Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Wesley Keber, Harvey Norris, Burt Jones & Eddie Roberts; representing Rindt-McDuff were Mike Lott and Keith Rowe; Authority staff members present were Marcie Seleb & Joyce Hosey.
Opening Prayer – Mr. Norris opened the meeting with a prayer.
Approval of Minutes from Previous Meeting – Mr. Norris made a motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes from the July 10, 2012 meeting and approve the same. This was seconded by Mr. Keber and approved unanimously.
Hwy. 16 and Hwy. 36 Sewer Project Status – Mike Lott, engineer, and Keith Rowe, construction inspector, of Rindt-McDuff Engineering presented details of the deficiencies and repair options for both the Hwy. 16 and Hwy. 36 sewer projects. A list of deficiencies and potential repair options is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Mr. Lott reported that on the Hwy. 16 project, among other deficiencies, seven manholes are set higher than design elevation, there is an inadequate slope between manholes 9A and 10, and five-inches of water are standing in the pipe between manholes 8 and 9. This project had a contractual completion deadline of April 30, 2012.
A motion was made by Mr. Norris to have Mike Lott compile a final list of deficiencies on the Hwy. 16 sewer project and forward said list to the Authority’s attorney to move forward to call in the performance bond to get the project completed. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved by votes from Mr. Roberts, Mr. Keber, Mr. Jones, and Mr. Norris. Mr. White abstained from voting as he owns property in this area and felt this could be a conflict of interest.
Mr. Lott went on to report that on the Hwy. 36 project, among other deficiencies, several manholes are located outside the legal easement and a major downward deflection of the sewer between manholes 7 and 8 with water standing in the pipe. Photographs of a manhole located outside the surveyed property line and severe site erosion were presented. This project had a contractual completion deadline of December 17, 2011.
A motion was made by Mr. Keber to have Mike Lott compile a final list of deficiencies on the Hwy. 36 sewer project and forward said list to the Authority’s attorney to move forward to call in the performance bond to get the project completed. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved by votes from Mr. Roberts, Mr. Keber, and Mr. Norris. Mr. White and Mr. Jones both abstained from voting as they own property in this area and felt this could be a conflict of interest.
Consider Groundwater Exploration Proposal – Ms. Seleb presented a groundwater exploration proposal from A&S Environmental Services. Robert Atkins, the company owner, offered to investigate potential well sites in west Butts County in order to identify five specific sites that are likely to provide a combined 500,000 gallons per day supply. The lump sum cost of this work would be $6,500.
A motion was made by Mr. Norris to move forward with a proposal from A & S Environmental. A copy of the complete proposal is attached and made a part of these minutes. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously.
Consider Site for West Butts Elevated Tank – Ms. Seleb went over a map showing three tank site options with estimated costs on the Bucksnort Ranch Land Application System property as prepared by Woodard and Curran, Inc.
Board members discussed the merits and the three sites and chose Option 1, the site closest to the facility entrance. This tank location could be used as a site office if a composite tank is installed.
Ms. Seleb also presented information on various tank types. Board members directed Ms. Seleb to include a glass fused steel composite tank as a bid option along with standard composite and multi-leg tanks.
Consider Computer Service Contract – Ms. Seleb reviewed revised pricing negotiated with SevenWired, a local company, for information technology services. The company reduced its proposed ongoing monthly fees from $770 to $674, slightly less than what is being paid now to Liberty Technology.
SevenWired’s offer includes comprehensive monitoring of each computer in the Authority’s system, which is not currently provided. The system proposed will use Daato Backup for both external onsite and cloud backups of servers. A copy of the proposal is attached and made part of these minutes. A motion was made by Mr. Jones to enter into a one-year service program with SevenWired. This was seconded by Mr. Keber and approved unanimously.
Manager’s Report
Update on Construction Projects – Ms. Seleb updated board on several projects.
GEFA Loan Projects – Ms. Seleb met with the Butts County Board of Commissioners on August 13th. The Board of Commissioners was agreeable to entering into the required Environmental Services Agreement with the Authority if cash is pledged by the Authority to pay the principal of Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) loan. The Board of Commissioners also agreed to sign a similar agreement on the West Butts Tank Project if 2013-2018 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax is pledged by the Authority to pay the principal of that GEFA loan. A side agreement is being prepared by attorney Will White for adoption at the September meetings of both entities.
