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July 23, 2005Officials looked for 'spin'Tape obtained under FOIA reveals detailsByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Local officials smarting from a "disaster" at the Grand Traverse County septage treatment facility discussed putting a "positive spin" on a building collapse and sewage spill. The county's water and sewer committee met July 8 and discussed enhancing their damaged credibility and public image after a critical editorial ran the previous day in the Record-Eagle. Their ideas ranged from hiring a film crew to produce a documentary to finding a local television station to do a "positive" story on local officials. Committee members' comments were recorded on audiotape and the tape was obtained by the Record-Eagle under the state Freedom of Information Act. The group met in the wake of a June 18 building collapse and spill of 150,000 gallons of partially treated wastewater at the county's month-old, multimillion-dollar septage plant. Doug Mansfield, chairman of the Grand Traverse County Board of Public Works, told the committee he'd received calls from fellow BPW board members worried about adverse publicity. "I tell you, if the BPW's credibility (drops), that's going to trickle down real quickly," Mansfield said. "Us and the county don't want to be left out to dry because the wall came down. No, we need your support." Members of the county's water and sewer committee include Traverse City officials and representatives of townships that have sewer service. "We've had a major disaster and great disappointment in something we've had aspirations for but there is a hell of a story to be told about this, how you go about recovering from it," said Michael Houlihan, attorney for the BPW. Houlihan said he would like to find someone to put together a film about the plant that could help officials tell their story. "We do have positive spin on this, and we could put (a film) on (TC)TV-2," said Peninsula Township supervisor Rob Manigold. "We should be shopping it to TV stations to tell this story." Manigold asked public works director Chris Buday about his "relationship" with local television stations TV 7&4 and TV 9&10. "Could we actually do some kind of program in a half-hour slot?" he asked. Traverse City manager Richard Lewis rejected the notion of spinning the story, but urged the committee to get out its own story and not react to articles in the Record-Eagle. "The thing yesterday, they made a horror story about it," Lewis said of a July 7 sewage leak into the Boardman River that prompted a day-long closing of local beaches during the end of the National Cherry Festival. "I was trying to tie that (spill) to the Record-Eagle," Lewis said to laughter from other members. "It wasn't on their property but I was hoping." Manigold suggested buying a full page ad in the paper but county administrator Dennis Aloia recommended submitting a forum article to the Record-Eagle to be written by Buday. "Chris, you write too damn technical," Manigold said. "The paper is written for people - ." Manigold was cut off by laughter and Lewis before he could finish his comment regarding the Record Eagle's readers. "Rob, we are going to bring it down to the lowest common denominator, and I'm it." said Lewis, who offered to help write the article. "You've got to say it like a farmer: 'Yeah, the wall fell down and this is what we did,'" said an unidentified speaker to giggles and laughter. Aloia said he would write it but Buday would be listed as its author. Buday later said he wrote the article but it was edited by several people. Officials now assert the septage did not touch neighboring private property, and suggested a long-time resident and septage plant neighbor didn't know her own property lines. Lewis reminded the committee of the importance of finishing their story by finding out what caused the wall to collapse. "We've got to get that nailed," he said. See Related Stories: Septage spill situation becoming muddled, attorney says - July 23, 2005 Septage plant repairs tagged at $2 million - July 19, 2005 Health risk from septage plant failure said minimal - July 19, 2005 Well owners near GT County's septage plant fear contamination - June 25, 2005 GT County's septage treatment plant may reopen - June 22, 2005 Septage plant 'structural failure' is investigated - June 21, 2005 Burst tank rocks GT County's new septage plant - June 19, 2005
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