Former Mt. Zion PSD Board Member Expresses Concern over management and Future of Public Water System

As a former working board member of the PSD, I worked with the previous operators to try to make the water system better. We completed the annual fire hydrant flushing which there was no record of ever being completed until 2025. We were able to make some repairs and improvements to the water system in my short time on the board. But I have questioned what has been going on there. Not just now. If you look into the archives, I have been a critic of this PSD for at least 10 years. Never receiving the answers that I was looking for. And never seeing any accountability from the board. I do not know if it is because of a lack of knowledge or just plain arrogance. I have brought these concerns to the public’s attention; I have stood up for the public while being a board member. Ask the commission for financial assistance or guidance only to upset the town of Grantsville for going above them.

Since leaving the board to assist more with my dad and his health, I have reached out to the President of the Commission, emailed simple questions and reminders of issues that have been ongoing. I was given some answers by the former board president of the PSD. In my opinion, some of the answers did not suite the questions. I have commented on your site with no response from anyone in power over the past few months. So, I reached out again this week via email and included you since you have always been receptive. Below is the actual email content I sent over this week to the PSD, the commissioners and their staff with more questions because of the lack of answers provided to me. The questions will continue to pile up especially when they are avoided and not addressed.

Good morning. Quick follow up. I emailed everyone in April regarding some issues that have been ongoing. I then commented on a post or two on the Ridgeview News website in June but have not heard any answers regarding my questions. So, I am reaching out for answers via email before I send in a FOIA request and involve the PSC.

Old business with some new business added due to the lack of response.

• The ½ million gallon per year pump leak into Philips Run that I identified. Has this been addressed or is the pump motor still rachet strapped to the pipe?
• How is the annual fire hydrant flushing going?
• Has the PSD purchased the proper flushing and testing equipment to perform the hydrant flushing and testing duties that are now required by state law to be completed? Annual reporting / annual flushing / 5-year testing / mapping?
• When will the broken fire hydrants I identified last year be replaced? It has been over a year since this was discovered. Not all of you attached to this email know, but a fire hydrant replacement is a one-day job. Two days max. As of Sunday, I know the hydrant at the intersection in Millstone (Rt 16 and Rt 33) and Family Dollar were still bagged. Which I bagged a year ago. Again, this is documented so in the event of an actual fire, insurance will not assist due to the timeframe of these repairs not being completed. Plus, what if a life is lost during a fire event when a hydrant that is bagged cannot be utilized. I would not want to live with that burden knowing this is not a major issue to repair and the parts are in Mt Zion and have been in Mt Zion for a year.
• Has the PSD purchased the proper bags to place hydrants out of service? The trash bags I put on over a year ago are not the correct way to place a hydrant out of service according to the PSC.
• Who is doing the mowing at the water / sewer plants and hydrants? I noticed the hydrant at Bear Run was repaired, but the weeds are almost higher than the hydrant. Which for those of you who forget, that hydrant was broken by the state when they were mowing because it was not visible
• What is the new office address? I was informed from the Mount Zion Fakebook that it is 160 Industrial Drive, yet the text form the Mount Zion system says 250 Industrial Drive.
• Who are all of the current employees of the Mount Zion PSD? Full time and Part Time?
• Who holds the current operator’s license for the Mount Zion PSD?
• Are they certified on the meter calibration set up at the water plant?
• When will the exterior of the water plant be cleaned up? I spent days cleaning up the now abandoned office building / office garage and inside of the garage at the water plant so it could be used again. Never got to the outside of the building before I had to depart. I was hopeful that would have been cleaned up before the America 250 celebration at the park, but that did not happen. It looks like and has looked like a trash dump for years right across from the park which is sad for the park and the team trying to bring in people to the park.
• Is the new board member signed up for the required training in Charleston in September?
• Has the water meter at the Arnoldsburg Elementary been replaced?
• Has the fire hydrant at the Arnoldsburg Elementary been addressed?
• Read that again, the hydrant at the Arnoldsburg Elementary School has been noted as an issue? This is where some folks choose to send their children daily. They expect their children to be safe while they are there daily, even if there were staffing issues with previous employees of the school and previous commissioners that were possibly not the best people to be at schools because of their actions around children or directly involving children. They expect safety to be a priority while there. And everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
•  Is the valve shut to that hydrant? Has that even been investigated?
• Are all of the water plants secure? I know while I was a board member, the Sand Ridge Plant was not secure. It appeared to be secure with a lock, but if nothing was changed there, I could gain access to that plant in one minute. Pull the gate, it opens even with the lock on it. The door lock was broken, so anyone could walk right into that building in a minute or less and have access to vandalizing equipment or contaminating the system because there were also chlorine barrels there that could be tampered with.

Let me know if anyone here can answer these relatively simple questions via email since no one can reply to my comments on Ridgeview News. If not, I can always write a letter to the editor again, so it gets published on Fakebook. It has appeared to me for years that no one can communicate in any other way which is pathetic. Get off Fakebook and get out there and get something accomplished. I know that may not get as many likes, but it is more productive. In my short time involved with the PSD, special rules were put in place to protect people from Fakebook bullying and drunk commenting. Simpler solution, get off it and you do not have to deal with the drunkards commenting and offending people. I look forward to your replies. Please forward this to the new board member as well. I do not have his contact information. Have a great day and stay cool.

I do not think these questions are difficult to answer. Especailly if you know what is going on within your system. Looking back at the staffing issues over the past decade, I think mangement has to be looked into. Most employees of local government / water system operators make a career out of this profession. The revolving door of staff shows me there is an internal mangagement issue. As well as a huge lack of leadership from management.

I do Thank the board members from Mount Zion and the surrounding PSDs for not hiring me as the general manager when I applied for that position. With only one other applicant who refused that position. The GM carrot was then dangled in front of other PSD workers only to hire someone who left a few days after being hired because of the ongoing politics and power trips surrounding the failing water systems. The O&M situation and GM position seem to be a disaster and will most likely not amount to anyhting. I ask while on the board what plan “B” was if Hope Water / Gas did not swoop in to save the day and I was told by a board member there is no plan “B”. I do not know it all and will tell anyone that, but a plan “B” is always a good idea from this viewpoint. But what do I know. I am just a water guy who cares about customers and service. I would also be hesitant of extending the current system to neighboring counties at this point. It needs to be taken care of, but before the system is extended with miles of new piping, someone with water knowledge needs to get the curent system under control.

Feel free to publish this on the Ridgeview and share it to Fakebook. After you read this on Fakebook, delete your account and get off of social media. Enjoy the day. Get out and get something accomplished. It feels good. Stay well and question everything.

Thank You,

Jason Firestine