Explanation
Last week, as I was working on the Mayor’s Corner, I was notified of two dogs versus one woman, on 10th Street. The lady walking her dog had been attacked by a neighbor’s dogs. Upon returning to my office, I included the incident in that article. The ordeal was fresh on my mind, and I explained it as well as I understood the facts at the time. Within the hour it had been submitted to The Pocahontas Times for publication. Some thought I attacked the owners. Certainly, I did not intend to personally harm the owners.
This week, I wanted to clarify. My intention was to sound an alarm and use a bad experience to make others aware. In this case, the owners are a responsible young working couple with a beautiful family. Both pets had managed to escape an enclosure while they were at work. The real story is this. Animals act differently when the owners are away. Furthermore, even when we are trying to take care and be responsible – things happen.
I am reminded: Whatever can go wrong will go wrong!
Also, a special “Thank You” to Mr. Burgess and Mr. Gibson for their quick response. They were working on a roof across the street and came to chase the dogs away or there could have been a worse outcome.
By the way, the owners took full responsibility. They visited their neighbor in the hospital that day, offering their support. My thoughts and prayers are for all involved. For a lady now on the mend and for the family who made a hard decision to have the animals put down and not risk another such event.
Sewer Charges
FYI: We get lots of questions with regard to sewer charges for vacant properties. The callers can be identified as one of two groups.
#1. The term UnMetered refers to situations where sewer service passes by a property and is available to potential customer(s), but, the property has not been connected to the sewer system. That customer is identified as “Unmetered” and per the Public Service may be charged $77.33 per two months, or
#2. The property is already connected to the water and sewer system. The water for various reasons has been turned off. (This is the most common scenario.) Even though, an unoccupied building has water service turned off, the sewer is still connected to the system, and will receive a minimum charge of $34.37 per two month period, or $17.19 per month.
Note: The Town has cases of people moving into unoccupied houses and would carry water from another location in order to flush the commode. Another extreme example is an extension cord run from one house to another to operate a sump-pump providing river water to flush the commodes.