History

In 1969, a house fire in the southern end of Davidson County claimed the lives of two people. There were no water lines in the area, thus the fire could not be extinguished in time. This event triggered the minds of Brown Loflin, Joe Lax, Lawrence Buie, Irving Surratt, and Clifford “Shorty” Beane, to pursue the idea of establishing a co-op water system. This idea was altered because in order to have a way to pay back any loans needed, they had to have the ability to tax. The only option that allowed this was to form a sanitary district. Establishing this also accomplished their main purpose, which was to provide a source of quality water to areas in southern Davidson County without the need for well drilling.

The process that these concerned founding fathers went through actually started years before, but fundamentally began coming together on May 22, 1974, after approval by the Davidson County Board of Commissioners and the North Carolina Division of Health Services. Handy Sanitary District was the local public utility that was founded, operating under North Carolina Public Health Law NC-GS 130-123 through 156.

The original Board of Directors consisted of these five men, with Brown Loflin serving as the Chairman, and Irving Surratt, serving as the Secretary. The Board appointed the attorney, Charlie Harp, and the engineer, Campbell Wallace, to arrange financing for the installation of all phases of the water system. However, the Board members themselves participated significantly in the process of arranging for financing. Acquiring this financing was, of course, one of the biggest challenges the Board faced. Dealing with the Farmer’s Home Administration turned into a lot of unexpected paperwork that was required to be answered to the fullest. Clyde Pickell, the head of the FHA, played an important role in helping pull this all together. Before the paperwork could be completed, the Board members had the major task of conducting a survey, basically becoming petitioners to collect signatures of people that were interested in getting water. Ultimately, the Board received two grants, one from the Clean Water Bond Act, and one from the Farmer’s Home Administration, each in the amount of $275,000.00. The Board also approved a loan in the amount of $680,000.00. It was July 1976, before the first clean water flowed through the pipes.

Davidson Water did the District’s billing, and payments for services were first made at the Bank of Montgomery County. As the District further developed, the first office was eventually opened in a building shared with two other businesses, on Hwy 109, in Denton, NC. One part-time office clerk was hired, Patty Jo Field, as well as a full-time field employee, Gary Snider. The District started out serving less than 500 water customers.

In the beginning, Board meetings were held whenever deemed necessary, which was sometimes as often as once a week. These were usually held at the South Davidson Fire Department. Back in these days, board members served staggered terms, sometimes two years, and sometimes four years. Around 1990, an office building was completed at 17403 S. NC Hwy 109, in Denton, and still serves as the District’s headquarters today. The many challenges, issues, and concerns that the Board of Directors must face today differ greatly from those that the founding fathers experienced. However, the same values and principals utilized in the formation of the District remain constant, from the continuation of upholding, to the utmost, the original purpose of provision of quality water, to approaching each and every future endeavor.