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November 16, 2010

County, city to sign water contract

By Sam Rolley The Cullman Times

The Duck River project, an issue that has been tied up, shut down, started over, and tossed around for more than 20 years, will be once again set afoot today as the City of Cullman and Cullman County sign a water purchasing agreement.

The document to be signed today will allow the county to apply for the 30-year bond issue that is necessary for the Duck River Project to take shape, it also makes provisions for the county to purchase water from the city during this period of time. Currently a bond issue expires in 2029, short of the 30 year requirement.

According to County Commission chairman James Graves, today represents a monumental occasion for the project — the first time that all members of the county commission and the City of Cullman are in agreement in regard to the issue.

“There has been so much discontent during the past two years as we worked to move forward with the project and were constantly shut-down by two commissioners who were working against it,” said Graves. “This has caused the public to be very concerned, but we are all united now, and able to move forward and make progress.”

Graves said that all parties involved saw importance in making the signing of the document public.

“We could have come in and signed this agreement in a back room deal but the public needs to see this,” said Graves. “This is good show of a strengthening relationship between the county and city as we work together.”

Cullman Mayor Max Townson has similar sentiment in regard to the signing of the agreement.

“What this is going to mean for both the city and the county is a stable water source for the next 50 to 100 years,” said Townson. “This is  going to allow us to aggressively recruit agriculture, industry, and retail to our area because we will now be able to assure that we will not endure water shortages.”

In light of concerns that the project is going to negatively impact farmers in the area the Mayor said, “I think this is going to help the farming community, especially poultry and cattle farmers. They require a reliable and high quality water supply, and that is exactly what we are working to provide.”

The mayor also said that moving forward on the project will create measurable economic benefit for both the city and the county.

“This is going to create a lot of jobs within our community, from jobs directly associated with the project to jobs in industries that we will be better able to recruit because of the project,” said Townson.

Most of the recent complications related to the controversy associated with Duck River came prior to the Nov. 2 general election as the two then outgoing commissioners, Doug Williams and Wayne Willingham, and chairman Graves fought over the issue and several others. The newly elected associate commissioners, Darrel Hicks and Stanley Yarbrough, favor moving forward— though opposition does exist.

 A letter sent by Timothy Fulmer of the Birmingham based law firm Natter & Fulmer, P.C. who represents The South Cumberland Cooperative Group (SCCD) in a lawsuit filed against the creation of the entity argues that the signing of this agreement violates  a Supreme Court ordered stay. The action taken by the supreme court brings to question the county’s ability to take deliberative action regarding the water supply. A request is made in the letter to not take unilateral action in signing the agreement until a modified Supreme Court ruling is made.



* Sam Rolley can be reached by e-mail at srolley@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131 ext. 225.

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