Residents urged to attend water hearings

Residents urged to attend water hearings

The Monroe County Water Authority (MCWA), which was invited to put together a proposal for the takeover of the Hamlin/Kendall Water Authority, will be presenting information at upcoming meetings in the two towns.

"We were invited to come in and do a proposal for the towns," Ed Marianetti, executive director of the MCWA said. "We already supply the water to the towns wholesale and this would make the change to a 'retail' operation."

Hamlin is the only town in Monroe County that isn't under the MCWA umbrella.

While Marianetti said it doesn't matter to the MCWA whether Hamlin and Kendall make the switch, it could be mutually beneficial for both entities.

"It's their decision whether they make the switch," he said. "One advantage to the customer is if there is a break in the Hamlin/Kendall Water Authority, there are only about 2,200 customers to spread the cost of repairs over, with the MCWA we have more than 170,000 customers to absorb the costs."

Marianetti said the MCWA doesn't make a profit and will not benefit financially from a switch by the two towns.

"Our rates are low because we don't make a profit," he said.

If the MCWA agrees to take over the towns' water systems they would set aside funds to do improvements and could possibly add loops to dead ends that exist within the system.

"We don't put in new water lines," he said.

Eric Peters, superintendent of the Hamlin/Kendall Water Authority, said the decision to make the switch should be undertaken as would any business decision. "This is a business and someone should be doing research before making any decisions to switch to the MCWA," Peters said. "No one contacted our department for any facts or figures before they approached the MCWA."

Peters cautioned that if the switch is made, customers may not realize a savings in their water bills as the MCWA has a meter service charge. As an example, he said, an average home has a three-quarter meter and the MCWA charges a flat $10.80 fee before any water usage fees are added. The fire department and the schools typically have two-inch meters and those would carry with them a service charge of about $36 per 90-day quarter.

"Right now, the average homeowner uses 17,000 gallons of water per 90-day quarter and they pay $49.90. With the switch to MCWA they could pay $50.94. There really is no huge savings," he said.

Peters said if the switch were made, his department would be closed and at least two people would be without jobs. He said he was told there would likely be a position available for him.

"I don't understand the urgency for making this change now - there is an extraordinarily large turnover taking place on the boards right now," he said. "I just don't think it's a good idea for the towns and one of the main reasons is response time. If you are a customer waiting for someone to come and turn off a water main so the water stops pouring into your basement, every minute counts. We have had a 30-minute response time and we've heard that with the MCWA it is sometimes up to three hours."

Peters urged residents in the two towns to do research prior to the meetings and to attend them prepared to ask questions.

Incoming Hamlin Town Supervisor Dennis Roach agrees, saying he encourages the residents to attend the public information sessions and ask questions and relate their concerns to the officials present. "I know some people have concerns, particularly on response times from the county. I would encourage them, before the meeting, to contact friends and neighbors who are being serviced by MCWA and see what type service they are receiving," he said.

Roach said he has been included in the sessions with the water authority and the engineers.

Kendall's incoming supervisor, William Vick, said he has established a good rapport with Roach and other Hamlin officials who have kept him involved.

"The main concern right now is that because Hamlin is the last Monroe County town not with the MCWA and if they go, we will have to deal with the dissolution of our joint district," Vick said. "It will be a burden - too expensive - for Kendall to go it alone."

Vick said he didn't see any guarantees on water rates.

"Kendall needs a bit of protection in this proposal, our fate depends on the deal that Hamlin makes," he said. "There can't be a rush to judgment."

Because both towns have significant changes occurring in their boards, Vick said he doesn't think the present boards should commit the incoming boards to such a significant change.

The Town of Kendall will host its meeting with the MCWA on December 1 at 7 p.m. at the town hall; the Hamlin meeting will be December 6 at 7 p.m. at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, corner of Brick Schoolhouse Road and Lake Road West Fork.

Before any changes could occur in Orleans County, the MCWA would need to request a change in its charter. Vick said the Orleans County Legislature would need to become involved.

Editor's note: A previous headline on this topic was incorrect. The MCWA was approached by town officials.