Concord village president in hot water after using fire hydrant to fill swimming pool

The Concord village president is contrite for improperly filling his pool with a village fire hydrant, but said Tuesday he won’t resign from his seat.

Village president Mike Lovitt filled his pool at his home on Hanover Street in June. Three other village council members and three Concord Fire Department board members were present.

Former village president Paul Colburn said the pool was filled with a fire hose from the Pulaski Township Fire Department, where two Concord Fire Department board members are employed.

Colburn said Lovitt “should step down because that’s what anybody with any integrity would do.”

“If you didn’t think it was illegal, why would you drive seven or eight miles to Pulaski to get a hose when you’ve got one sitting here in the village office and several down at the firehouse?” Colburn said.

Lovitt apologized at the June 28 council meeting and said Tuesday it was a “spur-of-the-moment” decision he regretted. Still, he insisted it was not illegal.

After being approached by Police Chief Steve Sinden, Lovitt paid $68.82 for using village water.

“I admitted to making a bad decision. I violated a policy, and I made a public apology for that bad decision,” Lovitt said.

Roughly a week before Lovitt filled his pool, Colburn paid $660 to have his pool at his home filled. He said the Concord fire chief and public works supervisor told him residents cannot use hydrants for personal use.

On Tuesday, Colburn said he was considering seeking $660 from the village.

“I can set up a pool-filling business in this town now as long as I have a fireman to hook up and (unhook) for me,” he said. “There’s no fine, so I can drain off that fire hydrant anytime I want without any retribution.”

Lynn Roberts, wife of Concord police Sgt. Larry Roberts, said Colburn should be reimbursed for filling his pool and Lovittt and all of the council members who were at Lovitt’s house — Kelly Gretz, Craig Adams and Ashley Meeks — should step down.
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As published in the Jackson Citizen Patriot on July 27, 2011