Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Mitch McEwen, Harvey Norris, Bob Harris and Wesley Keber; staff members present were Marcie Seleb & Joyce Hosey.
Opening Prayer – Mr. Norris opened the meeting with a prayer.
Approval of Minutes from Previous Meetings – Mr. Harris made a motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes from the September 9, 2008 meeting and approve the same. This was seconded by Mr. McEwen and approved unanimously.
Receive Petition from Hamm Road for Water Extension – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the Authority has received a petition from the property owners on a portion of Hamm Road for a water extension. The portion of Hamm Road that is not already served is approximately .5 mile. The property owners have submitted a petition for five (5) taps, resulting in a net 10 taps per mile.
A motion was made by Mr. Norris to accept the water extension petition from the residents of Hamm Road, move it up on the priority list and send letters to property owners. This was seconded by Mr. Harris and approved unanimously.
A map showing the Hamm Road extension and a copy of the petition is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Manager’s Report
Construction Schedule
- Kinard Mill Road Extension – Kinard Mill Road is complete except for the Towaliga River crossing. The crew will be doing all the crossing work. The projected finish time is late November.
- Ridgeway Road – Ridgeway Road is nearly complete. A stretch of rock that will need to be blasted was hit today. Blasted rock will be used as rip rap for the river crossing.
- Cooper Road – The west half of Cooper Road will be next project the crew will undertake. This will be over November to December.
- Fox Drive – The tie-in of Fox Drive to Barnett’s Bridge Road will be next project and with projected finish time in January 2009.
- Higgins & Hamm Roads – Depending on actual taps sales, Higgins Road will follow with a projected timing of February – April 2009. Hamm Road would follow with a projected construction time of May – June 2009.
- Transmission Main – The twenty-inch West Butts Transmission Main is moving much slower than expected with 4,000 linear feet installed since June; only 600 linear feet added over the last month. The deadline to finish the four and one-half mile project is November 22nd. Engineers from Carter and Sloope are drafting a letter to Sweetgrass, the contractor, to ask how the firm plans to complete on time.
Other Projects
- Tank Maintenance -The exterior painting of the Hwy. 16 elevated tank and wash out/inspection of the Ocmulgee ground storage tank will be undertaken this fall/winter. This work is done under contract with Tank Pro.
- Stark Altitude Valve – The board approved Ms. Seleb’s recommendation to replace the existing altitude valve at the Stark elevated tank. The valve currently in place is not functioning properly and can’t be adjusted. Currently, plant operators have to shut off water pumps before the lead Lyons Street tank is full to avoid overflowing the Stark (and Jackson Hwy. 36 elevated tank). The valve will be installed by our staff at a material cost of approximately $6,000. Ms. Seleb thanked Bill King of Woodard and Curran for his gratis engineering assistance on this project.
- Water Testing – Ms. Seleb recommended that the Authority test both raw and finished water supply for pharmaceuticals and other compounds that are not federally regulated, but that have been getting much attention with regard to possible health concerns. The Board directed that the Authority should go forward with testing for ninety-four contaminants in both raw and finished water at a total cost of $4,000.
Operation Statistics – Ms. Seleb went over the water and sewer statistics for the month of September 2008. Water billing was up for the month at $184,099, with an active customer base of 5,094. Sewer billing for the month was up for the month at $26,061 with an active customer base of 125. Water sales are down four-percent for the first nine months of 2008 versus the same period of 2007.
The average daily water pumped to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from the Ocmulgee and Stewart plants were 1.9 MGD, with maximum of 2.2 MGD. The rolling 12-month average loss of 14.2%. The total amount of water pumped in September 2008 per plant was: Ocmulgee – 57 MG; Stewart – 7 MG. Water pumped is down six-percent for the first nine months of 2008 versus the same period of 2007.
The average wastewater sprayed at the Bucksnort Ranch LAS was .236/.550 MGD with a maximum 7-day effluent of .299/.550 MGD.
Graphic illustrations are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Reserve Fund Investments – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that several CD’s matured the 1st – 7th of October with $178,000 interest received. New nine-month CD’s were purchased at on October 8th at a rate of 4%, which is a better rate than previously matured CD’s.
Financial Report – Ms. Seleb went over the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations and SPLOST through September 2008. A copy of these reports, along with combined balance sheets and income statements for September 2008, is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Review Bills Paid – Board members reviewed check registers for the month of September 2008. A copy of the check registers is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Harris to adjourn meeting at 7:20 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.