Board Meeting September 19, 2013

Gardiner Sanitary District

Board of Directors Meeting

September 19, 2013

     Meeting called to order by Jackie Degman, present were Board Members  Marc Fullhart, Dennis Conger, Catherine Kent, and Charlotte Hinshaw.  Also present were Mary Chambers, Ray Davenport, Mike Quartararo, Kathy Quartararo, Mack Holman, and Esther Siderman.

     Written copies of the previous minutes were passed out and read, Dennis motioned to accept the minutes, Charlotte seconded, motion passed with a unanimous voice vote.

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

         

      Old Business:

      Ray has still heard nothing from American Bridge on the easement; he has made follow-up calls and still nothing.

       Charlotte and Jackie met with Keith Anderson at Garrett Pallo’s office to discuss the MAO timeline.  Keith let them know that he needed something to happen, whichever way the board decided to move forward.  Jackie let him know that there was a town hall meeting scheduled for Oct. 9^th at 6:30pm, and Keith assured her that he would be there with an open mind to hear what the Gardiner constituents want to do.

        Ray gave an update on the pressure main cleanouts:  He submitted the Lockout/Tagout program and procedure to OSHA for their review and  OSHA let him know that the valves need to be replaced for a legitimate Lockout/Tagout program so he is in the process of revising the program.  Ray’s advice is to reprioritize the work on the system: the cleanout process should be put on the back burner and the valves should be replaced first.  He also submitted the Emergency Response Plan to DEQ and is waiting to hear back from them on that.

                 

               

      New Business:

                  Marc consulted with Dick Young regarding how to establish SDC fees and Dick said that hookup fees would vary from project to project so the policy should be to have any new customer pay for their particular project expenses.  Ray explained that Winchester Bay has any new customer pay for their specific hookup costs, plus they have a fee for covering the cost of a district employee to inspect the job, then they also have an SDC charge that is a set amount because the SDC charge is by definition, an amount that funds future repairs and upgrades.

                  Charlotte reports that they had a visit from the grant people and the district has been approved to receive grant funding for a new heater for the firehall.

                                  

       Safety Meeting: 

          As per the previous discussion the lockout/tagout program has been submitted to OSHA and a revision of that is in process.

       

                  

      Items not on the Agenda, Open to the Public:  

      Charlotte reported that she looked into the process for getting the special tax renewed and found out that we would have to wait until next year for the measure to be put on the ballot to be voted on.

      Ray reported that he and Steve have been working on getting the fax and phone working properly and are optimistic that they have accomplished that.

      Mack requested a list of all district customer names, addresses and phone numbers so that he can send a letter with his views of what the district direction should be for the future.  Others present at the meeting expressed discomfort with the district handing out their addresses, and Jackie said she would have to check with the district’s attorney on the legality of releasing customer information.   

      

Suggestions for Next Meeting:

-       Part time supervisor’s report

-       Ordinance report from Marc and Charlotte

-       Update on American Bridge easement

-       Update on valve replacement project

     Marc made a motion to adjourn, Catherine seconded and the meeting was adjourned.

             

Submitted by Mary Chambers (Office Manager)

     

Board Meeting August 15, 2013

Gardiner Sanitary District

Board of Directors Meeting

August 15, 2013

     Meeting called to order by Jackie Degman, present were Board Members  Marc Fullhart, Dennis Conger, and Charlotte Hinshaw.  Also present were Catherine Kent, Mary Chambers, Ray Davenport, Mack Holman, and Esther Siderman.

     Jackie announced that the board was going to appoint Catherine Kent to replace resigned board member Mike Quartararo. Catherine’s was the only application received, so Jackie swore in Catherine as the newest board member.

     Written copies of the previous minutes were passed out and read, Marc motioned to accept the minutes, Charlotte seconded, motion passed with a unanimous voice vote.

     Written copies of the financial report were passed out and read, Jackie asked for discussion on whether or not to pay the DEQ interest payment, Dennis suggested that we ask them to restate their proposal in view of the fact that we are moving forward with legal action and if that doesn’t satisfy them then they need to restate their request.  Marc made a motion and Dennis seconded to respond to the DEQ’s request for loan repayment to start with, with the prior stated wording, motion passed by unanimous voice vote.  Charlotte  motioned to accept the report and pay the bills, less the DEQ interest payment, Catherine seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.  Since we have not received a bill yet from the City of Reedsport, Marc made a motion to pay Reedsport 1/12^th the budgeted amount for now if no bill is received prior to the end of the month, Charlotte seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

         

      Old Business:

         There has been no new discussion with Reedsport over the contract dispute, they have been served the legal notice but they’ve not contacted us directly to discuss anything

         Ray has heard nothing from American Bridge on the easement; he called and emailed David Speakman who said that he would put the issue at the top of the to-do-list.

                 

               

      New Business:

          Ray stated that the flow readings are getting better and better, with very little discrepancy between Reedsport and Bolin Island readings.  Since the readings are getting much closer, Ray doesn’t think that the wet well meeting with Garrett that they had been trying to plan will be necessary.

