Water operator walks out of contentious meeting
Staff writer
Thirty people packed Tampa Senior Center and watched Monday night as water operator Autumn Chisholm stormed out halfway through a Rural Water District No. 1 board meeting.
More than a week of dark brown water spewing from customers’ taps led to a larger crowd than normal.
County commissioner Kent Becker was in attendance, as were reporters from Wichita TV stations.
One of six water board members, Dennis Dillon, was absent.
Chisholm later refused to provide a copy of the meeting agenda to a Record reporter. Another board member later sent a copy.
Board members met for less than ten minutes, adjourned, then heard public comment.
Councilmember Byron Noeth objected, pointing out that no action could be taken after the meeting was adjourned.
The motion to adjourn passed, but the board reconvened after public comment at Noeth’s request.
During the forum, Noeth spoke about the board’s history of inaction.
“You saw who voted to close the meeting already without making any decisions tonight,” he said. “That’s part of it.”
Noeth gave prior examples of the board dragging its feet. A year ago, he said, he proposed hiring a Schwab Eaton engineer to evaluate leaks in the water system for $45,000, but he could not get the motion passed.
“We have the $45,000,” he said. “I’m not sure why we haven’t hired this engineer.”
Daryn Martin, assistant general manager of Kansas Rural Water Association, acted as mediator between the board and the public during public comment, sometimes proposing his own solutions.
“The issue is in the short term, how do we get this stuff out of the water lines?” he said. “Then in the long term, what is our plan? Is it chemicals that are going to mask this stuff?”
Martin recommended increased flushing and “pigging” of the water system.
For longer-term fixes, Martin recommended pursuing state revolving loans or a Kansas Water Office technical assistance grant.
Money could be used to hire experts to study the district’s wells and determine whether a new well or different treatments were needed, he said.
“Even if we decide today that we’re going to take action and hire somebody to do this, it’s going to be a couple of years before the process even begins and pipes are getting laid in the ground,” Martin said.
Chairman Donald Mueller said the district had not realized the extent of its problems until recently, when Ramona used district water to flush sewers, allegedly without permission.
“Somebody gave them the OK to use water from our district,” Mueller said. “They should have come to us.
“Then we had a major leak that followed that. Once we had a handle on things, we immediately started flushing. It was a bad situation. But what do you do when someone’s stealing water?”
Some Tampa and Ramona residents objected to his assessment.
“This has been happening since I’ve lived here, and I moved here in 2000,” Ramona resident Jessica Gilbert said.
Residents expressed discontent with a board they characterized as passive and uncommunicative.
“I guess I just want to know who’s in charge,” Tampa resident Kristina Kraemer said. “I’ve lived here for three years, and I know it’s been a problem for 30. It’s like I’m in the Twilight Zone.”
Kraemer said it was her, not the board, who “begged” Martin to come to speak at the meeting.
“I’m very disappointed in the board,” another man said. “I’m hoping this rocks some people to start letting us help you.”
Chisholm said she has tried to communicate with the public though an email list.
“I have asked for email addresses and various communications, and some of you will not give them to me,” Chisholm said.
Kramer urged Chisholm to provide text notifications instead via a service such as Everbridge. According to Noeth, the idea was discussed three months ago, but no action was taken.
“There are people that will help you,” Kraemer said. “The fire department has said that they will help you. Why are you digging your heels in about this? I’ve never seen this before.”
Chisholm promptly got out of her chair and left the building.
“I suggest you stay,” Noeth called out after her.
Afterwards, Ramona resident Pat Wick told Mueller he should have encouraged the district’s only operator to stay.
“She needs some help, I think, from you guys,” Wick said. “She’s in over her head.”
The board reconvened without Chisholm, moving to increase its meeting schedule from monthly to biweekly for two months. It also granted Noeth his wish, moving to hire a Schwab Eaton engineer to conduct a yearlong evaluation of the system.
The board then went into executive session for an unspecified performance review.