By Michael V. Hannigan
Wednesday morning, the Athens Municipal Water Authority board accepted Executive Director Wylie Pirkle’s resignation for personal reasons.
Pirkle’s last official day will be Feb. 28. Darlene Forshage will be the interim executive director after Pirkle leaves.
After Wednesday’s meeting, Pirkle said, “I’ve really enjoyed working with (the board). … We’ve been through a lot together and they’re going to be just fine. There is a lot left to do and they are very capable of doing it. They will find someone who will help them get there.”
Board President Stephen Sparkman said, “(Wylie) was the driving force behind AMWA while he was here and put us on point. … It started on this board after we stopped looking at water re-circulatory resuse issues, like sewer water, and when we got on point about the aquifer, then it was Wylie who know that.”
“Our lake is going to continue to be a viable place for the economic development of Athens, and the pleasure of the people, and I just think that Wylie is the one who kept pulling us back on point,” he said.