Southwick Water Commissioners Edward Johnson, left, and Luther Hosmer, discuss a letter sent by representatives of the Southwick Recreation Center during last night’s meeting at the Southwick Department of Public Works building. The commissioners have requested the appearance of a recreation center official to discuss a water connection to Whalley Park, which is owned by the Town of Southwick. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
SOUTHWICK – The Southwick Recreation Center (SRC) Board President Kirk Sanders said he will not meet with water commissioners until the board is ready.
The SRC board was requested to attend May 16 and May 23 Water Commission meetings to discuss a connection from the SRC fields to the water meter at Whalley Park. Both times, the SRC responded with a letter stating the board would not attend until it received and reviewed information requested from the town via the Freedom of Information Act.
“I just picked up the information today so now we, as a board, need to review it,” Sanders said yesterday.
Department of Public Works Director Jeffrey Neece was made aware of the connection – deemed illegal by Neece and water commissioners Luther Hosmer and Edward Johnson – on April 26 by Sanders.
Sanders said he did not know about it until April 25. A SRC volunteer named J.B. DeJean allegedly made an agreement to connect to the water main with John Whalley, former owner of Whalley Park, prior to the town taking ownership last October.
In addition to the connection, a $70,000 outstanding water bill for Whalley Park, which the commissioners speculate is partially the responsibility of the SRC, remains in question.
Sanders said the situation has been blown out of proportion.
“There was nothing malicious here,” he said. “We want to get a resolution. We want to get this cleared up, but I’m not going to be a scapegoat.”
Sanders said DeJean “should have come to the board of directors” before the connection was made and said it was a bad decision, but the SRC was not trying to “steal water” as they have been accused of doing.
“If we owe money, we want to take care of it,” he said.
The first letter the SRC wrote declining attendance at the May 16 meting stated that the board needed time to gather information from the town and it also needed space for 100 people to meet. Commissioners said they want the SRC to meet on the commission’s terms.
“They’re dictating to us what they want? No!” said Hosmer.
The commission is requesting that the SRC board and Parks and Recreation Commission meet with them at the June 10 Board of Selectmen meeting to discuss the situation, including who is paying what portion of the outstanding bill.
“If certain parties refuse to come to the Board of Selectmen meeting, we need to take more action,” said Johnson.
Both Hosmer and Johnson said there are still many unanswered questions, including who authorized the connection, who paid for the connection, and when it was connected, among others.
Hosmer said if a representative of the SRC attended one of the commission meetings, they could have already solved much of the problem.
Sanders said as soon as the board reviews the requested materials “we will meet.”
