Trinity School District Paying $13,731 for water bill in one building.

Trinity School District Paying $13,731 for water bill in one building.

By Ken Bonnell
The Weekly Recorder
April 18, 2008

Back in 1993 when the Trinity School District was building Trinity South, there was no water or sewage near the site. Due to legal restrictions on the school district, Trinity paid for all the design costs of the line at no charge to Amwell Township’s water authority. In addition, Trinity School District loaned the Authority $550,000 in a no interest loan to be paid in equal installments over a fifty year period.

The agreement was signed on March 17, 1994 between the Amwell Water Authority and Trinity School District.

The authority was permitted to set fees intended to permit it to pay for it’s operating expenses and to repay Trinity for the interest free loan.

The Weekly Recorder has learned that the January, February and March bill for water at Trinity South is $13,731. That is an average of over $4,500 a month. We have also learned that the bills for the other schools in the district are as follows: Trinity East $400, Trinity West $600, Trinity North $700, Trinity Middle School $1,300 and Trinity High School $1,300 (that was rounded off for ease of comparison). Trinity South’s bill was larger per month than for all the other buildings combined!

In addition, The Weekly Recorder has learned that there is $8,679 bill included in the $8,679 bill and the water rate is $.60 per hundred billed to the Authority by PA American Water.

In the agreement that was signed in 1994, the Amwell Supervisors have the authority to appoint members of the Authority and at least two members of the Authority shall be persons nominated by the Trinity School Board. That is not being done at this time. No member of the Water Authority was appointed by Trinity School Board.

The Weekly Recorder has also learned that there were meters being read in a pit and that it was full of water. The result was that the meter reader was unable to get to the meter. This problem has since been rectified and the meters have been moved above ground.

We are unaware at this time how long the obviously excessive water bills have been happening. Some sources are reporting that these bills have been an on-going problem. But we believe that there are some interesting questions that need to be asked in the wake of this investigation. Hopefully Trinity School District will finally look at what options they have in regards to this problem.

This problem was brought to our attention by the diligence of residents of Amwell Township who contacted this reporter. We would like to thank them. In addition, we would like to thank Mr. Dick Bishop, chairman of the Water Authority, Lou Vone, Trreasurer, and Ms. Bamberger Secretary and billing person for the authority for their help in the writing of this story.