The February 6, 2018 meeting of the Service Authority Board of Directors was highlighted by emotional comments from the public and Chris Werle, Chairman of the Board.
The meeting opened at 6:31pm with public comment from Kym Shymansky of Rosedale Drive. She said she was here with her family to comment on recent developments at their Rosedale Drive property. Shymansky said she had information from two different sources that a bathroom was used in the building as late as 2013, before they purchased the property. They hired a local contractor to excavate part of their property to follow the original copper pipe where they found the end of the pipe was cut just inches from the tap. She said Chris Thomas, General Manager, and another Service Authority employee came out and accused the owners of putting the pipe there. She said two videos of the encounter can be found on YouTube.
Shymansky said the Service Authority continues to accuse them that they, the owners, installed the pipe. She also referenced a letter from Howard Yarus where he states that he had knowledge of a working bathroom in the original building. She said that the previous owners, the King George County Board of Supervisors, were a paying customer. Shymansky said they should be entitled to the same water connection that was previously present. "Have you not put our family through enough already?" she asked. She offered one quick side-note that the connection would take just minutes to complete, then handed the Board a stack of photos from the excavation.
Next to speak was Deborah Shymansky, also of Rosedale Drive, and mother-in-law to Kym Shymansky. She said she and her husband are residents of the property being discussed. She said that her husband, seated behind her, has Stage 4 COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and the building was purchased in an effort to make his trips to the doctor easier. Shymansky said that maybe they were wrong in making the assumption that if a bathroom was present that running water was also present. She said the Board of Supervisors owned the building for nearly 50 years and they should have been aware of any issues with the property before selling it to her son and daughter-in-law. She said that after digging up the yard, they discovered that a connection was present in the past and they should be entitled to that same connection and shouldn't have to pay the roughly $15,000 impact fee because they only made a few renovations inside. In closing, she said they feel trapped until a connection is made and is asking for the Board's help in making that connection.
The Board of Directors then made their reports, starting with the newest member, Michael Bennett. He had a brief laugh at himself as he struggled to turn on the microphone. Bennett thanked Jeff Bueche for appointing him to the Board. He said he was a retired attorney and while he used to be a "weekender," he is now a full-time resident of Fairview Beach for the last ten years. He said his wife has had a home in King George for the last 30 years. Bennett is also the current President of the Fairview Beach Residents Association and a member of the King George YMCA Board. He said he has worked closely with many of the officials in the County in the past and looks forward to working with them in the future.
Bennett then gave his update from the the recent Town Hall hosted by Jeff Bueche on February 3, 2018. He said four hours is a long Town Hall but it shows the level of interest that residents have. He appreciated those that came out to attend the meeting and said his neighbors and friends were concerned about the debt as well as the water quality issues. Echoing some of what he said at the Town Hall, he said he sees the issue as complex and systemic and that a better job needs to be done at figuring out what is wrong. He said that some new pipe was laid in the recent upgrades but that there is still older pipe in the ground. Bennett said that even though he has a tank-less water heater and a new line from the meter to his house, he still experiences dirty water just like his neighbors. He closed by saying he wants to work with residents in collecting data to determine the source of the issue.
Richard Granger had no report.
Ruby Brabo began her report by mentioning the Town Hall and said nobody expected it to last as long as it did. She said she had a prior commitment and had to leave early but otherwise would have stayed for the duration. She hopes there are ways to tackle the problem. Brabo welcomed Bennett to the Board and is excited to see the Board transition to a customer-populated Board, taking the politics out of it. She closed by echoing her plea from the Town Hall for citizens to contact their local representatives, specifically Senator McDougle, Senator Stuart, and Delegate Ransone, to ask for their to support in the pending legislation allowing localities to increase their meals tax to 8%. She said the general feeling from the Board is that if the bill were to pass, the Board would support the additional income from the 4% raise to be directed to the Service Authority debt.
Cathy Binder reported that she was also present at the Town Hall and that it was great to listen to other residents voicing their concerns over their water issues.
