Restraining order to stop water bill collection 8/13/2009 8:35 PM
By HALEY HUGHES Staff writer
Local legislators obtained a temporary restraining order against Avondale Mills Thursday preventing the company from collecting payment from, cutting service to or imposing any fines on the customers of its water and sewer system.
The restraining order follows in the wake of a decision by the S.C. Public Service Commission (PSC) to reinstate water and sewer bill rates to Graniteville and Vaucluse customers who were surprised to find in July that their rates had risen drastically, some as much as 700 percent.
The bills, with rates topping out above $700 for some, would have been due Saturday.
"We were forced to come to court today," said Sen. Shane Massey, who has been working with Rep. Roland Smith and Rep. Tom Young on the issue from its outset. The three held a press conference on the courthouse steps Thursday after receiving the order from Judge Michael Baxley. "These folks did not know their bills were going up," Massey added.
Each man agreed that has been the primary issue all along - that the residents of Graniteville and Vaucluse were not notified their water and sewer rates had gone up until they received their bills on July 31.
Young said according to state law, there should have been a notice in the paper before the bills were mailed.
There never was, a fact he said was verified by checking Aiken Standard records.
"I just couldn't believe it," said Graniteville resident Wayne Johnson of his bill. It skyrocketed from an average of $13 a month to $135. "I am on a fixed income. Things are tough. I could have paid it, but not every month of the year."
Last week, the PSC suspended the rates as well as any penalties or cutoffs until it could take further action, admitting they did not realize the effect the price increase would have on residents of the impoverished former mill town.
But, Commissioners, Avondale Mills representatives and Massey, Young and Smith were unable to come to an agreement during a meeting Wednesday in Columbia, and the PSC said it had no choice but to reinstate the rates.
On Thursday, Young called Avondale Mills' actions "unconscionable" and said that the legal rights of the citizens of Graniteville and Vaucluse impacted by the rate increase are threatened with "irreparable harm."
Young added that an attorney with Avondale was sent the temporary restraining order documents Thursday.
The response, Young said, was that the company would "get back with us."
A hearing on the merits of the temporary restraining order will be held on Aug. 25 and the lawmakers believe no water or sewer bill will be due before that date. A hearing on the fairness of the rate increase will be held Oct. 6 in Columbia.
System customers hope that the nearby Valley Public Service Authority will ultimately take over the system.
Valley Public Service Authority has said it will assume ownership as long as there is funding in place to repair the 80- to 100-year-old system. It is estimated the system would need $12 million to $15 million in upgrades.
"That system is antiquated," Massey said. "There should be no more Band-Aids; we need to replace it."
Smith said he was confident the water and sewer rates would be reasonable when a new owner, like the Valley Public Service Authority, took over the system.
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Comment Title:
To the person who said turn to the Lord. The Lord wants the lying cheating company and it's lying cheating employees to tell the truth. Don't bring the Lord into the devils business.
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Posted by: On: Sunday, August 16, 2009 10:19 PM
Comment Title:
How much does Avondale need? How much subsidy do you Valley people need? Redistribution of wealth is not a noble thing though nobility has never been a trait of Valley people.
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Posted by: On: Sunday, August 16, 2009 10:52 AM
Comment Title: all about money
How much more money does Avondale need.....Didn't they sell the plants and land before they................... settled a 400 plus million from the railrod another 200 plus million from the insurance they collected.....unsure on how much money they collected selling all the Graniteville Company 1000s of acers of land all the company buildings...And here they are trying to sell high dollar water to people they put out of work.....If any thing every one in the community and though out the valley should sue them for what they did not get when they were laid off...
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Posted by: On: Saturday, August 15, 2009 2:01 PM
Comment Title: Stop fighting and turn to the Lord. He will guide you through every situation
The Lord wants you to do the honest thing and pay your bill for the water you used....in His Name.
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Posted by: The Baron On: Saturday, August 15, 2009 1:56 PM
Comment Title: Re: Wondering
Really??? "They should be made to fix and up keep the citizens of Graniteville." We all know by now that the people of Graniteville just want somebody to keep them up since they take no responsibility for themselves. Avondale is a private company providing a service. If you don't like it then don't do business with them. It is quite simple.
