Water’s quality does
not justify rate increase
I live with my family on Dogtown Road in Reedsville. I am a customer of Preston County Public Service District 1 (PSD 1).
For more than five years we have struggled with water issues in our home. From discolored water to high levels of manganese to various odors, we have seen it all. We have been assured on numerous occasions that provisions were in place to resolve all of our water issues, but to date they are worse than ever. Many other PSD 1 customers are also voicing their concerns over the safety of what we have been promised is “not aesthetically pleasing, but perfectly safe” drinking water.
On Friday, PSD 1 customers were notified that an emergency interim rate increase of 26.11% had been approved for bills rendered on and after Thursday (Nov. 7). A rate increase that many are opposed to due to the ongoing quality issues.
This increase brings my family of three’s monthly water bill (without public sewage services) to nearly $100 per month, not factoring in the additional cost of purchasing bottled water for my family to drin, costing us more than $1,000 over the course of five years as well as the cost of replacing countless laundered items that were stained due to the high levels of manganese.
I find myself questioning why this PSD is charging us amounts above the national average for water that isn’t suitable for consumption or “aesthetically pleasing.”
Why is the rehabilitation of the Upper Decker’s Creek Dam, which once restored, is promised to solve all of our water issues, so far behind schedule? And what is this 26.11% increase earmarked for?
Additionally, and not to be ignored, I am concerned for my young son, whom has been exposed to this water and the higher than normal levels of manganese, which has been shown to cause toxicity to the nervous system, particularly in young children, resulting in anything from attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity to memory issues and violent behavior.
Please consider all of the families affected by this issue who feel as though we do not have a voice and who have had their concerns overlooked for many years.
Kari Rehe
Reedsville
One candidate has no
respect for coal miners
Does anybody else think the political scene is messed up with all these Democrats running for president?
And these Democrats are wanting to impeach the only president that has done things to improve America more so than any other president.
Now we have a man running for president that had no regard for the coal miners who worked for him making him millions of dollars in profits.
I don’t think we have ever had a president with a prison record. This would be a new one for the history books. I just saw on Facebook that someone said that instead of spending his money running for president he could or should have given the money to the families of the loved ones who lost a loved one in the coal mines he was running.
Being a retired coal miner myself who will probably be voting Republican in the 2020 election, I know I won’t be voting for this man for president. Do the voters of West Virginia really want this man as their next president?
Ralph Correll
Morgantown
Kettle to display gifts of
gold, myrrh, frankincense
Matthew’s Gospel tells us about the magi, or wise men, who traveled from the East in search of the Christ child. When they found the baby Jesus they presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The Salvation Army has painted one of the red kettles gold and is displaying, along with the gold kettle, vials containing frankincense and myrrh.
This Golden Kettle will move to a new bell-ringing location every day, giving folks an opportunity to see up close what frankincense and myrrh look like and to learn a bit about why they were such precious gifts.
Jack Bowman
Salvation Army
Morgantown
