MWA institutes parking fee for public fishing at reservoir

Javors Lucas Lake, in Jones County, will no longer require a per-person fee for fishing.

The Macon Water Authority Board, which governs the reservoir, decided to institute a parking fee instead.

The cost for entry now is $15 per car instead of the previous fee structure, which charged $5 for youths, $10 for shore fishing and $20 for boats.

The change in fees was due to liability issues, MWA’s lawyer Jay Strickland, explained to the board at its regular monthly meeting on March 3.

“It serves to further protect the water authority,” he said.

Board members initially expressed some reservations about the proposal.

“I’m all for a per-car fee. I’m just not sure $15 isn’t too high,” board member Elaine Lucas said. “I would really like to see us go to $10.”

Board member Dwight Jones said the authority has been working for years to make the public fishing hole “an asset for public use but also to have it break even from a cost standpoint.” The previous boards had been “trying to find a sweet spot so we don’t have to subsidize it.”

Interim CEO Michel Wanna said seasonal security costs are about $29,000 and “no matter what you charge, you’re never going to break even.”

Jones mentioned the board failed last year to pass a rate increase for water and sewer services, adding “I just question should we be subsidizing something like public fishing when we’re not meeting our core mission of providing water and sewer services.”

The measure ultimately passed 6-1 with Lucas voting against the measure.

The Macon Water Alliance — a nonprofit arm of the water authority that aims to help customers pay their bills — also held its quarterly meeting and discussed its plan to cut checks to the local Department of Family and Children Services office and the Macon-Bibb Economic Opportunity Council Inc. so those entities can assist customers with their water bills.

The EOC is set to receive $20,000, and DFCS is slated to receive $7,000 from the alliance.

The nonprofit’s board has discussed since June the possibility of transferring some of its money to the pair of organizations.

Ron Shipman, the authority’s late CEO, had planned to personally deliver the checks to both entities. But when he’d tried to reach the CEO of the Macon-Bibb EOC, “nobody would call him back,” board member Valerie Wynn said.

Wynn said she and a couple board members would make plans to personally deliver the checks.

Wynn also proposed a provision requiring both DFCS and the EOC to provide a list of names and addresses of people it helped with the money.

Strickland noted the water alliance “didn’t put any requirements specifically on that money.”

“It’s not free money,” Wynn said. “Particularly the EOC, they’re getting $20,000 and they’ve never had any money from us. … I want to make sure our money is used properly for the purpose it was intended.”

Board member Desmond Brown and Lucas disagreed, saying the board didn’t need to be privy to sensitive information that may be embarrassing to individuals. Lucas said the EOC is audited regularly and requesting such information might be burdensome for the agency.

“We are responsible for this money,” board member Frank Patterson said. “I don’t think it’s wrong to ask for a little bit more detailed information.”

Ultimately, it was agreed the board would just request the total of individuals helped and amounts spent on at least a quarterly basis.

The meetings on March 3 marked the first since Shipman’s unexpected death on Feb. 6. Board members praisedhis character and mourned his death.

Board member Bill Howell said he didn’t know if it was the appropriate time to ask but wanted to know, “What are the next steps to replace Mr. Shipman?”

Board Chair Gary Bechtel said he could not answer but would let everyone know when that process begins.

At the end of the meeting, Lucas announced she is in remission from Leukemia. Lightheartedly, she asked that anyone with knowledge on ways to boost the production of red and white blood cells to reach out to her.

In jest, Bechtel, who has butted heads with Lucas in past meetings, said he heard silence helps with that. The room erupted with laughter and the meeting adjourned.