Valley Forge Sewer Authority

Meeting Minutes

April 11, 2011

The Valley Forge Sewer Authority monthly meeting was held on Monday, April 11, 2011, at 7:00 pm.  The following people attended the meeting:  Board members: Charles Melle, Norman Vutz, Michael Rodgers, William Hochwind and Marilyn Randolph; Staff: Len Pinchok and Martin Goldberg; Consultant: Lawrence Lutter.

Several employees also attended the meeting.

Mr. Melle called the meeting to order with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Public Comment

Tina Nelson discussed the procedures currently in place for liens and regular monthly sewer bills to the Board.

Meeting Minutes

The March meeting minutes were presented to the Board.  Mr. Vutz made a motion to approve the minutes.  Mr. Rodgers seconded and the Board unanimously approved.

Reports

Operations Report

Mr. Goldberg reported that the Authority was in compliance with all permit requirements for the month of March and that there were no odor complaints for the month.  He reported that there would be another plant diversion related to the UV construction project done from midnight on April 26 into the morning hours of April 27th.  He also noted that it has been one year with no odor complaints.  The Board instructed the staff to update the website with this information and that the Board acknowledged the good work done by the staff to maintain odor control.

Financial Report

Mr. Pinchok reviewed the combined statement of operations with the Board.  He noted that the partners’ contributions were made this month and that it was a pretty standard month with the exception of three payroll occurrences. Mr. Pinchok reported that the energy sources were a little lower for the treatment plant.  He also noted that the septic dump that had been behind because of a wet/snowy winter was now ahead of budget and had a very good month.  It was noted that costs are directly associated with the increased trucked waste.  Chlorine usage was a little higher but the Authority was hitting the numbers as mandated by DEP.

Mr. Rodgers made a motion to approve the financial reports as presented and approve all payments required.  Ms. Randolph seconded and the Board unanimously approved.  The expenses were:  A/P Invoices in the amount of $218,574.71, Requisitions in the amount of $336,312.75, Imprest/Petty Cash in the amount of $271.15 and the Debit card expenses in the amount of $625.37.

New Business

PennBid Sodium Hypochlorite Contract

Mr. Goldberg reviewed the bid tabulation with the Board.  He noted that the PennBid ran smoothly and recommended awarding the contract to the low bidder.  Mr. Vutz made a motion to award the contract to the low bidder, Buckmans, Inc.  Ms. Randolph seconded the motion and the Board unanimously approved the award.

Old Business

Wawa and CVS Agreement

Mr. Pinchok reported that he made contact with Phoenixville and noted that the bill received for the third quarter is correct.  He noted that he is still waiting for the first two quarter billings to be corrected and that no further payments are to be made until the monies already paid to Phoenixville have been depleted.  Mr. Pinchok stated that he expected the matter to be settled promptly.

Major Pump Stations

Mr. Goldberg reported that they are currently going through the final testing and that the stations are operating well.  There are still discussions being made on the pump repairs and he reported that one pump is still out for repair and should be back in service by the month of May.  Mr. Goldberg noted that 50% of the testing is completed and that the final 50% is to be completed over the next couple of weeks. 

With reference to the pump repairs, Mr. Goldberg noted that at the Whitehorse Pump Station, several new pumps were involved with several factors and warranty work.  At the Pothouse Road Pump Station, the staff identified the pump making excessive noise and that the pump was taken off-site for repair.  It is possible that the controls either malfunctioned or that the pump is defective.  He reported that the controls were tested several times.  However, none of the problems are determined to be the responsibility of the Authority and will be covered more extensively at committee level.

Act 537 Plant Expansion Project

Mr. Goldberg reported that 90% of the design is completed and that the final testing is going well.  There are some important final decisions to be made and that the key ones will be critically reviewed at committee level prior to the next monthly meeting.  He reported that the permitting is just about completed and any issues will be readily solved.  Mr. Goldberg also reported that the Schuylkill Township Zoning Hearing Board ruled in favor of the VFSA with regards to the flood plain issue and the project is proceeding as scheduled.

Act 537 Valley Creek Trunk Sewer Project

Mr. Goldberg reported that he has a signed resolution that meets what the VFSA wanted to accomplish and recommended adoption.  Mr. Vutz made a motion to adopt Resolution No. 2 of 2011.  Ms. Randolph seconded and the Board unanimously approved.

Ultra Violet (UV) Construction

Mr. Goldberg reported that the project is going very well and is scheduled to be in operation by late May 2011.  He reported that the building is up, the piping is going smoothly and that no problems have been identified.  He noted that the big milestone will be the exercise to do the diversion during the installation of the 48” pipe.  The main concern would be that trucked waste would be shut down for several days during this installation and that no sludge was to be accepted for several days next week.  The staff is working hard to bring solids down while the project is being built and that the schedules are subject to the weather.

Other

There has been an ongoing discussion regarding prescription drugs in the wastewater systems with no concrete decisions on how to treat the issue.  The Board instructed the staff to provide information on the VFSA website on how to properly dispose of prescription drugs, vitamins and expired over the counter items.  To date, there have been no specific rules or regulations established for testing or monitoring for these items.

Mr. Lutter reported that the grant meeting keeps getting postponed and that there is no specific reschedule date at this time.

Mr. Pinchok reported that he received a letter from the solicitor today, with regards to the CitySwitch issue, stating negotiations are to begin on a dollar amount.  He anticipates that within two to three weeks, the Authority should receive an offer.

Ms. Randolph instructed the staff to provide Lamb, McErlane with her proper home address for all future correspondence.

Staff Assignments

• Change Peco to reflect charges.
• Request business checks for the TPC and CIF checking accounts.
• Update website with prescription drug information.
• Update legal with Ms. Randolph’s home address.

Adjournment

Mr. Melle adjourned the regular monthly meeting at 8:18pm and the Board immediately entered into Executive Session.