/covid-19-resources and let us know if you’re in need of something that is not already listed. If you need it, at least a dozen of your peers probably need it too. We will update frequently, ensuring that you have the information you need to adapt to these everchanging times. Sincere thanks to local attorney, Jane Heath, who has been a key ally in sourcing information for the resource page.

•Comprehensive county updates can be found at http://readyslo.org/ •Also bookmark the City’s page at https://www.morrobayca.gov/COVID19 and engage with their outreach tool Polco at https://polco.us/morrobay. There has never been a more important time than now to engage with your local government.

We are humbled by this community’s spirit of resilience and resolve.

Sincerely, Erica and Steve

Steve Peck Chamber Chairman

4 • April 2020 • Morro Bay Life

Making Communities Better Through Print™

COMMUNITY

Community Members Rally Together To Support One Another During Health Crisis

I

By ANNMARIE CORNEJO For Morro Bay Life

n the midst of adapting to a changing daily life in the face of the COVID19 pandemic, community members are rallying to support one another and make sure that those who are the most vulnerable are surrounded by a network of care to meet their daily needs. Giovanni DeGarimore, a third-generation Central Coast native who lives in Morro Bay and owns Giovanni’s Fish Market in Morro Bay, started his outreach with a simple message on his personal Facebook account offering to feed anyone in need.

“No parent should worry about how their child will eat,” DeGarimore said. “Innately as humans we want to help people and it dawned on me that the biggest problem was that people may not know how to do that.

“So, he created Adopt a Neighbor Facebook Pages for most cities and towns in San Luis Obispo County as a platform for people in need of anything from groceries to a prescription picked up to connect with those who were able to help. Within a week’s time, the groups have grown to include thousands of members. “The easiest thing we can do in the face of this is to start by looking after our neighbors,” he said. “At times like this people will come together and this uses the best of social media which was intended for networking.” The pages have grown from meeting daily requests for needs such as groceries and toilet paper by willing neighbors in the community to a venue for indi-

viduals to offer services and goods, share information, and offer messages of hope and support when many people are isolated from their regular support networks. While DeGarimore continues to moderate the majority of the pages, others in the commu-

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nity have reached out to help. The pages, he said, have grown organically with people willing to help out in any way they can. “I am here and no one will go hungry in this town,” he said. “This is what I want Adopt a Neighbor to be about,” DeGarimore said.

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6 • April 2020 • Morro Bay Life

Making Communities Better Through Print™

LOCAL NEWS

Jack of All Trades: Skateboards, Basketball and Film

Morro Bay’s Jack Smith poses with two of his skateboards used in his five rides across America that are part of the Smithsonian Museum’s collection. Photo by Neil Farrell

J

By NEIL FARRELL For Morro Bay Life

ack Smith is a pioneer in the world of skateboarding, having been among the first persons to push a board more than 2,300 miles across the U.S. in 1976; then recreating the feat in 1984, 2003 and 2013 along with a solopush on an electric board in 2018. His boards are preserved at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C.and he started the Morro Bay Skateboard Museum to celebrate the sport he loves.

But it was a fateful decision taken in 1993 that has led to an adventure in the world of filmmaking. And believe it or not, it has nothing to do with skating.

Smith explains that his old business partner and life-long friend, Paul Dunn, by chance saw a story in the newspaper back in 1992.

The two were operating a mail-order business, he explains, when Dunn came across an Associated Press story about a fellow in Whitten, Iowa named Dudley Cray who was searching for someone to take over an old high school he owned and bring jobs to the tiny little town of about 150 people.

“We contacted him,” Smith says, “and he told us to go take a look at the building.”

One of the first things they saw was “Denise Long Park” in Whitten. A man named Dwight Long was caretaker of the school and he told of his niece, Denise, who Smith says was a legend in Whitten after she led Union-Whitten High to the Iowa State Championships in 1968 beating Everly H.S. 113-107.

