HISTORY

In 1964, Lavalette was a small community situated just south of Huntington. The residents had no water supply other than wells which produced low amounts of poor quality water. The newly formed Lavalette Volunteer Fire Department was also in need of fire hydrants to protect the community they now served. J.A. Roe, Bill Wellman, Charles Overby, and a few other founders and members of the Fire Department lead the efforts to obtain a public water supply for Lavalette.

Being a small, unincorporated community with no local government meant Lavalette would have difficutly getting funding. But J. A. Roe, Bill Wellman, Harry Smith, Charles Griffith, Carl Macolm, Renick Wilkinson, and a fe of the visionary community residents could see a time when Lavalette could be a thriving business and residential area, if it only had a good supply of water. Water was the key to growth, prosperity, and a better quality of life than they now had. These visionary residents, lead by the first Board Chairman J.A. Row, took action.

The was a massive undertaking that involved several pump stations and takns to transport purchased water for the City of Huntington to the homes in this small community. A loan for $486,000.00 from Farmers Home Administration (now called Rural Development) and a grant for $458,000.00 would finance this project if 400 customers could be signed. The initial tap fee would be $35.00, and a tap contract would need to be signed requiring a minimum bill of $6.00 per month be paid for three years, even if no water was used. Most of the community members who donated time to sign up potential customers we also members of the newly formed Lavalette Vol. Fire Department. The required 400 customers were signed, many buying more than one tap and paying the minimum bill for the three years just to make it happen. The first customers went online October 10, 1967, and the rest is history.

Some of the original line installation wa done by subcontract using equipment owned by Bill Welldom (husband of Glenna Wellman). In 1966, Bill Wellman and Carroll Earp formed W&E Excavating and began doing maintenance, repair, meter reading , and installation of new taps for the District. Labor was provided by Bill Wellman, Caroll Earp, Jack Ward, Bill Willis, Darrell Wellman, Rick Wellman, and other part time help. In 1971, Bill formed Wellman Construction Co. and was the District’s contractor until 1975.

Shortly therafter, Darrell Wellman and Arnold Sullivan formed Lavalette Tranching Company and began doing contrct line repair, extensions of service, and booster station maintenance and repair.

In 1972, an extension of the main line was needed to provide service to approximately 75 new customer south of Lavalette. In 1980 the area had grown until another extension of service was needed. This time it was east of Lavalette, providing water for approximately 100 residents who had deep wells, but no water. In 1984 additional field help was hired and more and bigger digging equipment was purchased. Customer base had risen from less than 400 in 1966, to 847 in November 1972, and 1200 by 1980. The next ten years saw slower but steady growth and expansion for the District reaching the 1500 customers mark by 1990. But, the much anticipated and envisioned growth of the Lavalette area was about to explode into reality.

The 1990s signaled an era of unprecedented growth of residential and business expansion in Lavalette. Over 400 new homes and businesses have been constructed since 1990, most in the past five years. Several sub-divisions sprang up on land previously not usable because of poor water supplies. Mobile home park developments added customers very quickly. Businesses began to notice the southward expansion of the Huntington residential area and business construction began to boom in Lavalette. By 1994 customer base was 2000 and growing. The demand on the water system soon taxed the capacity of LPSD’s main lines and pumps to the limit. An experienced Board realized that something was going to have to be done and done
soon.

In 1999, the Lavalette Public Service District served over 2600 customers, through 160 miles of mainline. The system consists of 158 fire hydrants, 300+ mainline valves, five pump stations with five storage tanks (a 6th pump station and the tank will be added in 2000), 13 pressure-reducing valves (PRV’s), and 8 master meters which are phone-read each morning by computer. In early 2000, the District was in desperate need of additional office, maintenance, and storage space. The decision was made to sell the existing building and buy a bigger building. Being located next door to Lavalette Vol. Fire Dept, the Fire Department purchased the existing building. In July of 2000, The PSD then purchased a newer building located at 5308 Rt 152 near Dickson. The building had previously housed Bob’s Paint & Body Shop. Using District employees and some part-time help, the new facility was remodeled and the move was made in October of 2000. In 2001, the District again was building adjacent to the office. This time it was a new 40 x 100 maintenance buildings again constructed using in house employees and jail trustees from the Wayne County Jail.

In 2003 the District again made drastic improvements to the system and capacities. Booster pumps were upsized again
and new computer-based “Scada” booster and tank monitoring equipment were purchased and installed. Every aspect of the distribution system was now computer controlled and monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This also included security alarms and intrusion features. Radio Read meters were also added in 2003. This upgrade allowed one man and one truck to read meters in one day, instead of two trucks, four men, four days to do the meter reading monthly. This was a great savings for customers and a huge help with necessary monthly maintenance requirements.

In the spring of 2003, the Wayne County Commission extended the District’s boundaries were to include everything North of Rt 37 that currently did not have public water. This increased the area now served by over 200%.

It became apparent due to the new area being 26 miles from the main office that maintenance to the new area would require a maintenance substation in that area. In early 2007 the District purchased property at the intersection of Rt 37 and Big Hurricane Creek Road and constructed a 30 x 40 “Southern Maintenance Building” to assist with that responsibility. Plans were also completed for an additional extension beginning on Rt 37 at the new building and going along Rt 37 to meet the Town of Wayne Water System at Wolfe Creek Road.

In 2007, the Lavalette Public Service District will serve over 3,300 customers, through 250 miles of mainline. The system consists of 240 fire hydrants, 450+ mainline valves, 7 pump stations with 6 storage tanks, 18 pressure reducing valves (PRV’s), and 3 master meters which are read each morning by computer.

The $5,000,000.00 RT 37 project is expected to begin in the spring of 2008 and will add approximately 250 additional customers and 25 miles of line.

Since 1964, many other community minded individuals have served on the Board. Ted Yoder, Carl Malcolm, Edith Blatt, Renick Wilkinson, Joe Booten, and Richard Mullens have all served their community by contributing their time and talents to provide safe water to their friends and neighbors in the Lavalette area.

As of December 2008, the District owns 11 trucks, 7 backhoes, 6 trailers, an excavator, 2 air compressors, a construction box trailer, a street sweeper, a radio repeater communications system and personal radios for each employee, and a full complement of testing and line locating equipment.

Both the present and former staff of Lavalette Public Service District have for over 35 years provided excellence in water service to the community of Lavalette and surrounding areas.