Chris Werle then gave his report by stating he, Chris Thomas (General Manager), and Annie Cupka (King George County Grant Writer), toured the trailer park on January 25, 2018 in Fairview Beach. They toured the area with the Tri-County Soil and Water Conservation District to look at data for a potential DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) grant. Werle said that they participated in a conference call on January 29, regarding the potential 319 Grant (Section 319 NonPoint Source Pollution Management Grant). He said that unfortunately, because the trailer park was privately owned, the owner would need to pay half of the cost-share and at this time the owner was not willing or able to pay. Therefore they would no longer pursue the grant but he hopes to find other solutions. Werle also attended the Town Hall on February 3, where several Service Authority customers voiced concern over quality of water issues over the span of several years. He said determining the source has been elusive and that system upgrades have only slightly improved water quality. Werle said they do plan to increase the frequency of flushing in the system from twice a year to four times a year. He said they may be able to neutralize the iron and manganese in the water but that may in turn create a problem by increasing the phosphorus in the discharge. He cautioned that it needed to be carefully studied to ensure additional problems aren't created. He also said that the long-term goal was to replace the lines in all of Fairview Beach and that the aging infrastructure is an issue across the system as a whole. He said the Utilities Master Plan should help determine when and where to invest in replacements, repairs, and new infrastructure. Werle said grants may be available but realistically, it will require more money to be borrowed, which then leaves the question of if rates increase for just the customers or all residents as a whole.
Werle then addressed Kym and Deborah Shymansky and their comments by saying the Board has discussed the issue as a whole and he saw nothing new that would change their decision. Currently, he said, the decision rests with the Community Development Office. He said he was present on March 21, 2017 when the area was excavated and that no copper line was present.
This is where the meeting deviated from normal procedures. Typically public comment is a one-way communication path from the public to the Board of Directors. The Board comments are also typically one-way from the Board to the public. There is typically no two-way discussion between the two parties. This same policy is in place for meetings of the School Board and Board of Supervisors.
Werle's comment about the prior excavation showing no pipe prompted the Shymansky family to speak up from their seats that the line was present. Werle tried to intervene by saying "you need to stop" but the family continued to speak up and said the pipe was there before them. Werle and the family continued to argue back and forth for a few minutes with the exchanges overlapping each other and voices being raised. At one point Werle stated that "someone put the pipe there" upsetting the family further and causing them to question how that was possible when the line went under the foundation of the house. They said neither they nor their neighbors saw any excavation take place. Despite the palpable tension in the room, the raised voices on both sides, and a few colorful adjectives thrown into the argument, the Sheriff's Deputy present in the Board Room never felt the need to interject himself into the discussion.
Werle eventually stopped speaking to the family and asked for a motion to approve the Consent Agenda, which was passed. The Shymansky family was still expressing their anger as they left the Board Room. During their departure, the County Attorney said he had no report.
With the tension in the room dissipating, the next item was an update on the Canterbury Estates water system. Chris Thomas read through an extensive list of repairs, replacements, and improvements that have been completed since July 2017 as well as a list of things planned for the future. The list Thomas read was nearly identical to the list Werle posted to his Facebook page on January 27, 2018. He finished by stating that he had a high confidence level that when everything was done, all the issues would be resolved. Thomas also said that while the amount of repairs being completed seems like a lot but the cost should not be too bad and gave a rough guess of about $20,000 just for parts. Brabo asked about overtime and who was making the repairs and Thomas said that some overtime was being accumulated but most of the repairs were being made during normal business hours by Service Authority employees and a few repairs were made by third-party contractors.
Chris Thomas then went into his General Manager's report by commenting on the emergency repair of the Dahlgren Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) equalization basin liner that he brought to the Board in August 2017. He said there was discussion at the time to not use stone unless needed and that it turned out it was needed so the final cost would be larger than expected but it would still be less than the original bid. He said he would have the final cost at the next Board meeting.
Werle then set the first budget work session for February 27, 2018 at 6:30pm with a location to be determined but most likely it would be held at Company 1.
There was no Closed Session and the meeting adjourned at 7:11pm.
Meeting Attendees:
Christopher Werle (Chairman, Board of Directors)
Christopher Thomas (General Manager of Service Authority)
Michael Bennett (Citizen)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Service Authority will next meet on February 20, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Service Authority Meeting.
