WEST HANOVER TOWNSHIP WATER & SEWER AUTHORITY
7901 JONESTOWN ROAD, HARRISBURG, PA 17112
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2006, 7 P.M.
REGULAR MEETING
Chairman Millard called the regular meeting to order at 7 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
Stephen L. Millard, Chairman
Donald L. Steinmeier, Vice Chairman
Kenneth L. Tyndale, Secretary/Treasurer
Robert R. Jones
William LaDieu
PUBLIC
COMMENT
No public comment was offered at this time.
Regular Meeting, October 17, 2006. Mr. Jones moved, seconded by Mr. Steinmeier, to approve the Minutes as distributed. The motion was unanimously approved.
Operating Expenses. Mrs. Martin reported that prepaid invoices totaled $21,842.78. Mrs. Martin also reported that the invoices pending payment totaled $90,872.49.
Mr. Jones moved, seconded by Mr. Steinmeier, to approve the prepaid invoices in the amount of $21,842.78. The motion was unanimously approved.
Mr. Jones moved, seconded by Mr. Steinmeier, to approve the pending invoices in the amount of $90,872.49. The motion was unanimously approved.
Update on Swatara Capacity. Mr. Yost reported that he was still awaiting a decision from the arbitration panel on the Motion to Dismiss. He also reported that the arbitrators had received the escrow funds paid by the Authority. The Authority’s portion totaled $3,333.50.
Update on Land Development Plan. Mr. Salisbury reported that the Authority’s land development plan was recorded at the Dauphin County Court House on Friday, November 17, 2006.
Update on Vermitech. Mr. Salisbury reported that the vermicomposting equipment was received from Vermitech during the week of November 13, 2006. It has been unloaded from the trailers and stored until ready for installation.
Mr. Millard then called the members’ attention to the design plans for the vermicomposting building that were included with the packets. A brief discussion followed.
Mr. Salisbury called the members’ attention to the proposed advertisement to solicit bids for the building project. A lengthy discussion followed. Following the discussion, it was agreed by consensus that Contract #1 for the building should be advertised as soon as possible but that Contracts #2 and #3 should be held until January or February 2007, closer to the time when the actual electric and HVAC work would begin, in order to get more accurate bids as to the cost for those services. It was also agreed by consensus that a pre-bid meeting should be scheduled and advertised to include all three contracts. Mr. Shope will revise the advertisement and forward it to the Authority Office for submission to the newspaper.
Mr. Shope also raised a concern regarding the closing date for bids falling after the Authority’s December 19, 2006 meeting. He suggested that, in the interest of moving the project forward, the Authority might consider authorization to award the bid prior to the January 2007 meeting. A brief discussion followed.
Mr. LaDieu moved, seconded by Mr. Jones, to authorize the Chairman to award the bid to the lowest responsible bidder. The motion was unanimously approved.
Update on Influent Screen at the Treatment Plant. Mr. Millard reported that he and Mr. LaDieu had met to discuss this matter. Mr. LaDieu will work up some sketch plans to be presented at a future meeting.
2007 Budget. Mr. Salisbury called the members’ attention to the information provided with the packets relative to proposed salaries for 2007. A brief discussion followed, during which time it was agreed by consensus that some further research would be done to set salary scales to serve as a guideline for the future.
Mr. LaDieu moved, seconded by Mr. Jones, to approve the proposed salaries for 2007. The motion was unanimously approved.
Treatment Plant Roof Repair/Replacement. Mr. Tyndale reported that he, Mr. Salisbury, and Mr. Rodemoyer met and physically inspected the roof. Mr. Tyndale stated that it was his recommendation that the roof should not be replaced at the present time but that staff should deal with having repairs made as necessary.
A brief discussion followed during which it was pointed out that there probably was some type of warranty associated with the roof, perhaps through Conewago Contractors. Mr. Salisbury stated that he would look through the treatment plant documents to ascertain if there was any type of warranty on the roof.
