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Fire loss reveals inadequate service

Listening to questions from residents at the Jan. 27 meeting held at the Midway Water System office were, from left: MWS General Manager Phil Jowers, Midway Fire District Board Of Commissioners Chair Joe McPherson, MFD Battalion Chief Cristina Perkins, and MWS Treasurer, Bill Todd (at dias). Julie B. Connerley/Special to Gulf Breeze News More than 100 residents in the neighborhoods of West Bayshore Road and Hickory Shores Boulevard east of Gulf Breeze recently learned that their homes are under-protected against fire because of a lack of adequate water services provided by Midway Water System, Inc. (MWS).

The issue surfaced after a Jan. 10 fire destroyed a home in the 2300 block of West Bayshore Road near the Naval Live Oaks area of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Jim Deaver and other shocked neighbors who watched the Jan. 10 Gulf Breeze fire quickly organized a neighborhood meeting with MFD leaders. They wanted to know why the house could not be saved.

Until meeting with fire officials, West Bayshore Road residents were not aware that the water mains in their neighborhoods were undersized, which prevented fire trucks from pumping the necessary volume of water to extinguish the fire.

Further, although fire hydrants may have six-inch pipe openings, many have their sixinch openings welded shut. Also, some hydrants aren’t used for firefighting at all; they are flush pipes only.

“Florida Department of Environment Protection (DEP) regulations require us to weld shut the six-inch openings on fire hydrants if we don’t have six-inch water mains,” explained Joe McPherson, Midway Fire District Commission Chairman. “If we didn’t, the water pressure could collapse the water main.”

Residents learned that another older neighborhood, Hickory Shores Boulevard, also was under-protected by a three-inch water main. Residents of both neighborhoods then coordinated a special meeting with the Midway Water System, Inc. on Jan. 27.

Forty-one water users met with MWS general manager Phil Jowers, his board, and guests McPherson and MFD Battalion Chief Cristina Perkins, who was on scene at the West Bayshore fire.

Several residents questioned the potential of upgrading the water mains.

“All capital improvements of our system are done through impact fees,” Jowers explained. “Unfortunately, the economy is down and so are impact fees.”

The MWS operations budget comes from user fees.

“We had a substantial cash reserve, but we have made several improvements to the system during the past six years, depleting our reserves,” Jowers added.

Those improvements include:

¦ 2004-05: $596,184 upgrade of all water mains in Oriole Beach Road, Bay Street and all adjacent corridors

¦ 2007-08: $3,248,329 for construction of a one-million-gallon elevated storage tank and meter change-out program

¦ 2009-10: $263,273 to complete abatement of Tank No. 4 located at the foot of Garcon Point Bridge

“The increased storage capacity of the new elevated storage tank provides more water for fire protection,” Jowers said. “We also have reduced our staff from 20 to 15 in an effort to deal with a decrease in revenue attributed to the slowed economy.”

System-wide improvements weren’t what the crowd wanted to hear about. Instead, they repeatedly asked what plans MWS had to address the undersized pipes in their neighborhoods. Some voiced their willingness to accept a $1 or $2 additional fee on their monthly water bill to pay for the necessary upgrades but argued that any increases should be applied system-wide.

West Bayshore resident Rusty Bond expressed concern about the lack of water flow. “I had no idea,” he said. “It needs to be corrected now.”

Thirty-year residents of Ainsworth Drive (near West Bayshore), John and Alice Grant were surprised to learn their home was at risk. Alice was one of several who voiced her concerns to the MWS board and Jowers.

“I’ve never even heard of the word ‘flush pipe,’ ” Grant began. “I just want to be safe in my home. . . . I want to be able to (trust) that Midway Water is going to take care of this problem. I can meet with somebody and tell them my fears, but I can’t discuss sixinch holes and three-inch mains on an intelligent level; I have to trust you. So I challenge you to make my neighborhood safe.

“We need more protection, and we cannot wait until the economy gets better. Your first priority should be to protect everybody who lives in your water district equally.”

MWS asked that the staff be allowed to research possible funding sources and provide their findings at their regular March 15 meeting beginning at 7 p.m. at the MWS offices, 4971 Gulf Breeze Parkway.