The meeting opened at 6:31pm with public comment from Kym Shymansky of Rosedale Drive. She said she was here with her family to comment on recent developments at their Rosedale Drive property. Shymansky said she had information from two different sources that a bathroom was used in the building as late as 2013, before they purchased the property. They hired a local contractor to excavate part of their property to follow the original copper pipe where they found the end of the pipe was cut just inches from the tap. She said Chris Thomas, General Manager, and another Service Authority employee came out and accused the owners of putting the pipe there. She said two videos of the encounter can be found on YouTube.
Shymansky said the Service Authority continues to accuse them that they, the owners, installed the pipe. She also referenced a letter from Howard Yarus where he states that he had knowledge of a working bathroom in the original building. She said that the previous owners, the King George County Board of Supervisors, were a paying customer. Shymansky said they should be entitled to the same water connection that was previously present. "Have you not put our family through enough already?" she asked. She offered one quick side-note that the connection would take just minutes to complete, then handed the Board a stack of photos from the excavation.
Next to speak was Deborah Shymansky, also of Rosedale Drive, and mother-in-law to Kym Shymansky. She said she and her husband are residents of the property being discussed. She said that her husband, seated behind her, has Stage 4 COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and the building was purchased in an effort to make his trips to the doctor easier. Shymansky said that maybe they were wrong in making the assumption that if a bathroom was present that running water was also present. She said the Board of Supervisors owned the building for nearly 50 years and they should have been aware of any issues with the property before selling it to her son and daughter-in-law. She said that after digging up the yard, they discovered that a connection was present in the past and they should be entitled to that same connection and shouldn't have to pay the roughly $15,000 impact fee because they only made a few renovations inside. In closing, she said they feel trapped until a connection is made and is asking for the Board's help in making that connection.
The Board of Directors then made their reports, starting with the newest member, Michael Bennett. He had a brief laugh at himself as he struggled to turn on the microphone. Bennett thanked Jeff Bueche for appointing him to the Board. He said he was a retired attorney and while he used to be a "weekender," he is now a full-time resident of Fairview Beach for the last ten years. He said his wife has had a home in King George for the last 30 years. Bennett is also the current President of the Fairview Beach Residents Association and a member of the King George YMCA Board. He said he has worked closely with many of the officials in the County in the past and looks forward to working with them in the future.
Bennett then gave his update from the the recent Town Hall hosted by Jeff Bueche on February 3, 2018. He said four hours is a long Town Hall but it shows the level of interest that residents have. He appreciated those that came out to attend the meeting and said his neighbors and friends were concerned about the debt as well as the water quality issues. Echoing some of what he said at the Town Hall, he said he sees the issue as complex and systemic and that a better job needs to be done at figuring out what is wrong. He said that some new pipe was laid in the recent upgrades but that there is still older pipe in the ground. Bennett said that even though he has a tank-less water heater and a new line from the meter to his house, he still experiences dirty water just like his neighbors. He closed by saying he wants to work with residents in collecting data to determine the source of the issue.
Richard Granger had no report.
Ruby Brabo began her report by mentioning the Town Hall and said nobody expected it to last as long as it did. She said she had a prior commitment and had to leave early but otherwise would have stayed for the duration. She hopes there are ways to tackle the problem. Brabo welcomed Bennett to the Board and is excited to see the Board transition to a customer-populated Board, taking the politics out of it. She closed by echoing her plea from the Town Hall for citizens to contact their local representatives, specifically Senator McDougle, Senator Stuart, and Delegate Ransone, to ask for their to support in the pending legislation allowing localities to increase their meals tax to 8%. She said the general feeling from the Board is that if the bill were to pass, the Board would support the additional income from the 4% raise to be directed to the Service Authority debt.
Cathy Binder reported that she was also present at the Town Hall and that it was great to listen to other residents voicing their concerns over their water issues.
