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Step right up! Take your chance on winning a water hook-up!

Water commissioners extended the moratorium on new water connections and gave their apologies to half a dozen property owners trying to find a way to get around the freeze and claim a water hook-up.
“We need to take no action until we figure out how your unique situation fits into the scope of things,” said commissioner Arthur Wilkowski at the district’s October 13 meeting. Commissioners were following the district attorney’s advice to stop handing out the few remaining connections based on if the property owner had an appointment with the county for a building permit in the month of September, which had led to a confusion of appointment swapping and requests to transfer connections.

Commissioner Madeleine Anderson said the district was “strongly encouraged” that the engineer’s report being submitted to the state department of health would free up more connections to meet immediate needs. “Prior to then we will determine the terms and conditions for future connections,” she said.

While Wilkowski has indicated he favors a system that would give preference to those who “have an immediate desire to build,” he said he is assuming the district will get legal advice to go to a more impartial lottery system. “These are two extremes,” he said. “The full-out take-your-chances lottery and the need based on plans to build.”

District manager Dan Bourks said the district was also pursuing long-term solutions to the water needs of the community, including local wells and the possibility of asking Canadian lawmakers to change legislation to allow more water to be purchased from Canada. “The question is will it be hard for the next 10 years or hard for the next six months? We don’t know,” Wilkowski said.

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