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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1987-09-08 Min - Board '^ REGULAR MEETING September 8, 1987 The regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Truckee Donner Public Utility District was called to order by President Corbett at 7:07 P.M. in the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District Board Room. ROLL CALL: Directors Aguera, Cooley present. Maass , Sutton and Corbett were EMPLOYEES PRESENT: Debi Black, Tom Buckhouse, Paul Colburn Peter Holzmeister and Susan Macdonald. ' CONSULTANTS PRESENT: Consulting Engineers Dan Cook and Keith Sau Architect Dale Cox, and Counsel John Phelps. ers, OTHERS PRESENT: Among those present were Bill Austin and Karen White APPROVAL OF MINUTES Director Maass moved, and Director_ Aguera seconded, that the Board a the minutes of July 6 , 1987 as presented. All Directors e b pprove vote. SO MOVED* i aye y voice Director Maass moved that the Board approve the minutes of Jul 9 written; seconded by Director Cooley. A.11 Directors a b Y 1987 as SO MOVED. Ye y voice vote. Director Maass moved that the minutes of July 20, 1987 be approved written. The motion was seconded by Director Aguera. All Dire tors, as by voice vote. SO MOVED, Directors, aye, Director Maass moved, and Director Aguera seconded, that the Boar the minutes of July 24, 1987 as presented. All Director d approve s vote. SO MOVED* aye, by voice Director Maass moved that the Board approve the minutes of August 987 as written. The motion was seconded by Director All Directors , 3, 1rs , aye, by voice vote. SO MOVED, D At the request of Directors Cooley and Sutton, the minutes o 1987 were put over. f August 17 , STATEMENT OF GENERAL FUND AND BILLS FOR APPROVAL, Mr. Holzmeister explainer) the Morrill & Machabee bill the leased telephones , various Pacific Bell charges and the a charge for for medical insurance. Director Sutton stated for the yrect Guardian Board never approved the change from Travelers to Guardian In ord that the surance. Also discussed was the purchase of pants for an . M employee, explained that with the method Y r. Holzmeister presently being used to introduce chlorine into the water distribution system, spillage sometimes occurs and clothing is ruined. This problem will be solved when the District converts to gas -1- chlorine. Director Sutton suggested issuing coveralls or aprons. Regarding routine patchwork and paving jobs, for which the Water De artmen obtains telephone quotes each time there is a p t quote, Director Sutton stated she think job then selects the lowest s this is contrary to previously established policy of the Board. Mr. Holzmeister also explained that several employees were sent to OR C Systems to see what changes would be required to convert computer systems ,OM He advised that the SaniHut bill was for telemetry equipment storage, an, the trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming was for seminar at endance b storage, and Supervisor Chapman. y Office Director Maass moved., and Director Aguera seconded that th presented for consideration be approved. ROLL CALL: All Di recto bills to with the exception of Director Sutton, who voted "no." SO MOVEDers, aye , MANAGER'S REPORT - POSSIBLE DIRECTION Window coverings for new complex The Manager noted that bids were received for the window cover new building and were all far below the original estimate coverings for the °f a $10,000; they were, in fact , below the bid requirement approximately bidder was Truckee Carpets at $2,357. Since t t of $4,000. The low bid limit and in the range that is authorized amount was lower than the thorized for the Manager to approve, Mr. Holzmeister said, he ordered the window coverings from Truckee Carpets. Director Sutton stated she is disturbed that the Manager t himself to award the bid, as she thinks it should have took it upon Board for award. come back to the After some discussion, Director Maass moved to support decision; seconded by Director Cooley. Director Suttonps the Manager's over approving this purchase after the fact. Direr stated her concern believes the Manager was acting within his discretion, for Cooley said he he made the motion because he thinks the Board has Director Maass said Position of the Manager to a point where he diminished the power and the Board 's can hardly turn around without ' permission. He stated the Board must ive the authority to make decisions. This decision, he said is wellManage r legal limit. Director Maass went on to say that the Boar within the other day in order to make managerial deci d can't meet every that only the Board can rescind a call decisions. Director Sutton stated for bids. ROLL CALL vote on the motion to support the Manager's decision to award the bid for window coverings to Truckee Carpets , the low bidd of $2 ,357; Aguera, Maass , Corbett, aye; Sutton no- Co er, in the amount MOVED. ©ley, abstain. SO Report on Marteeny encroachment Mr. Holzmeister reported that Mr. Marteen has rem the District's y Y removed