AIKEN --- Aiken County Council's newest member was sworn in Tuesday and immediately took steps to advance the process of rehabbing Avondale Mills' water system.
Alexander "Sandy" Haskell officially became a part of the council during the special called meeting. Mr. Haskell won the District 5 seat in last week's election, beating Judy Hamilton for the seat vacated by Eddie Butler, who resigned because he is moving out of the district.
Mr. Haskell said he hoped all future council meetings would be like Tuesday's, which lasted only a few minutes.
"I'm looking forward to it," he said afterward. "I feel like a short man in tall grass right now, but they all seem like they're willing to help."
The council approved a second reading of the ordinance proposing the expansion of Valley Public Service Authority's boundaries to include Graniteville and Vaucluse.
The authority's board of commissioners met Tuesday night to discuss the progress on rehabbing the water system for its 550 customers, said board attorney Eric Shytle. The council's decision will take care of the legalities of acquiring the water system, but Mr. Shytle said the board was still waiting to hear about federal funding.
USDA Rural Development has not yet completed an environmental review of the water system, so officials cannot propose the loan and grant amounts, Mr. Shytle said. The board expects $7 million in federal grants and a $3 million loan from Rural Development.
"It's pretty much the same place we were a few weeks ago," he said. "We're hoping they make the decision soon, but they have to go through a process."
If the negotiations do not come to fruition, the boundaries would return to the original size, county administrator Clay Killian said.
The enlargement of the boundaries will be effective after the third and final reading of the ordinance.
Reach Stephanie Toone at (803) 648-1395, ext. 110 or stephanie.toone@augustachronicle.com.
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