Yadkin Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks requested that the council hold a public meeting to fully address the spill, but he was unable to garner a definitive answer. At one point during his address, Najouks, after being told his allotted time expired by Mayor Joe Bennett, said he didn’t want to leave the podium until he got an answer, feeling it was important that the public knows how the city is going to handle the clean up.
“This was an egregious spill and the way it was handled was not very well,” Najouks told the council. “You have to answer to the public. The public has a right to know what the health ramifications are, what the city is doing to investigate the matter, what they’re going to do to hold someone accountable and what the city is going to do in terms of developing an action plan.”
Najouks said it was going to cost between $5 and $10 million to replace aging sewer lines, and that spill may be what prompts the city to take such action. By holding a public hearing, Najouks said it would give the city a chance to announce any findings from its testing and explain how the city will deal with the problem.
Ronnie Lewis, a property owner at High Rock Lake, joined Najouks at the podium and expressed similar concerns as to how the city was dealing with the spill. Lewis’ granddaughter became sick after swimming in the contaminated water and he feels something isn’t adding up when it comes to the dates of when the spill took place.
“We need some answers here,” said Lewis. “We don’t need a bunch of promises. Don’t jerk us around. You may have done something wrong, but it’s something you’ve dumped on us down there at the lake. I’ve got a bunch of money invested in property down there and I want something done. I’m bringing a bunch of people with me next time and we want some answers.”
Mary Cridlebaugh, representing the Friends of Rich Fork Creek, told council members that all of the major creeks in a network of streams that flow into High Rock Lake from Southeastern Forsyth County are classified as polluted and the impact form the spill could hurt the area when it comes to tourism dollars.
“Davidson County hopes that increased tourism at High Rock Lake will bring jobs and dollars into the county to replace revenue lost as furniture industries moved overseas,” Cridlebaugh said. “That cannot happen if incidents like the recent 15.93 million gallon spill from Thomasville continue.”
City attorney Paul Mitchell said at the beginning of the meeting that council members met in closed session regarding the legal ramifications of the spill. Mitchell said investigations are continuing and the city should have something to report in the near future.
In other business:
Thomasville Police Chief Jeff Insley proposed a new classification within the department that he hopes will improve efficiency. Insley’s plan is to reclassify a lieutenant position to captain, improving communication both inside the department and out. Insley feels the move will divvy up responsibility more evenly, allowing for more development and specialized attention in certain areas.
“We’re streamlining some things,” said Insley. “What we’re doing is trying to consolidate some things so that when people call with a concern, depending on what area they live in, they will have one person to go to. That will allow them to be their point of contact, and the lieutenant will have the autonomy to come up with a response to deal with that problem.”
Staff Writer Eliot Duke can be reached at 888-3578, or at duke@tvilletimes.com.
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