the driveway from property in Tahoe Donner. The problem has been solved. -2- Arthur Andersen letter re FmHA bond indenture The Manager included a letter from Rick Blumenfeld with the packet. He stated that he spoke with Sam Sperry, and he is proposing that he, Rick Blumenfeld and Paul Colburn meet with. Russ Mays of Farmers Home to work out language that will satisfy all parties. The meeting would take place in San Francisco some time during the next two weeks. He said he gets the impression that Mr. Sperry does not agree with the points raised in Mr. Blumenfeld's recent letter, and Farmers Home wants to call the shots at this point. The Board indicated its desire to have this matter resolved as soon as possible. Vehicle use Within the last six months the Board amended the vehicle use policy of the District to restrict the number of vehicles going home, Mr. Holzmeister stated. Under the policy, the District Engineer no longer takes a vehicle home, and this has caused a problem. Approximately one month ago there was a power outage on a Saturday that affected portions of the downtown area and portions of Sierra Meadows. The on-call lineman responded but found that he needed to be guided through the District switching system by the engineer. Because Mr. Buckhouse did not have his truck and radio with him at home, he had to drive to the building to access a radio. The outage lasted an additional hour because the District Engineer did not have radio contact at home. He recommended that the District Engineer be authorized to take a vehicle home for use during such emergency situations. After some discussion, Director Sutton moved that the District Engineer be authorized to take home his pick-up truck and certain necessary maps; : seconded by Director Maass. ROLL CALL Cooley, p abstain; all other Directors, aye. SO MOVED. Committee needs Mr. Holzmeister stated he is working on several projects where it would be beneficial to have input from a committee of the Board. 1 ) Finance Committee - he is working on the 1988 budget and would like input on format. Also, he would like to discuss general financial matters that spring from the budget such as rate design and facilities fees. 2) Personnel Committee - there are several matters related to personnel that staff is working on where input from a committee would be beneficial. Mr. Holzmeister is working on an employment Policy , and there are other areas where the Districthas no policy to guide its actions. 3) Building Committee there was a building committee consisting of Directors Cooley and Hamilton. As the project is closing out , there will be many small decisions that should be made quickly. Mr. Holzmeister said it would hel if there was a committee he could consult with on occasion. p After some discussion, the fallowing appointments were made: Finance Committee, Directors Corbett and Cooley; Personnel Committee Aguera and Sutton; Building Committee, Directors A uera and Directors g Maass. -3- .� PUBLIC INPUT Complaint about water Erin Rafferty, who lives on South River Street, complained that she is unable to drink the water because of the heavy chlorination. Director Maass said he has heard a number of complaints from people in the Airport area; Director Sutton noted she has complained about the Donner Trails area; Director Aguera said he has heard complaints in both the Airport and Truckee areas. Mr. Holzmeister noted that as fall approaches it will be safe to cut back on chlorination. Director Sutton said she thought chlorine would only be used when necessary, anyhow. Director Cooley said that state law mandates that the entire system be chlorinated. The Manager indicated the District may petition the State Health Department to be released from the chlorination order. However , the Environmental Protection Agency is issuing regulations that will require all water systems in the United States to chlorinate. The PUD will be converting to gas chlorination in the near future, which will be much more accurate. Director Sutton stated that the answer is to get the system back to having a low bacterial count through sanitary measures. Director Cooley said he would like the Manager to let the community know that the state is requiring the District to chlorinate. Director Sutton suggested that Ms. Rafferty bring a sample of the water f. testing next time the chlorine level seems high. or CORRESPONDENCE Request from VestStar Cable Television Manager Holzmeister advised that WestStar Cable Television is requesting permission to change equipment at the Northside Well site. Currently,WestStar has a container building and two satellite television receiver dishes. Recently they were informed by various program providers of their intent to relocate to a different satellite. This would require them to also "look" in another direction. In order to continue h programming it would be necessary for them to install a thirdthe same television receive dish at the present site. They provided satellite the site and highlighted the location of the di a