WEST HANOVER
TOWNSHIP WATER AND SEWER AUTHORITY
7901 JONESTOWN
ROAD, HARRISBURG, PA 17112
TUESDAY, JUNE 17,
2003, 7 P.M.
REGULAR MEETING
Chairman Millard called the regular meeting to order at 7:04 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
Stephen L. Millard, Chairman
Donald L. Steinmeier, Vice Chairman
Robert R. Jones, Secretary/Treasurer
Gary Dunsworth
No public comment was offered.
Mr.
Steinmeier moved, seconded by Mr. Jones, to approve the May 21, 2003 Minutes as
distributed. The motion was approved
3-0. [Mr. Dunsworth was not
present for this vote.]
Operating Expenses and Account Balances. Mrs. Martin reported that the invoices for June totaled $89,837.68. The balance in the Fulton Fund as of May 31, 2003 was $452,446.65.
Mr. Jones moved, seconded by Mr. Steinmeier, to approve payment of the invoices in the amount of $89,837.68. The motion was approved 4-0, with Mr. Millard abstaining on the payment to Websmith Enterprises, Inc.
Update on Letters to Residents in Arrears. Mr. Yost reported that letters were mailed on June 17 to all residents on the arrears list as of May 1, 2003.
Mr. Millard also reported that he requested references from TransWorld Collections, a collection service that was discussed at a previous meeting. He received the references but the list did not include any municipalities that they serviced. When Mr. Millard again requested that information, the collection service seemed reluctant to provide the information. No further discussion regarding TransWorld is required at the present time.
Rhoads and Sinon Billings. Mr. Yost reported that he received a check from Rhoads and Sinon in the amount of $4,255, along with a Mutual Release to be signed by the Authority, which brings this matter to a close.
Five-Year Financial Plan. Mr. Shope reported that his staff is continuing to gather information on this project and that he anticipates the plan should be completed by the end of summer.
Screen/Silo Closeout. Mr. Salisbury called the members’ attention to the letter written on May 23 and USFilter’s response. Following a brief discussion, it was decided to accept the terms of USFilter’s warranty. Mr. Salisbury will contact USFilter and have them forward the Warranty Agreement for signature.
Mr. Jones moved, seconded by Mr. Steinmeier, to authorize final payment on the screen project upon receipt of the Warranty Agreement. The motion was unanimously approved.
Billing Update. Mrs. Martin reported that the billing program has been finalized and that she will run both billing systems for approximately three months to make sure everything is in order on the new program.
Update on Sandy Hollow Road. Mr. Salisbury reported that the project is nearing completion. It is anticipated that the pump station should be up and running sometime during the week of June 23. He added that within the next two weeks, staff would sit down with the developer to review the bills and work out the agreed upon credits.
Mr. Salisbury also reported that the Gooddale property located at the corner of Piketown Road and Sandy Hollow Road had experienced problems with their septic system. The system backed up into the basement of the house. Walters Septic was called to pump out the tank and inspect it. Upon inspection, it was determined that there was a hole in the septic tank, possibly caused by blasting during the Sandy Hollow Road project. A representative of Walters Septic confirmed that the tank had been pumped in 2002 and, at that time, no damage was visible. Mr. Salisbury indicated that the Gooddale property has now been connected to the sewer system.
[NOTE: Mr. Dunsworth arrived at the meeting at 7:35 p.m.]
Proposal for Review and Update for Sewer Extension Construction Manual. The proposal for this project was accepted at the May meeting. Mr. Shope indicated that the manual would be provided for the July meeting.
West Hanover Associates. Following a lengthy discussion, Mr. Jones suggested that West Hanover Associates should be offered a lump sum settlement to conclude this matter. He offered to talk with the partners. Mr. Salisbury will provide Mr. Jones the names and telephone numbers for the partners.
Mr. Steinmeier moved, seconded by Mr. Jones, to offer West Hanover Associates up to a maximum of $103,516.24 to settle this matter. The motion was unanimously approved.
Short Street Feasibility Study. Mr. Shope reported that he received the topographical information he had been awaiting from HRG. There are five existing homes and one vacant lot that could be served by extending the public sewer system down the remainder of Short Street. A brief discussion ensued. By consensus, it was agreed that Mr. Shope should prepare a cost analysis for the July meeting.
NEW BUSINESS
Release of LOC #D002259 for Brynfield East, Phase I. Mr. Jones moved, seconded by Mr. Steinmeier, to release Letter #D002259 for Brynfield East, Phase I. The motion was unanimously approved.