“In the late ‘60s,” Smith says, “Denise Long was possibly the greatest girls basketball player in the nation.” Long scored 64 points in that championship game and passed into legend in smalltown Iowa.

The Whitten school didn’t pan out, but led to another opportunity at nearby New Providence, Iowa, and a similar situation with a closed school that was offered for lease for $1 a year for five years.

“The photos looked good,” Smith says. “That

building was in much better shape.” It also had a rather unique “roundhouse” gym built by the Works Progress Administration in 1936.

“We moved the business into the school,” Smith recalls. “The roundhouse was like something out of the movie, ‘Hoosiers.’” he said. “1993 was the last year for 6-on-6 basketball.”

Smith was fascinated by the game, which he’d never heard of before.

He describes a fast-paced, half-court game of 3-on-3, where a player can only take two dribbles with the ball and must either pass or shoot.

Neither set of players crosses mid-court, making for an exciting game that had been played since the 1920s.

Cinderella story on the court, hit the proverbial buzzer beater, when Innovative Pictures, an independent filmmaker from Iowa, signed on to make the film, that he jokes has been “24 years in the making.”

The script evolved greatly and Smith said the final version that was filmed this past January in New Providence, focuses on a New York Times sports writer who was sent to Iowa in 1993 to write about that final season of 6-on-6 hoops.

“He was a Sports Illustrated type reporter,” Smith said of the new storyline. “He’s an NBA writer and thinks 6-on-6 girls basketball was not worth his time.”

Smith says he doesn’t want to give away too

“It was a very wide-open game,” says Smith, who played basketball at MBHS. “They had numerous games with scores over 100 points.”

Girls’ 6-on-6 basketball was huge in Iowa and several other States.

“It was like high school football in Texas,” he said. “Or like boys basketball in Indiana. The towns were respected based on how well their girls’ teams did. They held the State Championships in the Veterans Auditorium in Des Moines. It was a really big deal.”

He always thought the story would make a great book or movie. He moved home in 1996 and eventually wrote a 16-page treatment (outline) for a movie script.

It started out as a story about the small town and evolved over the years. The script was optioned three times, he explains, but never progressed to the point of being produced.

“In November 2018,” he said, “I thought I’d give it one more shot.” He posted the first three pages of the treatment on Facebook, and like some

much of the film’s storyline, but suffice it to say the passion of the teams and fans impresses and wins over the writer.

Smith and wife, Kathy, in January went to New Providence for filming. It was quite the event for a small town. A Facebook page devoted to the film (see: facebook.com/NewProvidenceFilm) is filled with posts from former players and coaches, reliving the glory days of the sport, which Smith says his own mother recalls playing in high school.

He explains that girls were not thought able to handle the rigors of a full-court game and so this half-court version was invented in 1920 and took hold in a big way, being played across several states until 1993.

The film, “New Providence,” was scheduled for release until the Coronavirus pandemic delayed it.

Smith, who is a co-writer and co-producer, said the plan is to take the film to film festivals and try to find a distributor.

One thing’s for sure, the film should be a big

hit in Iowa, especially in little towns like New Providence that Smith said still has only about 175 people. Smith said there is a 20-theater chain in Iowa that is interested in running the film.

To see the film’s trailer, go to: newprovidencemovie.com.

Meantime, Smith’s skateboarding again drew the attention of the Smithsonian.

Smith explains that recently two women from the Smithsonian, Betsy Binckley Gordon and Jane Rogers, who are researching a book telling the story of skateboarding, paid a visit to the Morro Bay Museum. They were interested in Smith’s multiple tales of kicking a board across the U.S. His first two cross-country rides — in 1976 and 1984 — were done for fun. In 2003, Smith and friends including Dunn, rode across America to raise awareness of Lowe Syndrome, a genetic disease that claimed the life of his son.

A 2013 push was done to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s, which his father died from.