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Posted by: Wondering On: Saturday, August 15, 2009 7:39 AM
Comment Title:
I think the people of Graniteville are not looking for hand outs. I think Avondale is just like a slum lord who needed to fix their problems with the water pipes. They did nothing but have their hand out stretched taking money for years and did no up grades of any kind to fix these problems. Now they want to charge a 700% increase and charge it to the residents but the problem is still not fixed. Can’t the people of Graniteville sue Avondale? Seems they should be made to fix and up keep the citizens of Graniteville. Are their no laws for this kind of thing?
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Posted by: Not a Graniteville resident On: Friday, August 14, 2009 10:28 PM
Comment Title:
The water isn't fit for human consumption and I think the citizens should file a huge law suit against Avondale for allowing the water and sewer system to fall in such a sad state of disrepair. There is no telling how many dangerous chemicals from those mills has seeped into the ground and infiltrated the water system. I used to own a business in that little town and we used bottled water, the water coming from the taps smelled like sewer water and the only thing it is good for is flushing toilets.
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Posted by: On: Friday, August 14, 2009 3:39 PM
Comment Title:
Everyone has gone crazy. People are just being mean. There is no concern for those who really are being overcharged as well as being taken advantage of. I find it absolutely ridiculous the way people are acting. Please stop the fighting and lets try to find a solution with or without the help of Republicans/Democrats. Stop fighting and turn to the Lord. He will guide you through every situation.
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Posted by: The Avondale Man Killed Graniteville On: Friday, August 14, 2009 3:25 PM
Comment Title:
the evil "Avondale" man is only interested in one this - money! you think he cares? hahaaha this man already has a box of locks ready for his minions to shut off water for non payment. Avondale destroyed Graniteville - one textile company broke the back of a toen, no one can do a thing about it
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Posted by: Sick of high prices in Gville! On: Friday, August 14, 2009 3:24 PM
Comment Title: Jerrys Plight
I have a friend Jerry that lives in Gville. Let me tell you, he has no irrigation or such. His bill used to be about 17.00, now its 62.00! The windmill in his yard aint even real, so how could his bill be so high??!!! No one can tell us. The paper wont even report on this scam! I want people to know, GRANITEVILLES WATER RATES HAVE GONE UP! Its pathetic when youre worred about boiling a pot of beans or planting fall flowers for fear of your bill bein to high! Please, wont someone expose the fact that GVILLES WATER RATES HAVE GONE UP??
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Posted by: On: Friday, August 14, 2009 1:57 PM
Comment Title: Poor poor Graniteville
They expect a private company to provide jobs for all of them, provide highly subsidized water for them, keep up their parks for them, and provide them with everything they may possible want instead of taking responsibility for themselves. Well boo freakin hoo.
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Posted by: On: Friday, August 14, 2009 12:40 PM
Comment Title: Scott Singer
No! Scott Singer should run for governor. He is the best polititian in this county.
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Posted by: On: Friday, August 14, 2009 12:37 PM
Comment Title: Faulty Meters?
"Many if not most of the residents are charged inaccurately because their meters are faulty" I'm sure you've personally surveyed everyone's meter in the area and found this to be true. Somehow everyone's meter, that was working prior, is not suddenly on the fritz. When you try to set someone straight, I would avoid using lies and absurd generalities.
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Posted by: On: Friday, August 14, 2009 10:56 AM
Comment Title: fellow american-
it is real easy to give an opinion on something that does not affect one. when you are on the recieving end of abuse then you know first hand- i have called avondale repeatedly over the years because i have a large manhole from the sewage line in my yard. it has overflowed repeatedly the past 10 or so years i have been living there-instead of fixing the problem they would sprinkle a white powder over the area-never informing anyone of what they are doing-never did a see a dehec inspection done after the spills -of course the grass is very green at that spot ever year but i wonder what chemicals are in the ground and the grass. I used to work 60plus hours a week and my wife loved to cut the grass.Today my wife is on disability due to contracting a disease that less than 500 people in the US have ever been diagnosed with. Was that the cause? i do not know, but i wonder these days as we have to go to Chapel Hill North Carolina every two weeks to get a treatment that is not approved by the fda yet, to keep her alive. When we had our train wreck that affected a lot of lives here in granitvile-valcluse-warrenville and all of those that worked with or called on the factory to sell them goods we very much affected because of decisions that were made afterwards. My personal opinion is that Avondale took the easy way and the way that gave them more money in their bank acct than it would have if they had remained a member of our community- i refer it as the "rape of Graniteville Company" all of all of the loyal employees that strugled to make it a success