The Peru Gazette

By John T. Ryan

On May 1, 2009 Linda Covel was granted an Occupancy Permit by the Town of Peru to bottle water at her bottling plant on the Mannix Road. Code Enforcement Officer Paul Blaine performed the final inspection on April 28th and Mrs. Covel picked up the permit on May 1st. Covel will not be able to conduct certain operations at the site such as the retail sale of coffee since these items do not fall under the permitted agricultural use. Covel said these items will be sold from another location.

Linda Covel and her husband Donald have been struggling to return their water bottling business to full operation since the bottling plant was destoyed in a February 2007 fire.  They were forced to have their water bottled in Massachusetts and trucked to Peru.  At one time they had three delivery trucks on the road, now they have one. The process has been complicated by Donald Covel’s continuing legal battles, which are in some aspects connected to his business fortunes.  On July 20, 2009 Donald Covel  will be tried in Clinton County Court on charges of obstruction of governmental administration and official misconduct.