Divided opinion at “Town Hall” meeting

In a church setting at Oakway, many in the gathering were moved to sound off on what is Oconee’s top controversy so far this year.  That’s whether the Pioneer district should build the county’s fourth water treatment plant.  Throughout last night’s town hall meeting at the Oakway Wesleyan Church, there was divided opinion over the proposition which ultimately it appears a judge will decide.  At the start last night, Pioneer General Manager Terry Pruitt gave Anderson County customer Garrett Beatty the chance to express his support for the project.  Beatty questioned the right of wholesale suppliers Seneca and Westminster to try to block Pioneer’s move to control its own cost by making its own water.  But Beatty’s comment that the cities had earlier failed to negotiate a better rate riled Townville resident Kevin Ramey who questioned Beatty’s figures on the cities had raised their wholesale charges in recent years.  This later became fodder for Pioneer’s Pruitt to attempt to refute, and during much of the rest of the meeting those in favor of the plant and those opposed traded criticisms.  And no one seemed to have been spared of those barbs, including Pruitt, his board of directors, Oconee County, Seneca and Westminster, and Representative Bill Sandifer for bills he has introduced to change the board of directors’ selection process as well as to require an independent audit before Pioneer let the construction contract. More on this story is being aired today on 101.7/WGOG NEWS.