SOUTHWICK – The Water Commission found last night that the Southwick Recreation Center is not responsible for any part of a $70,000 water bill at Whalley Park.
The SRC was asked to attend the meeting to discuss the bill and the organization’s connection to the town water at Whalley Park.
In April, a connection to the water was discovered and SRC President Kirk Sanders informed former Department of Public Works Director Jeffrey Neece of the connection. The SRC was quiet on the topic while it gathered documents collected through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Sanders, First Vice President Ray Snow and Third Vice President Ben Giancola met with the commission last night and said the SRC was not responsible for the bill and that its baseball division authorized the hookup with John Whalley without the board’s knowledge.
Sanders said he found out about the connection April 25 and informed Neece of the issue April 26. He said the water to the meter was then shut off and the SRC disconnected from it.
Sanders said a meeting took place Aug. 30 with several people in attendance, including Neece, Water Commission Chairman Luther Hosmer and Erik Erhart, president of Downunder Irrigation. The irrigation company, located on Vining Hill Road, was contracted by Whalley to do work at Whalley Park.
“Erik Erhart told us (at that meeting) Mr. Whalley had told him to make the connection,” said Sanders.
Erhart was present at last night’s meeting but was not allowed to speak because he was not on the agenda.
Sanders said Erhart said he was directed by Whalley to make the connection using Whalley’s materials and equipment.
“The decision was made by a summer sports volunteer and Mr. Whalley,” said Sanders.
The connection was made, he said, in June of 2012 and was used minimally last summer and was hooked up only to the first meter at Whalley Park, which had a total of just over $30,000 in water use when read last fall. Sanders said the second meter had a water bill of just under $35,000.
“The line to the SRC ball field was only on meter one,” he said, adding that “all the bills were sent to Mr. Whalley” and it was “common” knowledge that the park used a lot of water.
Sanders said he and the SRC “hope we can reach an agreement with the water commission.”
Hosmer said there was no way of knowing how much water was actually used by the SRC.
“Somehow, some way, this water is going to be paid for,” said Hosmer. “No matter how you look at this, it was done illegally. You can’t just hook up to a line.”
Snow said there was no harm intended and stressed that it was done without knowledge of the board.
Giancola said he disagreed with the portrayal of the connection being illegal and offered what he said are verifiable facts to the commission.
Giancola said that yes, there was a connection made and that Whalley owned the park at the time and it had meters.
“Mr. Whalley gave instructions to Mr. Erhart who is a contractor of Mr. Whalley,” said Giancola. “He also gave the equipment and was given specific information from Mr. Whalley to get this job done.”
Giancola speculated that Whalley was being a “good neighbor” to the SRC.
Giancola said the board took exception to being accused of stealing water, for which Commissioner Edward Johnson later apologized.
Giancola said the SRC welcomed a full, independent investigation of the facts if the commission did believe there was criminal activity.
Sanders said that there was a lack of research done when the town took over the park last fall and suggested the town could consider using some of the $100,000 Whalley gave the town for park maintenance to pay for the water bill.
“Once the town accepted that park, you accepted everything that came along with it,” said Giancola.
Johnson made a motion, seconded by new board member David Meczywor, that the SRC was not accountable for the bill.
“I think this has gone far enough,” said Johnson. “I think this has got to be put to bed.”
The commissioners said they did not want to pass on the bill only to water users and said they were considering shutting off water to Whalley Park by July 1 if no payment was made.
