MEETING MINUTES OF THE
LAKE WYNONAH MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY
May 2007A regular meeting of the Board of The Lake Wynonah Municipal Authority was held on May 15, 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 Dennis Scharadin. Also in attendance were Nalan Tepe (SSM Engineer), Mike Stewart (American Water Service), and LWMA attorney Joe Zerbe.
Jim Ridderhoff called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
The minutes of the prior meeting were reviewed and accepted by motion of Joe Chicora, seconded by Dennis Scharadin, carried by all, with one correction: In the manager’s water report section on page 1, the third quarter water testing for Well #2 yielded an arsenic level of 10 ppb, not 1 as indicated in the minutes.
The Treasurer's reports for January, February, March, and April 2007 were reviewed and accepted by motion of Walter Jaros, seconded by Dennis Scharadin, 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:
- Well #2 again tested above the new MCL for Arsenic at 15 ppb for a sample collected 0n 03/28/07. Well #2 was disconnected from the system prior to the collection of this sample and was inspected by the PA DEP as a resolution to the previous high Arsenic level. As part of the review process for Well #8, the PA DEP requested that Well #2 be removed from our permit as an active well. The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRCB), at the request of the PA DEP, is removing Well #2 as an allocated source and is replacing it with Well #8. The DRBC will maintain our allocation of 12 million gallons per month from a combination of wells 1, 3, 6, and 8. Approval for Well #8 is on the DRBC docket D-91-20CP-3 which is scheduled for approval on May 10, 2007 at a public hearing. The construction permit from the PA DEP is pending review by the PA DEP’s hydrogeologist.
- Meter reads are complete for March.
- Dave Bonkovich has completed a leak detection survey and found 8 leaks. Four leaks are on the customers’ sides. Two are on our side and two will require additional work to determine the location of the leaks. Leak repairs are scheduled to begin Tuesday or Wednesday depending on availability of a backhoe. Restoration work for the fall and winter repairs will be completed at this time.
- The storage tank is currently nearly full.
- Well #6 required electrical service to the contactor and subtrol unit. The new parts are now installed.
- Because of the problems with Well #6 and the development of leaks during the winter, we were unable to chemically treat the wells as planned. The demand for water was too great to take a chance on shutting a well down for an indeterminate amount of days.
Mike added that all the road markers for the fire hydrants have been painted. He said he’ll double check to make sure none were missed.
- Both pump trucks are operational.
- The old Mack had a full service with the last inspection and the 4” flapper valve on the back of the truck was replaced. The new Mack will also receive a full-service inspection, and will have the gear shift lever repaired (the top broke off).
- Water continues to seep into the dump station and it flows into the drain that goes into the sewage holding tank. We are going to excavate a wider and deeper trench across the drive at the entrance door to the dump station. This will be filled with large stone and multiple drain pipes to carry away water to the ditch. We will do the excavation concurrent with leak repairs. Besides flowing into the dump station, the water could damage the foundation of the building.
Mike also told the Board that Frank Hoffecker was hired on again temporarily through Manpower to help Kelly with the sewage pumps because Ed Rist has been unable to drive the truck. Friday, May 11 was Ed’s last day of work with the Authority, and Mike said two people had been interviewed for his position, and a decision would be made in a few days as to which one to hire. He asked the Board if they wanted to keep Frank on to paint fire hydrants after Kelly starts training a new pump truck driver. Walter said that his feeling was that we use Frank as much as possible because he’s always been a good worker in the past. Dennis agreed, and said that, after three years of using part-time students, a large number of the hydrants still haven’t been painted. He added that the first hydrant on the right side after entering the development hadn’t been painted, and that’s the first one people see as they come in. Jim and Joe said that Frank should be kept on to get the job done.
Dennis noted that sewage pumps have been increasing each month, and he asked Mike if that would continue. Mike said the amount of tanks being pumped would most likely go even higher because June through September pumpings are generally higher, as all the seasonal people are here during that time. Mike said the bulk of septics and holding tanks are done during the summer months.
Dennis asked if water usage will go up too. Mike said it would probably go to between 200,000 and 250,000 gallons a day if we don’t have any leaks, which is normal for the summer. Dennis also asked Mike if he will be keeping an eye on the LWPOA pool to make sure water isn’t wasted by letting it run constantly through the overflow. Mike said he would, and has been watching it.
