Smith elected PSD chairman

Smith elected PSD chairman
Geoff Hamill
Staff Writer

The Pocahontas Public Service District (PSD) unanimously elected Mark Smith chairman at its regular meeting, July 28 at the Durbin water works building.

Reorganization of officers, necessary due to former chairman Bill Rexrode’s departure, was the first order of business.

Newly appointed board member Amon Tracey became the swing vote to decide whether Smith or secretary Scott Millican would become chair.

Millican said he had acted as the de facto chairman for the last 18 months and asked Tracey for his support.

“I’ve taken some initiative to act as the chairman and run meetings for the past year and a half,” he said. “If you’ve been to the meetings, I’ve actually run them, acting as the chairman.”

Tracey said he thought it would be better to have a chairman from the Durbin area, to take care of business at the Durbin office in a timely manner.

Millican said there was no need to have a chairman from Durbin and asked Tracey to reconsider.

“I don’t think you have to be, logistically, within a ten-mile area from Durbin,” he said. “That being the case, would you consider me to be your chairman?”

Unconvinced, Tracey moved that Smith be appointed chairman. Smith seconded.

Before casting his vote, Millican reminded the board that the chairman is responsible for more than just running meetings.

“At previous meetings, I’ve asked to be the chairman, not because I wanted to be but because there was a need for somebody to take a leadership role,” he said. “If Mr. Smith is willing to do that, I will support him. I want to make that very clear. It’s a leadership role outside of these meetings, more than signing checks and making sure everything gets paid.”

Millican cast his vote for Smith, making it unanimous.

The board voted unanimously to retain Millican as secretary and to appoint PSD manager Rick Barkley as treasurer.

Proceeding to further agenda items, the board unanimously accepted a bid from Precision Pump, of Charleston, for replacement of a sewage pump at Tree Top Lodge at Snowshoe, at a cost of $24,902. The company will receive the parts in 8-10 weeks and the work can be completed in a single day, according to Barkley. The bid was the only one received for the project.

Five more sewage pumps at Snowshoe, known as lift stations, will need to be replaced on an ongoing basis, according to PSD manager Lloyd Coleman.

The board unanimously agreed to install a new gravity sewage line at Snowshoe between Westridge Road lots 77 and 78, which will connect to an existing six-inch lateral line. Under Public Service Commission rules, the PSD will be responsible for $1140 of the cost and Snowshoe will be responsible for the remainder.

Snowshoe had proposed relocation of a pump station and extension of a force main, which the PSD rejected in favor of the gravity line.

The PSD has not received a response from Snowshoe regarding a sewer line extension in the vicinity of Westridge Road lot 133. The PSD sent a letter to Snowshoe two weeks ago requesting input in the matter. The board tabled the issue until it receives a response.

The PSD voted unanimously to send a letter to Snowshoe, directing the resort to install water meters at six unmetered commercial locations. The six locations include three Snowshoe water utility buildings, two restaurants and a spa. The water meters are necessary for the PSD to determine sewage bills for the customers.

The PSD went into executive session to discuss legal matters with PSD attorney Tom Michael, but no action was taken with regard to those issues.

In other business, the PSD board:

— postponed action on a Letter of Understanding with the Region 4 Planning and Development Council, which disburses funds from various sources for PSD projects. The board will investigate whether an accounting firm could do the job for less money.

— discussed the rules regarding bills for empty lots. The PSD concluded that property developers need to coordinate early during a construction project to coordinate service start dates. The PSD agreed that anyone who has applied for service can be billed.

— voted unanimously to accept the financial statement, which reflected $12,869.23 in outlays and $10,011.88 in receipts for the water account and $53,657.04 in outlays and $105,173.28 in receipts for the sewage account.

The next regular PSD meeting is scheduled for August 25, 7 p.m. at the Linwood office.