Many questions need to be answered
The week always starts off like a ‘rat race’ at the newspaper office. I don’t think we slow down to normal speed until Wednesday after we have prepared the newspaper to be printed. We are busy writing stories, editing, and building advertisements keeping the first two days packed to the max, and this Monday was not any different.
This week you may see your favorite candidates in the newspaper. It is the last week before the election and the candidate are asking for your vote. Check out each candidate’s platform and be informed. It may be a close race for many candidates. Go Tuesday, Aug. 8, to vote and let your voice be heard.
Holly Springs Utility Department customers’ voices were heard Monday night at at public meeting held on Rust College’s campus. The public meeting was scheduled by State Representative Chris Brown, and was the second meeting in a series of three.
The first was a field hearing held at The Apothecary on July 21. States Representatives, Senator Neil Whaley, and a representative from U.S. Representative Trent Kelly’s office were on the panel.
Monday night, the customers dealing with the numerous outages spoke loud and clear to the panel. As I walked through the room, before the meeting started, I stopped and spoke with many of them.
Ann Gandy, Anita Laws, and Joe Lawson from Potts Camp said they have had a problem with reliable utilities for over two years. “We want it resolved. We want them to tell us a plan,” Gandy said.
The utilities are out so often that she had to buy a generator because she works from home.
“I started working from home during COVID-19,” she said. “I can’t work if the utilities are off.” Melodie Clayton, from Mt. Pleasant, said she has had to work in her car because the utilities were out many days. “We want to have a plan. They have to correct this problem.” “What is the solution for dependable power,” said Cynthia Black. “I never thought I would be without electricity or my phones.” Most folks I spoke with had lived here most of their life and said it had been the worst the last two years, but some have are new residents. Some new residents are running off a generator because HSUD still has not been able to hook up their utilities.
“We are new to Marshall County and have 3,020 hours on our generator. That is almost 14 days,” said Shannon Lenoir of Lamar.
“I’ve been here for 20 years in the community of Slayden. What I have experienced for the last three years is like living in a third world country,” Amy Spain said.
Michelle Keel of Laws Hill said she hopes the panel will listen to what the public has to say and live with daily.
Keel has to plug in her back implant daily, but she cannot charge it with the outages.
When the meeting started, Becky Brown stepped up to the microphone and told the panel how it affects not only adults but also her children. She said she has a young child who gets scared as soon as the lights flicker because they know they may be out for days. She noted that she doesn’t know how this will affect her kids throughout the school year if they have unreliable service with HSUD.
Many questions need to be answered, and I hope the panel will devise a solution to help the customers of HSUD.