Sep 6, 2012

Board Meeting August 16, 2012


Gardiner Sanitary District
Board of Directors Meeting
August 16, 2012


     Meeting called to order by Jackie Degman, present were Board Members  Jackie Degman, Charlotte Hinshaw, Mike Quartararo, and Dixie Hash.  Also present were Mary Chambers and Ray Davenport.
   
     Written copies of the previous minutes were passed out and read, Jackie asked that descriptive verbage be added to the executive session notation, not just the ORS number.  Dixie made a motion to accept the minutes as amended, Mike seconded the motion and the motion passed with a unanimous voice vote.

     Written copies of the financial report were passed out and read, Dixie made a motion to accept the report and pay all bills as stated except the Reedsport contract payment, seconded by Mike, and the motion passed with a unanimous voice vote.   Dixie presented a recalculation of the Reedsport contract amount of $6618.00 per month.  Mike made a motion to pay the recalculated amount until such time as further review and negotiations can be made, Charlotte seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

Old Business:

     Employment update:  Two applicants were interviewed, the first has a lot of experience and all of the interviewers were impressed with his work ethic, but he does not possess the needed certification and he lives about 20 minutes away.  The second didn’t have much mechanical experience, had mostly been doing maintenance type work in homes and commercial businesses, but seemed to be eager to learn and work.
         Ray Davenport then presented a proposal to have himself fill the position with a similar contract to what he currently has with the district but with additional duties and an increased salary.
         After some discussion and negotiations to clarify exactly what he is offering in his contract, Dixie made a motion to offer Stephen Bell a part time position to read the meters 3 days a week for 2 hours a day at $10.00 per hour and to table the proposal from Ray until the next meeting.  Mike seconded, and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.  Charlotte made a motion to have Ray write a letter to each applicant explaining what they had decided, Mike seconded and that motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

         Dixie reported on the meeting that she had with Nate McClintock regarding the IP contract.  She presented him with a list of adjustments that the county appears to be needing in order to get on board with the IP project.  She also gave him contact numbers for Norb Wondra, Becky Bryant, Garrett Pallo and Paul Meyers.  Mr. McClintock will contact each of the interested parties and get more input from them and then re-draft the contract.  Dixie also sent a copy of the draft MAP study to Joanne Verger and she expressed appreciation and interest in getting involved in the proposed project.

         Ray presented an update on the pump replacement work that he has been doing.  The new pump is in at the Bolin Island pump station and the pump that was pulled has been reconditioned.  Dixie made a motion to have Ray put the reconditioned pump into the firehall pump station and then have the pump that is pulled there reconditioned and use it to replace the 2nd pump at Bolin Island.  Once that is done, have the last pump that is pulled reconditioned and set aside as a spare.  Charlotte seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

         Dixie stated that she has no update on the MAP study, we are still waiting for it to be finalized and to hear from the county when the meeting to discuss it will take place.

           Ray reported that he is not quite ready to proceed with the smoke testing, he did test the machine and it is in good working order, but he needs to get the O.K. from his board to use it in Gardiner.

          Mike made a motion to have Ray write a letter to Curtis Petersdorf regarding the uninhabited property that he owns that was somehow overlooked when setting up the current billings, but that we will begin charging the regular monthly rate for it, Charlotte seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

            
New Business:

     Daily Logs – No new business to discuss.

     Safety Meeting – No new business or concerns to discuss.

     The DEQ loan payment that was scheduled to begin payments in August has been put on hold for an additional 6 months until February 2013.

      
Items Not on the Agenda:

     
              Dixie brought up the need to discuss raising the monthly user rates.  Ray stated that the OAWU will do a rate study pretty cheaply.  Dixie said that she knows someone who will do a rate study for free but she thought that they needed to have a decision on the project plans before they would do it.  Jackie suggested contacting them and asking whether it would be possible to have the study done immediately because of the huge rate increase that Reedsport is requesting.  Dixie and Charlotte will get together and re-examine the Ordinances and Rate Schedule and do some research to compare to Winchester Bay’s ordinances and rates so that they can have a better discussion at the next meeting.
         
Suggested Agenda Items for Next Meeting:
-       Safety Meeting
-       Pump Replacement
-       Employment update
-       Logbooks
-       MAP study
-       Smoke Testing
-       Grant for Heaters
-       Ordinance Update & Rate Increase

 Mike suggested putting the district’s blog address on the monthly statements.  

    Mike made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Charlotte seconded, motion passed by unanimous voice vote and the meeting was adjourned.

               Submitted by Mary Chambers (Office Manager)
     

Jul 27, 2012

Board Meeting July 19, 2012



Gardiner Sanitary District
Board of Directors Meeting
July 19, 2012


     Meeting called to order by Jackie Degman, present were Board Members  Jackie Degman, Charlotte Hinshaw, Mike Quartararo, and Dixie Hash.  Also present were Mary Chambers, Ray Davenport, Bob Brown, Jerry Schneider and Jessica Lloyd-Rogers.
   
     Written copies of the previous minutes were passed out and read, Charlotte made a motion to accept the minutes, Mike seconded the motion and the motion passed with a unanimous voice vote.

