"It's becoming a growing problem for everyone," he said and added that HMU is doing their best to firewall the customers from unwanted messages.
      In other reports, Chief Executive Officer Tom Gaffigan said HMU is working with the Harlan Boy Scouts so that all city fire hydrants will get a new coat of red paint. The scouts will receive $4 per hydrant for their painting efforts.
      The board, minus trustee Al Burchett, voted to enter into an agreement with Northern Natural Gas to operate Northern's odorization facility ahead of the natural gas Harlan intersect.
      HMU is responsible for the "smell warning" once it is sent out through HMU lines, but Northern must odorize it between their main line and Harlan's intersect. HMU would rather have control back where it leaves the main line, so will operate Northern's equipment, using Northern's odorization chemicals, at the head-in site. It will give HMU more control over the safety feature along the entire Harlan line.
      In the consent agenda, the board approved claims in the amount of $427,318 and had earlier, via e-mail and fax, approved claims from last meeting of $428,377. Both claim lists are available in the Harlan Newspapers' public notices.
      A new electric transformer was approved for the CDS construction site and additional paperwork was approved for the contract on the water interconnection with Regional Water.
The next meeting will be Thursday, Aug. 14, at the HMU board room, 4 p.m.