A Last Hurdle for Water Line in Appomattox?

From the beginning, it looked like one of those win-win situations in which controversy could be put aside for the benefit of the people on both sides.

But in Appomattox these days, even the most promising win-win situation can go south at the whim of a member of Town Council. Such is politics in the town and county where political divisions that divided the United States began to heal in 1865.

The issue, of course, is the water line that the county wants to extend from Concord east along U.S. 460 to the town limits. The line makes sense for a number of reasons. First, it could be a springboard for economic development by providing a good source of water along the county’s most traveled thoroughfare. Second, the line would provide water to the town, which in recent years has seen its system of wells dry up during times of drought.

One of the sticking points raised by members of Town Council ever since the 7.5-mile water line was first proposed at least four years ago is whether the town really needs the water. Some of the members have chosen to ignore the fact that the existing water supply is less than adequate.

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So while the council and the county Board of Supervisors have exchanged a number of letters on the subject of the town’s participation in the water line, face-to-face meetings to discuss the subject have been few and far between.

The next meeting — and it could be the last for awhile — has been scheduled for 6 p.m. on Sept. 1 at the Appomattox County community center. County officials are hoping the town will agree to several points that could lead to construction of the line.

If not, the county has indicated it will move ahead on the line without the town’s participation.

That was the word last week when the supervisors said they would meet one last time regarding the water line. Tom Conrad, chairman of the supervisors, signaled the county’s position when he said, “If we have another meeting, I would say (to the council) it’s either ‘you do it this way and this is what our desires and wants are and if you don’t, we’re moving on and later down the road, if you want to hook in, you will hook in at the price we dictate.”

Among other details involving the line, the town has proposed a boundary line adjustment that would expand the town limits westward along U.S. 460. That would allow the town to expand its tax base with the anticipated development that is expected to accompany the water line.

The town also wants to be included in the water rate negotiations with Campbell County, which will be selling water to Appomattox County. The town, understandably, would like to have a hand in negotiating the price of the water it will be buying and selling to its customers in the town.

The supervisors approved engineering and construction of the line last January, saying they would complete the line on their own if they had to. In May, they offered the town one last shot to be a partner in the project. The town asked for another 60 days to negotiate its position, which is where the situation stands now.

Appomattox supervisor Willie Craft perhaps best expressed the board’s frustration with the town over the matter when he said last week, “The only thing I can guess is to let them buy into it later. They don’t seem like they are interested in signing on.”

Time is clearly running out on the town. Will they ever see the merits of the water line and be willing to pay their share?

Or will they let politics continue to blur their vision? The answer should be revealed at that meeting next week.