         Ray suggested to the board that they should consider adding a system development charge to the ordinances, since it was dropped at the last ordinance update.  Marc said that they are unable to calculate SDC fees without an engineer’s analysis, so now is not the time to do this.

         Ray is also working on an emergency response plan that OSHA is requiring.

         Ray recommends cleaning the force main from the firehall to Bolin Island pump station; the pumps have been struggling to keep up when flows are high, so there may be a partial blockage in the pipes.  There was a lot of black sand and heavy stuff that was cleaned out when the force main was cleared from Bolin Island to Reedsport, and he suspects that that might be going on.  Marc made a motion, Dennis seconded to allocate $3000.00 maximum for pressure main cleanout from the Firehall to Bolin Island.  The motion passed by unanimous voice vote.  Ray would also like to find the leak near the apartments, so the board authorized another $1000.00 for the leak search and repairs.

         Charlotte asked Ray if Steve has been working on the WW1 training, Ray did not think that he had, he feels that he is happy with things the way they are and is not really interested in furthering his education.

         Jackie read the MAO letter from the DEQ and there was some discussion about how unrealistic the timeline was in it for allowing any work to get done on their schedule.  Marc made a motion to send a letter to the DEQ requesting a meeting and needing additional time to comply with their requests, Catherine seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

                          

       Safety Meeting: 

          Ray has been working on the Lockout/Tagout Program for GSD, and also updating the Confined Space Entry Program, the Confined Space Entry Permit form, the Lockout/Tagout Inspection form, procedure form and the audit form.  He has most of the paperwork done and will finish by the end of the month and submit them to OSHA for approval.

       

                  

      Items not on the Agenda, Open to the Public:  

      Nothing. 

      

Suggestions for Next Meeting:

-       Part time supervisor’s report

-       Update on the contract with City of Reedsport

-       Ordinance report from Marc and Charlotte

-       Update on American Bridge easement

-       Emergency Response Plan from Ray

-       MAO response

-       Pressure main cleanout update

     Marc made a motion to adjourn, Catherine seconded and the meeting was adjourned.

             

Submitted by Mary Chambers (Office Manager)

     

Board Meeting July 18, 2013

Gardiner Sanitary District

Board of Directors Meeting

July 18, 2013

     Meeting called to order by Jackie Degman, present were Board Members  Marc Fullhart, Dennis Conger, and Charlotte Hinshaw.  Also present were Mary Chambers, Mack Holman, Keith Anderson, Steve Snurbush, and Esther Siderman.

     Jackie conducted the swearing in of newly elected board members Dennis Conger, Charlotte Hinshaw and herself, and read the declination letter from Mike Quartararo due to relocation of primary residence.  Next was the election of officers, Charlotte nominated Jackie as chairman, Jackie nominated Dennis as vice-president and Jackie nominated Charlotte as secretary/treasurer.  All nominations were then voted on and passed by unanimous voice vote.

     Written copies of the previous minutes were passed out and read, Charlotte motioned to accept the minutes, seconded by Dennis, motion passed with a unanimous voice vote.

     Written copies of the financial report were passed out and read, Charlotte  motioned to accept the report and pay the bills excluding the Reedsport bill until after executive session, Dennis seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

         

      Old Business:

         Ray was absent so there was no new report concerning the American Bridge easement and/or daily log reports.

                 

               

      New Business:

          With no daily log report and with Ray absent there was no new business to report on.

                          

       Safety Meeting: 

          There was also no new information to report for the safety meeting since Ray was not present.

       

                  

      Items not on the Agenda, Open to the Public:  

      Keith Anderson from the DEQ was granted time to approach the board with a question.  He asked what the board’s plan of attack was concerning the future project.  Jackie responded that they still plan to go with the “north to the IP site”.  Mr. Anderson responded that as far as the DEQ is concerned that the clear choice for the district would be to replace the pipeline going to Reedsport and would like the district to make an expeditious plan because the time has come to move one way or the other.  The MAO that the district entered into with the DEQ is past due and needs to be updated.  Jackie responded that we are unable to do anything without settling the dispute with Reedsport over what and/or how much is owed to them, so that is what they are moving to try to resolve now.

     Mack expressed concern over the growing costs and fluctuating numbers regarding the cost of the project.  He asked for clarification on how the district had calculated the overpayment amounts that had been paid to Reedsport in the past and also how the district has calculated what is currently owed to GSD by Reedsport.  Jackie said that most of that calculating had been done by Dennis and he would be able to get that information to him. 

      

Meeting went into executive session pursuant to ORS.192.660(1)(f) to discuss consultation with counsel concerning contract negotiations, then meeting returned from executive session.

