Board Meeting January 17, 2013

Gardiner Sanitary District

Board of Directors Meeting

January 17, 2013

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

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

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

    

      Old Business:

         Dennis was contacted by Jonathon Wright to request a continuance to this week to respond to the information that the district had presented to him regarding adjustments to the contract with the City of Reedsport. Dennis agreed, but let him know that we would expect a response by the end of January at the latest, he has not heard back from him as of the meeting time.

                 

          Jackie asked for a motion to accept Ordinance #03-2012 establishing a new EDU rate of $75.00 per month, which would reflect in the monthly customer billings as an increase of $10.00 (from $45.00/month to $55.00/month).  Dixie made a motion to adopt Ordinance #03-2012, Mike seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

          Charlotte reported that the grant request for new heaters for the firehall was not sent in on the correct date so we will not be receiving any grant monies this fiscal year.  The board thanked Charlotte for all of her work on trying to get the grant money and requested that she try again this coming summer when new grant money would be available.

          Dixie has still not heard back from Becky Bryant regarding the progress of the MAP report; she sent information to the IFA and hasn’t heard anything back from them either.

          Mike asked if we had received any input from district patrons that were identified as having potential plumbing issues during the smoke testing and Ray reported that all of the property owners that had been sent letters regarding leaks that needed to be repaired had either finished or were in the process of working to repair the problems.  Some additional patrons were since identified as having a potential problem and he is in the process of preparing letters to them.

      New Business: 

           Ray reported that the Reedsport-side meter is still recording 32% higher flow readings than the Bolin Island meter.  He suggested having the Bolin Island meter calibrated and the Reedsport meter investigated at the same time to save both Gardiner and Reedsport travel expense for the repair man.  He also asked the board to allow him to start repairing the leaks and breaks that he has found in numerous areas within the districts boundaries a little at a time.  The systems’ age is going to start causing more and more problems for the district and it’s patrons and if we start working on the maintenance that has been deferred for so long, hopefully we can avert any major repairs down the road.

          Dixie asked Ray to instruct Steve on how to investigate the past two years’ flow meter readings so that they can find out if there is a specific time when the huge differences between the two meters began.  Ray agreed to get Steve started on that project.

          Ray reported that he contacted Mr. Sambrano at American Bridge and felt that they had a productive discussion regarding the easement problem that we’ve been trying to get resolved with them and came away from the meeting hopeful that some progress may be made in the near future.

          Mike made a motion to have Ray implement the plan he has laid out for the board regarding the following 4 suggestions: 1)have a technician calibrate the Bolin Island meter, 2)call on Reedsport to jet rod/clean the GSD sewer mains from manhole C-2 to C-5 to remove heavy amounts of grit in order to be televised properly, 3)order 6 additional manhole inflow dishes, 4)purchase grout to complete repair of previously plugged pipe at IP property,  Dixie seconded the motion and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

          Charlotte and Dixie have not had an opportunity to properly review the Winchester Bay ordinances that Ray brought for their analysis, so they will try to get to that soon.

         

       Safety Meeting: 

          Ray reported that there are no safety issues that he is aware of and is still waiting to have the OSHA consultation scheduled.

         

      Items not on the Agenda, Open to the Public:  

          The Douglas County Clerk’s office sent a letter listing the board positions that would be up for re-election this May that needs to be reviewed for any inaccuracies and sent back with a signature.  Jackie reviewed, updated and signed the letter and instructed Mary to send it back by the January 25^th due date.

Suggestions for Next Meeting:

-       New Resolutions proposed by Ray

-       Tax rate on the ballot for May

-       Update on the contract with City of Reedsport

-       Possibility of need for supplemental budget

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

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

             

Submitted by Mary Chambers (Office Manager)

     

Board Meeting December 20, 2012

Gardiner Sanitary District

Board of Directors Meeting

December 20, 2012

     Meeting called to order by Jackie Degman, present were Board Members  Mike Quartararo, and Marc Fullhart.  Also present were Mary Chambers, Ray Davenport, and two community members.

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

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

    

      Old Business:

         Jackie, Dixie and Dennis met with Jonathon Wright last Tuesday and Dennis presented a proposal for a new contract between the two entities outlining adjustments that Gardiner would like to see implemented.  Mr. Wright requested more time to examine the proposed changes.

