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., Eddie Ford & Burt Jones; Also present were Marcie Seleb, general manager, and Alyssa Hopson, clerk to the board.
Approval of Minutes from March 14, 2017 Meeting – Mr. Roberts made a motion to dispense with the reading of, and to approve, the minutes from the March 14, 2017 meeting. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously.
Award of Environmental Protection Division (EPD) Regional Water Plan Seed Grant – Ms. Seleb reported a Seed Grant from EPD was approved in the amount of $58,669. This grant will fund a two-year study that will assess tributaries upstream of the Authority’s Ocmulgee River intake in an attempt to determine the source of bromide found in the river’s water. The study will be carried out by staff of the University of Georgia’s Odum School of Ecology River Basin Center.
Proposal for Annual Watershed Protection Plan Report – Ms. Seleb requested permission to use Integrated Science & Engineering, Inc. to prepare the 2016 annual report on the Towaliga Watershed. Mr. Jones made a motion to use Integrated Science & Engineering’s services at a price of $3,400 . This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Master Service Agreement for Water Model Updates and Plan Review – Ms. Seleb recommended use of Hayes, James & Associates, Inc. to undertake plan reviews and water model updates. This is because Lorraine Campagne, who prepared the Authority’s current water model, has become associated with this firm. Mr. Norris made a motion to use Hayes & James Engineering. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously. A copy of the proposal is included and made a part of these minutes.
Manager’s Report
Construction
Dollar General Water & Sewer – The water main installation by the Authority’s crew is complete with the meter vault scheduled to be set on April 13th. The preconstruction conference for Crawford Grading and Pipeline to install the sewer line is set for April 12th. Construction on the sewer project will be complete in August.
Manholes – The Authority’s crew is uncovering three manholes on the line from the Colwell Road lift station to the new Hwy. 16 Travel Center. The manholes will be sealed with hydraulic cement and wrap.
Brownlee Road – Water main installation by the Authority’s crew will start back on this project in late April.
Next Jobs – The Board directed Ms. Seleb to have engineers begin design for water mains on Bob Thomas Road, Moore Road, Bucksnort Road (part), Red Berry Road, Fenner Road, and the tie-in from Dub Walker to the West Butts transmission main.
Operations
Gold Awards & Water Audit – Ms. Seleb reported that the Burford Water Treatment Plant, the Stewart Water Treatment Plant and the Bucksnort Ranch Land Application System all received the Georgia Association of Water Professionals’ Gold Award for complete compliance with State and Federal requirements in 2016. She also reported that she had prepared the 2016 Water Audit for the combined system in March. The Infrastructure Leakage Index was just .34 and the Validity Score was 69.
University of Central Florida Study – The University’s team collected water samples again this week to assess the Authority’s source water, treatment processes, and distribution system. Test results from the March 2016 sampling were reviewed.
Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax Projects – The Board again reviewed potential SPLOST projects and directed Ms. Seleb to group the sewer line extensions and unserved roads together as the highest in priority. Ms. Seleb will present the list to the Butts County Board of Commissioners with a detailed cost estimate for each individual set of projects.
Industry Appreciation Breakfast – Ms. Seleb notified board members that they are invited to the Butts County Development Authority’s Industry Appreciation Breakfast on April 21st at Central Georgia EMC.
Confirmation of Hiring – Ms. Seleb asked the board to confirm hiring of Justin Weatherly as a water plant operator trainee. A motion was made by Mr. Jones to confirm the hiring. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Operations Statistics – Ms. Seleb reviewed water production, water loss, wastewater treatment, and customer base statistics for March.
Georgia Diagnostic Prison – Water use by the Georgia Diagnostic Prison has dropped to about 125,000 gallons per day since the prison began operating one of its private wells. This is a reduction of roughly seventy-percent of the prison’s previous usage.
Financial Report – Ms. Seleb went over the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations, and Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) for March 2017. Water operations income for March was $211,322 with expenses of $202,831. Water capital recovery fee revenue for the fiscal year thus far was $14,729 and outflow of $59,976 for payment of the Sandy Creek Loan.
Sewer Operations income for March was $50,576 with expenses of $19,349. Sewer Capital Recovery Fee revenue for the fiscal year thus far was $7,329 with no expenses. To date, $1,818,059 has been collected in 2013-19 SPLOST, with $857,018 expended.
Total cash on hand at the end of March 2017 was $9,456,807. This is $1,024,893 over the June 30, 2016 balance. Copies of the March 2017 financial summaries, the consolidated fund balance sheet, and the consolidated fund income statement are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Norris to adjourn the meeting at 6:46 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.