Commissioners questioned on water emergency at prison

A Weatherly resident is questioning why his water hauling company wasn’t called first when a water emergency happened at the Carbon County prison last month, alleging that it was because of one of the commissioners who didn’t push for his company because of issues the two have.

James Dulcey, owner of Vogel Farm Spring Water, thanked the board for eventually calling his company to supply water, but felt slighted that his company, which he said is only a few miles from the prison, wasn’t called first. Instead, an out-of-area company was called.

He questioned why Commissioner Thomas J. Gerhard would allow this when he knew of his company.

Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein said that Gerhard was not at the prison during the emergency and not involved in who was called, and added that Dulcey’s company was not on the county’s list of water haulers.

Once officials received the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s list of approved water haulers and saw Dulcey was listed as an approved tanker, the company was called, Nothstein said.

Dulcey still questioned the action.

Dulcey also questioned Gerhard on what his position was on the wind turbine project proposed in Packer Township because he had been at a recent meeting where he was represented to the public as a county official and he had said he was opposed to the project, but when he was a Packer Township supervisor, approved an ordinance that would allow such a project.

The commissioners said they had no official comment on the project itself, which has been their stance when questioned before about their position.