>> CITY OF MILLEDGEVILLE
Several local business owners have formed a coalition aimed at working with the city of Milledgeville to make improvements to the water distribution system, and the group was represented at a work session of the mayor and city council this past Tuesday evening.
The city’s water system in the past two weeks experienced severe problems that led to water restrictions, outages and business and school closings, prompting about a dozen businesses to form a coalition named ‘Fix Our Water Now.’ The group said in a press release this past Monday, and restaurant owner Frank Pendergast reiterated Tuesday night, the 12 businessmen represented $20 million in revenue and 500 jobs locally.
Pendergast was the first of four representatives of the group to speak Tuesday evening, with strict enforcement of a two-minute limit each.
“All of us need clean, dependable water to operate,” he told council members. “We are here deeply concerned about the recurring issues in our water system, but we are also hopeful for this opportunity to work together.
“We do come here frustrated, but we are very excited about the prospects of getting the issues facing our water system fully resolved once and for all,”
All of us need clean dependable water to operate. We are here deeply concerned about the recurring issues in our water system, but we are also hopeful for this opportunity to work together. – Frank Pendergast
Pendergast continued. “We know it’s going to take all of us here in this room to get that done. We want you to know we’re here to leverage our combined knowledge, experience and skills wherever we can to help you find the right solutions for our community.”
Fellow restaurant owner Kyle Cullars attempted to make his points in his allotted time.
“I appeal to each of you personally this evening to fix an elephant of a problem in this room that we desperately need to fix for the common good of one another and all the people we serve together in Milledgeville,” he said. “The problem is the ongoing issue of our unreliable water service in the city.”
Cullars is also in the real estate business with his sister and told the mayor and council that a prospective client with whom they had been working to bring to Milledgeville had decided to relocate elsewhere.
“He has decided against moving his family here after all, citing our ongoing water issues as one (of) the primary reasons,” he said.
Cullars was not allowed, due to the two-minute time limit, to finish his prepared statement. He had planned to reference prior attempts to resolve the problems.
“I know it can’t be done overnight,” he was prepared to say at the meeting. “We didn’t get here overnight. In fact, Mayor Grant, 20 years or so ago, led an effort to address the very problem we still face now by putting together then a multi-year plan for fixing the water service infrastructure of our city. And yet, very little has been done since then. Why?”
Pendergast, Byron Wellman and Robert Binion all referred to a resolution prepared and submitted by city council member Walter Reynolds to address the water problem issues with long-range planning and actions.
Wellman mentioned how much the water crisis had affected local businesses and the economy and said Reynolds’ resolution needed to be adopted.
“We’re asking you to please take tonight, support the resolutions that are coming up to help us identify the full scope of the problems, and we can get the issues resolved here in the city of Milledgeville.”
Binion expressed his appreciation to Reynolds, said the problem is severe, and urged council to adopt the measure.
“It’s the first step to a problem that we know is long-term; it’s not an easy fix, and we understand that.
“It’s something that needs to be looked at,” Binion continued. “I know it’s not a short-term fix, but I hope we’re looking for solutions now to fix a longterm problem.”
Mayor Mary Parham-Copelan expressed appreciation to all who attended the work session and for the opinions voiced.
“Thank you for coming to voice your opinion,” she said. “This is what makes the government work. The council working for the community and the community working with council.”
The mayor also said a May 18 meeting was still planned, and concerned citizens would have the opportunity to attend and be heard.
Parham-Copelan acknowledged Reynolds’ resolution but said it was not on the table that night.
“As far as the resolution that Mr. Reynolds put on the table, mayor and council are still looking over that,” she said, “and we will not be considering it tonight. But we are still looking over it.”
Reynolds requested that his resolution be placed on a work session agenda for next Tuesday, and there was considerable discussion as to when the proposal could be considered. Council member Denese Shinholster suggested that, since the resolution contained a directive for city manager Hank Griffeth to perform some duty, the matter could be discussed in a closed personnel session.
“Anytime the city manager gets a directive, this is something that has to come from council. So this is something that can be discussed in closed session,” Shinholster said.
Reynolds requested that the city attorney give an opinion on that interpretation of a personnel matter, and, following additional discussion, it was ultimately decided that the resolution would be on the agenda of the May 23 meeting.