Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Harvey Norris, Eddie Roberts, & Eddie Ford; Also present was Laura Hale, representing the Butts County Industrial Development Authority. Authority staff present were Marcie Seleb, general manager & Joyce Hosey, clerk to the board.
Opening Prayer – Mr. Norris opened the meeting with a prayer.
Approval of Minutes from Previous Meeting – Mr. Roberts made a motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes from the January 10, 2013 meeting. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Hwy. 36 Sewer Agreement and Completion Contract – Ms. Seleb advised the Board of the quote received from Davidson Hydrant & Utility Services to complete the Hwy. 36 Sewer Project at $115,500.
A motion was made by Mr. Norris to award the Hwy. 36 Sewer Project to Davidson Hydrant and Utility Services, LLC and to authorize Mr. White to sign the resulting contract and notice to proceed. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved by affirmative votes from all but Chairman White, who abstained from the vote because he owns property in the area.
A copy the quote is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Request for Discounted Tap – Ronnie Edwards, Evans Road – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that she had received a letter from Ronnie Edwards of 232 Evans Road. Mr. Edwards contends that he was not notified about the availability of water when it was extended on Evans Road about five years ago. Because his well is not working, he would like to purchase a tap at the discount constructi0n price offered when water was installed. Ms. Seleb reported that the Authority is unable to document whether or not Mr. Edwards was contacted along with other property owners when water was first extended.
A motion was made by Mr. Roberts to allow Ronnie Edwards to purchase a discounted tap at the discounted construction tap price of $350.00. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
A copy of the letter is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Settlement Agreement with Cooley on LAS Pond Liners – Ms. Seleb reminded the Board of the deteriorated polypropylene liner in the holding pond and treatment ponds installed in 2007 at the Bucksnort Land Application System. The Authority first contacted the Cooley Group, manufacturer of the liner, in 2012 to collect on the twenty-year warranty for the material.
Ms. Seleb advised the Board that with the assistance of William A. White, Authority attorney, Cooley Group Holdings, Inc., has agreed to pay the Authority $61,752.09 as full and final settlement of the Authority’s claim. This is in keeping with the terms of the original warranty. Ms. Seleb asked the Board to authorize Mr. White to sign the Settlement Agreement.
A motion was made by Mr. Roberts to authorize Mr. White to sign the Settlement Agreement with Cooley Group Holdings. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
A copy of this signed agreement is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Capital Improvements Plan Discussion – Ms. Seleb went over tables that outline a draft plan for needed water and sewer capital improvements over the next ten years. The total estimate for water projects is $20,330,000. The total for sewer projects is $13,240,000. A copy of these tables is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Ms. Seleb went over the need for each project with the Board. It was noted that anticipated Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funding of approximately $2.5 million over the next five years will only fund a fraction of the work to be done. It was agreed that projects will need to be prioritized and that funding from system operations should be determined through a prudent annual review. No action was taken.
Manager’s Report
Construction Update
Hwy. 36 Ground Storage Electronic Valve – The Authority is waiting on J. K. Duren to install the electric control panel and tie the valve into the SCADA system prior to installation of the valve.
Departments of Transportation (DOT) Hwy. 36 Bridge Replacement – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the Hwy. 36 bridge construction is still underway with water service isolated on either side of the bridge.
Meter Replacement Project – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that Books 1 & two have been installed and the contractor is working on Book 3. The meter reader is reading Books 1 & two via radio this month. The Authority’s staff has begun to change out polybutylene service lines.
Burford Plant – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the filter sweep piping replacement is complete. Pump inspection and cleaning are scheduled for this week. The chlorine leak monitoring alarm system has been replaced, and the chlorination system is undergoing annual maintenance.
Hwy. 16 Sewer – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the new line video confirmed deep water retained in the sewer line under Windy Lane and more pipe lining damage. Davidson Hydrant and Utility Services is obtaining a subcontractor quote for the lining repair prior to submitting a quote for project remediation.
Tom Goddard Extension – Five taps have been purchased with four more needed to authorize construction.
Operations Report
Water billing for January 2013 was up 9% from December at $206,309, and nearly equal to January 2012. The total water customer base was 5,303 with some active water customers numbering 4,744. Sewer billing for January 2013 was up 11% from December 2012 at $41,721, and up 15% from January 2012. The total sewer customer base was 129 with active sewer customers numbering 125. There were five taps sold for Tom Goddard Road and one tap sold on the existing system in January.
The average daily finished water pumped in January to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from the Burford and Stewart plants was 2.1 million gallons per day, with a maximum of 2.3 million gallons per day. The rolling 12-month average loss was 9% with the current monthly average loss at 11.4%. The total amount of finished water pumped in January by plant was: Burford – 63 million gallons; Stewart – 8 million gallons.
The average wastewater influent at the Bucksnort Ranch Land Application System was .235 million gallons with an average daily effluent of .297 million gallons and a maximum 7-day effluent of .366 million gallons.
Financial Report
Regular Monthly Report – Ms. Seleb went over the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations, Capital Recovery Fees and SPLOST for January 2013. For the month, water operations income was $217,327 and expenses were $52,258. Sewer operation income for January was $42,261 and expenses were $31,350. Sewer capital recovery fee revenue was $187,466 with expenses of $9,163 for the fiscal year thus far. Total cash on hand at the end of December was $5,684,467. This is $388,943 over the June 30, 2012 balance. Copies of financial summaries, combined fund balance sheets, and combined fund income statements are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Review Bills Paid – Board members reviewed check registers and credit card statements for the month of January 2013. Copies of these documents are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Norris to adjourn meeting at 7:00 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously.