This week I had planned to write about the information coming out of the Kerr Lake Regional Water Meeting which met Monday morning at 9:30.
Unfortunately, it was the same old story. Not much cooking on that grill.
First, not a single member represented Henderson. I could not even be sure that a quorum was present to have the meeting. We have three positions on this committee as well as Henderson Mayor Pete O’Geary (who was in attendance) as an ex-officio member.
As a result, the engineers reporting were reporting only to staff. Also, there were no elected officials from Oxford or Warrenton. The partners are not living up to their responsibilities in overseeing the vital asset of our water or in asking the tough questions and demanding answers. Oh, how I long for the days when Mr. Kieslow did the grilling.
Chlorine residue is still over the limit in Oxford’s reading. A big study is proposed to look into this while the water continues not to meet standards. Think about this. They are buying water that does not meet standards. How long would you put up with this? It seems to me that the cost for the study should be going to the cost of the fix. Surely other systems know of a solution to this problem. Grill them. Don’t invent a new burner.
Warrenton has a leak that is spewing money (read: treated water) onto the ground. The remedy could not be determined, as the parts to fix a 6-inch valve are on order with the delivery date yet to be determined. There may be plans to go move some dirt around so the marshy wet swamp that is growing from very expensive water leaking might be contained a little more. It does seem illogical in this age of speedy deliveries that the part cannot be overnighted from somewhere in the world. If the part is so unusual, then there should have been one in inventory. Someone needs to light a fire on this grill.
Finally, the overcharge to Oxford for their water has not been cleared up. The correspondence concerning this snafu is still “being looked at.” This smoke smells bad. I asked for the documentation on March 11, 2010, March 30, 2010, and again on May 11, 2010, and corrections are still being made. One snafu follows another. If they are waiting for the fire to go out so there will be no more questions, they need to remember that the public holds the lighter fluid.
Finally, Oxford wanted to know how the water negotiations were going with Vance County. Assistant City Manager Frank Frazier sent that question to the Mayor, who responded: “They are going well. The discussions are good and we should know something soon, because they are good negotiations. Everyone is very agreeable.”
O’Geary’s answer did not emit even a spark of information. Oxford was interested because they want a better deal when they ask to buy more water from Henderson, and they expect it since they are a partner in the water system. They are not going to be grilling on the back burner while Vance County gets pushed to the front.
Of course, there is the proposed five percent increase in costs for regional water. From this Henderson assures the partners that they are putting aside over $300,000 for capital expenses. Got to keep an eye on these flames. Flames like this can get out of control and burn the whole meal.
Nothing in that meeting inspired confidence. Elected officials were not present. If they had been there, maybe more accountability would have been requested. If you were buying water that did not meet state standards, or if you were being charged for water that was leaking into the ground instead of getting to paying customers, or if you could not get billing corrected in 90 days or more, there would be some serious discussion about lighting some fires to put some heat onto some backsides.
Without the voting members present, what could be accomplished? Employees asked employees questions, and the answers were ambivalent and weak and without even the dull red glow of a dying charcoal ember.
A little grilling under a steady flame was badly needed. As it is, the pilot light is off.
We need a Water Authority.