His son Dylan’s Rayne Limited Edition long board used on that 2013 ride is also now part of the Smithsonian’s collection, along with the Inboard Technology electric skateboard that Smith used for a 2018 solo ride across the U.S. That final ride was done to promote the electric boards that are becoming more popular among people as a means of transportation and to become the first man to ride an electric board across the U.S. But more so, just to prove to himself that he could still do it.

Smith has to pinch himself when he thinks about some skateboarding kid from Morro Bay having his skateboards included the collection of the Smithsonian.

“When I started skateboarding at 17,” Smith says, “if someone told me some day I’d have a board in the Smithsonian, I would have thought they were nuts.”

With the mass closures of businesses caused by the Coronavirus, Smith says the Skateboard Museum, located at 783 Market Ave., is also closed. But he plans to put a virtual tour to the Museum’s Facebook page, see: mbskate.com for a link to the Facebook page.

Morro Bay Life • April 2020 • 7

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8 • April 2020 • Morro Bay Life

Making Communities Better Through Print™

BUSINESS

Coronavirus Quiet Settles on Morro Bay Embarcadero empties over COVID-19 concerns

Favorite local spots and the Downtown streets are quiet following the “Shelter at Home” order. Photos by Nicholas and Hayley Mattson

By NEIL FARRELL FOR MORRO BAY LIFE

I PUBLISHERS

Nicholas & Hayley Mattson morrobay@13starsmedia.com

Editors

Luke Phillips editor@13starsmedia.com

LAYOUT DESIGN Editor Mike Michaud mike@13starsmedia.com

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Cami Martin office@13starsmedia.com

Editorial

Neil Farrell Valentina Petrova AnnMarie Cornejo

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Dana McGraw dana@13starsmedia.com Carmen Kessler carmen@13starsmedia.com Morro Bay Life is published monthly. All rights reserved, material may not be reprinted without written consent from the publisher. Morro Bay Life made every effort to maintain the accuracy of information presented in this publication, but assumes no responsibility for errors, changes or omissions.

Morro Bay Life is a division of Colony Media.

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Visit our website! morrobaylifenews.com

n a scene not witnessed since the March 2011 Japan Tsunami, Morro Bay’s Embarcadero, the heart of its tourism industry, was eerily empty of cars and people on the first full day in the fight to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

On that day back in 2011, officials evacuated the waterfront, closed all stores and restaurants, and waited out the 11-foot surges that arrived from across the Pacific all day long.

On March 20, 2020, the emptiness of the streets has taken on a much more profound silence as it was just the first day of a prolonged cessation of most commerce that brought the entire town to a near standstill along with the rest of the State and indeed much of the nation.

The coronavirus pandemic (also known as COVID-19) that started in Wuhan, China, last fall has spread across the globe with over 350,000 cases and countless deaths being recorded and affecting every continent.

The first identified case of COVID-19 finally arrived in San Luis Obispo County around March 13.

Since that time, and through increased testing for the virus, as of this writing on March 23, there were nearly 30 cases identified in SLO County, including at least one in Morro Bay. The count of the infected rises daily.

The County Health Officer on March 18 issued a “Shelter at Home” order, essentially closing up all “non-essential” businesses, and asking people to forego venturing out of your home if it isn’t absolutely necessary.

The order was picked up by every incorporated city in SLO County, including Morro Bay, which had declared a local state of emergency a week before. The order took effect at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 19.

The order is effective until April 17, when it would be reevaluated for possible extension.

Indeed, federal and state officials are suggesting it may be several months before the virus’ spread is halted.

Morro Bay officials have vowed to keep police, fire and harbor patrol services, plus water and sewer service, running during the closures, and have also decided to make the City’s bus services free of charge.

“The City’s hope,” reads a news release

from City Manager Scott Collins, “is to provide lifeline transport services for those in need that may have been economically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and also minimize contact between bus operators and riders at the fare box area when entering the vehicle.”

In a YouTube video (bit.ly/mb01covid19), Morro Bay Mayor John Headding announced the launching of “Morro Bay Cares,” a program “to help those in greatest need in our community, inform the general community and reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus.” That video names the fire department as the lead agency in the City’s crisis response.

