Bath Council chooses Largent as new water superintendent

The Bath Town Council fired one Water Works Superintendent and hired a new one in special meetings last week.

Meeting on May 29, the council fired Kevin Hancock, who had been suspended with pay after Sheriff's deputies charged him with allegedly taking part in a drug deal at the Water Works on May 21.

Hancock, 44, had been a town employee since September 2002.

Before terminating Hancock, council considered the matter in two closed-door sessions — one with attorney Nathan Cochran and the second with Hancock.

New superintendent

Terry Largent of Hedgesville is the town's new Chief Water Operator. He will begin work on Monday, June 11.

Largent is certified as a Class III Water Operator, one class higher than needed to run the Bath Water Works. He has 24 years of experience as a water operator.

Largent's last job with a public water department was water plant and utility operator with the Opequon Public Service District from 1995 to 1999. He was also the Chief Water Plant Operator with the Hedgesville Public Service Department from 1984 to 1992.

Largent has also held water plant operator jobs with the Woods Homeowner Association in Hedgesville and with Kodak, Creo, and Spectratech in Middleway, where he is presently employed.

"We are very impressed with him and he has our confidence," said Mayor Susan Webster.



Acting operator

Water Works employee Jim Close has been serving as Acting Chief Water Operator since Hancock's suspension.

Mayor Susan Webster commended Close and Terry Lantz for the hard work and long hours they have been putting in.

"Without them, we don't know what we would have done," she said.

Webster also noted that due to work on water pumps by Close and Lantz, the water level in the town's water tanks is higher than it has been in a long time.