[fsf60k] Re: Telica - Nuevo Amanecer, Water Project Proposal

From: michael cipoletti <ikecip@xxxxxxx>
To: fsf60k@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 3 Dec 2009 17:30:12 -0500
hey all-
i just came back from a very successful trip but i wanted to get answers in 
regards to the many questions listed below..
on monday Conchita and I met with the mayor of telica, Marlon Canales the 
person from the Mayor's office that will be responsible for the project, and 
two representatives from Vision Mundial. Also present were Clelia Sandino to 
ensure there was no miscommunication due to language and Ben Gordon who is 
living in Chacaraseca right now and is very interested in assisting with this 
project.

The mayor was very clear that it is his job to serve the people and very much 
wants to see this project get done. He expressed his gratitude at our 
willingness to partner with his office and has assured me that everything will 
be above board and transparent. I spoke of the skepticism we have do to our 
past experience and he said that nothing of that nature will take place he also 
referred to a a Law 623 which I have yet to look up (but I think has to do with 
the proper use of funds). he agrees with a convenio/contract between the 
participating parties but said "the guarantee is that this kind of work is the 
duty of the mayors office and the completion of the job is the expectation of 
the people and therefore the office of the mayor is very interested in seeing 
it through"

There are two possible sites one el Ocoton is 1.4 k away.. it is private 
property right now but the mayor is arranging that a parcel of land be donated 
by the company (title and all) to the project. 
the other site is las sirenas about 3k away. As I said to Peter today the next 
step is to get the study done. This study could begin by the 15th and will take 
about 30 days to complete.. cost will be 3000 dollars. we are being asked to 
cover this expense and Peter will bring this up at tonights meeting.. Conchita 
currently has 6500 in an account that was 2008 club money. this will be a full 
study of water table at both sites a cost proposal etc.  once we have that 
study vision mundial will be passing the findings to a donor that has 45000 for 
a water project in the region. the key is that we approve the study and release 
the 3k as soon as possible because the mayor seemed quite intent on getting the 
project rolling by february. (i have attached clelia and ben on this email so 
if they would like to add any feedback i would appreciate it).
the technical questions will be answered once the study is complete. water will 
be metered and will be charged at the standard rate of nicaragua 6.5 cordobas 
(roughly 32 cents) per cubic meter. one cubic meter is about 264 gallons of 
water. there is  a minimum payment of 7 cubic meters per month so we are 
looking at a cost of 45.5 cordobas (2.27) per month for 1848 gallons per family 
which is about 1 tenth of a penny for a gallon. this system is expected to work 
like similar systems in the region with a plentiful water source that will 
allow for irrigation etc. 

the money that is charged is used for maintaining the system and is less than 
the  60 cord a month we were charging for the diesel system that was not 
providing nearly as much water. 

so with all of this said i ask that we get the go ahead to release the 3000 
dollars so i can let conchita know tomorrow.

for those of you that speak spanish and wish communicate directly with her she 
can be reached at concepcion montes <conchita_mo@xxxxxxxxxxx>
i hope everyone had a great thanksgiving 
michael
On Nov 12, 2009, at 11:39 PM, George Pardo wrote:

