Incumbent to face customer who “ran the numbers”

To win nomination, Eddie Grant received 10 of the 18 votes cast to run for Seat Two on the board for the Pioneer Rural Water District.  And, from that showing, incumbent Grant is encouraged.  Grant says he believes most customers within the entire service area want the water plant.  In a winner-take-all vote July 11, Grant will face a challenge from Brad Hobbs, a concerned Pioneer customer whose supporters say has run the numbers about what it’ll cost long-run to build and maintain a 2.5 million gallon a day treatment plant. In an email that circulated yesterday, Hobbs said, “The plant even at its now inflated price eventually will be the best deal for Pioneer customers at current prices Pioneer pays to the two cities for water.  But only because Pioneer will have spent so much money on the plant that can be never be recovered.”  He goes on to say, “Essentially, Pioneer is trapping its customers in this deal that will drive costs up higher than they would have been if a deal was reached.  However, halting construction will result in even higher costs, so customers will be trapped and must make the better of two bad decisions.”