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GOP Mayor
Hal Morris |
Beachwood Water Problems - Part Two
Democratic Candidates Put Telephone Hotline Ad In The OC Observer
Asking Residents To Call And Tell Them About Dirty Water Problems: “We
Received More Than 300 Responses”, Says Mayoral Candidate Tom
Shiffermiller
Republican Mayor Morris Cancels October Council Meeting That Was
Scheduled For Months; Blames “Absences”
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Democratic
Mayoral
Candidate Tom
Schiffermiller |
Democrats Cry Foul; They Say Morris And The GOP “Can’t Take The Heat”
From Residents’ Complaints About Dirty Water, So Morris “Simply
Chickened Out And Cancelled The Meeting”
Democratic Candidates Offer Program To Get Drinking Water Cleaned Up
Temporarily Until New Filtration System, Delayed Two Years By
Bureaucratic Bungling, Is Finally Completed
Beachwood:
Beachwood Democrats say dirty water problems, perpetuated by bungling
by the Republican administration, can be fixed immediately on a
temporary basis by cleaning the old filtration system while the water
is filtered by portable equipment.
They say
the borough can rent portable filtration equipment at a cost of $1500
a week for two weeks, and use the 14 day period to break down the
antiquated equipment, clean it and replace the filter materials for
another $2000 so the old system can go back on line for the six months
until the new equipment is installed.
Democratic mayoral candidate Tom Shiffermiller noted current dirty
water problems “are the result of bungling and lack of attention over
a period of many years by the Republican administration” and he
offered the following review:
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The old filtration system, now 25 years old, should have been replaced
years ago. It has never been maintained properly, never been cleaned
often enough. It should be cleaned thoroughly every six months, but
nobody can produce any evidence that the system has been thoroughly
cleaned since 1990. Until recently, Mayor Morris continued to deny
there even was a significant problem, Shiffermiller said.
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The 60 year old water treatment facility building was never properly
maintained by the Republican administration, so when Ultra Contractors
was hired to begin installation of the new filtration equipment, it
should have been no surprise that the building needed major
maintenance. These repairs are still not completed, so a lot of
taxpayers money has been wasted, and no real progress has been made,
Shiffermiller said.
In the
wake of the dirty water complaints, Mayor Morris cancelled the October
public meeting of the Mayor and Council, scheduled for Wednesday
October 16th, citing likely “absences” of several members of the
Council.
Democrats, however, say Morris “chickened out” when it became apparent
that more complaints would be made at the Council meeting, three weeks
before the November election.
“They
just didn’t want to listen to a ration of complaining about dirty
water a couple of weeks before the election”, Shiffermiller said.
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Councilman
Jerry LaCrosse |
Councilman Jerry LaCrosse, a Republican and liaison to the water
utility, acknowledged a “major role in furthering the delay” because
he insisted on addressing “every conceivable problem area” with the
old building “before I felt confident enough to continue with the
project.
LaCrosse
said $59.000 of the $84,000 contract increase was for “new types of
helical caisson footings” to compensate for differences in soil
bearing capacities, not because of the project delay.
LaCrosse
said it was the borough’s engineer who insisted on adequate
renovations to the old building, and suggested “a possible payoff” in
the Democrat plan because the filter rental company “employs the next
door neighbor” of one of the Democratic candidates.
Click Here For
Beachwood: Part I |