Release of LOC #D002121 for Brynfield Phases I, III, and IX. Mr. Jones moved, seconded by Mr. Steinmeier, to release Letter #D002121 for Brynfield Phases I, III, and IX. The motion was unanimously approved.
Reduce LOC #D002761 for Brynfield Phases II, IV, and VI. Mr. Jones moved, seconded by Mr. Steinmeier, to reduce Letter #D002761 from $76,500 to $11,475. The motion was unanimously approved.
Resolution 2003-A-5. Mr. Steinmeier moved, seconded by Mr. Jones, to table Resolution 2003-A-5 until after Mr. Jones meets with the partners of West Hanover Associates. The motion was unanimously approved.
L&M Motel Request. Mr. Salisbury outlined the motel’s water usage for the first five months of 2003. A brief discussion followed.
Mr.
Jones moved, seconded by Mr. Steinmeier, to table L&M’s letter until after
the June meter reading. The motion was
unanimously approved.
Accessibility to Mixer Motors. Mr. Millard provided a picture to the members showing the digester tank and its limited accessibility for maintenance needs. Mr. Millard suggested that a cat walk should be built across the digester, which would alleviate some of the accessibility requirements as well as improve safety to staff. By consensus, it was agreed that Mr. Shope provide the Authority with some cost estimates on constructing a cat walk across the digester. Mr. Shope concurred.
Mr. Salisbury called the members’ attention to the Notice of Violation letter that was received from DEP regarding the Sandy Hollow Road project. A brief discussion followed as to who would be responsible in the event that fines were assessed. Mr. Salisbury stated that in his opinion the contractor, not the Authority, should be responsible.
A brief discussion took place regarding the PMAA Conference scheduled at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center on August 24-27, 2003. Mr. Millard, Mr. Steinmeier, Mr. Dunsworth, and Mr. Jones expressed interest in attending. Mr. Salisbury may attend as well. The members will forward their registration forms to Mrs. Martin, who in turn will send a check in for the fees prior to the July 11, 2003 deadline.
Mr. Steinmeier moved, seconded by Mr. Jones, that Mr. Millard should serve as the voting member during the PMAA Conference. The motion was unanimously approved.
No public comment was offered.
Don Steinmeier. Mr. Steinmeier had no comments.
Bob Jones. Mr. Jones had no comments.
Gary Dunsworth. Mr. Dunsworth stated that he looked forward to serving on the Authority.
Steve Millard. Mr. Millard welcomed Mr. Dunsworth as a member of the Authority.
No other business was brought before the Authority.
Manager. Mr. Salisbury provided a written report (a copy of which is attached to the Minutes). In addition, Mr. Salisbury stated that Authority Staff was working with Mr. Arndt at the Township Office in an effort to have Jo-Jo’s Pizza and Skyline Diner install grease traps in their facilities. The owners of both facilities were advised that it would be necessary for them to install grease traps. As of June 11, neither facility has done so. Mr. Arndt will be sending violation letters to the owners in the near future. Mr. Jones indicated that Mr. Randazzao of Jo-Jo’s Pizza was in the process of working on a plan to upgrade his facility. A suggestion was made that perhaps Mr. Randazzo should send a letter to the Township requesting an extension for installation of a grease trap. Mr. Jones said that he would speak with Mr. Randazzo about the matter.
Mr. Millard asked whether or not any of the developers had voiced concern with the amount of their inspection bills. Mr. Salisbury indicated that a representative from S&A Homes called and requested a breakdown of the charges for their inspection invoice that totaled approximately $8,600 for the month of May. Mr. Shope is in the process of gathering the information to provide to S&A Homes.
Engineer. Mr. Shope provided a written report (a copy of which is attached to the Minutes). Mr. Wendle also provided an update on the Sandy Hollow Road and lime silo/screen projects (a copy of which is attached to the Minutes).
Solicitor. Mr. Yost reported that he received, and had for execution by the Authority, the agreement from the Bretz family for the Clover Hill subdivision. Mr. Yost also indicated that there is a prospective buyer for the property. He called the members’ attention to the fact that the agreement states that the property could not be sold until a pump station had been constructed. The Bretz family is requesting some relief from that requirement. It was suggested that the Bretz family should be informed that the property could be sold but that no Sewer Connection Permits would be issued until the pump station was constructed.
Mr. Jones moved, seconded by Mr. Dunsworth, to approve the agreement for the Clover Hill Business Park. The motion was unanimously approved.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr. Jones moved, seconded by Mr. Dunsworth, to adjourn the meeting. The motion was unanimously approved. The meeting adjourned at 8:47 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Gail A. Martin
Recording Secretary