Lynwood Lewis

 PARKSLEY --A budget forecast from the Public Works Department became the touchstone for yet another extended discussion about water and sewer service options at the Aug. 22 Accomack County Board of Supervisors meeting.

The topic will be explored further at a forum planned for Sept. 9 at the Shore Financial Services headquarters in Onley and sponsored by Delegate Lynwood Lewis. That event, cosponsored by the Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission, will feature representatives from several government agencies with expertise in water and sewer service.

Accomack County Administ-rator Steve Miner announced the forum, adding that figures comparing user costs for various options including public-private partnership, operating an independent county-run system or using the town of Onancock's excess capacity would not be ready for several months.

The board asked Miner to confer with Lewis about setting aside time at the Sept. 9 event for Accomack stakeholders to speak about various opinions for providing sewer and water service.

Public Works Director Stewart Hall Wednesday presented a biennial budget forecast for the county's current and projected water and sewer services that requires $80,000 in subsidies from the county's general fund in 2010 and $134,000 in 2011.

The county recently accepted the transfer of the central Accomack water and sewer service from the Accomack County Economic Develop-ment Authority.

Supervisor Wanda Thornton objected to the increase from $5,000 to $50,000 a year for professional services, saying the increase is not needed for 2010.

The budget forecast also adds a full-time position at a salary of $65,000 for a utility manager next year.

In addition, maintenance needs of the system are not yet fully known as there has been no recent inventory of assets, Hall said. But what is known is that the water tower needs painting, at an estimated cost of $75,000, Board Chairman Steve Mallette said.

Supervisor Donald Hart recommended the county look into recouping some of that money by leasing space on the tower for antennas for cellular telephone service and the like.

The lengthy discussion then became diverted to the pros and cons of forming a public service authority versus other means of providing municipal water and sewer service, including using a private provider or having the county continue to operate and perhaps expand its service.

Supervisor Wanda Thornton said Mallette has been "going around to different individual entities and trying to convince them about a PSA."

Thornton spoke in favor of forging a deal with Onancock to use excess capacity of its new sewer treatment plant.

But others disagreed, including Hart, who said the county should develop its own land application system using land at the Industrial Park. "Just go and tell Onancock do your own thing," he said, adding that his option would allow expansion south of the Industrial Park.

But Supervisor Phil McCaleb advocated creating a public service authority, saying, "We have been studying and have had recommended to us a PSA, where those two figures (for subsidies from the county's general fund for 2010 and 2011) would be zero. Before we do anything here we ought to make up our mind what are we going to leave for our grandchildren?" -- adding that the options were having the county provide "a consistent subsidy" to its water and sewer operations each year or the possibility of having a "self-sustaining" and possibly profitable PSA.

Mallette said the proposed budgets account only for maintaining the status quo and not for outreach to prospective businesses wishing to locate in the county.

As an example, he said, the Eastern Shore Seafood Market to be located in Melfa near the farmers market has approached the county about extending water service there.

Without an adequate entity or mechanism in place to oversee such opportunities, he said, "That's one big thing we might be missing."

Hall cited another possible expansion of services, saying a citizens' group at Captain's Cove recently approached the county about partnering to enable more connections in that development.

The board later approved increasing the water and sewer rates for county customers to reflect the town of Onancock's recently announced sewer service rate increase and rates set by NASA Wallops Flight Facility which affect Wallops Research Park. By unanimous vote, the central Accomack sewer service rate was set at $24.02 per 1,000 gallons and the Wallops Research Park sewer service rate was set at $13.61 per 1,000 and its water rate was set at $13.54 per 1,000 gallons.