          Jackie asked for a motion on whether to pay the Reedsport bill or not, Dennis made a motion to pay the current amount billed by the city, Marc seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

Suggestions for Next Meeting:

-       Part time supervisor’s report

-       Update on the contract with City of Reedsport

-       Wet well meeting with Garrett Pallo

-       Update on American Bridge easement

     Marc made a motion to adjourn, Charlotte seconded and the meeting was adjourned.

             

Submitted by Mary Chambers (Office Manager)

     

Board Meeting June 20, 2013

Gardiner Sanitary District

Board of Directors Meeting

June 20, 2013

     Meeting called to order by Jackie Degman, present were Board Members  Mike Quartararo, Dixie Hash, and Charlotte Hinshaw.  Also present were Mary Chambers, Dennis Conger, Mack Holman, Ray Davenport, Garrett Pallo, and Esther Siderman.

     Written copies of the previous minutes were passed out and read, Charlotte motioned to accept the minutes, seconded by Dixie, motion passed with a unanimous voice vote.

     Written copies of the financial report were passed out and read, Mike motioned to accept the report and pay the bills excluding the Reedsport bill until after executive session, Dixie seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

         

      Old Business:

         Dixie asked if there was any new information from American Bridge regarding the easement, Ray responded that he has not heard any more from them since talking to David Speakman a month ago.

                 

               

      New Business:

          Ray did some maintenance on the pumps and everything is running smoothly at the moment.  The mounting system for the pumps is deteriorating and needs to be repaired, so Ray has plans to complete that project in the near future.  Mike questioned the pump volume readings, even though the readings between the Reedsport and Gardiner side are getting closer to even, the actual amount is reading higher than the draw down test, so he asked Ray if he has found a reason for that.  Ray is still working on figuring that out and Garrett Pallo volunteered that he has a few possible solutions for determining the difference and will work with Ray to get to the bottom of it.

                           

       Safety Meeting: 

          Ray is still working on updating the procedure manual per OSHA.

        Ray presented an opportunity to the board to partner with Winchester Bay Sanitary District to purchase a new camera system for pipe inspections.  Winchester Bay is need of an updated system and would be willing to split the cost and ownership of the new system with GSD.  The cost per district would be $2870.00.  Dixie made a motion to partner with Winchester Bay to purchase the new camera, Mike seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

          Garrett made a report on the One-Stop meeting that was held in Salem on June 11^th.  He explained that a refresher meeting was necessary because of how much time has passed since the last one.  He said that the DEQ had some faulty data regarding the districts patrons; they had a median income for the area as $46,000.00 when in reality the actual annual median income for GSD district patrons is closer to $28,000.00.  This was an important correction because a classification of  a “distressed” state will give the district a much better interest rate.  The two options discussed at the meeting were:   1)  taking the project south to Reedsport, assuming that the county would participate fully, there would be a $6.5 million dollar block grant available at a 1% interest rate.  The projected monthly billing rate per EDU would be $94.00.  Since no predesign has been done for this option, that would be an increased cost to the project.

            2)  taking the project north to the IP site.  There would be no county involvement if this option is chosen, so the block grant would not be an option.  The DEQ would require an additional hydrogeologic study for groundwater evaluation and some additional minor environmental studies.  But before committing to any funding options, the agents at the meeting agreed that the claim by Reedsport that the $1.6 million dollar owed them by GSD whether the project goes north or south, needs to be resolved.  Garrett also explained that if the project goes south and the IP property is ever developed in the future, the existing Reedsport plant is not big enough to handle an industrial expansion and the rebuilding of the GSD pump stations that would be part of the going south project, would also not be big enough to handle the expansion and would also not be upgradeable, so the whole cost of that would be wasted. 

          Garrett will contact the specialized groups that would be necessary for the additional studies that the DEQ is asking for and get an estimate of what that would cost.

           Jackie read the 2013-2014 budget that was recommended by the budget committee, Mike made a motion to accept the budget as recommended, Charlotte seconded and the budget was adopted by unanimous voice vote.

           Jackie read resolution 2013-1 amending the 2012-2013 budget, Dixie made a motion to adopt resolution 2013-1, Mike seconded and the resolution was adopted by unanimous voice vote.

         

      Items not on the Agenda, Open to the Public:  

          Mack Holman suggested that all board members should be on the same page about what the project options mean.  He said that Marc has been telling people that rates would be going down if the project goes north.  Jackie said that she would let Marc know that that was not appropriate.

Meeting went into executive session pursuant to ORS.192.660(1)(f) to discuss consultation with counsel concerning contract negotiations, then meeting returned from executive session.

          Jackie asked for a motion to contact the district’s attorney to request input on mediation vs arbitration regarding the Reedsport contract and billing issues.  Dixie made a motion to contact the attorney for input, Mike seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

Suggestions for Next Meeting:

-       Part time supervisor’s report

-       Update on the contract with City of Reedsport

-       Wet well meeting with Garrett Pallo

-       Election of officers

-       Update on American Bridge easement

     Dixie made a motion to adjourn, Mike seconded and the meeting was adjourned.

             

Submitted by Mary Chambers (Office Manager)