MEETING MINUTES OF THE
LAKE WYNONAH MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY
November 2007
A regular meeting of the Board of The Lake Wynonah Municipal Authority was held on November 20, 2007 at the Lake Wynonah Municipal Authority Business Office Building, South Manheim Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.
Board members present at the meeting were Jim Ridderhoff, Joe Chicora, Walter Jaros, and Tom Nagle. Also in attendance were Dave Bright (SSM Engineer); Mike Stewart (American Water Service); LWMA attorney Joe Zerbe; and property owners Gerry Weiss and Lucinda Nagle.
Jim Ridderhoff called the meeting to order at 6:06 p.m.
The minutes of the prior meeting were reviewed and accepted by motion of Walter Jaros, seconded by Joe Chicora, carried by all.
The Treasurer's reports for September and October 2007 were reviewed and accepted by motion of Joe Chicora, seconded by Walter Jaros, carried by all.
Mike Stewart reviewed his written report relating to managerial matters (submitted to the Board prior to the meeting) which addressed water and sewage operations. In water matters, he reported that:
In sewage matters:
- Meter conversions continue at 20 per week.
- Water production is down to acceptable levels. Recent leak repairs are permitting a gradual rise in the storage tank level. We still have the capacity to increase the pumping rate on Well #1 if necessary.
- Hydrant flushing has been postponed until spring because of insufficient water capacity. Spot flushing will be done as necessary.
- Bids are in for the construction of Well #8.
- Four tires were purchased for the pickup truck.
- Cosmetic repairs are being made at the well houses as time permits.
Walter asked what the estimated cost for the entire tank replacement project would be. Joe Chicora said a good estimation would be around $75,000 per tank, which would include the fabrication of the tanks, delivery, installation, and removal of the old tanks. Mike said, as far as the construction goes, he wouldn’t recommend plastic but he favored concrete or steel. He said the current tanks are steel. Jim asked if the repairs were done on the exterior or the interior. Mike said they were done on the exterior.
- Both pumps are operational.
- The old Mack had wiring problems that required replacement of multiple wires and the alternator. The wires were rerouted around the frame and through the cab to make them safer from abrasion during operation.
- The new Mack had problems with the electrical system also. A solenoid that routes power to the gauges and heater fan is being replaced.
- Steering tires were purchased.
- Wayne Bowen cleared a large number of PIR reports in three stages and submitted paperwork for them.
- We are now hauling excess sludge to the Pine Grove Wastewater Treatment Plant because Cressona has discontinued accepting sludge. Branch Cass Regional Sewer Authority may also be willing to accept our sludge if necessary.
- Additional steel plates have been welded onto the thin sections of the holding tanks at the wastewater treatment plant. These tanks will likely need to be replaced within two to three years. A previous ballpark estimate predicted a fabrication cost of $25,000 per tank (for steel tanks). Paul Harrington is available for installation of the new tanks and disposal of the old ones.
Dave Bright told the Board that the PA DEP is making a technical assistance program available that involves source water protection. He said it’s being offered at no cost to water suppliers, and it involves the state consultant coming to the facility and performing a wellhead delineation for each of the water sources. The intention is to let water suppliers know what the general source of the water is with the idea of then taking steps to protect the wellhead area. Dave said it’s basically the same thing that was done for the new Well #8. If the Authority is interested, he said the first step would be to contact the local representative for the region. In this case it would be Andrew Augustine of the Northeast Region Office. He submitted a brochure containing more information.
Dave said the re-bids were opened on December 11, 2007 at the LWMA Business office, and DESCCO was the lowest bidder. The bids were as follows: Bertolet Construction at $312,175; Soojian Strausser at $293,900; Spotts Bros. at $261,800; and DESCCO at $246,966. The documents were reviewed by Dave, Joe Chicora, and Joe Zerbe, and everything was in order. Upon motion by Joe Chicora, seconded by Tom Nagle, carried by all, the $246,966 by DESCCO was accepted, and authority was given for Dave Bright (SSM) to issue the notice of award to DESCCO. Upon motion by Tom Nagle, seconded by Walter Jaros, carried by all, authorization was given to have the appropriate LWMA Board officers sign the contract agreement subject to review by legal and engineering.
In legal matters, Joe Zerbe said some routine legal services were taken care of. He reviewed the bid packages submitted to him by Dave Bright and discussed a few issues that were cleared up.
Jim Ridderhoff read a resignation letter from Joe Chicora, as Joe will be stepping down from the Board effective December 31, 2007. Jim told Joe that he will be missed by the entire Board, and that it has been a pleasure working with him throughout the years. He thanked Joe for his personal occupational skills that he brought to his position on the Board. Upon motion by Tom Nagle, seconded by Walter, carried by all, the Board reluctantly accepted Joe Chicora’s resignation letter. Jim Ridderhoff then presented Joe with two service plaques, one for all the work he spent in the development of the Well #8 project, and another for his 16+ years of service on the Board of the Lake Wynonah Municipal Authority. Joe thanked the Board, and told the members present that he will help during the transition period, if needed.
Jim told the Board that he’d prepared a preliminary 2008 budget for review, and that Jen would make sure everyone received a copy.
There being no further business, Joe Chicora motioned for adjournment, Walter Jaros seconded the motion, carried by all. The meeting was adjourned by Jim Ridderhoff at 6:45 p.m.
Meeting minutes were taken, prepared, and submitted by Jennifer Hoy.
