TUESDAY, AUGUST
16, 2005, 7 P.M.
REGULAR MEETING
Chairman Millard called the meeting to order at 7 p.m.
Stephen L. Millard, Chairman
Donald L. Steinmeier, Vice Chairman
Kenneth L. Tyndale, Secretary/Treasurer
Robert R. Jones
William A. LaDieu
No public comment was offered at this time.
July 12, 2005, Workshop Meeting. Mr. Jones moved, seconded by Mr. Tyndale, to approve the July 12, 2005 workshop Minutes as distributed. The motion was unanimously approved.
July 12, 2005, Regular Meeting. A correction was noted under “Adjournment.”
The second sentence should read: “The motion was unanimously approved.”
Mr. Steinmeier moved, seconded by Mr. Tyndale, to approve the July 12, 2005 Minutes as amended. The motion was unanimously approved.
Operating Expenses. Mrs. Martin reported that the pre-paid bill (those paid to meet due dates) totaled $45,581.01. Mrs. Martin also reported that the bills still pending for payment totaled $76,262.51.
Mr. Tyndale asked that staff request Way’s Lawn Care to bill the Authority monthly. Mr. Tyndale raised the question as to whether or not there would be any additional expenses incurred with the GIS mapping project. Mrs. Martin stated that there might be one additional invoice.
Mr. Tyndale moved, seconded by Mr. Steinmeier, to approve the
pre-paid expenses in the amount of $45,581.01.
The motion was unanimously approved.
Mr. Tyndale moved, seconded by Mr. LaDieu, to approve the
operating expenses in the amount of $76,262.51.
The motion was unanimously approved.
The members briefly reviewed the Arrears listing as of August 1, 2005. Mr. Yost will prepare letters to residents more than $100 in arrears.
Vermitech. Mr. Jones reported that Colonial Country Club expected to take delivery of the vermiculture sample in the near future. He also reported that he dropped off a small sample of the sludge to Ron Marsico’s office. Mr. Shope reported that the Grant Application was submitted on time. Mr. Millard reported that Isaac, an employee of Vermitech, was working with Authority staff to work out some concerns.
In response to a question regarding the contract, Mr. Yost said there were still several outstanding issues that needed to be worked through before he could recommend signing a contract with Vermitech. The contract may be ready for review at the September meeting.
A suggestion was made that prior to the September meeting, calls should be placed to Representative Marsico’s office and Senator Piccola’s office to advise them that the Grant Application was submitted and request whatever assistance they could offer in working through the grant process. Mr. Jones agreed to make the calls. Authority staff will draft a letter to Senator Piccola’s for Mr. Millard’s review and signature briefly explaining the vermiculture process and offer to have Authority staff/members meet with Senator Piccola’s staff to discuss the matter.
Update on Wells/Bolton/Slate Ridge Sewer Project. Mr. Shope reported that the final paperwork was ready for the Authority’s signature. Mr. Yost asked whether or not provisions had been made for the construction company to post an 18-month maintenance bond. Mr. Shope indicated that the contract did not call for a maintenance bond. Following a brief discussion, it was agreed that an 18-month maintenance bond should be a requirement for any future projects.
Mr.
LaDieu moved, seconded by Mr. Jones, to approve and authorize signature by the
Chairman of Estimate #3 – Final, Change Order #1, the Final Certificate, and
the Completion Certificate. The motion
was unanimously approved.
Mr. LaDieu moved, seconded by Mr. Jones, to approve the final
payment of $1,500 to Doli Construction to conclude the Wells,
Mr. Millard called the members’ attention to a letter from Bonnie Parham requesting a 90‑day extension from obtaining her Sewer Connection Permit and connecting to the public sewer. A brief discussion followed.
Mr.
Jones moved, seconded by Mr. Tyndale, to grant Ms. Parham a 30-day extension in
which to obtain her Sewer Connection Permit and connect her property to public
sewer. The motion was unanimously
approved.
The
members briefly discussed the memorandum dated August 8, 2005 from
Mr. Salisbury to Mr. Rimer, which included the names of those residents
who have not yet connected their properties to the public sewer system. Mr. Rodemoyer advised that Township staff was
in the process of preparing letters to those persons involved in the
Wells/Bolton/Slate Ridge project. In
response to a question regarding Mr. Mahalick, Mr. Watson, and the
Update
on Swatara Capacity. Mr. Yost
reported that the arbitrators have been appointed. They are Charles R. Ruhl, CPA; Robert J.
Fisher, P.L.S., P.E.; and
Concerns
Related to Millstone Sanitary Sewer Easement. Mr. Yost reported that the agreement between
Influent Screen at Treatment Plant. Mr. Shope reported that he is continuing to
work on finalizing the procurement specification for the Atwood-Jones
screen. He estimates that the
specification will be ready for advertisement in the near future, with the bids
to be opened just prior to the October 2005 meeting. Mr. Shope also reported that the bid
specification for a screen enclosure would be ready by December 2005. A brief discussion followed wherein it was
agreed that Mr. Shope would bring the bid specification for the screen
enclosure to the Authority for review prior to publishing it. He agreed to outline the specs for a
fiberglass enclosure as well as a masonry building for consideration.