                 

          Ray called and emailed American Bridge (both the local office and corporate headquarters) regarding the easement request and has had no response yet.

      New Business: 

           Ray also reported on the huge difference between the meter readings of the flow from the Bolin Island station to the Reedsport plant meter.  He has contacted the Reedsport city manager and explained the situation, and that since he has already taken both meters apart and cleaned them with no change in results, that Reedsport needs to have their meter repaired.  Mr. Wright responded that he would look into getting it repaired or replaced.

          Ray suggested that the district should consider filling the fuel tanks for the generator because they are at about 50%.  Marc made a motion to have Ray get the fuel tanks filled, Mike seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

          Ray also requested an O.K. to do a walk-a-round to find the greatest influx of rainwater to the system in order to try and implement mitigating measures in the most needed areas.  He would like to order 4 more manhole covers to have at the ready if the board agrees.  Marc made a motion to authorize purchase of 4 more manhole covers, Mike seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

          There was some discussion regarding the Winchester Bay ordinances that Ray had presented to the board members to review for consideration for adaptation by the Gardiner Sanitary district, but no decisions were made until all board members were able to voice their opinions and vote on them.

       Safety Meeting: 

          Ray reported that there are no safety issues that he is aware of and is still waiting to have the OSHA consultation scheduled.

         

      Items not on the Agenda, Open to the Public:  

          None

Suggestions for Next Meeting:

-       New Resolutions proposed by Ray

-       Signing of Rate Increase Ordinance

-       Update on the contract with City of Reedsport

-       Heater Update

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

             

Submitted by Mary Chambers (Office Manager)

Board Meeting Nov 15, 2012

Gardiner Sanitary District

Board of Directors Meeting

November 15, 2012

     Meeting called to order by Jackie Degman, present were Board Members  Mike Quartararo, Charlotte Hinshaw, Dixie Hash and Marc Fullhart.  Also present were Mary Chambers, Ray Davenport, Dennis Conger, Bob Brown, Esther Siderman, Robin, and Jerry Schneider.

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

    

      Old Business:

         Ray has sent letters to all homeowners’ whose properties were shown to have issues during the smoke test and has had response from two of the six.  They are in the process of correcting the problems.

                 

          Charlotte read the new ordinance and made a motion to adopt it, Dixie seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

           Dixie requested that Rod McCulloch be contacted to get some input as to when and how to get the special tax rate renewal put on the May ballot so that it can go into effect as soon as the old one expires.  Also, to find out how much of a rate we can request.

          Charlotte reported that there is still no update on the heater grant as of this date.

          Dixie. Jackie and Dennis met with the Reedsport city manager for the second time to discuss the contract and while there were some disagreements, some progress was made toward a conclusion.  Mr. Wright stated that he would put together a proposal that should be ready the first part of December. 

           Mike asked whether the letter requesting an easement had been sent to American Bridge and Mary confirmed that it had, Ray volunteered to contact the corporate office at American Bridge to see if any action is being taken in that regard. 

        

     New Business: 

          Ray presented copies of several ordinances that the Winchester Bay Sanitary District has adopted that he feels that Gardiner should consider adopting also.  He made copies for each of the board members so that they could look them over before the next meeting and be ready to discuss them at that time.

          Ray is afraid that there is a problem with the meters because the October flow rates are fairly inconsistent.  He would like to pull the meters and clean them and see if that has any effect.  If it does not he would like to call the TAG technician to come back and see if there is something that can be fixed in them.  Dixie made a motion to have Ray clean the meters, and if that doesn’t fix them to authorize him to call in the tech for a maximum of $550.00 to attempt the repair, Mike seconded the motion and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

          Ray reported that the flushing of the emergency line has taken place so the repair of the sewer line break has been concluded.

         Dixie reported that the meeting with the county commissioners went well, only Doug Robertson came, but there was good local attendance and Mr. Robertson seemed open minded to the possibility of Gardiner Sanitary District building their own plant.

          Jackie wanted to thank the Firemen for painting the firehall and make them aware that George has 5 gallons of floor wax that he is willing to donate to them if they are interested in waxing the floors.