Joe Chicora asked Mike where we stood in regard to installing backflow preventers in homes that don’t have any, and meters being converted to the touch-pad version. Mike said nobody is volunteering to convert unless their meter breaks. Originally, meter conversions, which included installation of a backflow preventer, were done on a voluntary basis and at a cost less that the cost of the conversion. Joe said he felt the Authority was at the point where mandatory conversion will be necessary. Houses that don’t have backflow preventers could contaminate the system under certain conditions. Mike said that a deadline should be set for all meters to be converted. Jen said she would write a short program to determine how many houses need to be converted, and would email everyone with the count the next day. Joe said they could set a deadline when a count was obtained.
Dennis asked if there would be time to do the conversions this summer. Mike suggested the Board not set a deadline by the end of the summer because there wasn’t enough manpower available to do it. Dennis asked if all of the new homes are given the touch-pad meters with backflow preventers, and Mike said they are. Dennis asked if older, existing homes have the meters converted when the house is sold. Joe C. said they aren’t but felt all homes that don’t have the conversions should have the touch-pads installed if the house is resold. He asked Joe Z. if that could be made a condition of the sale. Joe Z. said it could be done, but only with the cooperation of the LWPOA. Jim said our conversion condition would have to be included in the resale process set by the LWPOA. After some discussion, it was decided that the meter conversions for resale properties would not be a condition for resale. Instead, the Board opted set two dates: A cut-off date to convert at the $50 price, and a deadline for the rest to convert at a higher price. Water service termination would be initiated for anyone not complying with the conversion by the deadline date. The dates will be set when the number of meters to be converted is defined.
Jim Ridderhoff asked if it was possible to overfill the storage tanks. Mike said that two of the wells shut off automatically when the storage tanks are filled to a certain point. Jim was wondering if they could be filled past the shut-off point because of the Memorial Day weekend coming up. Mike said he plans to fill the tanks past the shut-off point to accommodate higher usage over the Memorial Day weekend as long as the leaks are repaired in time.
Jim Ridderhoff noted, in respect to the well building, that three telephone quotes would be needed for projects costing between $4,000 and $10,000. Mike said that the bid quote of $9,749 from Pioneer Pole Buildings only included the shell of the building. It did not include the window to be put in and it didn’t include inside framing.
Nalan Tepe gave the new well project report. She said the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) approved the application for the new well, and the only thing still needed is the permit from the PA DEP. The few issues with the Schuylkill Conservation District had been resolved. She said Mike was in contact with the DEP regarding the permit. Nalan said she expected no comments and no big issues with the DEP, seeing as the DRBC approved it. In the meantime, the design for the building had to be finalized. Structural, electrical, and HVAC details were needed. She asked if the Board was certain it wanted to proceed with a pole building, and Joe C. said that was what would be used. With the price estimates and details she has, Nalan said she would be able to start to put drawings together. If any revisions were needed, they could then be incorporated into the design. Seeing as a pole building will be used for the entire structure, she said the treatment room should be framed. Joe C. said the treatment room will be a separate room off of the garage type storage area, and it will be framed. She asked if the storage area would be heated in addition to the treatment room. Joe C. said there should be a separately controlled heating system in the storage area, so that it could be adjusted as needed. A fence was needed around the well head, and Nalan asked if the Board wanted a fence around the entire property. The Board said to include a fence around the well head and the building only. In lieu of a window, a ventilator system with a timer will be installed in the treatment room for operator safety. Jim asked if the design included an outside door for both the treatment room and the garage area, and a door between the storage and treatment area. Nalan said it did. She said a copy of the drafts, when ready, will be sent to the Board for its input.
In legal matters, Joe Zerbe said the purchase of the well property has been finalized. Other than that, routine legal matters had been taken care of, such as the satisfaction of liens and such. Also, Joe was able to report to the auditors that there was no ongoing litigation involving the Authority.
Jim asked Jen whether she’d had any response from the Wayne Bowen, the Townships’ SEO, since Jim’s meetings with the Township Supervisors, Wayne Bowen, and Dave Siminitis (SEOs). Jen said she hadn’t received any completed PIRs, but Mike said that Wayne Bowen was in the development to conduct at least two field surveys for septic problems that were reported by the LWMA. Also, Wayne sent a number of letters to homeowners addressing septic problems.
Jen said a representative from Sam’s Club came by to see if the LWMA wanted to join. Jen said she didn’t see any need for it, and the Board didn’t either.
There being no further business, Joe Chicora motioned for adjournment, Dennis Scharadin seconded the motion, carried by all. The meeting was adjourned by Jim Ridderhoff at 6:55 p.m.
Meeting minutes were taken, prepared, and submitted by Jennifer Hoy.
