WWTA, Grimes, Clem Lambasted At Boyd Public Forum

Over 50 people turned out Tuesday night on a meeting called by County Commissioner Tim Boyd over issues with the Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority (WWTA), and many took turns lambasting the agency, director Cleveland Grimes and attorney Chris Clem.

Commissioner Boyd said at the end of the hour and a half session at the East Ridge Community Center, "If less than 10 people had shown up, I was going to not say anything else about the WWTA. But with this turnout the fight has just begun. I will be holding similar meetings in other parts of the county."

Commissioner Boyd said the WWTA is included in the county budget, but he said County Mayor Jim Coppinger "takes the position that we can't do anything about it."

He described the agency as one that focuses solely on enforcement "instead of fostering economic development and helping people."

Commissioner Boyd said there is no mention of a mission statement or customer service in the agency's lengthy operating manual that he said was drafted by attorney Clem.

David Hamill, chief operating officer of Raines Brothers, said the WWTA was launched to extend sewers into the unincorporated county to boost economic development. He said it soon began to take on city sewers from East Ridge, Signal Mountain and elsewhere that had major problems.

But he said the WWTA did not have the issues it now has under former director Mike Howard. He said Mr. Grimes came from the enforcement arm of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). He said, "He's certainly not into customer service."

Andrew Mullins, who is chairman of the Hamilton County Health and Safety Board, gave an emotional talk in which he told of frequent sewer backups into his home on Prigmore Road in East Ridge. He said he continually sought an audience with Mr. Grimes and finally was given an appointment. He said he waited 45 minutes in his office and noticed a man pacing and looking at him occasionally. He said Mr. Grimes (who he said was the man pacing) finally came out when he told the receptionist he was not leaving until he saw him.

He said Mr. Grimes agreed that Prigmore Road was "the worst area of East Ridge" for sewer problems. He said it would cost $60,000 to $80,000 to fix the problem. He said Mr. Grimes said someone would come out to look at the situation, but he said no one ever did.

Mr. Mullins said, "So Mr. Grimes and staff, I have a couple of questions. Are you inept in your job and service to the citizens of East Ridge? Are you totally incompetent? Are you just pathological liars or a combination of all the above?"

Kay Keefe of Keefe Plumbing said there has been a big expenditure from an $8 per household fee to eliminate leaky sewer pipes, but she has not seen any evidence that the program is working. "Has it made any difference?" she said. Ms. Keefe added, "Maybe they are going about it the wrong way."

She said she understands that five field employees had left WWTA. She said she sometimes has to wait eight hours for an inspector to arrive. She said on one occasion an inspector said he could not check the entire job, so she had to wait another eight hours for a second inspector.

Ms. Keefe said, "And every time I speak out we wait a lot longer."

Robert Kelly III said when he tried to move into a rental unit he was told by the WWTA that the water could not be turned on until the bill was paid for the past two tenants. He said he finally had to wind up paying $400, though he said "it was just wrong."

Realtor Nancy Mercer-Defriese said she had a family set to move in, and the WWTA would not unpadlock the water until the $450 water bill for the prior occupant was paid. "This does have to stop," she said.

Gene Shipley, a longtime plumber and Soddy Daisy commissioner, said, "We've not even touched the surface on what's wrong with the WWTA." He said the agency "is going to kill development in Hamilton County."

Saying he believes the WWTA is heavily in debt, he said he expects that the $8 fee will rise along with sewer charges. He said, "Before long you'll be paying more to flush your commode than to watch television."

Bill Foxworth of Roto Rooter said the WWTA "is totally out of control." He said it set local plumbers up for failure in the private lateral program. He said the agency wanted to use its own firm all along.

He said one small restaurant was required by the WWTA to put in an over-sized grease pit that cost the owner over $30,000 and was about enough to put the owners out of business. He said he cleans the trap each month and only gathers a small amount of grease. He said, "It's an absolute shame and disgrace."

Commissioner Boyd said he believes the WWTA is putting a major damper on East Ridge's potential for a huge development at Exit 1. He said he believes Zaxby's may back out of the project due to problems with getting a permit.

He said Life Care Centers of America founder Forrest Preston had wanted to carry out a $30 million renovation at Exit 1 because it was his first nursing home. He said clearance was given by TDEC, but Mr. Grimes then sent a two-page "cease and desist" letter that cut the project to $10 million. Commissioner Boyd said, "There was nothing in the letter on what could be done to make the project a reality."

Commissioner Boyd said a bill is before the legislature that would block WWTA from requiring new residents to pay bills owed by prior customers.

Rick Carpenter, a longtime WWTA foe, said County Mayor Coppinger "could get rid of Cleveland Grimes. All he would have to do is pick up the phone."

No one from the WWTA was at the session except East Ridge board representative Don Seagle, who goes off the board next month. Mr. Seagle made few comments, but Commissioner Boyd said he was sympathetic to the sentiments expressed at the meeting.