Authority chief: GB talks starting well By Ray Barrington News-Chronicle Suburban water talks with Green Bay are on a fast track, says Central Brown County Water Authority president Roy Simonson, but talks with Manitowoc are continuing as well as the suburban group continues to consider water supply options. The authority met in closed session Tuesday for an update on talks with both cities over the purchase of Lake Michigan water. Talks with the city have resumed after Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt fired the city's Water Commission over an offer to the suburbs he said was incomplete. "We both realize we don't know where the discussions will end," Simonson said. "We're trying to figure out the best solution and the best price, and when we come to the end, we can say we gave it a shot and if it fails, it was technical or cost that made the difference." The sides met Monday and will meet again next Monday. "There's a good atmosphere. We've met one Monday and we're turning around and getting both of our engineers involved the next week - that's not too shabby," he said. "They're providing some opportunities that didn't exist before." As for Manitowoc, Simonson said, the sides are at the point of discussing actual numbers after going through technical discussions on what would be needed for service. The suburbs have three options: a raw-water pipeline shared with Green Bay, with the suburbs paying for a percentage of the pipe and buying water; a treated-water pipeline from Manitowoc, which would be slightly longer but require less construction of filtering facilities; and a suburban-only system.