> Hi All,
> 
> Mike and Conchita have been talking with the Mayor of Telica and he has 
> proposed a water project that will provide water to Union España, Nuevo 
> Amanecer and El Cortizal.  The water would come from an area of El Cortizal 
> that is thought to have clean, cool water.  Telica sent Mike a preliminary 
> proposal for the project and it was discussed at our last FSF60K meeting.   
> Many questions and comments arose at the meeting as it was not clear whether 
> the proposal was preliminary or the basis to secure funds from FSF60K.  At 
> the meeting I volunteered to collect the questions and vet for duplications 
> and relevance.
> I reworked the questions that I received or heard at our last FSF60K meeting 
> to reflect the following:
> 
> Our intent to work with the Mayor of Telica for the benefit of the people of 
> Telica, not just the people of Nuevo Amanecer. (Project contribution is not 
> based on proportionate share)
> The stage of the project now. (The project is in the preliminary stage)
> The fact that Mike and Conchita have made a tentative offer on the clubs 
> behalf to partner with the town of Telica on this project.
> 
> In addition to the questions, I have included some of my own comments, some 
> proposed requirements if FSF60K is to partner with Telica on this project, 
> and some potential benefits of partnering with Telica, over using the 
> existing well in Nuevo Amanecer. Please review the information and post 
> comments on "freelist".  I suggest that we a conference call to discuss 
> comments and the next step. 
>  
> 
> REQUIREMENTS 
> 
> We need submission of a water test for the intended well to be used for this 
> project.
> We need submission of  documentation of the entire system design and 
> components.
> We need a detailed cost estimate. 
> We need a schedule that includes the following milestones; when are we 
> expected to fund the project, when is the well going to be finished, when 
> will we receive a copy of the water tests, when will we receive a detailed 
> design of the project, when will we receive a detailed cost estimate, when 
> will the project break ground, when will the people of Nuevo Amanecer have 
> flowing water from this project.
> As part of this project we expect that the existing storage and distribution 
> system within Nuevo Amanecer will be studied and upgraded to the same 
> standards that the other towns in the project adhere to.
> 
> QUESTIONS
> What is the intended gallons per day to be delivered to Nuevo Amanecer?
> What is the intended amount of water produced by the entire system per day? 
> How will water use be controlled, i.e. meter to each house, meter to the town 
> connection?
> Can water be used for irrigation?
> What will the monthly cost of water be to Nuevo Amanecer citizens?
> What is the estimated cost to drill the well and perform the water tests, and 
> what are those costs based on?
> What is the estimated yearly maintenance cost of the entire system, and how 
> will those maintenance costs be paid?
> Are the people of NA expected to make a contribution under the column named 
> "comunidad", and if so how much would it be?  They have no money to 
> contribute.
> Can we pay after the system is up and running and delivering the expected 
> flow to Nuevo Amanecer?
> 
> 
> 
> BENEFITS OF PARTNERING WITH TELICA
> 
> The contemplated water is free of contaminants and is cool.
> The municipality has persons to manage the project.
> They have experience doing these types of projects.
> They have local knowledge of trained professionals in the required fields.
> They have a structure to collect fees from water consumers.
> They have a structure of personnel to maintain the water infrastructure once 
> it is installed.
> 
> MY COMMENTS 
> 
> While we need to do our due diligence we also need to proceed in a respectful 
> manner and have achievable expectations within the Nicaragua culture.  This 
> is one reason being represented  on this project by a local engineer is 
> worthwhile.  Maybe Mike can make suggestions of possible candidates. Also, if 
> the engineer is local he or she can attend scheduled project meetings.
> I am in favor of having an auditor review the project finances.  Perhaps 
> World Vision would split the cost with FSF60K. 
> Mike is under the impression that the project will be in the ground by 
> February of 2010.  I think that is unlikely given that funds from 3 or 4 
> groups must be coordinated and a design must be completed.  Let's hope for 
> the best.  I want to be pleasantly surprized that Telica does not adhere to 
> "nicatime".
> Everyone is aware of the urgency for water in Nuevo Amanecer, but we need to 
> do our due diligence as we have a fiduciary responsibility to our donors.  
> After the reviewing the state of the existing water system in Nuevo Amanecer, 
> it is clear that due diligence cannot be sacrificed to urgency. If the 
> proposed project is being done with good intentions, then it will withstand 
> scrutiny and come to fruition.  It is critical to proceed in a responsible 
> and businesslike manner and get the assurances that we would demand if we 
> were spending money from our personal bank accounts. 
> I did not do a calculation but the $25,000, listed in the Telica budget to be 
> provided by FSF60K, is not based on a proportionate share of the project 
> based on population.  After some thought, it came to mind that in principle 
> this should not be an issue, as our mission is to provide aid to those in 
> need, not those in a particular town.  If FSF60K funds enables the town of 
> Telica to bring water to more persons, then it is a good use of the money in 
> principle.  We still need to oversee the project to make sure the money is 
> spent properly.
> Sincerely,
> George Pardo
[fsf60k] Re: Telica - Nuevo Amanecer, Water Project Proposal

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