          Ray reported that meter readings during the line break actually increased rather than decreased, which leads him to believe that there was actually very little leakage that took place.

Safety Meeting: 

          Ray reported that there are no safety issues that he is aware of and is still waiting to have the OSHA consultation scheduled.

         

Items not on the Agenda, Open to the Public:  

           Dixie suggested setting up committees in the future, made up of local patrons that would be willing to participate in some of the board’s work, such as reviewing ordinances, if there is enough interest in the general public. 

          Robin stated that she was one of the homeowners that received the letter regarding problems found with the smoke test and was unsure of how to fix the problem that was found on her property.  Ray let her know that he would be willing to meet with her plumber whenever he was available.

          Mike made a motion to accept the minutes of the special meeting of November 5, 2012, Charlotte seconded and the motion passed with unanimous voice vote.

          Meeting went into executive session pursuant to ORS.192.660(2)(a) to discuss employment contract negotiations.

Meeting came out of executive session and Dixie made a motion to accept the amended changes to Ray’s contract allowing him $28.00 per hour for any collection system work in addition to his monthly guaranteed salary plus extending his contract for one full year with no option for termination by either party, Marc seconded, motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

Suggestions for Next Meeting:

-       New Resolutions proposed by Ray

-       County update/Meeting between the Attorney’s

-       Update on the contract with City of Reedsport

-       Heater Update

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

             

Submitted by Mary Chambers (Office Manager)

Special Meeting November 5, 2012

Gardiner Sanitary District

P.O. Box 217

Gardiner, Oregon 97441

Special Meeting November 5, 2012 10:00 A.M.

The meeting was called to order by Chairperson, Jackie Degman with Board members Mike Quartararo, Charlotte Hinshaw, Marc Fullhart, & Dixie Hash present. Steve Bell, the district’s part-time operator and the guest of honor Commissioner Doug Robertson also attended.  Many patrons were in attendance, see attached sign-in sheet.

The purpose the meeting was to inform other members of the Douglas County Commission about the options facing Gardiner Sanitary District (GSD) regarding the IP lagoon vs. Reedsport sewer connections.  The GSD has been trying to convince the County to sponsor us in this endeavor.  The County wants to sponsor our project to Reedsport but has reservations about the IP option.  This meeting was another step toward informing the County about the costs of both options, and the hope that we can assure the County that the IP option is the better of the two available to GSD and the community at large.

Steve presented background and current information about the Reedsport line.  He pointed out the urgency of action needed.

Matt Wadlington of Civil West Engineers presented a power point presentation of the costs of both options   He used the latest figures available with the IP option being less costly to the patrons of Gardiner.  Many comments from the Board and Members of the community were offered.  Commissioner Robertson was very open and asked many questions.  He suggested arranging a meeting with attorneys and others needed to discuss possible solutions concerning details the County has with; i.e. the IP Contract details, Phase I issues, etc,

After thanking Commissioner Robertson for his time and attention, the meeting was adjourned by Chairperson, Jackie Degman

Respectfully Submitted by,

Dixie Hash, Board Member

Board Meeting October 18, 2012

Gardiner Sanitary District

Board of Directors Meeting

October 18, 2012

     Meeting called to order by Jackie Degman, present were Board Members  Mike Quartararo, Charlotte Hinshaw, Dixie Hash and Marc Fullhart.  Also present were Mary Chambers, Ray Davenport, Roger Hermansen, Dennis Conger, Jessica Lloyd-Rogers and Jerry Schneider.

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

     New Business:    

    

         Jackie introduced Roger Hermansen who was the diver for the sewer line repair so that he could give a report on what he’d done and not have to stay for the whole meeting.  Roger gave us a brief history of his diving background: he started commercial diving in 1989 so has many years of experience, and he said he’s never seen a pipe in as bad shape as the district’s is.  There is definitely potential for a catastrophic failure because it is so weak.  He is preparing a written report on his repair work and he also brought a dvd with a video documentary of the work. 

      Old Business:

         Ray conducted a smoke test on the 6^th of October with the help of Steve Bell.  The Gardiner Fire Dept personnel also participated.  Ray has a written report of the problems that they found and the addresses that are involved.  Mike read a letter that he has prepared that he would like to have sent to the homeowners’ whose properties were shown to have issues. 

