Handful of Capac residents voice concerns

Water quality, personnel issues top the list

 

CAPAC — Although historically, attendance at a Village of Capac council meeting is sparse, that was not the case Monday evening when more than 30 people crowded in to the cozy American Legion Hall downtown.

At issue, with the majority of the crowd, was on-going concerns with water quality due to the amount of construction going on within the village and how a personnel issue, with the sudden dismissal of two key DPW employees, was handled.

When it came time for public comment, Village President Debbie Hlubic gave some general ground rules and opened the floor for comments.

Among those first to speak on the personnel issues was Amy Woolman, wife of fired employee Aaron Woolman, who read from a prepared statement.

“I am here on behalf of Aaron Woolman and Bryan Miller, previous DPW workers who were falsely terminated,” she said. “I am here tonight to request council to do a review of the Village Manager, Travis Youatt and DPW Supervisor Tom Vigiletti as I believe they are a detriment to the health and safety of the village residents due to their actions on the job and lack of meeting the qualifications required for their positions. They are a liability (to the village) in their character and in the job positions they hold.”

Woolman went on to highlight four points of contention in her mind, including the accusation that the newly named DPW Supervisor (and former village council member) Anthony Vigiletti was not properly licensed to do the work for the position he was hired to do.

Woolman said she is concerned that, “he (Vigiletti) is underqualified to maintain the water well system, the water treatment system, water distribution systems and wastewater treatment systems.

“Where was the dignity and respect for Aaron and Bryan?” Woolman asked. “Who were they supposed to go to if there was a complaint against Travis (Youatt, Village Manager).”

Near the end of her time, Woolman stated, “the action taken by Tony (Vigiletti) not to call in a Miss Dig ticket for a repair near a gas main resulted in Tony hitting the line. This action put the employees at risk of harm as well as residents in the area.”

Woolman asked the council to evaluate the effectiveness of the village leadership, “as it greatly impacts a community’s well-being.”

Village Manager Travis Youatt, who was flanked by Hlubic and the village attorney at the head table addressed one concern by saying, “We have a water report for every resident that is available annually. We have the water tested as required by the state and I can tell you it is often.”

As to the allegations and statements made on social media regarding the firing of Woolman and Miller, Youatt said, a lot of what is out there is flat out not true. An employee’s work record is public information. You can come and FOIA it and we have to show you what’s in the file.

Several of the audience members, including one of the two that were terminated, said they felt the two men had been dismissed without any verbal warnings or other means of discipline.

“I have been advised by our legal team to not address personnel issues and we don’t normally do that (discussion) in this kind of a public forum,” Youatt explained.

Village Resident Nate Kalbfleisch voiced concern over water quality. “You need to make it safe for us to drink,” he told council. “An annual report is not enough. We need to know when there is a problem with the system. We just want the truth. That’s what we are asking for. Not just some long explanation that says nothing.”

Another member of the crowd who said he worked in construction raised his voice at council and said, “Why does one person have the power to fire people? It should be coming to this board for final approval. Only this council should be able to fire people.” The speaker said he felt strongly that Youatt and Vigiletti should be immediately terminated.

The village is currently in the midst of laying 10,000 feet of water line service on many side streets in anticipation of starting another major project with the rebuilding of Main Street.

“We know we have a lot going,” Youatt said. “And there are going to be mistakes made. When you have a village as old as ours and has not had any infrastructure done in the last 50 years, you are going to find unknowns. And that’s what’s happening.”

The manager said as both local and outside contractors and employees work to install new lines, “we are finding out that gas lines have been bored through or around our infrastructure and it causes problems.”

Youatt concluded his comments to the crowd saying, “We’re doing a lot of improvements that will last for generations to come. We are expecting to have the work done, the side streets paved, by the end of June.

In regards to the water quality, Youatt said, “We are going from 4 inch line to 12 inch line. it’s best for you to run your water for a while if you have a little discoloration. The water is safe to drink. The state (EGLE) will test your own personal water for free, if you send it to them. If it’s a concern, send it in.”

The residents felt they didn’t have the opportunity to further explore the firings of the two former DPW workers, saying their feelings and comments were, “just falling on deaf ears.”

Some in the crowd promised to continue to pursue input from State agencies as for the firings. At least one of the men has qualified for unemployment benefits, despite the reasons for his firing while the other was notified the same day as the meeting that he too, was successfully enrolled for unemployment benefits.

Youatt said the village has posted the two DPW positions on various websites and has hired one person so far, with a second position to be filled in the coming days and weeks.