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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3/24/08 Members Present: Members Absent: Staff Present: Others Present: Members Tom Jensen Jeff Krueger Allan Maguire Citv Staff Reo. Kevin Schorzman, P.E. City Engineer MINUTES REGULAR WATER BOARD MEETING Monday, March 24, 2008 7:00 PM Farmington City Hall, Conference Room A Jeff Krueger, Allan Maguire, Tom Jensen None Kevin Schorzman, City Engineer; Robin Roland, Finance Director; Todd Reiten, Director of Municipal Services; Ben Van Blarcom, Water Operator; Lena Larson, Administrative Assistant Kari Brown, T -Mobile; Jim Grabenbauer, Dakota Supply Group 1. The meeting was called to order at 7:00pm. 2. The agenda was approved as presented. 3. Motion by Krueger, second by Maguire to approve the minutes of February 25, 2008 with the addition of Well #8 under Item 5b. APIF, Motion passed. 4. New Business a) T-mobile Lease - Engineering: Kevin Schorzman introduced Kari Brown representing T-Mobile. Ms. Brown indicated that the antenna lease for the Daisy Knoll Tower was very similar to the current antenna lease for the water tower on the Municipal Campus and she shared the main differences. One change she highlighted was the change from the CP I to a straight 5% rate increase in rent annually. The 24/7access clause was also removed, as the wireless communicationfacility will be on the outside of the tower rather than inside. Member Krueger requested that the starting lease amount be equal to the amount currently being paid at the water tower on the Municipal Campus, which is approximately $1883 per month. Ms. Brown will make the requested revisions to the lease and it will be brought to the Water Board again at the April 28 meeting. She will also request a deposit from corporate so engineering can start to review the plans. b) Orion Meter Updates - Municipal Services: Director of Municipal Services Reiten and Jim Grabenbauer of Dakota Supply Group reviewed the history of water meters in Farmington and presented options for the Water Board to consider. Currently, there are four types of meter readers throughout the City and the batteries in the older meter readers are running out of life. Director of Municipal Services Reiten explained the benefits of updating the meter readers and of having them coordinated and installed by a contractor. Of the options outlined in the memo, option 1 would be the best value. Member Krueger asked Mr. Grabenbauer if a better price would be available if the readers were paid for up front. Mr. Grabenbauer will inquire about prepaying for the meters and how that would affect the price. There was also some discussion about a future need to replace the actual meter. Member Krueger asked if there are other vendors that do this - Director of Municipal Services Reiten will research other vendors and pricing. Finance Director Roland stated that going with a different company could incur additional costs like software and such. Options will be brought to the April meetingfor the Board to consider. c) Upgrade SCADA computers and Operating System - Municipal Services: Water Operator Ben Van Blarcom was present and passed out a packet ofiriformationfor the Board to review regarding upgrading the SCADA computers and operating system. The various issues and options were discussed. Essentially, the system is obsolete. Water Board Minutes March 24, 2008 Page 2 of2 Member Krueger made a motion to approve expenditures up to 10% over the estimated cost of$16,181 to upgrade the SCADA alarm system, seconded by Maguire. APIF, motion passed. Member Jensen requested to be included in the training of the new operating system. d) Properties with private wells - Engineering: There was a discussion about charging people who have private wells and do not switch to City water once it becomes available within the one year time frame. Will be discussed again at a future meeting. e) Water Treatment Plant Discussion - Bonestroo: Mark Rolfs of Bonestroo distributed a packet of which included information about the future water treatment plant. He indicated that the question the Water Board needed to answer is when should a water treatment plant be constructed. The answer is when they can afford it and when there are a significant number of complaints. The desirable thresholdfor iron is .3 andfor manganese it is .05. The City is currently having the water at all of the wells tested. The construction of a water treatment plant would require at least one additional personnel. It would also make the construction of well houses at well sites unnecessary, which would reduce the cost of constructing wells. Mr. Rolfs recommends the initial plant be constructedfor 12 million gallons per day and expandable to 24 million gallons per day. Finance Director Roland suggested that the Water Board get a workshop with the City Council scheduled. Member Krueger requested that an item to draft talking points for a workshop be added to the next agenda. 5. Continued Business a) Well #4 Reconditioning Update - Engineering: City Engineer Schorzman said that the surrounding residents have been notified and the contractor is ready to begin around March 27. 6. Motion by Maguire, second by Jensen to approve bills in the amount of$15, 374. 45. APIF, motion passed. 7. Preliminary December Financial Report - Finance: Finance Director Roland presented the pre-audited Financial Report. 8. Open Forum a) Member Jensen shared that his water meter was upgraded to the new Orion model. He indicated that it was his understanding that State Statute requires rain sensors on irrigation systems. The City requires permits for irrigation systems and the Building Inspectors verify that rain sensors are in place. b) Administrative Assistant Larson presented a new concept for the odd/even Outdoor Water Use Policy promotion that was received well. 9. The meeting adjourned at 9:40pm. Respectfully submitted, Lena Larson Administrative Assistant, Municipal Services