PSD Chairman resigns over sewer project

Slatyfork, WV – In an interview with the Pocahontas Times, former Public Service District Chair Calvin Hill, who resigned that position July 25th, said he quit for personal health reasons.

But he cited heavier concerns weighing on his mind in a Letter to the Editor in this week’s paper.

During Public Service District Meetings, which often center on the proposed 17 million dollar Slatyfork Sewer Project, and the controversy that has surrounded it, Hill often seems to be a man of few words.

But in his letter to the Pocahontas Times, Hill says he is unhappy with recent developments and feels there are important issues that should have been brought to his attention, but instead were decided behind closed doors.

Project planners have held meetings with state legislators in Charleston about possible alternatives to the proposed site, which has been a subject of controversy.

The 9-acre site belongs to Slatyfork native Barbara Sharp Smith, who now lives in Texas, and her family has strongly objected to the site’s use. Though no final decision has been made, the use of Eminent Domain to acquire the property has been discussed, and the PSD’s attorney, Tom Michael, has said in a public meeting that it looks like an Eminent Domain situation.

In his letter to the Times, Calvin Hill said he believes information was withheld from the PSD board. He said, The proper information at the right time would have allowed us to make the best decisions.

Neither County Commissioners nor PSD board members could be reached for comment before Noon Friday.