September 18, 2019 Minutes

Meeting Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 6:00 PM by Jim Haney.

• Present: Jim Haney, Mike DeWald, Parke Smith, Bob Marcuccilli, Greg Mitchell, Frank Kurth
• Absent: Sue Ann Mitchell

Report of Meeting Notice

The meeting date and time were posted and advertised as required.

Approval of Previous Minutes

Parke Smith presented the August 21, 2019 regular meeting minutes and made a motion to approve. The motion was seconded by Bob Marcuccilli, and on call of roll was carried by the vote:

6 Yeas 0 Nays 0 Abstain

Treasurers Report and Other Financial Matters:

Mike DeWald presented financial reports and statements from Steve Carter and provided commentary. Mike reported:

• Refunds were higher than normal, due in part to a single large refund.
• The district received the semi-annual liens payment from Kosciusko County.
• The August payment to USDA was made as expected.
• Jim Haney made a motion to approve the Unaudited Schedule of Cash Receipts and Disbursements, the Monthly Analysis of Funds and Balances, and the Monthly Analysis of Cash Investment Accounts. The motion was seconded by Greg Mitchell, and on call of roll was carried by the vote:

 

6 Yeas 0 Nays 0 Abstain

Mike DeWald presented the Cash and Fund Balance Matrix, the Management Cash Budget, and the Monthly Claim Approval Form. Mike noted:

• Receipts exceeded disbursements by about $16,000 for the month. This is down somewhat from prior months, largely due to customer receipts being almost right on budget. In previous months, they had been running ahead.
• The district received 3 months’ interest on CD’s. This amount is not budgeted.
• The entire cost of repairs and supplies has been more than offset by Astbury’s refund of the excess 2018 reserve.
• Equipment sales and costs have been much lower than expected.
• Crowe’s audit fees were much lower than expected.
• The costs of the chemicals that Astbury uses were not specifically budgeted and are included in the cost line. They were more than offset by other items in the budget.
• Mike recommended that the board consider extending the purchase of CD’s at this time and made a motion to purchase $150,000 in CD’s (in three separate CD’s – $50,000.00 each). The CD’s mature on February 22, of 2021, 2022, and 2023. The motion was seconded by Parke Smith, and on call of roll was carried by the vote:

6 Yeas 0 Nays 0 Abstain

• Jim Haney made a motion to approve the Monthly Claim Approval Form and the list of bills paid after 8/20/19 in the amount of $48,376.45. The motion was seconded by Bob Marcuccilli, and on call of roll was carried by the vote:

6 Yeas 0 Nays 0 Abstain

Engineering Update- DLZ

Bill Boyle was in attendance, representing DLZ. Bill Reported:

• Item #1 – Tank Blower and Sound Investigation
  • Sound testing was conducting using equipment that could register decibel readings. Several tests were recorded with blowers on and off.
    • At the plant entrance
      • Blower on – 57
      • Blower off – 52
    • At the residence of the complainants
      • Blower on – 62
      • Blower off – 58
    • Five feet south of the plant
      • Blower on – 93
      • Blower off – 72
    • In the plant conference room
      • Empty – 47
      • With main door open – 57
  • Bill also noted that the app that was being used classified the decibel level as “very quiet street.”
  • No action was taken but the board directed DLZ to conduct additional testing once the foliage was off the trees.
• Item #2 – Standards, Forms and Procedure Update (Property with House Tear Downs & Vacating Infrastructure)
  • There was no update, but Bill indicated that he would check with Casey Erwin.
  • Astbury also reported that they are currently working with Casey on this effort.

Astbury Monthly Report

Matt Rippey was present and provided the updates from Astbury. Matt reported:

