Silence Floods Pugwash Water System
When will the water flow in the Pugwash Water Utility? At this point, who cares?
The damage is done. Public confidence has been dashed and those in charge have expended all credibility.
For over a year the constant refrain was, “We’re on time and under budget.” It was a refreshing chorus, even if, for some, it stretched credulity.
Lately, there has been a deafening silence from the county, the owners of the water utility. The officials at the helm of the project have stopped talking. Perhaps they subscribe to the old adage that no news is good news, but when it comes to public officials administering a public project, no news a crisis makes.
There was no shortage of public comment when the project began digging into the streets of the village. Elected officials were all smiles amid their bows and curtsies. Municipal staff were bubbling over with expectation and had no hesitation in facing the cameras and microphones.
But as time dragged on, the excuses became more vague and the candidates for interviews joined the list of endangered species.
The last word from the engineer heading the project was, “If all goes as we hope, we’ll have water this Friday, if not, then next week.” Both those deadlines came and went, weeks ago, and so did the engineer. Phone calls went straight to his message machine, and colleagues said he was on vacation.
The Warden of the county, the councillor who represents and lives in Pugwash, says they are working nights and weekends to get the water system online. That suggests under budget is likely gone too, and we all know that “on time” was lost over a year ago.
If it was just a simple matter of being overdue, it might not hurt like it does. But, it is not just tardiness, it is the sense of being abandoned.
There will be no repercussions for those who failed us, no penalty for the contractors.
There will be no adjustment for the local improvement charge, that $4,000 invoice that hangs over every property owner who fronts the water system, a bill that will no doubt arrive the day after the first drop of water.
There is no offer to make amends to those whose water is currently unfit for consumption. They are simply to assume better late than never.
Property owners all along the system have gone to great expense and trouble to install lateral lines to receive water in their homes. Now, having done what was asked of them, they wait, listening for a break in the silence.
County officials may indeed be burning the midnight oil to complete the project, but can we be certain? Those same officials who publicly pronounced their pleasure with the project, when the news was good, have disappeared since the news soured.
Cumberland could learn a lot from their neighbouring community of Oxford. That town has shown us how to respond when the going gets tough.
Faced with a mysterious and massive catastrophe at Lion’s Park, the town offered daily updates on the sinkhole crisis. Some days they had news to give, but on most days they simply advised that little had happened since the previous report.
Oxford chose to inform its citizens even though the news was bad. They answered all the questions they could, and they subdued the gossip machine in the process.
Oxford faced adversity and faced the music, earning the gratitude and respect of their taxpayers.
Cumberland officials need to learn that being in charge means you deal with the good and the bad. Basking in the glory when things are good is easy. Dealing openly with bad news and crisis is the hallmark of leadership.
We have stopped waiting for Cumberland to display that kind of leadership.