Water Meters

martinsburg@herald-mail.com MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Berkeley County water officials say they plan to install small radio transmitters on the county's 13,500 water meters, so they can be read from a car, which would be quicker and safer than the current method. Although employees with the Berkeley County Public Service Water District wear orange vests and drive trucks with flashing lights on them, they're in danger when they read meters, said Bill Alexander, president of the water board.

KEEDYSVILLE - Mayor Lee Brandenburg said water had been cut off from several homes in Keedysville's service area because of freezing water meters. "They weren't too happy," he said during the Monday meeting of the Keedysville Water Commission. Brandenburg said that when temperatures drop, residents who leave their homes unattended should let the faucets drip to keep the meters from freezing. He said if the meters freeze, the water will have to be shut off.

CLEAR SPRING - The town's new water storage tank has passed its electrical, plumbing and final building inspections, according to Councilman Steve Blickenstaff. While voluntary water conservation practices are still in effect, Town Clerk Juanita Grimm said water usage is up. Two serious leaks - one on Brennan Drive and another along U.S. 40 - were identified and fixed recently, Grimm said. It also was reported at Monday's meeting that installation of water meters is nearing completion throughout the town and to water customers living beyond town limits.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. -- Lawyers representing Jefferson Utilities Inc. (JUI) and customers of three of its public water systems on Monday settled a three-year-old dispute involving complaints of poor service and water quality following day-long negotiations behind closed doors. The settlement was accepted by John Carter, administrative law judge for the West Virginia Public Service Commission. It calls for JUI, owner of Mountain Water Systems, to correct deficiencies in systems serving more than 300 customers in the Blue Ridge Mountain communities of Harpers Ferry Campsites, Keyes Ferry Acres and Westridge Hills.

Town close to having all water meters installed CLEAR SPRING - With just two or three water meters left to be installed, Clear Spring is inching ever closer to having all residential and commercial customers in the town's water system hooked up. "We expect to be finished by the start of winter," Mayor Paul Hose Jr. said Monday. Last week, meters were read by Washington County personnel, Hose said. Some problems were found and will be corrected. Nevertheless, customers won't be billed according to their metered usage of water until the spring of 2006 at the earliest, Town Clerk Juanita Grimm said.

Vandalism increases at Veterans Memorial Park SMITHSBURG - An increase in vandalism and property destruction at Veterans Memorial Park has continued despite increased police patrols in the area, Smithsburg Police Department Chief Michael Potter said Tuesday. "We never see anyone down there, to be honest," Potter said. Potter said vandalism at Veterans Memorial Park has included memorial wreaths being snapped and destroyed and a sign being ripped down and thrown into a tree.

New electric meters can be read from inside truck WILLIAMSPORT - New electric meters that emit radio signals will be installed at homes throughout Williamsport so the meter reader doesn't even have to get out of the truck to read a residential meter, town officials said. The town used a state grant to pay for water meters that emit radio signals more than two years ago, Town Clerk/Treasurer Donnie Stotelmyer said after Monday night's Town Council meeting. The laptop reader that came with the water meters can be used with the new electric meters, he said.

A recently created state loan program could help the towns of Boonsboro and Keedysville finance their $3.1 million joint water system, officials announced Thursday. The Maryland Department of Environment may loan the towns up to $1.6 million, agency spokesman Quentin Banks said. The money would come out of a $17.6 million revolving loan fund to help public water systems across the state finance upgrades. The fund was started by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, he said.

SMITHSBURG - Smithsburg water and sewer customers likely will see an increase in their bills this year but just how much hasn't been determined. The town's water and sewer budget is running at a $56,000 deficit, according to Mayor Tommy Bowers. Smithsburg owns and maintains its own sewage-collection system but pays the Washington County Water and Sewer Department a wholesale rate for treating the town's sewage. The town's water and sewer budget is in the red because Smithsburg's rates are too low to cover costs to the county and for maintenance of the system, Bowers said.

By CLYDE FORD Staff Writer, Charles Town CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Charles Town Water Plant Superintendent Tim Stone flipped a switch Monday night and the sound of pumps rumbled in the concrete building off W.Va. 9 east of Charles Town. Stone told the Charles Town Council that from one control panel, he can tell how much water is being pumped into the town's water panels. The Charles Town Council toured the Charles Town Water Treatment Plant Monday night as part of the regular council session.