The City is expanding the fire department’s “Are You Okay” program, where a phone call goes out every morning to make sure a person is OK and not in need of assistance.

The program is being expanded to those who are sheltering at home and will help connect folks with food programs and other services. Sign-up online at morrobayca.gov/ covid19. Or call the fire department at (805) 772-6242 if you don’t have a computer.

The City’s webpage also has a link to a survey that the City is using to gauge what services they need to add to what’s already being done. City Manager Collins urged everyone to take the survey.

Local schools have been closed, as well.

San Luis Coastal School District Superintendent, Dr. Eric Prater, said, “We have now come to an unprecedented moment in our district’s history. It is with sober consideration that San Luis Coastal Unified will enact a comprehensive closure of all campuses and all school-related activities, including athletics, beginning Monday, March 16, 2020, through Tuesday, April 14, 2020.”

The school district will follow the recommendations of the County Health Department, County Schools, the Office

of Emergency Services, and the Governor’s Office on how to proceed. All athletic games and meets have been canceled, too, just as the spring slate of sports was getting started.

“It is my hope that this closure will minimize the spread and the health risks associated with COVID-19 among students, staff, their families, and the broader community,” Dr. Prater said. “This is not an easy decision. We understand the detrimental and far-reaching effects caused by this action and the difficulties this presents to families.” Students — from elementary to high school, Cuesta College and even Cal Poly — will be taking classes online for the foreseeable future.

Though the streets are devoid of cars and people, many local restaurants are open but offering drive-up and takeout service, only.

Every dining room in town is essentially closed, though one can come inside to order, but then eat in the safety of their own home.

Also remaining open are grocery stores, liquor stores with food, Miner’s Hardware, and gas stations. Miner’s Hardware placed blue tape on the floor to help people keep the recommended 6-feet of space from each other to allow for “social distancing.”

During this time, officials offered some basic guidelines, focused mainly on personal cleanliness, and avoidance of human contact: • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after using the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and services such as cell phones, keyboards, door handles, etc.

• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then dispose of tissue in the trash.

• Stay home when you are feeling sick.

Morro Bay Life • April 2020 • 9

Making Communities Better Through Print™

SPORTS

Central Coast Doctor Brings Home World Amateur Golf Title Jeff Blanchard, D.C., “The Golf Doctor,” places first in Men’s Senior Flight

CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE Jeff Blanchard, a chiropractor from Morro Bay, faced off against some of golf ’s leading amateurs to win the Men’s Senior Flight of the 2020 Las Vegas World Amateur Championship. He carded a two-shot victory over 54 holes of the three-round tournament.

This annual competition was held Feb. 24-26 on some of the finest courses in Las Vegas, including the Lexington and Concord Courses at The Revere Golf Club and the Chimera Golf Club. Dr. Blanchard, 68, won the Men’s Senior Flight, which includes anyone over the age of 50.

“The conditions were extreme with temperature swings of 35 degrees at the beginning of the round to 75 degrees at the end. In addition, we dealt with wind blowing 25-40 mph. Unlike recreational golf, people don’t realize how grueling tournament golf

can be, both mentally and physically.”

In 2017, Blanchard took third place in the first flight of the Northern California Golf Association Senior Net Championship Finals with a two-round score of 140. Blanchard also won the Club Championship at the Morro Bay Golf Club in 2015 and 2016. He works on his game an average of two hours per day and competes in approximately six golf tournaments each year.

Known as the “Golf Doctor,” Dr. Blanchard has spent more than 40 years in private practice specializing in general chiropractic care. In addition, he taught a series of continuing education seminars across the country for 20 years in order to train other physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of common golf injuries. He is the author of “The Physician’s Golf Injury Desk Reference” (2007) and “The PGA Instructors Golf Injury Desk Reference” (2008).

