Residents criticize water board for lack of communication and stalled infrastructure plans

WEIRTON, W.Va. — The monthly Weirton Area Water Board meeting on Thursday afternoon brought forth continued concerns as well as continued discussions from Monday’s council meeting.

In the wake of Weirton’s water crisis, residents are still searching for answers.

Resident Karen Mentzer addressed the board, saying she is fed up with the situation.

“I’m now at the point where I’m exhausted,” Mentzer said. “There is no transparency from the board members. It’s a game. I want information. You’re not going to get it unless you do this. Is every customer going to be treated like this?”

John Kraina agreed, stating that transparency is necessary.

“What I’m asking you to do is to communicate the positives, communicate the plan,” Kraina said. “If you do that, then you can start to do one very critical thing, which I don’t think you guys realize you’ve lost, and that is to rebuild trust.”

Also introduced to the board was an anonymous whistleblower letter from 2014. Included in the letter obtained by NEWS9 are allegations of misconduct and illegal operations, amongst others. The letter concludes by saying quote, “water department employees are forced to work in unsafe conditions without proper training and skills to do their jobs right and safe.”

Former water department employee Chris Gruda said that kicked off a culture of bullying within the department.

“That started something, and there was a culture there. And it made a divide between management and the employees, and we felt as if, even though some of the information in it was reasonable, and some of it wasn’t, from what we could hear, no one would give us a copy of it. But it started a divide.”

The board did not address any of the residents’ concerns at the meeting, including the letter.

With plans for replacing the lines still in stagnation, residents are still searching for answers.

“You have people to answer to, whether it’s to your employees, whether it’s customers,” Mentzer said. “And what has happened, so many things from prior years led up to the crisis.”