In a stroke of long over due sanity, Chairman Holden realized that the proposed sale of the water/sewer from the county to Pinehurst was in neither party’s interest. From the onset of negations, it was clear to Commissioners Ewing and Cummings that the idea was a lose/lose situation for both parties.

Advocates for the purchase had two complaints: Pinehurst’s subsidization of other communities within Moore County Public Utilities and lack of system maintenance.

Once the county took over the system from MOWASA, Utilities Director Dennis Brobst initiated needed repairs, negating this argument.

The alleged subsidization has never been quantified, but if it does exist it would have been continued through the purchase price of the water from the county to Pinehurst.

If the sale had gone through, the possibility of a countywide system would have been destroyed, economy of scale would have been lost, duplicate operating systems would have needed to be created and Pinehurst would have been buying something that they already own, but do not directly control. The additional millions needed to buy the system would come from Pinehurst ratepayers, money better spent on system maintenance and improvements.

Based on our past history there will be those that demand we sue the county if for no other reason than to maintain our reputation as the lawyer’s full employment village.

At this point Commissioner Saunders’ motion to study a Pinehurst Water District should be done in good faith. The idea of a Pinehurst Water District was proposed at the onset of negotiations, and if acted on at that time this cost-free solution would have saved the millions now wasted in the effort to purchase the system.

Jack C. McVey

Pinehurst