     Written copies of the financial report were passed out and read, Dixie made a motion to accept the report and pay the bills, seconded by Charlotte, and the motion passed with a unanimous voice vote.

Old Business:

     Mike Q. brought up the legal problems that Reedsport is currently having regarding their increased sewer rates, etc due to passage of Measure 10-119 and questioned whether the bill that they have presented us with should be considered final or not.  Dixie reiterated the opinion that legal counsel has given us, that with no new contract in place, the court system would likely fall back on the old contract to determine fair payment.  Jackie suggested that since we are unable to pay the $10,079.82/month that Reedsport has asked for that going back to the approximately $5000.00 amount that we had been paying (prior to the period of adjustment allowing credit for the prior year’s overpayments) would be a reasonable compromise until a better solution can be reached.  It was agreed that that would show a good faith effort on our part and might be doable for a short time, however, the board is still exploring all options and will make a decision on how to approach the bill at a later date.

         Mike read a form letter that he had written for the district patrons to sign and send in to the county representatives if they weren’t comfortable writing their own letters.  Dixie made a motion to polish the draft letter and get it ready to send out with the August billing as requested by the constituents at the town hall meeting, Charlotte seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote. 

         Ray made a presentation on the employment search – we now have 3 applications - so he will review them and set up interviews at a time that he, Jackie and Dixie will all be able to attend.

         Ray gave a detailed presentation of the problems that he has encountered at the Bolin Island pump station in the last few weeks.  The check valve broke off in the pipeline due to lack of maintenance over the last several years, which also contributed to further problems while trying to repair and replace it.  The whole system is in a very fragile state due to age and lack of proper maintenance.  However, he checked the valves on the firehall pump station and was able to turn them without breaking them so he will be able to replace the pump there this weekend as planned.

           Dixie made a motion to have Ray replace the valve that is broken on Bolin Island, Mike Q. seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

          Dixie spoke with Norb Wondra of I.P. and has come up with a list of items to “fix” the agreement with I.P. that should satisfy the county’s concerns.  Mike made a motion, and Charlotte seconded, to have Dixie take the list to legal counsel and have them draft a new agreement to remove the stumbling blocks that the county has issues with.  The motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

          Mike made a motion to approve the minutes from the May 24th budget hearing meeting, Dixie seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.
   
New Business:

     Daily Logs – The only events to be reported have already been addressed earlier by Ray’s report on the valve problems, etc.

     Safety Meeting – A confined space entry was performed, due to the above problems, and it was done by the book and a report was written.

     Dixie reported that a Phase 1 study application for grant money with the state has been sent by Matt Wadlington (from Civil West).  We are still trying to stay on track and proceed with the next steps necessary for the project to move forward.

     Dixie also related that while speaking with Norb Wondra, he let her know that he had spoken to Dan Davis (IP Tennessee) who contacted  Senator Joanne Verger and she is willing to help us out with our project if she can.

Items Not on the Agenda:

      Charlotte said that Sylvia has requested a key to the firehall so that when she sets up for her monthly blood pressure clinic, she doesn’t need to wait on someone to let her in.  Dixie made a motion to have Charlotte get another key made to give to Sylvia, Jackie seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

       Charlotte reported that the grant application for the furnace replacement was mailed on July 16th and will be reviewed on August 16th.

       Mike had a question about what resources and/or mechanisms the district has available for investigation of abuses of the sewer system.  He is aware of at least one circumstance that is not an allowable use of the system, and from the town hall meeting discussion, there are apparently other instances that should be investigated and corrected.  Ray said he has ways to correct problems and will look into those that he becomes aware of.  Mike requested setting up a smoke test for August, Dixie made a motion to have Ray perform a smoke test in August, and have notices inserted in the August billing, Mike seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

       Bob Brown questioned whether the district should send the county a letter regarding the liability issues that they are concerned about with the brownfields, but Dixie reassured him that they are well aware that the liability remains with the original owner and wouldn’t get transferred to them but that their legal counsel still advises against any possible involvement, regardless.
        
Suggested Agenda Items for Next Meeting:
-       Safety Meeting
-       Pump Replacement
-       Employment update
-       Logbooks
-       MAP study
-       Smoke Testing
-       Meeting with Nate McClintock
-       DEQ Interest/Loan payments

 Meeting went into executive session pursuant to ORS.192.660(2)(h) to discuss consultation with counsel concerning contract negotiations.  

    Meeting came out of executive session and Mike made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Charlotte seconded, motion passed by unanimous voice vote and the meeting was adjourned.

               Submitted by Mary Chambers (Office Manager)
     

Board Meeting June 21, 2012



Gardiner Sanitary District
Board of Directors Meeting
June 21, 2012


     Meeting called to order by Jackie Degman, present were Board Members  Jackie Degman, Charlotte Hinshaw, Mike Quartararo, Marc Fullhart and Dixie Hash.  Also present were Jonathon Wright, Mary Chambers, Ray Davenport, Mack Holman, Bob Brown and Jessica Lloyd-Rogers.

