Marathon Councilman pushes

aquaduct association

 

BY TERRY SCHMIDA

 

Tick-tock, tick-tock . . .

 

That’s the sound of the clock ticking down to the expiration of the City of Marathon’s contract with its current sewer system operator, and the deadline to come up with a new one.

 

Currently the UK-based Severn Trent waster services company has been running three out of five of the city’s sewer plants, but come August, at least one Marathon City Councilman – Dan Zieg – is looking for a change of management of the facilities.

 

Specifically, Zieg has been in talks with Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority Executive Director Kirk Zuelch to discuss bringing the state agency on board to help keep the system functioning. Already the FKAA provide sewer billing services to the city, and Zuelch has signaled his willingness to do more, should Marathon City Council decide to go that route. For his part, Zieg has gone out of his way to praise the “expertise” and “engineering talent” the aqueduct brings to the table.

 

The FKAA revelation comes amid widespread speculation of frayed relations between company officials, and their technical overseers in Marathon city government.

 

Severn Trent Vice President of Operations William Mertes is said to have sent a letter to Marathon City Manager Mike Puto back in March pressing the city’s Utilities Department to step up the pace of its maintenanc parts purchases, while at the same time advising city workers to keep their mitts off the company’s equipment.

 

A short while later, the department’s chief Zully Hemeyer received a short suspension, and one of his workers was fired. Another tendered his resignation.

 

Marathon Vice Mayor Vice Mayor Mark Senmartin has also not been shy about his desire to see Severn Trent handed its walking papers, but has stopped short of endorsing a deal with the FKAA.

 

Instead, he has declared himself to be “100 perccent” for an “in-house” solution.

 

Zieg, meanwhile, is conducting more research into the matter.

 

The FKAA has a network of wastewater treatment plants in Duck Key, Big Coppitt, Layton, Bay Point, and Key Haven, and is in the process of building the Cudjoe Regional sewer system, which will service nearly 10,000 sewer connections from Big Pine Key to Cudjoe.

 

The Marathon City Council meets/met next at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 12, at the Marathon Government Center, 2798 Overseas Hwy., Marathon.

 

For more information, call 305-743-0033, or visit [email protected]

[email protected]

 

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