drawing of add. dish they are proposing to Director Sutton suggested placing the matter on the September 21 agenda consideration and discussing the g a for fee. g possibility of increasing the annual lease C0MWTTEE REPORTS There were no committee reports. NEW DISTRICT COMPLEX -- STATUS REPORT - CONSIDERATION OF CHANGE ORDER -4- Relocation of stairs in new building Mr. Holzmeister noted that the District must remove the stairs in the hallway between the office and warehouse and install a new set of stairs in some other location. This problem arose because Dale Cox did not submit revised plans to the Fire District for their review. There are, he said, four solutions to the problem: 1) Dale Cox has agreed to pay for installation and removal of the improper set of stairs and whatever increase in cost to install the new stairs as judged by S'E&A; 2) The new set of stairs could be paid for by the District since it would have paid for that set of stairs in the first place; 3) A change order for removal of the stairs could be approved under the Value Builders contract; 4) A new contractor could be gotten to install the new stairs after the contract with Value Builders has been closed out. This would save the District money since the new contractor will be operating with a smaller bond, insurance and general overhead , and will need to compete for the job. Manager Holzmeister recommended that a change order be approved for removal of the stairs with Dale Cox paying the cost involved, amounting to $2,134 and that the District ascertain from Value Builders the cost of installing the stairs and have Mr. Cox pay to us that amount. g Director Sutton asked to discuss the matter in closed session. She said she thinks the Board should have some legal advice on the matter if Counsel feels qualified to provide it, and further stated she has an objection to the entire matter being dismissed without the opportunity to talk to legal counsel. g Director Maass moved, and Director Cooley seconded , that the Board approve the change order in the amount of $2 ,134 for removal of the stairs, with Dale Cox paying the cost involved (as has already been agreed by him). ROLL CALL: all Directors, aye with the exception of Director Sutton who voted "No." SO MOVED. Director Sutton noted the stairs have already been removed. y Director Maass noted that the Board authorized the Manager to do this sort of thing several meetings ago, and Counsel Phelps stated he could foresee no problems. Director Maass moved that the Board adopt the entire proposal Director as outlined by Peter Holzmeister with no closed session, p Sutton said Mr. Cox did not properly circulate his design to the agencies for approval. Director Maass withdrew his motion, stating that he may address this matter further following closed session. SOMA SIERRA TANK REPLACEWNT - CONSIDERATION OF PERIODIC PAYMENT REQUEST NO. 2 Q ST Consulting Engineer Keith Sauers provided copies of Periodic Estimate No. 2 in the Board packet. This covers the period from August 1 to August 31 1987. The project status is that all pipe and fitting work is complete,, site development is 70% complete, and tank construction is 75% comlete. The job as a whole is 60% complete. The contractor has earned 40 514 during August. His net payment followingdeduction $ $36 ,463. of the I09' retention is -5- Mr. Sauers noted that the project is being competently constructed and is on schedule. He recommended approval of Pay Estimate No. 2. Director Maass moved that the Board approve Progress Payment No. 2 to Resource Development in the amount of $362463; seconded by Director Aguera. ROLL CALL: all Directors , aye. SO MOVED. C014PUTER H,A,R11ii'ARE AND SOFWARE -- CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE APPROVAL OF AGREEMENTS FOR ACQUISITION OF IBM HARDWARE AND OR COM SYSTEMS SOFTiiARE Included in the Board packet was a copy of the Finance Supervisor's memorandum concerning computer acquisition. It included a copy of the contract negotiated with Or Com Systems for the purchase of their utility data processing system. Mr. Colburn proposed that the financing for the computer system be an adjustable rate, sixty-month loan from Truckee River Bank. The interest rate for the loan would be prime, which is presently S 1/4%. The principal amount would be $170,000 which would include approximately $34,000 for the pay-off of the District's existing computer loan. The savings for the new system, initially, would be approximately $300 per month. Mr. Colburn requested Board approval to enter into the Or Com System contract, approve the loan agreement with Truckee River Bank, and authorization to issue a purchase order to IBM for the hardware. He proposed a time schedule for implementation of the new system. Director Cooley stated his concern over the risk involved with an adjustable rate loan. Director Sutton asked what a fixed rate and time period would be. She asked that all the particulars be refined and set out for review; she asked for a copy of the leasing proposal and would like