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Erie Blogs Talks with Dan Bensur of CheaperCleanerWater.com
Posted by Josh on August 31, 2007
Last week, Erie Blogs reported on Cheaper Cleaner Water, a site questioning why there are two water rates and grades of water for Millcreek Township residences and businesses, depending on where they are located. According to the site, those who are direct customers of the Erie Water Works are paying around $2 less per gallon than those who are customers of the Millcreek Water Authority, which buys water from the Erie Water Works and blends it with well water.
The staff at Erie Blogs recently caught up via email with Dan Bensur, founder and principal of Bensur Creative Marketing Group and a member of the Cheaper Cleaner Water task force, to ask a few questions about the initiative.
Erie Blogs: When and how did you and the task force first find about the cost discrepancy?
Dan Bensur: We were informed by Sue Weber, former Millcreek supervisor, who was working on this when she left office. It was her understanding that Brian McGrath was working on this with her, and Larry Curtis campaigned on making this change, so it would get done. Each time she checked with Larry she learned that Brian was not on board, so finally she decided to get businesses and homeowners involved, along with Larry Curtis, to study the situation. So, this started in the fall of 2006.
EB: Tell us about the task force, its goals and what’s been accomplished so far. Have you or task force members spoken with Millcreek supervisors, water officials or other people? If so, what was their response?
DB: Thus far the task force has studied the rates and met constantly to analyze numbers for businesses and residences, and to look at financials to figure out why such a huge difference exists. We also met with the supervisors, the supervisors and the Water Authority manager and chairman, some of the businesses met privately with some of the Millcreek Water Authority members, and finally some of the task force business members met with the Operations Committee of the Millcreek Water Authority. No good reason was ever given for not making this change, so we moved forward with the website and the publicity to build public consensus for a change.
Actually, the only reason given for not making the change was that the township supervisors felt it was convenient to have their own water authority where they could walk down the hall and get favors done for constituents and developers expeditiously. The authority themselves gave no reason for not making the change. Their manager just went into a diatribe of old history concerning when the Erie water system was under Erie City Council and how at that time they could not get the Millcreek extensions they wanted, so they formed their own authority. He was informed that this is not relevant today as, since its inception in 1992, the Erie Water Works has extended water to areas of Millcreek time and time again.
EB: The site notes that Millcreek supervisors have commissioned a study. What details do you have about the study? When is the report due? What topics will the report cover?
DB: The study was supposed to determine how the Millcreek rates could be equalized with the Erie Water Works rates so all Millcreek residents paid the same low rates. However, the consultant was hired by the supervisors and, through all the time he spent with them and the director of the Millcreek Water Authority, he was convinced to change his focus to stall this by getting involved with an ongoing mediation with the city [of Erie] about rates and calling for a regional water authority. We agree that a regional water authority is the best case scenario, but that is years away as it would involve the city selling their system, and that would never happen at present. So, Millcreek changing the entire township to Erie Water Works is the best thing at present that does work towards regionalization. Case in point: Harborcreek having done this years ago and they are very, very happy direct Erie Water Works customers.
EB: The site has testimonials from some Millcreek residents and business owners. What other types of responses have you received from Millcreek taxpayers?
DB: The website has had almost 500 hits already. Many, many of the 6,000 folks who have the more expensive water don’t even know that 10,000 other households have drastically cheaper, higher quality water. Please read the entire website carefully. The CEO of the Erie Water Works IS a Millcreek resident and so are some of the key management people.
Posted by Josh at August 31, 2007 12:44 PM
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