With just days left before the contractor’s deadline, Super Prez received a summons from the CFE supervisor. He didn’t seem too worried about it, but I was a nervous wreck. I was just imagining that there would be some further delay or issue that would cause the entire thing to be canceled.
When the supervisor and his posse did show up, it wasn’t nearly so dramatic, although some things needed clarified. Our original grant included 40 casas + 3 lots which would have muretes installed. The bajada (line connection), meter, and CFE contract were included. Not surprisingly, we’d exceeded that number. So, the meeting was to clarify that only 43 properties would have electricity installation. The additional 22 muretes that we were still scrambling to install, would not be included in this grant but could be added on. Super Prez said that they would be able to get their CFE contract at no cost with a letter from the association. Okie dokie!
We also asked about the houses that were just past the line CFE installed. The supervisor explained the procedure for requesting another grant and said it would take about 15 months for approval. He also said there was a way to apply for a small project, and he could fast-track it, and it could be done in 28 days. CFE would pay 70%, and we would pay 30%. My thoughts were we could do the fast-track mini-project at our cost and then apply for the remaining sections of La Yacata through the grant process so that these homes with people actually living in them could have electricity by the end of the year.
We also tried to get a firm end date for the current project by promising birria (goat). The supervisor wasn’t willing to give a day, but he did say that he would be back on Tuesday to install the meters and might have a better idea of the timeline. The holdup was that the main connection at the intersection would need to be a “live” connection, and that would require three different crews.
He left his work crew in La Yacata and zoomed off. FINALLY, they arrived on our street. Our house and my son’s, sister-in-law’s, and father-in-law’s houses were given the “bajada” (line connection) and meters were installed.
My son said he didn’t want to get too excited because there was STILL no electricity, and it was like a mirage. Just when you thought you’d reach the oasis, there it was, still in the distance.
Tuesday came around, and the supervisor said he would be there at 10 am. Well, that came and went. Then he said he would be there by noon. Super Prez had an appointment in Morelia and couldn’t stick around, so that left lil’ol’ me. Half past noon, the supervisor arrived. I waddled my butt down to the first street with all the solicitudes for the 43 connections, and we were off.
The first road had four houses and a murete on a lot. The supervisor would take a picture of the meter and write down the numbers on the solicitud that corresponded to the location. Then, we would move on to the next one.
I did my best to entertain the guy by sharing tidbits about the owners and various animals we encountered on our trek. These stallions weren’t friendly, and it was best to walk far from them, but this stray dog was nice and just wanted some attention. This was the first house built in La Yacata, and the owner had waited almost 30 years to finish it. This house wasn’t well constructed and likely to collapse at any minute. These people have pigs right next to their bedroom and watch where you step. Yuck! This woman had tried several times to live out here but found it too difficult to do so with her kids and was renting. She was so excited to be getting electricity. Those two houses were just outside the line, and those two over there were owned by widows who were desperate to stop renting in town. Watch out for the next house; a furious chihuahua guards it. And so on and so forth…
One murete had not been installed and still lay forlornly on the ground. I confirmed that without that one, there were 42 solicitudes, and I wasn’t sure when the murete hadn’t been set. The supervisor called the contractor and asked if all 43 meters had been installed. The contractor said yes until the supervisor asked specifically about the murete that hadn’t been installed, and the contractor had to backtrack and say, well, yes, there was one that hadn’t been done. The location of the meter was confirmed (in the contractor’s possession), and arrangements were made to get it done.
It was a HOT two hours trudging around. My head hurt something fierce when we were done. The supervisor said that he’d be in contact on Friday to confirm the connection date and so we could schedule the convivio (community gathering).
The next day, the contractor’s crew was out with the truck that had the winch. They came down to ask exactly where the murete was to be installed, and I trekked up the hill with them. There were several holes on the lot. It appeared the rocky soil made digging to the required depth difficult, and there were multiple excavations. I called and sent messages to Super Prez to see if he could shed some light on which hole was to be used. He didn’t answer–out of the area, I suspected. So I waved my hand generally to the pit closest to the main road and pronounced it good. That’s where the post was planted.
The contractor’s crew then became scarce, although we had 15 more muretes to set. Super Prez was informed that these could be installed without cost, but another set of requirements would need to be met.
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Read about how it all began in La Yacata Revolution–now available on Amazon!
Surviving Mexico 