for the owners. I know people that worked there commented during the time they opperated here that they had only their personal interest at heart and none for our community.It seems to appear that now. When i got my bill for $311.00 i took a little time off work yesterday and went to the water office and asked them to reconsider the sewage portion of my bill that was $194.00. I explained that i had filled a pool with 12,500 gallons of water and left my sprinkler on 2 nights and asked if they would refer to my normal usage in the past and the lady was nice enough to say she would check for me and the reply was no there would be no change. any water that comes thru the meter has to pay the sewage fee on it even if it does not go into the sewage line. Fair play were i was raised and in buying anything said that if i did not get or use the product i was not forced to pay for it. Why would those that set policy and laws allow a company to do something like that. So again i would suggest that people stick to the old indian saying"don't judge and say things about others until you have walked a mile in their moccasians" and even more there was another that we all should look to and and try to live for and his words are written in red and you can find them in a book that has been around a while now. it is called the "bible" thank you for allowing me to give my opinion
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Posted by: On: Friday, August 14, 2009 10:54 AM
Comment Title: Missing a few facts is MISSING A FEW FACTS
1 - There was not a town council meeting. Graniteville is not an incorporated town nor has a town council. 2 - There was a public meeting about the issue prior to the rate hikes for citizens to voice their opinion. This meeting was not to inform them of rate hikes. A series of meetings was cancelled and moved before the actual meeting took place. 3. Yes, there are some citizens who have multiple lots and who watered these however many if not most of the residents are charged inaccurately because their meters are faulty. I personally know a couple whose bill claimed they used 42,000 gallons in one months time. They both work. He works 12 hours a day. Believe me, the don't water their little half-acre lot. How Avondale Mills claims they used more than 1,500 gallons of water a day is beyond me. This inaccuracy also means they are inaccurately charged for sewage which is higher than water. Just thought I'd set you straight.
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Posted by: The Baron On: Friday, August 14, 2009 10:49 AM
Comment Title: Re: Missing A Few Facts
The people of Graniteville refuse to look in the mirror and place some blame on themselves. They are just looking for handouts and subsidies. It is pathetic that these folks won't take responsibility for themselves and their actions.
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Posted by: On: Friday, August 14, 2009 10:48 AM
Comment Title:
How much does Senator Ryberg charge you for all the space he rents in your head?
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Posted by: Missing A Few Facts On: Friday, August 14, 2009 10:17 AM
Comment Title: Misleading
There was a town council meeting about the rate hikes, as well as letters sent to each home with "conversion" rates of what the old to new bill would be. The $700 bill is from a man who waters, twice a day, his 3 acre plot. Saying these people were not informed is inaccurate. I think "customers were not warned in all possible mediums" would be more accurate. Lots of folks went from $9-$12 to $30-$60. The $300-$700 bills are people with irrigation systems that have used them without restraint and now are having to understand that consequence.
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Posted by: DRAFT W. GREG RYBERG - GOVERNOR 2010 On: Friday, August 14, 2009 9:46 AM
Comment Title: DRAFT W. GREG RYBERG - GOVERNOR 2010
DRAFT W. GREG RYBERG - GOVERNOR 2010 - problems like this would be solved if we put Mr. Ryberg in charge!
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Posted by: On: Friday, August 14, 2009 8:54 AM
Comment Title:
Everyone will have to forgive the first commentor.He is known as The Ode on other comment boards of other local papers and well he's the typical social bigot that refers to us as "the Valley" good job representatives it's about time we see someone listening to the people and making a difference!
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Posted by: On: Friday, August 14, 2009 6:42 AM
Comment Title: Good Representatives
In a time where there is so much negativity in politics, it is refreshing to see men like Tom Young and Shane Massey working for their constitutes and making a positive stand for the good of the people!
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Posted by: On: Friday, August 14, 2009 12:09 AM
Comment Title: The politicans were "forced" to come to court today???
What a pathetic grandstanding attempt by local politicians. Tom Young even has the gall to suggest these people's rights have been violated? Puhleeze. These people have the right to pay for a service they voluntarily use and they have the right to stop using this service that is provided by a private company. I wonder if the politicians can get an injunction against Starbucks on my behalf because I don't think I should have to pay more than $1 for a cup of their coffee.......this political grandstanding and the selfish, irresponsible, victim mentality of the Graniteville people is but a microscosm of what is wrong with America. Personal accountability has become irrelevant. Just gimme gimme gimme and let somebody else pay for my lifestyle. It is sickening and pathetic.
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