WEST HANOVER TOWNSHIP WATER & SEWER AUTHORITY
7901 JONESTOWN ROAD, HARRISBURG, PA 17112
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 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, November 21, 2006. Mr. Steinmeier moved, seconded by Mr. Tyndale, to approve the Minutes as distributed. The motion was unanimously approved.
Operating Expenses. Mrs. Martin reported that prepaid invoices totaled $456,773.00. Mrs. Martin also reported that the invoices pending payment totaled $92,173.54.
Mr. Tyndale moved, seconded by Mr. Steinmeier, to approve the prepaid invoices in the amount of $456,773.00. The motion was unanimously approved.
Mr. Steinmeier moved, seconded by Mr. LaDieu, to approve the pending invoices in the amount of $92,173.54. The motion was unanimously approved, with Mr. Tyndale abstaining on the payment to K.L. Tyndale, Inc.
Update on Swatara Capacity. Mr. Yost reported that the case remains at a standstill. He also reported that it was his understanding that South Hanover has not yet paid the funds requested by the arbitrators. He will contact South Hanover’s solicitor in an effort to move things forward.
Update on Vermitech. Mr. Salisbury reported that the pre-bid meeting was held on Friday, December 15, 2006, at the treatment plant. Four perspective bidders were in attendance. The pre-bid meeting for Contracts #2 and #3 will be held in mid to late January 2007.
Mr. Shope reported that the bidders requested an extension to submit their bids. Mr. Shope stated that the extension was granted until January 11, 2007.
In response to a question from Mr. LaDieu regarding the status of the Part II Permit, Mr. Shope stated that he received a call from DEP advising that all of the information needed to review the permit application was in place and nothing further was required. Mr. Shope added that he hoped to hear something from DEP in early January 2007.
Update on Influent Screen at the Treatment Plant. Mr. LaDieu reported that he would be working on a sketch plan to be presented at a future meeting. Mr. Millard asked Mr. Salisbury to set up a date to visit the Highspire treatment plant to look at their Rotomat screen.
2007 Budget. Mr. LaDieu moved, seconded by Mr. Jones, to adopt the 2007 Budget as submitted. The motion was unanimously approved.
Treatment Plant Roof Repair/Replacement. Mr. Salisbury called the members’ attention to his memorandum dated December 1, 2006. He reported that he reviewed the warranty information for the treatment plant and met with the Township Codes Administrator. It would appear that the roof was installed in accordance with the 1993 BOCA Code and that the Authority had no recourse in this matter.
Five-Year Financial Plan. Mr. Shope briefly reviewed the Five-Year Plan with the Authority. By consensus, it was agreed that the monthly sewer rates must be reviewed carefully each year in order to meet the financial obligations involved with some upcoming capital improvements.
Letter of Credit Proceeds to CRIM. Mr. LaDieu suggested that this matter be deferred until after the bids for the vermicomposting building were received and it was determined how much of the line of credit was needed. By consensus, this matter was deferred to a future meeting.
Resolution 2006-A-8. Mr. Millard presented this resolution for the purpose of establishing engineering service requirements.
Mr. Jones moved seconded by Mr. Steinmeier, to adopt Resolution 2006-A-8.
A lengthy discussion followed. Mr. Tyndale stated that he wanted additional time to review the resolution.
Mr. Tyndale moved, seconded by Mr. LaDieu, to table Resolution 2006-A-8 until the January meeting. The motion was unanimously approved.
Clover Hill Pump Station #13 Driveway. Brian Fincher from Lobar Construction was present to address this matter. Mr. Fincher reiterated for the Authority that the pump station had been accepted by the Authority with the condition that the paving must be satisfactorily completed around the pump station. Mr. Fincher stated that even though the paving was not satisfactorily completed up to this point in time, he wanted to reassure the Authority that Lobar would meet its obligation. He added that the paving contractor was scheduled to repave the area on Thursday, December 21, 2006. Mr. Salisbury stated that Authority staff would open the gate at the pump station to allow adequate access for the contractor.
Pump Station #11. Mr. Salisbury called the members’ attention to the photographs of Pump Station #11, which was flooded several years ago. The flooding caused the pumps to trip out.
Mr. Salisbury reported that he discussed this matter with Tom Devore of Envirep who suggested that the Authority might want to consider having the control panel and dialer relocated above the floodplain to avoid any future problems. Mr. Salisbury called the members’ attention to the proposal from Whitman’s Plumbing, in the amount of $4,835, to relocate the control panel. A brief discussion followed. Mr. Tyndale volunteered to meet with Authority staff after the holidays to take a look at the pump station and report back at the January meeting.
No public comment was offered at this time.
Bob Jones. Mr. Jones had no comment.
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. Millard called the members’ attention to the Sewer and Water Rate Survey provided by CET Engineering.
Sludge Handling. Mr. Salisbury reported that Shawn Ankers of Vermitech expressed a concern that if the VSS of the biosolids remained above 80% there could be a problem with the vermicomposting process. It would be better for the VSS to be in the 70 percent tile. Therefore, a suggestion was offered that perhaps a piping change to handle how we operate the method for biosolids digestion could improve the VSS percentage.
Mr. Salisbury called the members’ attention to a proposal from Whitman’s Plumbing, in the amount of $2,670, to accomplish the piping change. A brief discussion followed, during which Mr. Shope agreed to review the situation and report back.
Arrears Report. A lengthy discussion took place as to how to handle the arrears due on Installment Agreements.
Mr. Jones moved, seconded by Mr. LaDieu, to direct Authority staff to contact the residents in arrears and enter into an agreement for payment of the Installment Agreements. The motion was unanimously approved.
January and February 2007 Meetings. Mr. Salisbury reported that due to the Martin Luther King Holiday on January 15 and the President’s Day holiday on February 19, the Board of Supervisors meeting nights would fall on the same night as the Authority meetings. Following a brief discussion, it was agreed by consensus that the Authority would meet downstairs at the Township Building on its regularly scheduled nights—January 16, 2007 and February 20, 2007.
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 9:16 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Gail A. Martin
Recording Secretary