JEFF “THE GOLF DOCTOR” BLANCHARD

City Launches COVID-19 Hotline and Volunteer Group

Morro Bay City Council. Photo credit; City of Morro Bay

By ANNMARIE CORNEJO For Morro Bay Life The city of Morro Bay recently launched a COVID-19 phone hotline and local volunteer coordination group to assist vulnerable residents.

The hotline, operated by city staff and the volunteer group called Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters, was established to assist community members and the vulnerable high-risk population with any needs they may have by connecting volunteers to those in need of assistance, including pick-up and delivery of meals, groceries, household items and medications.

“We are incredibly fortunate to be part of such a caring community and have received numerous inquiries from residents who want to help those in greatest need here,” said Morro Bay Mayor John Headding, in a press release. “We as a City Council feel it is imperative for the city to help facilitate volunteerism, especially so during these unprec-

edented and challenging times. We are a strong, caring community and it is through this community spirit of generosity and resiliency that we will pull through this situation together. “City Manager Scott Collins said that as many as 20 hotline calls a day were received in the initial days after the program was announced, from people both requesting assistance and those offering to help, and that the number of calls is anticipated to grow as word gets out. The city is offering a variety of services in addition to the COVID-19 hotline, including the R.U.Ok (Are you ok?) program for community members to sign up for daily wellness calls, a list of open restaurants providing meal take-out, pick-up and delivery services, and a partnership with the Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce to provide resources to local businesses.

“We are in this together,” Collins said. “We are going to do our best collectively to take care of our most vulnerable residents.” If you need help, please call (805)772-6278 or fill out the R.U. Ok form on the website at morrobayca.gov/covid19.

10 • April 2020 • Morro Bay Life

Making Communities Better Through Print™

LIFE INTELLIGENCE

Keys to Surviving: Common Sense and Support

Remembering where we’ve been, the good we have today, and the bright future just beyond the horizon

VALENTINA PETROVA COLUMNIST

I

f you always look down, you will miss amazing things. As I write this, the world as we know it is slowly disappearing. Two weeks from now things could be even worse.

Uncertainty grips everyone’s heart. Is it the end or a new beginning? Do you have enough toilet paper?

I lived through severe deprivation in the 80s, waiting on breadlines, milk lines, meat lines since 3 a.m. in the morning in the middle of the winter.

I remember my parents making the equivalent of $3 a week, the pantry always empty. Electricity on and off every two hours. Running water, a couple of days per week.

I also remember families, neighbors, and friends figuring it out. We took turns on said lines. Neighbors watched over other people’s children while the parents hunted down supplies or went to work. Grandparents growing produce in the countryside. Everyone canning, sharing, bartering, and inventing things to make it all work.

We survived.

Because we had common sense and support.

But also, because we laughed and looked up to the many things in our lives that were worth still living. We made things and we made do without things. People sang over a bottle of home-made wine. Before cell phones, we talked and knew each other. Before social media we had real friends.

Before 50 TV channels all proclaiming doom, we gathered over a single cup of

coffee to share news about each other for hours. We borrowed money from each other on a schedule such as we could all pay our bills with someone else’s help. We joked constantly.

Do this and you will be OK. Check on your family, neighbors, and friends. Call them. Don’t just watch their social media feed. Have long conversations. You’re likely stuck doing nothing. Use your time well.

Clean up that garage. Finish your sewing projects. Learn how to bake a cake.

Everyone still has internet, electricity, and water. Don’t hoard food you will have to throw away because you won’t cook it, use it, or need it a couple of months from now. Remember, others need to feed their families too.

Take your eyes off of the endlessly repeating bad news and focus them on your loved ones, your garden, your pets, your hobbies, your health. Go outside and enjoy nature. Go inside and repaint your living room. Study a language or how to play a musical instrument. Write that book you started

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20 years ago. Do stuff that’s productive, educational, and enriching, and for the most part it is still easily available and even free. Don’t squander this valuable time. Organize your finances. Figure out your resources, your options, your plan B, C, and D. Get to know your children and teach them how to help.

Make plans for when things go back to normal.

Because they will. And hopefully even better.

