Agape Christian School Administrator Pastor Kok H. Pang speaks at a Commonwealth Public Utilities Commission meeting on Friday while Commonwealth Utilities Corporation Executive Director Kevin Watson looks on.
Photo by Bryan Manabat
AGAPE Christian School was billed $21,000 by the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation for a sewer/wastewater connection, school administrator Pastor Kok H. Pang said.
CUC Executive Director Kevin Watson, for his part, said there was a mistake in the school’s application, and that CUC has reduced the fee to $11,000.
Pang, who spoke during the public comment portion of the Commonwealth Public Utilities Commission meeting on Friday, said Agape wanted to move into their newly constructed building in Gualo Rai.
In November 2021, he said their contractor applied to CUC to connect their sewer.
“But we received a response from CUC asking $21,000 [in] connection fee. We even presented that it only cost $500 to connect,” Pang said. “So, this thing has been going on and on for the last two, three years during Covid … when we were trying to survive. All the infrastructure and site preparation work are done and if there’s some fee for a CUC specialist to come and observe and see, okay, we can pay the fee. But why the $21,000 connection fee?”
Pang said they also want to relocate the school’s power poles.
But he said CUC asked Agape to make an additional $20,000 down payment for an account that they have been using for the last 15 years.
“I’m not trying to give myself excuses not to pay. If the fees that we need to pay are a few thousand dollars, I think it is okay. Despite our best effort and multiple appeals since 2022, we have not been able to secure necessary connections. This has delayed our ability to move into the new building,” Pang said.
“We are not asking for an exemption, but for understanding and support. Our desire is simple, to complete the power and sewer connection, and relocate to the new building,” he added.
Watson and other CUC managers were also present at the CPUC meeting.
In response to Pang’s comments, Watson said the sewer connection fee was initially assessed at $21,000 but was reduced to $11,000.
“That was a mistake in the applicant’s application. In their application, they included the entire square footage of the existing building and the new building. When a customer comes in with an application, we don’t go out there and take measurements of everything. We take their word for it. All the calculations for water and wastewater were based on the number of students. They said they had the number for the housing that they said they had, the number of kitchens they said they had, the number of bathrooms, and what would be typically in that building was done by a calculation that we do for everyone,” Watson said.
He noted that CPUC has asked him to waive the fees for Agape.
“I’ve been uncomfortable in the five months for CPUC asking me to waive these fees for one institution when we don’t waive fees for … residential or other commercial [accounts]. I felt very uncomfortable even discussing that possibility, because one, it’s unethical,” Watson said.
As for the power pole relocation, Watson said, “Probably an error on their part again.”
“I’ve asked my staff to go out and reassess what was calculated. So, the chances are that [the fee] will be reduced to less than $7,000. We offered to put them in a payment plan. They initially agreed. They came in, and they saw what the others are being charged for electrical. We were ready to hook up the water and wastewater. He [Pang] left without signing,” Watson said.
CUC is not the reason for the delay of Agape moving into its new building, Watson said.
“Once they sign a promissory note and put down 400-some-odd dollars, or right around there, and then make monthly payments [then], all of that will go to the guarantee that they’re going to pay their bill,” Watson added.
CUC is an independent, self-funded agency that is regulated by CPUC. The board members of both agencies are appointed by the governor and confirmed by lawmakers.