          Ray reported that there was a huge increase in flows immediately after the last rains, something that shouldn’t have happened quite that quickly, and suggested that they get some new manhole covers that are designed to direct ground water away from entering the sewer system through the manhole covers.  Marc made a motion to have Ray order 3 such covers, Mike seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote. 

       

          Charlotte presented the proposed ordinance update that she and Dixie prepared.  They proposed to adopt the $15.00 per month per EDU rate increase that the engineer has suggested, $10.00 to be effective as of Jan. 1, 2013 and the other $5.00 per month per EDU increase beginning July 1, 2013.  This increase would bring the EDU rate to $75.00 per month in Jan and then $80.00 per month in July. Dixie stated that she would much prefer to continue the special property tax rate which is due to expire at the end of this fiscal year, and possibly even increase that rate, rather than increase the monthly user fees, but she doesn’t see any way around at least some increase in user fees due to the huge increase in charges that Reedsport has levied against them.  Even though she doesn’t understand how they calculated the figure that they have billed us, we must, for the time being, operate under the assumption that it will need to be paid.  Charlotte outlined the notification procedure that must be met in order to update an ordinance, so the 1^st reading of the proposed new ordinance will be read at the Nov 15^th regular board meeting, with the second reading at the December 20^th  board meeting.

          Dixie made a motion to make the new EDU increase effective 1/1/13, Charlotte seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

          Charlotte reported that there is no update on the heater grant as of this date.

        

     New Business: 

          Ray reported on the main sewer line break that occurred last week, reiterating what Roger had to say, and added that per the agreement to use the vacated water line as the backup sewer line, we are required to flush the line after any usage, so he is in the process of finding a tanker truck that will be able to handle the volume.

        

          Safety Meeting: 

          Ray has scheduled an OSHA consultation.

 

          Dixie reported that she had received an email from Becky Bryant stating that they had sent the new study back for clarification on the scope of work and are still waiting for completion of that.  Norb Wondra received a call from Susan Morgan requesting a copy of IP’s Phase 1 study, stating that the county needs more information to investigate possible insurance coverage.

          Ray reported that all 4 pumps have been reconditioned now and are in good position to make it through the winter.

          Ray also presented a proposal to have Steve take over the meter reading 7 days a week in order to keep him employed as he has proven to be a lot of help to him and a dependable employee.  However, he would still like to have the new contract he proposed for himself approved at the same rate that was discussed prior to this even though his duties would be reduced. 

          Mike questioned what Steve’s rate of pay was for meter reading vs. emergency callouts and Ray explained that he was getting $10.00 per hour regardless of the work or time.  Mike made a motion to raise the rate for Steve for callouts to $15.00 per hour, Dixie seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.  Dixie made a motion to have Steve read meters 7 days per week, Charlotte seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.  Marc made a motion to accept Ray’s proposed new contract to start November 1, Mike seconded and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

          Dixie referred to an email that she had received from Garrett Pallo in which he stated that the Reedsport Sewer Plant was out of compliance with the DEQ and asked Ray if he knew anything about it.  Ray explained that the Reedsport plant had been receiving an excess of RV dumping since Winchester Bay restricted their dump station to a fixed number per day, causing an overload of RV chemical that they had not anticipated.  They are in the process of working to correct the situation.

Items not on the Agenda, Open to the Public:  

           Dennis Conger suggested that the board should consider setting up a meeting with the new Reedsport city manager as soon as possible to conduct contract talks and also to request support for the IP plant proposal to the county commissioners.  Jackie and Dixie volunteered to get together with Dennis and review the details of the contract proposal and to try to set up a meeting with Mr. Wright and Vera Koch.  All agreed that time was of the essence especially since the district had just received a letter from Vera threatening small claims litigation for non-payment of the monthly billed amount. 

          Dennis also contributed $25.00 to the District to go towards the purchase of a new printer since the old one is starting to fail.

Suggestions for Next Meeting:

-       First reading of the new ordinance

-       Update from the engineer re:meeting with commissioners

-       Update on the meeting with City of Reedsport

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

             

Submitted by Mary Chambers (Office Manager)