LOS OSOS, Calif- After decades of saying "not in my backyard," neighbors in Los Osos are raising the white flag of surrender on a new sewer system. "It's about time, my parents built a house here in 1977 and it was starting to go on then," said Cheri Nicklaus, a community member.
An attitude much different than just a couple years ago, when angry Los Osos neighbors pushed one appeal after another against a sewer project. Now that construction has begun, many people are changing their tune. "Money will come into the area it will make it more desirable, its coastal front property," said Nicklaus.
It's the cost to fund the project that is keeping taxpayers from supporting the 170 million dollar project. Homeowners and business owners will pay about 140-bucks a month to help. "It's going to make it so people won't be able to live here and its already happening in this county that people can't afford to live here," said Phyllis Cutburth, a community member.
The county said homes in Los Osos currently use septic systems that are polluting the bay, something even people who don't want to make the switch agree needs to be fixed. "I don't like it, I want to see the bay stay healthy," said Cutburth.
In the end, much of the community knows this will help it grow and this is a road that will take them there. "We did pretty well at one time with just the septic tanks, but I think its time to move on if we want the community to grow these things need to be done," said Larry Gacad. The waste water treatment plant is expected to be completed by late 2015.