It’s in trying situations that people show their true character. Who are you on a rainy day?

Valentina Petrova has been helping people with life, health, relationships, financial, career, professional, and business challenges since 2015. She has a Master’s in Psychology and is a certified Life Coach. You can reach her at val@valentinapetrovaconsulting.com (805)909-1401, and watch her at http:// www.youtube.com/c/ValentinaPetrova

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Morro Bay Life • April 2020 • 11

Making Communities Better Through Print™

CITY NEWS

City of Morro Bay Secures Millions of Dollars in Federal Funding for Largest City Infrastructure Program CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE March marked a historic milestone for the City of Morro Bay and its Water Reclamation Facility Program as it secured up to $62 million in low-interest funding from the United States Environmental Protection Agency Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program. Alone, this loan will make available up to 49 percent of the project cost in low-interest funding, which is ultimately expected to save Morro Bay ratepayers $29 million over the life of the project.

“Securing this low-interest federal funding is a sound financial decision for the City,” said Mayor John Headding.

“Signing the agreements now means that we will lock in near-historic low-interest rates and ensure maximum benefit for our ratepayers.”

The City has been working with WIFIA staff since 2017 to secure this low-interest funding. These dollars in combination with state funding, will allow the City to fulfill its obligation to meet state and federal regulations to relocate the wastewater treatment plant, and will allow for the viability of an advanced water purification facility to contribute a safe and reliable water source.

“In Congress, I was proud to help advocate for this Morro Bay water federal funding and I am thrilled that our community is receiving this EPA loan to improve our wastewater infrastructure,” said Rep. Salud Carbajal (CA-24). “The importance of a sustainable water source in Morro Bay cannot be overstated—with these funds, we will be able to modernize our wastewater treatment, better prepare for the impacts of flooding, become more resilient and improve the lives of Central Coast residents.”

Approximately 55 percent of the total WIFIA funding will be allocated to the water system portion of the program and 45 percent of the funding will be allocated to the wastewater portion of the program.

“Communities like Morro Bay experience real, on-the-ground benefits when they are able to improve critical infrastructure for clean water and flood protection,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator John Busterud. “EPA is committed to

In Congress, I was proud to help advocate for this Morro Bay water federal funding.

- Rep. Salud Carbajal

continuing our support through low-interest, flexible financing that improves quality of life and protects the environment.”

To date, EPA has issued 17 WIFIA loans totaling over $3.7 billion in credit assistance to help finance over $8.4 billion for water infrastructure projects and create more than 16,000 jobs.

The WRF Program was also placed on the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) fundable list for the Fiscal Year 2019/2020. SRF funding (grant and low interest loans) combined with the WIFIA loan and cash on hand will fully fund the WRF project.

ABOUT THE WATER RECLAMATION FACILITY The City of Morro Bay Water Reclamation Facility Program involves replacing the City’s existing wastewater treatment plant with an advanced water purification facility that will meet state regulations, protect the environment, and contribute a safe and reliable water source for Morro Bay’s homes and businesses. The project will create a drought buffer and is capable of providing up to 80 percent of the City’s water needs in the future.

The project includes construction of a new one million gallon per day advanced treatment facility, two new lift stations, an approximately 3.5 mile pipeline alignment, and wells to inject the purified water into the groundwater aquifer, which can be extracted for reuse through the City’s existing infrastructure. The current schedule includes construction beginning as early as spring 2020 and project completion by 2023.

4/30/2020

12 • April 2020 • Morro Bay Life

Making Communities Better Through Print™

CONNECTION, COMMUNICATION & COMMITMENT In a world of business, sometimes it has to get personal.

Feels like uncertain times ahead for us all.

As “Social Distancing” become the new temporary normal, it’s still important to stay connected, so let’s do it safely.

Like any storm, this too shall pass however until then let’s remember, kindness and consideration go a long way.

We are a community, we are in this together & we will get through it together.

YOU. ME. US.

Featured photo by Jeremy Bishop

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