PSD: 'We're not quitting'

Wednesday April 29, 2009
PSD: 'We're not quitting'
Geoff Hamill
Staff Writer

The Pocahontas County Public Service District (PSD) board is staying on the job, despite a county commission request that all three members resign.

The Pocahontas County Commission asked the board to resign in a letter dated April 21.

On the same day, the PSD held a special meeting to discuss the matter, but none of the board members plan to resign.

Commissioners Martin Saffer and David Fleming oppose the PSD’s plan to build a sewage treatment plant on Snowshoe Drive, a high-tech, half-million gallon (average daily flow) facility that is expected to cost around $25 million.

Saffer and Fleming said they oppose the plant because of its high cost and prefer plans proposed by George Phillips, of Eight Rivers Safe Development, Inc. (Eight Rivers).

Eight Rivers is a conservation group formed to protect cave and karst landscapes.

In June, 2008, Eight Rivers submitted an amicus curae brief to the Public Service Commission in litigation to stop the transfer of Snowshoe’s plants to the PSD.

Eight Rivers proposed a single plant at Silver Creek to handle all of Snowshoe’s sewage along with decentralized “cluster” systems in the valley. Eight Rivers also proposed a separate public service district for Snowshoe.

Ken Moran, Thrasher Engineering’s lead engineer for the PSD project, reviewed Eight Rivers’ proposal and published his findings in a July 2008 memorandum. Moran disputed many of Eight Rivers’ conclusions and accused the conservation group of using “fuzzy math” in its analysis.

Eight Rivers responded with an 18-page rebuttal.

Fleming and Saffer support Eight Rivers’ plans, including a separate public service district for Snowshoe.

In June 2007, Saffer invited the PSD board to explain their views on Phillips’ plan to the county commission, but the PSD declined.

Saffer wrote on his website in December 2008, that Eight Rivers’ proposal to the PSC represented “clear thinking on the Snowshoe sewage matter.”

“This alternative would eliminate the need for a new and expensive pipeline off the mountain (1500 foot elevation drop) to a regional plant located at Site #7,” he wrote. “This also would reduce spill potential and reduce pipeline maintenance expense.”

Saffer claims the PSD board has deferred to Thrasher Engineering far too much during the planning process.

PSD secretary Scott Millican refutes that claim and said the two commissioners put too much stock in Phillips.

“There have been many times when I questioned the work by the engineers on this project,” he said. The commissioners have given absolutely too much deference to Mr. Phillips and Eight Rivers.”

Saffer and Fleming want to replace the current PSD board with one that will be more receptive to their wishes, but board members are appointed for six years and can be removed, only for cause, by petition to the circuit court.

Only Bill Rexrode’s term will expire soon – in June. Presumably, if a new board member opposed the Snowshoe Drive plant, the single vote would be insufficient to halt the project.

During the campaign for his commission seat, Fleming initiated an unsuccessful petition drive to remove the board members.

The commission now has failed to convince the board members to resign.

Commissioner Reta Griffith opposes the effort to stop the Snowshoe Drive project and voted against sending the resignation request. Griffith said the PSD had found an adequate solution to a difficult problem and that separate public service districts would be “redundant.”