Chris Werle then gave his report by stating he, Chris Thomas (General Manager), and Annie Cupka (King George County Grant Writer), toured the trailer park on January 25, 2018 in Fairview Beach. They toured the area with the Tri-County Soil and Water Conservation District to look at data for a potential DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) grant. Werle said that they participated in a conference call on January 29, regarding the potential 319 Grant (Section 319 NonPoint Source Pollution Management Grant). He said that unfortunately, because the trailer park was privately owned, the owner would need to pay half of the cost-share and at this time the owner was not willing or able to pay. Therefore they would no longer pursue the grant but he hopes to find other solutions. Werle also attended the Town Hall on February 3, where several Service Authority customers voiced concern over quality of water issues over the span of several years. He said determining the source has been elusive and that system upgrades have only slightly improved water quality. Werle said they do plan to increase the frequency of flushing in the system from twice a year to four times a year. He said they may be able to neutralize the iron and manganese in the water but that may in turn create a problem by increasing the phosphorus in the discharge. He cautioned that it needed to be carefully studied to ensure additional problems aren't created. He also said that the long-term goal was to replace the lines in all of Fairview Beach and that the aging infrastructure is an issue across the system as a whole. He said the Utilities Master Plan should help determine when and where to invest in replacements, repairs, and new infrastructure. Werle said grants may be available but realistically, it will require more money to be borrowed, which then leaves the question of if rates increase for just the customers or all residents as a whole.
Werle then addressed Kym and Deborah Shymansky and their comments by saying the Board has discussed the issue as a whole and he saw nothing new that would change their decision. Currently, he said, the decision rests with the Community Development Office. He said he was present on March 21, 2017 when the area was excavated and that no copper line was present.
This is where the meeting deviated from normal procedures. Typically public comment is a one-way communication path from the public to the Board of Directors. The Board comments are also typically one-way from the Board to the public. There is typically no two-way discussion between the two parties. This same policy is in place for meetings of the School Board and Board of Supervisors.
Werle's comment about the prior excavation showing no pipe prompted the Shymansky family to speak up from their seats that the line was present. Werle tried to intervene by saying "you need to stop" but the family continued to speak up and said the pipe was there before them. Werle and the family continued to argue back and forth for a few minutes with the exchanges overlapping each other and voices being raised. At one point Werle stated that "someone put the pipe there" upsetting the family further and causing them to question how that was possible when the line went under the foundation of the house. They said neither they nor their neighbors saw any excavation take place. Despite the palpable tension in the room, the raised voices on both sides, and a few colorful adjectives thrown into the argument, the Sheriff's Deputy present in the Board Room never felt the need to interject himself into the discussion.
Werle eventually stopped speaking to the family and asked for a motion to approve the Consent Agenda, which was passed. The Shymansky family was still expressing their anger as they left the Board Room. During their departure, the County Attorney said he had no report.
With the tension in the room dissipating, the next item was an update on the Canterbury Estates water system. Chris Thomas read through an extensive list of repairs, replacements, and improvements that have been completed since July 2017 as well as a list of things planned for the future. The list Thomas read was nearly identical to the list Werle posted to his Facebook page on January 27, 2018. He finished by stating that he had a high confidence level that when everything was done, all the issues would be resolved. Thomas also said that while the amount of repairs being completed seems like a lot but the cost should not be too bad and gave a rough guess of about $20,000 just for parts. Brabo asked about overtime and who was making the repairs and Thomas said that some overtime was being accumulated but most of the repairs were being made during normal business hours by Service Authority employees and a few repairs were made by third-party contractors.
Chris Thomas then went into his General Manager's report by commenting on the emergency repair of the Dahlgren Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) equalization basin liner that he brought to the Board in August 2017. He said there was discussion at the time to not use stone unless needed and that it turned out it was needed so the final cost would be larger than expected but it would still be less than the original bid. He said he would have the final cost at the next Board meeting.
Werle then set the first budget work session for February 27, 2018 at 6:30pm with a location to be determined but most likely it would be held at Company 1.
There was no Closed Session and the meeting adjourned at 7:11pm.
Meeting Attendees:
Christopher Werle (Chairman, Board of Directors)
Christopher Thomas (General Manager of Service Authority)
Michael Bennett (Citizen)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Service Authority will next meet on February 20, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Service Authority Meeting.
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