Barbee Sewer Progress Temporarily Put On Hold
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Barbee Lakes Conservancy District bowed to the pressure of an ensuing lawsuit Saturday, but lashed out at the group that spurred the action.
The district board voted unanimously Saturday to voluntarily refrain from any new costly steps to construct a sewer system until after a Feb. 28 election of its board.
The move came after Barbee Lakes Quality Network filed suit in Kosciusko Circuit Court Oct. 24 seeking an injunction that would block progress in the district's efforts to construct a sewer covering seven lakes.
The district will be able to continue its daily operations, but won't be able to act upon a facility plan expected to be approved within a few weeks by the state.
The agreement nullifies any need for a scheduled court hearing that had been set for Nov. 10. The district will conduct its regular monthly meeting Nov. 11.
"We're sitting here with our hands tied, but we accept it," said district president Jack Maule.
The election will involve four of the district five seats on the board. One death and a resignation has reduced the board to three members, and Quality Network officials hope to win at least three seats in the election, giving them control of the board and an opportunity to kill the proposed sewer project.
The district's three remaining board members met in executive session and then announced their decision.
Quality Network President Scott Fox said they were pleased with the district's decision.
"What we were afraid of is we could get saddled with a couple million dollar bill," he said.
More than 60 people attended Saturday's special meeting, which lasted about 15 minutes. District officials offered no opinions on the circumstances during the meeting, but released a terse statement afterward.
The lawsuit alleges the district board has misled the public, that the need for a sewer hasn't been fully documented and that a secret campaign had been waged to deprive former board member Barry Hecker - a member of the Quality Network - from pertinent information.
In the prepared statement, the district suggested the lawsuit might be in part a type of pre-election hype.
In taking the action, the district board neither recognizes the validity of the pending suit nor concedes the truth of statements contained within the suit, the statement said.
The district considers statements contained within the suit to be a collection of misrepresentations, distortions, misquotes, fabrications and inflammatory and unsupported claims "intended to further inflame and deceive the freeholders of the district."
The district also suggests the election will represent a key turning point in the project and calls on supporters to step forward.
"This litigation and the upcoming election is a wake-up call. They must become active, attend meetings and vote at the annual election. Failure to do so may well result in no sewer system being installed," according to the statement. [[In-content Ad]]
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Barbee Lakes Conservancy District bowed to the pressure of an ensuing lawsuit Saturday, but lashed out at the group that spurred the action.
The district board voted unanimously Saturday to voluntarily refrain from any new costly steps to construct a sewer system until after a Feb. 28 election of its board.
The move came after Barbee Lakes Quality Network filed suit in Kosciusko Circuit Court Oct. 24 seeking an injunction that would block progress in the district's efforts to construct a sewer covering seven lakes.
The district will be able to continue its daily operations, but won't be able to act upon a facility plan expected to be approved within a few weeks by the state.
The agreement nullifies any need for a scheduled court hearing that had been set for Nov. 10. The district will conduct its regular monthly meeting Nov. 11.
"We're sitting here with our hands tied, but we accept it," said district president Jack Maule.
The election will involve four of the district five seats on the board. One death and a resignation has reduced the board to three members, and Quality Network officials hope to win at least three seats in the election, giving them control of the board and an opportunity to kill the proposed sewer project.
The district's three remaining board members met in executive session and then announced their decision.
Quality Network President Scott Fox said they were pleased with the district's decision.
"What we were afraid of is we could get saddled with a couple million dollar bill," he said.
More than 60 people attended Saturday's special meeting, which lasted about 15 minutes. District officials offered no opinions on the circumstances during the meeting, but released a terse statement afterward.
The lawsuit alleges the district board has misled the public, that the need for a sewer hasn't been fully documented and that a secret campaign had been waged to deprive former board member Barry Hecker - a member of the Quality Network - from pertinent information.
In the prepared statement, the district suggested the lawsuit might be in part a type of pre-election hype.
In taking the action, the district board neither recognizes the validity of the pending suit nor concedes the truth of statements contained within the suit, the statement said.
The district considers statements contained within the suit to be a collection of misrepresentations, distortions, misquotes, fabrications and inflammatory and unsupported claims "intended to further inflame and deceive the freeholders of the district."
The district also suggests the election will represent a key turning point in the project and calls on supporters to step forward.
"This litigation and the upcoming election is a wake-up call. They must become active, attend meetings and vote at the annual election. Failure to do so may well result in no sewer system being installed," according to the statement. [[In-content Ad]]