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18 <br /> MURMURS OF CONSOLIDATION <br /> County and City leaders began talking about consolidation as an alternative to the <br /> two existing Public Water Systems. The need for consolidation was confirmed by an <br /> Engineering Firm in 1965, Piatt and Davis & Associates of Durham, who was hired to <br /> review the projected population growth in the area. The Engineering Firm concluded <br /> "that the nature of Forsyth County and its growth pattern are such that possibly another <br /> approach would be preferable to the present methods of providing services, and that all <br /> water and wastewater services be placed under a single authority". (Piatt & Davis, 6) <br /> Piatt and Davis further recommended, "The authority would not be identified necessarily <br /> with the County or a Municipality, but could be a separate entity". It was the Piatt and <br /> Davis report that generated initial discussions of the City/County Utility Commission. <br /> From this recommendation, a Committee was jointly established by Fred D. <br /> Hauser, who was then Chairman of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners, and the <br /> Mayor of Winston-Salem, M. C. Benton. Both the City and the County placed four <br /> individuals on the Committee. (Sparrow, 12-10-65) the ninth member was Kernersville <br /> Mayor Roger Swisher. The County appointees were G. S. Coltrane, G. G. Reynolds, <br /> County Manage Robert Hauser, Jr., and Purchasing Agent and General Director of the <br /> County James B. Nowell. The City appointed members included Aldermen Floyd S. <br /> Burge and C. C. Ross, City Manager John Gold, and Superintendent of City Water <br /> Stanford E. Harris, Jr. The Goals for this group were to assess the consolidation proposal, <br /> to examine what sort of governing "authority"would benefit Forsyth County and actually <br /> determine, if at this time, a merger was feasible. (Sparrow 12-10-65) <br /> After six months of debate and discussion, City Manager John Gold made a <br /> controversial remark that "the County should build a Water System so that they have <br /> something to consolidate". (Winston-Salem Journal 3-22-66) this remark proved to be a <br /> splinter in the City's side for quite some time. The controversial remark was perhaps <br /> spoken in haste, but nonetheless had some validity. The County was undeveloped with <br /> sparse water lines. The goal for the County was to develop the water lines and then tap <br /> into the City's system. <br /> 4 <br />