New electric meters can be read from inside truck WILLIAMSPORT - New electric meters that emit radio signals will be installed at homes throughout Williamsport so the meter reader doesn't even have to get out of the truck to read a residential meter, town officials said. The town used a state grant to pay for water meters that emit radio signals more than two years ago, Town Clerk/Treasurer Donnie Stotelmyer said after Monday night's Town Council meeting. The laptop reader that came with the water meters can be used with the new electric meters, he said.

WILLIAMSPORT - Several construction projects will be going on this year in Williamsport, including improvements at Riverbottom Park and Byron Memorial Park. Town Clerk/Treasurer Donnie Stotelmyer is hoping to get the boat ramp at Riverbottom Park rebuilt by spring so it won't interfere with the boating season. The ramp needs to be steeper. He's also hoping to add trees to the shoreline and improve the parking area in 2010. Town officials also are considering getting a floatable dock for the ramp that can be removed if the Potomac River floods, Stotelmyer said.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. -- Lawyers representing Jefferson Utilities Inc. (JUI) and customers of three of its public water systems on Monday settled a three-year-old dispute involving complaints of poor service and water quality following day-long negotiations behind closed doors. The settlement was accepted by John Carter, administrative law judge for the West Virginia Public Service Commission. It calls for JUI, owner of Mountain Water Systems, to correct deficiencies in systems serving more than 300 customers in the Blue Ridge Mountain communities of Harpers Ferry Campsites, Keyes Ferry Acres and Westridge Hills.

Washington County Commissioners No meeting Tuesday, Nov. 25 Washington County Board of Education No meeting Tuesday, Nov. 25 Hagerstown Mayor and City Council Regular Session City Hall, Second Floor, Council Chamber 1 E. Franklin St., Hagerstown Tuesday, Nov. 25, 7 p.m. Agenda o Announcements -- Meeting Schedule (1) Tuesday, Dec. 2, Work Session, 4 p.m. (2) Tuesday, Dec. 9, Work Session, 4 p.m. (3)

WILLIAMSPORT - A water dispute between the town of Williamsport and Conococheague Little League has reached a boiling point. The watering of youth baseball fields appears to be at the core. The town, which has decided to start billing the league for utility services, says the league used about 775,000 gallons of water in a one-year period ending in March, a figure the league disputes. Since the league only uses town fields five months a year, the alleged water usage is particularly hard to believe, league President Walter Williams said.

marlob@herald-mail.com CLEAR SPRING - As 2006 gets under way, the challenges of maintaining efficient and cost-effective water and sewer services to residents is again at the forefront. This year, a new player may be working its way onto the stage of public interest - garbage collection, which is provided free of charge to residents of the town, at least for now. "We may have to take another look at this as a free service we provide," said Town Mayor Paul Hose Jr. "I hate to make people pay but ... " The reason is the escalating costs that are now up to more than $1,700 a month for a once-a-week pickup by BFI. That works out to more than $20,000 a year, which the town pays and for which it gets no reimbursement from residents.

marlob@herald-mail.com CLEAR SPRING - A wish to preserve the charm while improving the quality of life in their small town is a common thread among the five candidates for two open seats on the Clear Spring Town Council. The election is Monday at Clear Spring Town Hall. Polls will be open from 2 to 7 p.m. "I have some traffic concerns," said Daniel Tedrick, 32, of Brennan Drive. "There are lots of blind corners in the back alleys and speed is a problem. " An electrician, Tedrick said he believes mirrors should be erected at the intersections so motorists can see what is coming.

Town close to having all water meters installed CLEAR SPRING - With just two or three water meters left to be installed, Clear Spring is inching ever closer to having all residential and commercial customers in the town's water system hooked up. "We expect to be finished by the start of winter," Mayor Paul Hose Jr. said Monday. Last week, meters were read by Washington County personnel, Hose said. Some problems were found and will be corrected. Nevertheless, customers won't be billed according to their metered usage of water until the spring of 2006 at the earliest, Town Clerk Juanita Grimm said.

CLEAR SPRING - The town's new water storage tank has passed its electrical, plumbing and final building inspections, according to Councilman Steve Blickenstaff. While voluntary water conservation practices are still in effect, Town Clerk Juanita Grimm said water usage is up. Two serious leaks - one on Brennan Drive and another along U.S. 40 - were identified and fixed recently, Grimm said. It also was reported at Monday's meeting that installation of water meters is nearing completion throughout the town and to water customers living beyond town limits.