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, Jr., Burt Jones, & Eddie Ford. Citizens present were Mr. & Mrs. James Dahlin. Staff members present were Marcie Seleb, general manager, and Joyce Hosey, clerk to the board.
Approval of Minutes from March 8, 2016 Meeting – Mr. Roberts made a motion to dispense with the reading of, and to approve, the minutes from the March 8, 2016 meeting. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously. The Authority’s April meeting was cancelled.
Hydrant Move Request – Mr. And Mrs. James Dahlin appeared before the board to request that a hydrant located in front of their property on Lee Maddox Road be moved. The Dahlin’s only have a thirty-foot roadway frontage, and the hydrant will conflict with their driveway. A motion was made by Mr. Jones to move the existing hydrant within a thirty-foot roadway frontage on Lee Maddox Road at no cost to Mr. and Mrs. James Dahlin because of the extremely unusual circumstance. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously.
Engineer for Delegated Authority Reviews – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the Authority is required to have an engineer on record to perform reviews of minor extensions under Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s regulations for Delegated Authority. She went on to recommended using the Authority’s water model engineer Lorraine Campagne, with Engineered Horizons, at a rate of $100 per hour.
A motion was made by Mr. Jones to name Lorraine Campagne, as the engineer on record to perform reviews of minor extensions under the GEPD’s regulations for Delegated Authority. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Love’s Travel Center Request for Extension to New Mechanical Building – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that Love’s Travel Center has requested an extension of 600 lf main on Truckstop Way in order to make a make a six-inch fire meter tap possible f0r the new building. The cost will be $8,786.40.
A motion was made by Mr. Roberts to install the six-inch water main extension to Love’s New Maintenance Barn with Love’s paying for one-hundred percent of the cost of the extension. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.
Review Prison Well System Plan – Board members reviewed the piping layout for the Georgia Diagnostic Prison’s plan to use an on-site well for part of its water supply. Ms. Seleb advised the Board that she recommends that the Authority require the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDCC) to install a 12″ reduced pressure zone backflow preventer to protect the Authority’s system from backflow when the GDCC begins using the well to supplement public water supply.
This is necessary because the Prison plans to pump from its well at a pressure significantly higher than the Authority’s system pressure. Also, when an Authority customer has a secondary source of supply, the Butts County Water Ordinance requires an air gap between the two sources.
A motion was made by Mr. Norris to require the GDCC to install a 12″ reduced pressure zone backflow preventer to protect the Authority’s system from backflow when the GDCC begins using its own well to supplement public water supply. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously.
Master Meter Tests Report – Ms. Seleb reported to the Board that Water Systems Optimization, Inc. has tested the finished water meters at the Stewart and Burford Water Treatment Plants as part of a Georgia Environmental Finance Authority grant. It was found that the Burford Water Plant meter was reading five-percent high, meaning that system-wide water loss is approximately 4.5% lower than previously thought.
Manager’s Report
Construction
- Bucksnort Land Application System (LAS) – The Authority’s crew is waiting on the extended reach backhoe to complete the repair of the Harkness Road pond.
- West Butts Tank – The new tank is in service. Staff is working to optimize the fill cycle with the Highway 16 elevated tank.
- Brownlee Road/Nathan Thaxton Road/East Ball Road – Work has begun on rock blasting on Nathan Thaxton Road between Georgia Hwy. 36 and Sandy Creek. Progress has been seen in obtaining easements for East Ball Road.
- Hwy. 36 Aeration/Mixing System – The aeration and mixing system has been installed at Hwy. 36 and has been operational since April 27, 2016. The monitoring system shows preliminary trihalomethane reduction of roughly forty-percent.
Operations
Water & Sewer Statistics – Water and sewer pumping and billing numbers for the months of March and April 2016 were reviewed. The average daily finished water pumped in March to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from Burford and Stewart plants was 2.3 million gallons per day, with a maximum of 2.9 million gallons per day. The same statistics for April were an average of 2.3 million gallons per day and a maximum of 2.6 million gallons per day.
For March, the rolling twelve-month average loss was 13.5% with the current month loss of 12.3%. For April, the rolling twelve-month average loss was 13.0% and the current monthly loss was 17.3%.
The total amount of finished water pumped in March by each plant was: Burford – 61 million gallons and Stewart – 10 million gallons. The total amount of finished water pumped in April by each plant was: Burford – 63 million gallons and Stewart – 6 million gallons.
Water billing for March 2016 was $247,260, up 12% from the previous month, and up 12% from March 2015. Sewer billing for March 2016 was $65,262, up 23% from the previous month, and up 33% from March 2015. Water billing for April 2016 was $207,414, down 16% from the previous month, and down 11% from April 2015. Sewer billing for April 2016 was $53,167, down 19% from the previous month, and down 14% from April 2015.
Two new water taps were purchased on the existing system during the month of March and six subdivision meters were purchased. In April, 1 new tap was purchased on the existing system and two subdivision meters were purchased.
In March, the average influent at the Bucksnort Ranch LAS was 286,000 gallons per day, with an average effluent of 276,000 gallons per day. The maximum 7-day effluent was 329,000 gallons per day. There were three new sewer services sold for March. In April, the average influent at the Bucksnort Ranch LAS was 278,000 gallons per day, with an average effluent of 239,000 gallons per day. The maximum 7-day effluent was 309,000 gallons per day. There were no new sewer services sold for March.
Possible Earned Incentive Plan (EIP) Project for Ready Pac Ground Storage Tank – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that there is a possibility that an EIP grant can be applied for, to provide a water storage tank for Ready Pac. She requested that she be allowed to meet with representatives of Ready Pac and Smith and Allen, a grant-writing consulting firm. Board members directed her to proceed.
Dollar General Distribution Center Engineering – Ms. Seleb reported that she has been working with Butts County to select the civil engineer for water, sewer, and roadway improvements that will be needed for this new industry. The review committee has recommended that the firm of Watkins and Associates be selected. It is anticipated that the Board of Commissioners will approve this recommendation at their regular meeting in June.
Post Position for Water Plant Operator – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that Rick James resigned from his water plant operator position in March. The position was advertised as a certified operator with no applicants; board members advised her to re-advertise the position as an operator trainee.
Financial Report – Ms. Seleb went over the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations, and Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) for April 2016. Water operations income for April was $259,477 with expenses of $421.120. Water capital recovery fee revenue for the fiscal year thus far was $16,667, with interest expenses of $3,925, and debt service costs of $63,348 for the Sandy Creek loan.
Sewer Operations income for April was $53,431 with expenses totaling $35,178. Sewer Capital Recovery Fee revenue for the fiscal year thus far was $10,883 with no expenses.
To date, $1,450,618 has been collected in 2013-19 SPLOST with $468,146 expended.
Total cash on hand at the end of April 2016 was $8,221,328. This is $275,443 over the June 30, 2015 balance. Copies of the April 2016 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 were given copies of check registers for May 2016 to review. Copies of these registers are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Ford to adjourn the meeting at 6:15 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.