1. On August 26th IDEM conducted an inspection of the Lakeland Regional Sewer District’s treatment facility and collection system. The inspector looked at a year of the plant’s operation and maintenance records as well as a plant walk through. The inspection went well. No violations were found. The overflow at lift station 1 was noted. (Note: The board recommended that Matt send a follow-up letter to IDEM outlining the district’s mitigation plan to prevent occurrences of this nature in the future.)
2. During the August board meeting the problems that have been occurring with the ultra-sonic level sensor at lift station 1 was discussed. The board was informed that a new ultra-sonic level sensor was ordered. The new sensor was installed on August 27th. Unfortunately, the new sensor did not correct the problem of having erratic level readings from the sensor. Astbury tried other corrective measures including moving the sensor cable away from high voltage cables in the control cabinet, moving the location of the sensor in the wet well, and checking the grounding of the sensor cable. Since Astbury no longer feels that the sensor is the component that is causing the problem, they are planning on using the ultra-sonic level sensor that was replaced as a spare. Astbury would like to get the board’s approval to purchase a new controller. The cost of a new Endress + Hauser FMU90 Ultrasonic level controller is $2,420.00. The controller will be programed so it can be used as a spare. In addition, Astbury has given a list of measures that they feel will improve the reliability of the district’s lift stations.

1. 1. Jim Haney made a motion to grant permission to Astbury to order the spare controller at a cost not to exceed $2,420.00. The motion was seconded by Bob Marcuccilli, and on call of roll was carried by the vote:

6 Yeas 0 Nays 0 Abstain

3. On August 12th the Kosciusko REMC damaged a two-inch force main at 5 EMS B6C while replacing a power pole. USIC was informed of the damage and came out to conduct an investigation. The damaged line was repaired. Astbury will provide the actual detailed cost.

It was noted that it needs to be determined if Astbury has a contract with a utility locate service, and/or does the district still have a valid contract with a service. Further, it needs to be determined whose responsibility it should be to maintain such a contract. This issue was tabled until the next meeting, pending the results of the locate contract investigation and responsibility determination.

4. Astbury received a call from the home owners at 42 EMS B61H. They have a type II grinder station with a concrete structure and a traffic lid. Due to the elevation of the lid, ground water is covering the grinder basin lid. They would like the district to raise the traffic lid so they can raise the landscaping around the station. Astbury informed them that the cost to raise the lid would most likely be at their expense but would inform the board of their request. The only issue about this situation that would affect the district is that the grinder basin lid is normally under water and maintenance of this station would be an issue. The board determined that the next step is for the property owner to secure an engineering review from DLZ at the cost of the property owner. The property owner will need a quote from DLZ. Matt Rippey was directed to notify the property owner.
5. The district has been provided with a quote for the repair of the grinder station at 51 EMS B74.

1. Jim Haney made a motion for Astbury to complete the repair at a cost not to exceed $1,300.00. The motion was seconded by Mike DeWald, and on call of roll was carried by the vote:

6 Yeas 0 Nays 0 Abstain

Property Owner Connection Status

Greg Gear reported:

• There are still 15 properties that are not connected. The sale of one of those properties is scheduled to close this week and the new owners may request a rate reduction.

Updates to LRSD Website

Greg Mitchell reported:

• Photography and Drone footage location mapping and scheduling is complete — drone photography is slated to be completed in the next two weeks, with approximately 6 locations to be photographed and footage captured.
• Website framework — the initial software installation has been completed, and base functionality plugins have been installed and setup.
• Website design framework — the theme framework has been selected and installed.
• Website migration — the existing website content has been migrated to the development area, and content that is no longer needed has been archived in the new installation for now.
• Next steps: Ripfish and the website committee will begin creating a handful of design prototypes to get board approval. Once a design direction is confirmed, Ripfish will begin building each page and populating final content.

Other Items

• Jim Haney reported that the requirement to conduct additional rate studies has been established by LRSD. He anticipated that the next study would be conducted during the first quarter of next year. Umbaugh will be contacted to secure a quote for such work.
• Jim Haney reported that discovery activities are ongoing related to the potential creation of an Asset Replacement Fund. The district has received information from Crane regarding life expectancy (18-20 years) and replacement cost of grinders. Jim, Astbury, DLZ, and Greg Gear will meet to identify needs by the November meeting.

Public Q & A

• Howard Swinhart (B74, lots 29 and 33) indicated that his billing is inaccurate, potentially due to property transactions.
• The board received the information immediately prior to the meeting and did not have sufficient time to review or investigate the issues, so the issue is tabled until the next meeting.

Adjournment

Motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:13 PM was made by Jim Haney, seconded by Mike DeWald, and on call of roll was carried by the vote:

6 Yeas 0 Nays 0 Abstain

Parke Smith, Secretary