Ewing cast the lone dissenting vote.
The county and the Pinehurst Village Council agreed earlier this year to share the cost of hiring a consultant to determine the fair market value of the water and wastewater systems in Pinehurst. Because a few legal details remained, the commissioners deferred action at their last meeting on a resolution to award the contract to KPMG Consulting Inc. of Atlanta.
Board Chairman Michael R. Holden announced during the Monday night meeting that Lesley Moxley, county attorney, had cleared up those legal issues and that the board was ready to vote.
But Ewing quickly let his feelings be known.
“Why are we going through this exercise?” Ewing asked, commenting that, “Pinehurst has already drawn a line in the sand.” The “line” apparently is a $10 million figure mentioned as the offer Pinehurst plans to make for the utilities.
Holden said that the board has determined that this is the appropriate way to handle the situation. The county owns the utilities at present, the village has expressed interest in purchasing the systems, and Holden said the best way to determine the value is to hire a third party to make an independent assessment.
“This information should be beneficial,” Holden said.
Ewing argued that the board represents the entire county, not just one area, and that the sale of the Pinehurst utilities, representing the largest customer base in the county system, would not be in the best interests of Moore County as a whole. He noted that the county is presently working on the East Moore Water District and that plans should begin soon for a similar district in the western part of the county.
“Water is the most precious commodity we have, and it must be shared with the whole county,” Ewing said.
He called the Town of Southern Pines “very gracious” about selling water to the county, principally for the benefit of Pinehurst. He called attention to the linkage between Southern Pines, Pinehurst and Seven Lakes and wondered what Pinehurst’s reaction would be if Seven Lakes, for example, were to have a critical need for additional water.
“It doesn’t make sense to me to pay this money to come up with a figure that I don’t think Pinehurst is ever going to consider,” Ewing said.
Commissioner Colin McKenzie, who lives in Pinehurst and is a former Pinehurst Village Council member, pointed out that the village has long wanted to own its own utilities. The village made an offer to buy the system in the late 1980s but was turned down. Moore Water and Sewer Authority later bought the system, which became part of the county system last year when the county dismantled MoWASA.
“I’m representing the whole county, not just Whispering Pines or Soggy Bottom,” Ewing said. His home is located in a rural area near Whispering Pines known as Soggy Bottom. He is not served by the county water system.
McKenzie then made a motion to approve the contract resolution. Commissioner Paul Helms made the second. Commissioner David Cummings and Holden joined McKenzie and Helms in voting for the motion.
