Stephens has acknowledged that one of its employees helped repay about $30,000 in loans that the employee arranged for a representative of the ECUA. The names of the Stephens employee and the ECUA representative have not been disclosed.
But ECUA board member Larry Walker says the Stephens employee must be either Preston Bynum or Bill Bethea, the only two Stephens representatives to appear before the ECUA.
He answered the phone at his Stephens office last week but wouldn't comment about matters involving the ECUA. Warren Stephens, president and chief executive officer of Stephens Inc., also declined to comment.
Plus, installation would be a nightmare--over 900 joints would have to be made." Carlan project manager Jerry McGuire adds, "PVC was also considered, but HDPE was competitive and answered the specific needs of ECUA."
Inspection reports were provided by a dive team hired by ECUA. The new HDPE line was hydro-tested at 160 psi.