LUCKEY, Ohio — Luckey, Ohio, is a quiet village in Wood County. But on Wednesday night, residents packed themselves in the village hall wanting their voices to be heard in the village's plan to create a public water system.
Resident Belinda Brooks, who used to be the village mayor, wants to continue using her well water. She claims it'll become more expensive for residents to use public water and many at the meeting felt the same way.
"We've got our water tower," Brooks said. "No one has wanted public water ever. We have wells. They are all fine and free."
Brooks heard of the village's happening a few months ago and has been wanting to know the reasoning for the project, which intends to obtain eminent domain of a privately-owned quarry and turn it into a water source.
Brooks said the village was tight-lipped about the project, too.
During the meeting, Luckey Mayor Cory Panning said the village previously couldn't answer questions from the public until now because of a pending lawsuit.
Obtaining eminent domain of the quarry would give Luckey the power to take over the property, even if residents don't want to sell.
The only reason Panning gave to residents was businesses in the area don't have access to wells and there are multiple houses using the water from the same well. Still, residents at the meeting said this isn't an issue for them.
WTOL 11 asked the Panning and several council members if they wanted to comment and they all declined.
Carina Hahn was at the meeting and said she didn't like how the situation was handled. She lives in Troy Township, which according to her, would also be affected by this eminent domain.
"I think it was disappointing as a person that came here to get answers," Hahn said. "We live in a democracy where we should be able to get transparency and to know what's going on. I felt like we walked out of that meeting not getting any answers."
Many residents want transparency from the council and for the project to end.
"What transpired to make them get an imminent domain emergency for the quarry, to tap it for water, we all want to know," Brooks said. "I mean, it's the million-dollar question."
There are lawsuits tied to the battle over water and in documents obtained by WTOL 11, the village maintains what it's doing is to protect the public's health and welfare.
There is another meeting in two weeks and residents say they'll be at that one too.
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