News RELEASE:

HOLYOKE CITIZENS FOR OPEN GOVERNMENT

http://water.homestead.com

Holyoke Board of Public Works votes to privatize, Citizens group says “Not so fast…”

For more information:

Carolyn Toll Oppenheim 413 540 0149 holyokewater@hotmail.com

Jonathan Bates 413 540 0740

Helen Norris cell 413-531-3264

Holyoke Citizens for Open Government (HCOG) protests the rush to

judgment by the Board of Public Works last night (Monday, Dec. 20th) to sign

a 20-year, $160m contract with Aquarion Services Company to upgrade and run

the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The decision to privatize is now in

the hands of the mayor, however the mayor has stated publicly and privately

that he will not sign the contract with Aquarion until the city council

approves an 82% hike in the sewer rate to fund the project. Since the city

has not been forthcoming about whether or not this increase is to fund

operation by Aquarion, or continued public operation, The HCOG demand that

the members of the finance committee vote AGAINST the rate increase until

the issue of who will handle the CSO problem, the city or Aquarion is,

resolved.

Holyoke Citizens for Open Government(HCOG) is concerned that this

decision-making process is flawed, and numerous questions remain unanswered.

· Our City Councilors have repeatedly asked the BPW what the real costs to

Holyoke would be if the city decided to reverse privatization and no

satisfactory answers to this have been forthcoming.

· We call for greater transparency and full public disclosure of the real

costs of privatization.

· We want a public hearing where the city officials and residents can

considerr public alternatives to solve the city’s problem, so the residents

of Holyoke understand that the city's ratepayers do have the option to fund

a public project to clean up the river.

We demand that the City of Holyoke :

· mail post cards to all ratepayers informing them when, where and how the

proposed contract is available for review and informing them of a new

deadline for public comment to be set six weeks from the date the mailing is

sent out. While we realize this is an additional expense, we think this

tiny expenditure should have been a line item in the public funds expended

for developing the request for proposal for a contract.

· hold a public hearing several weeks after the ratepayers have been

informed;

· continue to make available a final copy of the contract for review in the

office of the Department of Public Works, the Holyoke Public Library and,

upon request, in a file for those who wish computer access (as HCOG

requested in November.)

City councilors supporting the citizens group include: Jourdain, mentioned

above; Helen Norris, Ward 3; Lilian Santiago. Ward 1; Mark A. Lubold, Ward

6, and Elaine Pluta, at-large.

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