The City of Morro Bay is Accepting Applications for various Advisory Body Positions

The City of Morro Bay is accepting applications to fill upcoming 2022 Advisory Body vacancies. Application and eligibility information is available on the City Clerk’s Advisory Body webpage or by request to the City Clerk’s office at (805)772-6568 or cityclerk@morrobayca.gov. The deadline for application submission is Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022, by 5 p.m. Completed applications can be emailed, mailed, or returned at the drop box located at City Hall.

Morro Bay City Council Awards Grants to Eleven local Non-Profit Organizations

The City Council approved the issuance of $51,344 in grant awards to local non-profit organizations. These funds will support 11 local non-profits that serve the Morro Bay community. Of the total amount, $26,000 comes from the City’s General Fund, and the remaining $25,344 from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The ARPA funds will help non-profits directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are so pleased to be able to support our local non-profits who contribute significantly to the well-being of our community,” offered Mayor John Headding.

All told, the eleven grant recipients serve the Morro Bay community in a variety of ways, to include:

  • Senior services
  • Art and culture
  • Climate action
  • Diversity and inclusion
  • Youth services
  • Small business support

“The pandemic significantly impacted our ability to provide our services to the Morro Bay community,” said Morro Bay Art Association President Patricia Newton. “We are thankful for this City grant, which will allow us to continue to provide art enrichment and education activities to all ages in Morro Bay.”

The grant awards were selected by City Council in the fall, following a review by a community panel. 

City Manager, Scott Collins Updates as of Dec. 3

Police, Sergeant Promotion

Detective Will Marvos was promoted to Sergeant on Nov. 27. The sergeant vacancy was the result of Sergeant Mark Martin’s retirement from law enforcement. Will has over 15 years of consistent and credible law enforcement experience and will be a valuable addition to our supervisory team. Congratulations, Will!

Fire Chief Update 

We have completed the interview process for a vacant entry-level Firefighter position. We expect to be making a conditional job offer this week and hope to have the new recruit begin training in December upon completion of a background investigation. 

The seasonal firefighter program has ended for 2021 and will resume around May of 2022. I would like to thank Grant Frempter, Riley Boughton-Proano, and Forrest Ringer for their hard work and dedication this season. 

As another busy fire season comes to an end (hopefully), and I want to acknowledge the commitment by Fire Department staff to the state Mutual Aid system. Morro Bay Firefighters worked a combined 2,936 hours, committed to major wildfire incidents throughout the state, as well as crews covering at home during their absence. 

Offshore Wind Energy Power Generation Farm 

On Nov. 12, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued a press release announcing the designation of the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area (WEA) offshore the central California coast and beginning the environmental review for the Morro Bay WEA, including Section 106 review under the National Historic Preservation Act. BOEM will host two virtual public scoping meetings; one on Dec. 1, 2021, at 5 p.m., and one on Jan. 5, 2022, at 9 a.m. Additional information on those meetings can be found at the link boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/morro-bay-wind-energy-area 

BOEM also announced it is seeking public comments as part of its environmental review. As such, the agency initiated a 60-day public comment period, which will be open until Jan. 11, 2022. 

Public Works 

Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) Program Update 

The City is making progress on all components of the Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) project, with construction on the advanced treatment facility and the pipeline/conveyance system components of the project underway, advance study moving forward on the injection well system, and a recently secured Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) grant and low-interest loan funding. The City will experience increased costs on the overall project as a result of project modifications as well as unanticipated issues that delayed initial construction of the pipeline. These issues were discussed during the Fiscal Year 2021/2022 Budget discussions. At this time, it is projected that the total WRF budget will be approximately $145 million (with several million in contingency), compared to the original projected budget in 2018 of $126 million. These increases, however, will not impact water and sewer rates for Morro Bay customers. 

WRF Funding Update

The City received approvals for a loan amount of $61 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its Water Infrastructure Financing Innovation Act (WIFIA) low-interest loan program. The City also secured a CWSRF $61 million low-interest loan and a $5 million grant. Both loans were locked in with a near-historic low-interest rate of 0.9 percent or under, which will save the City and community over $1,000,000 annually in debt costs compared to a conventional loan. That allows the City to maintain water and sewer rates that are on par or lower than our neighboring communities. 

Solid Waste & Recycling 

Holiday Recycling Guides: The winter holiday season is upon us. It means gatherings with family and friends, decorations, gifts, and holiday food. At the end of those gatherings, gift-giving, and holiday eating, you may be wondering, “how do I dispose of my holiday tree?” or “is this wrapping paper recyclable?” Check out the San Luis Obispo Integrated Waste Management Authority’s recycling guide for holiday items at www.iwma.org/use/holiday to see if it should go in the recycling bin (blue), green waste bin (green), or the garbage bin (grey). In addition, check out Morro Bay Garbage’s website, www.sanluisgarbage.com/schedule, for information on how to properly dispose of trees after the holidays are over.  For more information on what goes in what bin, call the garbage company at (805)543-0875. 

Engineering 

City Engineer Retirement: Rob Livick will retire as the City Engineer at the end of this year on Dec. 30, 2021. He has served the City of Morro Bay for over 15 years in both the City Engineer and Public Works Director role. His accomplishments include the construction of the Morro Creek bridge and bike path, the Fire Station reconstruction project, the Morro Bay Boulevard/Quintana roundabout, and oversight of the WRF project. During his time with the City, Rob was a friend and colleague to many both internally at the City and in the community. He will be missed for his dedication to the City’s infrastructure, engineering expertise, and sense of humor. He plans to focus on studying music, performing music locally, and continuing his lifelong passion for cycling. 

City Administration & Events 

In January, the Winter Bird Festival flocks into town. We are thrilled to show off our beautiful estuary and our many feathered residents. Soon our surf competition season will start with a number of contests on the books. We are anxiously awaiting the World Surf League, a professional surf contest that puts our little town on a worldwide stage. 

To read the City Manager’s full report, visit morro-bay.ca.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5809