      Jonathon Wright, an administrative planner for the Douglas County Planning Department, gave a short presentation to open the meeting on the impact of Non-point source pollution on our rivers and estuaries as it relates to storm-water runoff and infrastructures.
    
     Written copies of the previous minutes were passed out and read,  Dixie made a motion to accept the minutes, Mike seconded the motion and the motion passed with a unanimous voice vote.

     Written copies of the financial report were passed out and read, Charlotte made a motion to accept the report and pay the bills, seconded by Mike, and the motion passed with a unanimous voice vote.

Old Business:

     Dixie and Jackie met with Scott Somers to present some options for the new sewer usage contract with the City of Reedsport which were all rejected.  Dixie consulted with the district’s attorney for input on any possible options, and was informed that there were basically no options, and that we should consider a rate increase to cover the projected Reedsport Contract increase.

         Dixie made a motion to have a town hall meeting to discuss said increase on July 19 at 6:00pm and to put a notice in the next billing, Mike seconded, and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

         Ray made a presentation on the employment search – only one application has been received so far and the job opening closes on July 5th.  He suggested to the board that they should consider increasing the compensation package to attract more applicants.

         Ray also re-presented his proposed contract extension and requested that it be signed now.  Dixie made a motion to accept Ray’s contract extension, Charlotte seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

         Ray noticed a possible check valve problem at the Bolin Island pump station when he had to respond to an emergency call a couple of nights ago.  Mike made a motion to have Ray inspect the valves closer and repair if necessary, Dixie seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.
   
New Business:

     Daily Logs – The only event to be reported has already been addressed earlier by Ray concerning the emergency callout.  There was no emergency, the valves were not operating correctly, thereby causing the false alarm.

     Safety Meeting – No new business to report.

     Dixie made a motion to approve the Budget Resolution #12-1 summarizing the 2012-2013 budget that was adopted by the budget committee at the May 24th budget hearing, Mike seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.  Dixie noted, however, that an amended budget would be very likely because of the Reedsport Contract increase and a possible rate increase to cover it.

     Dixie made a motion to approve Resolution #2012-2 to transfer $16000.00 from Operating Contingency to Personnel Expense on the 2011-2012 Budget.  Mike seconded the motion and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.
        
Suggested Agenda Items for Next Meeting:
-       Safety Meeting
-       Reedsport contract
-       Employment update
-       Logbooks

 Meeting went into executive session pursuant to ORS.192.660(2)(h).   

    Meeting came out of executive session and Mike made a motion to have Dixie contact an arbitrator in Curry County and also the engineers to discuss the Reedsport contract, Charlotte seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote. 
    
     Charlotte made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Dixie seconded, motion passed by unanimous voice vote and the meeting was adjourned.

               Submitted by Mary Chambers (Office Manager)

Jul 20, 2012

Town Hall Meeting Minutes July 18, 2012


Gardiner  Sanitary District     
Town Hall Meeting

July 18, 2012  6:00 p.  

Gardiner Fire Hall

Town Hall was called to order by Chairman Jackie Degman  who introduced the Board and Garrett Pallo, the District’s engineer.  Mr. Pallo made  a brief presentation regarding sewer rates.  He gave a power point with graphics that pointed out the increases the District is facing.  Reedsport has presented its bill for the next fiscal year and our rates have more than doubled.  Our Reedsport bill $120,000 for this coming  year, which includes Operation and Maintenance of over $37,0000 and over $83,000 of debt not counting the District separate Operation and Maintenance and debt.
The District’s income from patrons is about $90,0000 and from Taxes about $56,000. So the District presently has approximately $146,000 income per year. After paying the Reedsport Bill it would leave us with about $7,000.00 to operate our District.

A brief background was given about the history of the project since 2006.   The District  signed an agreement with IP  in 2009 to purchase the 46.86 acre Lagoon and Brownfields for $10.00.  Receiving a intrinsic value of about  $15,000,000.00. We need about $3,000,00 to complete the Lagoon option.  In 2009 we signed MAO with DEQ for this option. The process continued with all the studies DEQ required and the Predesign also required, which was completed at the end of 2010,

In January 2011 we asked Douglas County to Sponsor us for a Community Block Grant, the way they did with Winchester Bay, they declined wanting us to stay with Reedsport. The County has concerns mainly about whether we as a District could manage such an undertaking and the Brownfield’s liability.  The State (Business Oregn)convinced the County to do another engineering study to look at the viability of the Gardiner Lagoon Option. That Study has been completed and we will meet with all the concerned parties soon.  Becky Bryant, the State Business Oregon Rep, will set the meeting.

The Gardiner Patrons are very impatient and worried about our future as a District.
We discussed increasing rates as an unavoidable action, how we increase them is the next step. The rate will increase whether we are forced to stay with Reedsport or are able to go north to the Lagoon.

The Gardiner Patrons would like the Board to send them a “template “ of a letter to the
County Commissioners.  We shared our new Blog as a way to better communicate with our Patrons and try to do a better job of communicating what is happening from month to month.

Respectfully submitted by,

Dixie Hash, GSD Board Member