comparative costs. After some discussion, the Finance Supervisor noted that he would bring back financing alternatives to the Board. CONSIDERATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS AND POSSIBLE AWARD - ALDER CREEK PIPELINE REPLACEMEIN'T - HIRSCHDALE WATER SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS Alder Creels pipeline replacement Mr. Sauers noted that seven bids were received for the Alder Creek Pipeline replacement project. He has evaluated the bids and found the low bid, from Hall's Excavating, to be in order. The bid submitted by Hall's is complete and meets the requirements of the contract documents. He recommended an award be made to Hall's Excavating. Director Maass moved that the Board award the construction contract for the Alder Creek Road pipeline replacement to Hall's in the amount of $39,970; seconded by Director Aguera. ROLL CALL. Cooley, no; all other Directors, aye. SO MOVED. t Hirschdale water system improvements Consulting Engineer Cook noted that bids ranging from $296,231 to $426,900 -6- ^'* were received on September 3, 1987. He stated the low bid from Joe Suter Construction is in order, and has no reason to doubt that the state will approve such bid. Considering the debt incurred to date for preliminary engineering work, legal expenses incurred in the formation of the assessment District coupled with the high bids which are exclusive of inspection and contingencies, Mr. Cook noted that the project cannot be constructed with the funds available under the present commitment ($295,000). There is no way to reduce the scope of the project; all components are essential to bring the water system into compliance with health standards. He suggested that the District request that the State increase the amount of the grant in order to allow for the construction of an adequate water system. Director Maass moved that the Board award the Hirschdale Water System improvement project to Joe Suter in the amount of $296,231 , conditioned upon the State's approval for an increase of the grant amount; seconded by Director Aguera. ROLL CALL: all Directors, aye. SO MOVED, CAVERHILL/MITCHELL REQUEST FOR EASEMENT ABANDONMENT Engineering Technician Black noted that staff has reviewed the request of Steven Mitchell and Beverly Caverhill for the abandonment of unused easements. Staff's recommendation is to release the District's interest in the common area easements and retain all others following an on--site inspection and in consideration of the proposed easements related to the revised project. Director Maass moved, and Director Aguera seconded, that the easement abandonment be approved. ROLL CALL: all Directors , aye. SO MOVED. BOCA HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT -- AUTHORIZATION FOR R. We BECK AND ASSOCIATES TO PREPARE A PLAN TO BE FILED WITH FERC FOR MONITORING DISSOLVED OXYGEN Mr. Holzmeister advised that the October 21 , 1986 FERC order requires the District to consult with certain agencies and to provide a plan for monitoring dissolved oxygen in the Truckee River below the Boca Dam after the generating project becomes operational. That plan, together with agency comments , must be filed with FERC by October 21 , 1987. Beck and Associates proposed to consult with the necessary agencies , prepare a draft plan for transmittal to them by the District, provide responses to any comments which they may have, and finalize a plan for submission to FERC. They estimated the cost to be less than $3,000. Director Maass moved that the Board authorize Ferris Gilkey of R. W. Beck to go forward with the proposal as outlined at an approximate cost of $33,000, The motion was seconded by Director Sutton. ROLL CALL: all Directors , aye. SO MOVED, DISCUSSION OF SPPCo PLANS TO CONSTRUCT A POWER LINE INTO TDPUD SERVICE TERRITORY - POSSIBLE DIRECTION Mr. Holzmeister noted that Sierra Pacific began construction of a ser vice ce -7- line into PUD service territory, with a plan to serve new customers immediately east of Olympic Heights. Engineer Buckhouse reported that the District lines are about an equal distance away from the property to be served. After some discussion, Director Maass moved that the District turn the matter over to Martin McDonough and Bob McDiarmid with authorization for them to do whatever is in the Districts best interest. The motion was seconded by Director Sutton. ROLL CALL: all Directors, aye. SO MOVED. CLOSED SESSION At 9:12 P.M. , the Board adjourned to closed session to discuss pending litigation pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(c). RETURN TO PUBLIC SESSION The Board returned to public session at 10:15 P.M. There was no action taken or direction given as a result of closed session. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business before the Board, Director Maass moved that the meeting be adjourned at 10:16 P.M. ; seconded by Director Aguera and passed unanimously. TRUCKEE NNER PUBLIC UTILITY DISTRICT BY n L. Corbett resi nt f Prepared b Susan Macdonald, Deputy District Clerk sm/d5c.5 -8-