Westminster gets a friendly meeting at Pine Street

At a meeting this afternoon, three Westminster elected leaders appeared encouraged by a willingness on the part of two county leaders to help their city put a stop to major water losses.  Mayor Pro-tem Cater and councilmen Chastain and Duncan met with County Administrator Amanda Brock and County Council Chairman Julian Davis.  Going into the meeting there had been questions about the extent to which the county might be willing to help, but that was quickly dispelled when Brock offered  assistance, especially in helping the city apply for a grant that could be used to repair water line losses.  And there was further encouragement for Oconee’s third largest town when Council Chairman Davis, who represents the Westminster area, announced he will place the issue on the agenda for next week’s county council meeting.  Westminster council members at the meeting told the county officials their city first needs to contract for a study that’ll identify the locations of the water failures.  According to Brad Chastain, Westminster not only extends water service throughout the corporate limits but also to a wide swath of area that is unincorporated–an area equal to 134 square miles.  Brock and Davis assured the Westminster representatives they are well aware that Westminster residents and those who live in the areas outside the city are all Oconee County taxpayers and deserving of assistance from their county government.