Valley Forge Sewer Authority
Meeting Minutes
March 14, 2011
The Valley Forge Sewer Authority monthly meeting was held on Monday, March 14, 2011, at 7:00 pm. The following people attended the meeting: Board members: Charles Melle, Norman Vutz, 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
There were no public comments made.
Meeting Minutes
The February meeting minutes were presented to the Board. Mr. Vutz made a motion to approve the minutes. Mr. Hockwind 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 February 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 and would be done this coming week.
Financial Report
Mr. Pinchok reviewed the combined statement of operations with the Board. He reviewed the two additional columns added to the report showing the transfer accounts activity. He also reported that the 1st quarter payment to the operating fund by VFSA had been made. Mr. Pinchok reported that the revenue fund was showing a surplus but that the budget was on course and that the treatment plant revenue was a little behind due to the trucked waste. He reported that the fuel for vehicles and the pump stations was increasing and might be over budget by year end due to price. He noted that the septic dump numbers which were below budget would recover in the coming months.
The Imprest Fund expenses presented equaled $791. Mr. Vutz made a motion to pay. Ms. Randolph seconded and the Board unanimously approved.
The A/P Invoices presented equaled $169,993. Mr. Hochwind made a motion to pay these expenses. Mr. Vutz seconded and the Board unanimously approved.
The requisitions presented equaled $1,257,769. Mr. Hochwind made a motion to pay these expenses. Ms. Randolph seconded and the Board unanimously approved.
The Petty Cash expenses for $15 and the Debit Card purchases of $788 were then presented for payment. Mr. Vutz made a motion to pay these expenses. Mr. Melle seconded and the Board unanimously approved.
Committee
Public & Intergovernmental Relations Meeting
Mr. Pinchok reported on the committee meeting held on March 8, 2011. He reported that a presentation of the Missions Communications pump station was shown to the committee. He noted that it is a nice system with lots of information and stated that a presentation will also be given to the Joint Board and at the township meetings.
Mr. Pinchok reported that the committee reviewed the VFSA communications and were satisfied with the presentation. The cell phone usage is constantly reviewed and when a cell phone is no longer needed, its service will be terminated. He reported that the staff is currently researching alternate long distance carriers as well.
The committee also reviewed the guideline information on the criteria concerning the scholarship awards and that the information was sent to the school counselors today. Mr. Pinchok anticipated resolution in March, with checks being issued for payment by the April 2011 meeting.
Mr. Goldberg reported that the committee was updated on the zoning hearing and noted that it seemed to go well for VFSA interests to be protected. The hearing took place as scheduled and it was noted that Mr. Goldberg, Mr. Lutter and Mr. Ziegler, who did the flood study, all testified and answered the cross examination.
Mr. Goldberg noted that Mr. Thompson, the Lamb McErlane attorney, felt that the decision would be favorable to the VFSA. He reported that a decision is to be made on March 31, 2011 at 7 o’clock and that the design and build phase can continue if a favorable decision for VFSA is achieved.
The committee also reviewed the letter from Mr. Ozorowski’s attorney and directed the staff to meet with his attorney and determine what would satisfy Mr. Ozorowski. Mr. Goldberg noted that the VFSA has made offers previously at VFSA’s expense and would report their findings to the Board.
The committee recommended utilizing a new lawyer for filing liens and Mr. Pinchok reported that went into effect immediately.
The committee also reviewed the website and recommended that the statement: “No rate increases since 1996” be printed on the monthly bills and to put the web address in a bolder print, so as to be more noticeable. Mr. Pinchok reviewed the intended changes with the Board and assured that these changes could be achieved with minimal effort by the staff.
New Business
PennBid Procurement Program
Mr. Goldberg reported to the Board on his evaluation of the computerized bidding of the PennBid program and proposed using them for the Act 537 project. He reported that the smaller bid recently done appeared to be successful. Mr. Lutter reported that 75 notices were sent out within a half hour and that 15 firms indicated bidding interests. There were a total of three bids received, which were all tight bids from qualified suppliers.
Coldstream Crossing II
Mr. Yuhas introduced the ColdStream Crossing II plan documents to the Board and explained their desire to add 42 additional units. He reported that the submission documents had just been received in-house. The system includes a gravity fed sewer system. He also noted that all pipes would be inspected by VFSA before they would be backfilled.
Other
Mr. Pinchok informed the Board that the Audit would begin next week and that he would have the draft audit available at the April monthly meeting.
Old Business
Adopt Updated Resolution: Regular Business Hours
Mr. Pinchok reported that the hours of 8am to 4pm are noted in the resolution and that a motion would be needed to change them. Ms. Randolph made a motion to change the current business hours to 8am to 5pm. Mr. Hochwind seconded the motion and the Board unanimously approved.
Wawa and CVS Agreement
Mr. Pinchok reported that Phoenixville is using the wrong multiplication factor in determining billing usage. He reported that the meter is set up in thousandths and that they are only reading the first 4 digits and adding a zero to the reading. He also noted that Phoenixville is not charging VFSA as per the agreement that was signed and this is resulting in the charges being almost double the initial cost. He reported that VFSA obtained the actual numbers from the meters and are currently awaiting for a response from Phoenixville on their findings.
Major Pump Stations
Mr. Goldberg reported that the punch list items were being finalized on the few items discussed over the past months. He reported that the contractor has raised some issues with Buchart-Horn and the Authority.
Mr. Goldberg reported that there are pump seals that were fixed on the new pumps at the Whitehorse pumping station. Mr. Lutter noted that a piece of plastic was found inside one pump and some rags were also found. Mr. Goldberg reported that in his opinion the costs for repairs were not the responsibility of the VFSA.
He also noted that one of the pumps from the Pothouse station that required off site repair was alleged, by the pump supplier, to have run dry for a period of time. In addition, according to the pump supplier, the noise emanating from the pump, is from bearings failure. He reported that the pump supplier is not taking responsibility for the costs to repair the pump. Mr. Goldberg noted that the Authority supplied the sewage, which is their responsibility, and feels the issue should not be with the Authority. There is to be a meeting held on Friday, March 18th to discuss further with the pump supplier, the engineer, and contractor.
Once repairs have been made to the broken pump at the Pothouse Station, the pump will be retested.
Ultra Violet (UV) Construction
Mr. Goldberg reported that all the concrete work has been completed and that the UV units will be arriving the week of March 22nd. He noted that by April 2011, this portion will be almost complete. He also reported that there is scheduled, a nighttime bypass on Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011. Mr. Goldberg stated that there was a change order on the hypo chloride tank negotiated and achieved a reduced cost of less than $25,000 which would not require partner approval according to the Treatment Plant Agreement. He also noted that the contract has a time period stated that the system must operate for a stated number of days prior to taking the old chlorine system offline.
Other
Mr. Pinchok informed the Board that he will be having surgery done on his shoulder and will be out of the office for approximately one week.
Staff Assignments
Adjournment
Mr. Melle adjourned the regular monthly meeting at 8:40pm.