Hempstead, Oyster Bay Towns Announce SENWA Recommendations

In keeping with their promise, Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray and Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto jointly announced the recommendation of five individuals to serve on a reactivated Southeastern Nassau County Water Authority (SENWA) on Friday afternoon.

The two supervisors have been seeking to re-constitute the board following a public outcry over the rates charged by Aqua, which serves Wantagh and Seaford along with several other Long Island communities.

Under the New York Public Authorities Law both town boards are allowed to appoint members to the authority, which was created by the state in 1991 to explore the area's water supply options. The board was abandoned in 1997 and there have been some legal questions as to whether it can be revived, but Murray and Venditto announced in January, that they were putting it back together, believing they have the power to take over the company.

"Despite the apparent decision of the previous Water Authority board not to pursue a public takeover, it's time to take a fresh look at the issue," Murray said.

John Molloy of Wantagh has been recommened to serve on the panel. Molloy is a Professional Engineer and the Chairman, President and CEO of H2M Group, which provides architectural, engineering and environmental consulting. Murray and Venditto tout Molloy's extensive experience in water supply system, engineering, operations and water quality, while leading Melville-based H2M, which has 260 employees. As H2M's direct representative for the Hicksville and South Huntington Water Districts, serving 115,000 people, Molloy is engaged in capital planning, engineering design, operations and cost analysis for both operations.

The other Town of Hempstead appointees to the panel include John Reinhardt, the Town's  Water Commissioner and  Richard Ronan a Professional Engineer and the town's outgoing Sanitation Commissioner. The Town of Oyster Bay appointees include Massapequa residents Edward "Woody" Kennedy, the former Town of Oyster Bay Parks Commissioner and Walter D'Amato, President of the Nassau Shores Civic Association for over a decade.

The Hempstead and Oyster Bay town Boards have to approve the recommendations.

 "The members who are being recommended for this board are more than just well intentioned people,"  Venditto said. "They are Aqua ratepayers with the background and skills needed to conduct a thorough study and make an informed determination on whether a public takeover of a private water company will provide ratepayer relief."

Aqua has argued that because they are a private company, they've had to pay taxes that public utilities don't have to pay.

"We understand that some of our customers are concerned with how our rates compare with those of neighboring water systems," Spokeswoman Donna Alston said. "We have explained that the primary difference in our rates and those of other area water providers is the fact that approximately 35 percent of our water bill is comprised of taxes. All of our rate requests are reviewed and approved by the Public Service Commission, which is charged with balancing the interests of the consumers and the utility. With regards to the authority appointees, they should serve at the will of the public they are charged with serving."