Intermittent Stream Restoration. Mr. Millard reported that the restoration plan was under review by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as outlined in HRG’s letter to John Gibble dated November 7, 2006.NEW BUSINESS
Five-Year Financial Plan. Mr. Salisbury called the members’ attention to the proposal from Gannett Fleming showing that the work would be completed at a cost of $3,000.
Letter of Credit Proceeds to CRIM. Mr. Salisbury requested some guidance from the Authority as to whether the proceeds from the $2 million line of credit should be invested into a CRIM account. A brief discussion followed. It was agreed by consensus that the matter would be discussed at the December meeting.
Resolution 2006-A-6. This resolution sets forth raising the monthly sewer rates from $30 to $31 and water usage rates from $5.56 to $5.74 per 1,000 gallons.
Mr. Steinmeier moved, seconded by Mr. Tyndale, to adopt Resolution 2006-A-6. The motion was unanimously approved.
Resolution 2006-A-7. This resolution sets forth raising the Collection Fees from $135 to $140 and the Tapping Fees from $2,775 to $2,870.
Mr. Tyndale moved, seconded by Mr. Steinmeier, to adopt Resolution 2006‑A‑7. The motion was unanimously approved.
Installation of Public Sewer – 98 South Clover Lane (Mahalick). Mr. Salisbury called the members’ attention to the District Justice’s order for Mr. Mahalick to connect to the public sewer. Mr. Salisbury stated that Mr. Mahalick’s property was part of the original project, and should have been connected in 1996. While Mr. Salisbury also stated that it would be the Township’s responsibility to physically connect Mr. Mahalick’s property, it would be the Authority’s responsibility to provide a grinder pump in order to obtain first floor service.
Mr. Jones moved, seconded by Mr. Steinmeier, to authorize staff to purchase a grinder pump for 98 South Clover Lane. The motion was unanimously approved.
Act 537 Plan. Mr. Millard called the members’ attention to the letter from DEP dated October 30, 2006. The Township’s Act 537 Plan has been approved and sets forth that Houck Manor should be provided with public sewer service within five years and that Holiday Park should be connected within ten years. Mr. Millard added that the letter was provided for informational purposes only, as it would be the Township’s responsibility to assign sewer projects to the Authority as warranted.
No public comment was offered at this time.
Bob Jones. Mr. Jones inquired about Mr. Salisbury’s memorandum regarding insurance coverage for the Authority. Mr. Salisbury stated that the proposal from H.A. Thomas Risk Management Services reflected a savings of approximately $7,000-$8,000 and appeared to include all of the coverage currently held through the Township’s policy. A brief discussion followed, during which it was agreed that the Authority should take a look at the proposal and directed Mr. Salisbury to obtain an updated premium cost in June 2007, so that the matter might be addressed as part of the 2008 budget building process.
Mr. Jones inquired as to the storage arrangements for the Vermitech equipment. Mr. Salisbury explained that some of the equipment was stored in the garage at the treatment plant and that the remainder of the equipment was stored outdoors and had been covered with tarps to protect it from the weather.
Bill LaDieu. Mr. LaDieu had no comment.
Ken Tyndale. Mr. Tyndale had no comment.
Don Steinmeier. Mr. Steinmeier had no comment.
Steve Millard. Mr. Millard had no comment.
Mr. Salisbury briefly reviewed the correspondence included with the packets.
Mr. Millard stated that he had two items of other business to address, the first one being engineering services. A brief discussion was held as to whether or not RFPs should be solicited for engineering services for 2007. It was agreed by consensus that staff should work towards soliciting quotes for engineering services.
Mr. Millard also stated that he believed the Authority should set some type of policy relative to the length of time one person could serve as chairman of the Authority. No action was taken on this issue.
Authority Manager. Mr. Salisbury submitted a written report.
Engineer. Mr. Shope submitted a written report.
Solicitor. Mr. Yost had no further report.
Mr. Jones moved, seconded by Mr. Steinmeier, to adjourn the meeting. The motion was unanimously approved. The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Gail A. Martin
Recording Secretary