Crew -The crew completed the South Arrowpoint extension in July. The Singley Road project is nearly complete with easements being sought to tie back into Woodward Lane to loop the project. The next project to break ground will be the DOT Towaliga Bridge water and sewer relocations. After that, the next water job will be the Walter Moore Road tie into Hwy. 42 and Hwy. 16. Ms. Seleb is obtaining proposals to survey the Walter Moore Road right of way. Crew members continue to flush dead end lines and tag hydrants.
Meter Replacement Project – A September 27, 2012-date has been set to open bids on labor for radio meter installation. A pre-bid conference will be held on September 13th.
Operations Report
Water billing for July 2012 was up 1% from June 2012 at $232,730, and down 5% from July 2011 with a total customer base of 5,284 and an active customer base of 4,709. Ms. Seleb presented a chart showing that the Authority’s top three users– the Georgia Diagnostic Prison, Ready Pak, and Monroe County– comprised 35% of water billing in July.
Sewer billing for July 2012 was up 18% from June 2012 at $34,272, and down 5% from July 2012 with a total customer base of 129 and an active customer base of 122. The significant rise in sewer billing from the previous month was a result of the sewer-only rate increase effective July 1st.
The average daily finished water pumped in July 2012 to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from the Burford and Stewart plants was 2.2 MGD, with a maximum of 2.70 MGD. The rolling 12-month average loss was 8.7% with the current monthly average loss at only 4.2%. The total amount of finished water pumped in July 2012 per plant was: Burford – 65 MG; Stewart – 3 MG. The average wastewater influent at the Bucksnort Ranch LAS was .145 with an average daily effluent of .168/.550 MGD and a maximum 7-day effluent of .264/.550 MGD.
Results of Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) Sanitary Survey – Ms. Seleb advised the Board of the “Outstanding” performance ratings for both the Burford plant (92.3%) and Stewart plant (91.0%). The main corrective items needed are implementation of a backflow compliance monitoring for commercial/industrial customers and installation of a spill containment system for outside liquid chemical storage at the Burford plant.
Bucksnort LAS Inspection – EPD staff also recently inspected the Bucksnort Ranch LAS. No score is given for these inspections, but the reported noted that “the system is well maintained”. The Authority must hire an outside consultant twice yearly to calibrate the influent meter.
Harkness Holding Pond Repair -Due to rains, staff has been unable to drain the Harkness Road holding pond sufficiently to repair the holes in the liner. There has been no progress on the line manufacturer’s replacement of failed pond liner material.
Refund Sewer Connection Fee – A motion was made by Mr. Roberts to return the Hwy. 36 BP Convenience Store sewer connection fee with .75% interest because the Hwy. 36 sewer project is not complete and the property cannot be served. This was with the stipulation that when the sewer project is completed at Hwy. 36, the customer may pay the same amount to tie onto the system. This was seconded by Mr. Keber and approved by votes from Mr. Roberts, Mr. Keber and Mr. Norris. Mr. White and Mr. Jones abstained from voting as they have property in this area and felt this could be a conflict of interest.
Financial Report
Regular Monthly Report – Ms. Seleb went over the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations, Capital Recovery Fees and SPLOST for July 2012. For this first month of Fiscal Year 2013,water operations income was $248,160 and expenses were $163,717. Water capital recovery fees received for the month were $825 with no expenses. Sewer operation income was$35,812 and expenses were $28,271. No sewer capital recovery fees were received with expenses of $9,163. A total of $2,496,862 has been spent from 2007-2012 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, all of which has gone toward payment of debt. Total cash on hand at the end of July was $5,295,524, $114,970 over the June 30 balance. Copies of financial summaries, combined balance sheet, and combined income statement are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Amendments – Ms. Seleb reviewed several minor budget amendments with the board. These included adding $22,000 to cover expenses for the DOT Towaliga bridge project, increasing budgeted sewer income by $55,000 to account for the approved rate increase, a correction of a $10,000 error in the Sewer Capital Recovery Fee Budget and line item clarification for temporary versus permanent transfers. A motion was made by Mr. Keber to amend these budget items as presented. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
A copy of the budget summary showing the changes is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Write Off Uncollectible Billing – A motion was made by Mr. Jones to write off $128.54 in uncollectible billing, according to the Authority’s policy. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously. A copy of the detailed account write offs is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Review Bills Paid -Board members reviewed check registers and credit card statements for the month of July 2012. Copies of these documents are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Jones to adjourn the meeting at 7:45 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously.