San Simeon CSD versus Hearst, the games begin
May 2, 2021
OPINION by HENRY KRZCIUK
San Simeon Community Services District General Manager Charles Grace and district legal counsel Jeff Minnery, with coaching from Chair Gwen Kellas, a prominent business owner in San Simeon and an unknown developer, are formally challenging Hearst’s ownership of the land they have been encroaching upon. This after years of the district concealing the encroachment.
As the saying goes, the best defense is an offense.
This is a match to watch. The scorecard will be kept in large legal fees. Hearst is presently ahead $54,000 to zero.
Come to think of it, Hearst cannot lose. San Simeon agreed to pay all of Hearst’s legal costs to fight the district. What a fun game for our disadvantaged community.
Posturing aside, San Simeon CSD pays Hearst family for encroachment
April 27, 2021
By KAREN VELIE
After posturing for more than a month, San Simeon Community Services District called for a special meeting on April 22 to approve a more than $17,000 payment it promised to pay the Hearst Corporation for allegedly encroaching on conservation easement land.
San Simeon CSD directors voted unanimously last October to approve an agreement with the owners of the Hearst Ranch, which allows a portion of the district’s water treatment plant to remain temporarily on the ranch, and to pay Hearst for a survey and legal work. A few months earlier, the survey determined the district built 560 square feet of a reverse osmosis facility on the Hearst Ranch Conservation Easement.
Natalie Dean Hawkins has been tapped to lead Moore County Partners in Progress, the countyâs economic development arm. She will succeed outgoing executive director Pat Corso who is stepping down in May.
Hawkins has served as the assistant village manager of Pinehurst since 2005. In that role she oversaw development of the villageâs 2019 comprehensive long range plan, oversaw preparation of the annual strategic operating plan which includes a five-year financial forecast and capital improvement plan, coordinated the villageâs 2020 library needs assessment, and served as the downtown manager, and directed external communications and marketing.
âIf you look at Natalie and what she has accomplished. She also stood out for her versatility and enthusiasm in her interview and her recommendations on things going forward,â said John May, chairman of the Partners in Progress board.
Pat Corso, Moore Countyâs lead economic development officer and executive director of Partners in Progress (PIP) since 2011, announced plans Tuesday to retire this spring.
PIP is a two-person operation with a big mission. Its purpose is to increase economic prosperity and improve the quality of life for area residents through the creation of quality jobs and capital investment in our communities.
Corso announced his pending retirement this May during a virtual meeting of the PIP board of directors on Tuesday morning.
âWe very much appreciate the effort youâve put in over the time youâve been involved,â said PIPâs board chairman, John May. âThe level of enthusiasm, the energy you brought, I donât know if anyone could have expected the (outcomes) to be as dramatic as they have been.â