Contract for Interruption of Public
Water Service when in Arrears. Mr.
Yost reported that he completed review of the contract and was ready to
recommend approval.
Mr. LaDieu moved, seconded by Mr. Steinmeier, to execute the contract with PA American Water Company. The motion was unanimously approved.
Approval
for Manada Court Villas. Mr.
Tyndale moved, seconded by Mr. Jones, to approve the final sanitary sewer plan
for the Manada Court Villas project continuing upon completion of the following
outstanding items:
· A
cost estimate for construction of the sanitary sewer line must be submitted for
review by the Authority’s engineer.
· Following
approval of the cost estimate, security must be posted within ten (10) days of
the date of the approval letter.
· A
Sewer Extension Agreement must be executed.
The motion was unanimously approved.
Request for Time Extension to Connect to Public Sewer. This matter was addressed during the update on the Wells/Bolton/Slate Ridge project.
Authorization for Gannett Fleming to Assist in Pump Station Draw Down Testing. In response to a question, Mr. Rodemoyer briefly described the draw down testing process.
Mr.
Tyndale moved, seconded by Mr. Steinmeier, to approve an expenditure up to
$2,500 to perform the draw down testing as addressed in Mr. Salisbury’s
memorandum dated August 8, 2005. The
motion was unanimously approved.
No public comment was offered at this time.
Mr.
Millard briefly reviewed some of the correspondence included with the
packet. He specifically called the
members’ attention to the invitation from Gannett Fleming to attend a reception
on Sunday, September 11, 2005, at the
Bob Jones. Mr. Jones asked about the status of the Authority’s claim for sewer arrears as it related to the bankruptcy papers included with the packet. Mr. Yost stated that in most cases the Authority would be a secured debt since a lien had been filed against the property; however, he added that it could be quite some time before the Authority would receive any funds.
Bill LaDieu. Mr. LaDieu had no comments.
Ken
Tyndale. Mr. Tyndale questioned
whether or not the house located at
Steve Millard. Mr. Millard had no comments.
Don
Steinmeier. Mr. Steinmeier raised a
concern regarding the number of sump pumps that may be connected to the public
sewer system in
Health Insurance. Mr. Millard reported that premiums for the employee’s health insurance were increasing significantly for the coverage renewing in October 2005. He also reported that the Board of Supervisors had agreed to move the health insurance from Highmark to Capital Blue Cross. Highmark increased the premium by approximately $67,000 for 2006 and Capital Blue Cross provided the Township with a proposal that would increase the insurance premium by approximately $40,000. He added that the Board of Supervisors had not made a determination as to what portion, if any, the employees may have to contribute to the insurance beginning in October 2005. Mr. Millard stated that he would request Mr. Rimer to include staff and Authority members at a meeting that would be held in the near future to discuss the health insurance.
Watson Easement. Mr. Millard stated that Max Stoner of Glace Associates had contacted the Authority office regarding a problem with the Watson easement. Mr. Stoner has been working with DEP and the Army Corps of Engineers to rectify the problems that were caused by the contractor on the Winslett project. Mr. Stoner indicated to Authority staff that it would cost approximately $2,500 to correct the current problem to meet requirements set by the Army Corps of Engineers. Mr. Millard also stated that the contractor, Leon Wintermyer, was refusing to pay the $2,500. Following a brief discussion, it was agreed that the Authority would not pay the $2,500 to correct the problem nor should the Authority pay for any additional engineering fees to create a plan to correct the problem. It was also agreed that Mr. Millard or a member of the Authority staff should contact the developer to advise them of the situation. Mr. Rodemoyer was also directed to follow-up with Mr. Stoner.
Sweep Accounts. Mrs. Martin reported that Township Manage Mike Rimer has asked the Authority to consider participating with the Township in establishing a sweep account through Fulton Bank. The minimum requirement for the sweep account is $3 million and the interest rate would be approximately 3.25%. The Township and Authority funds would be swept into overnight investments and could offer a good return on interest earnings. One member of the Authority expressed concern over the fact that the Authority would be reducing the amount of interest on the $1.2 million Certificate of Deposit, which currently earns 4.25%. Another member expressed concern over the fact that the funds between the Township and the Authority did not exceed the $3 million minimum by a significant amount and questioned how that would affect rates if the balance fell below $3 million. Mrs. Martin was directed to contact Mr. Rimer and/or Fulton Bank for additional information, perhaps in the form of a proposal.
Manager. Mr. Salisbury provided a written report (a copy is attached to the Minutes).
Engineer. Mr. Shope provided a written report (a copy is attached to the Minutes).
Solicitor. Mr. Yost had no additional report.
Mr. Jones moved, seconded by Mr. Tyndale, 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