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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-07-07 Min - Board REGULAR MEETING MINUTES July 7, 2021 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting of the Board of Directors of the Truckee Donner Public Utility District was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by President Finn. Disclaimer: Due to the COVID-19 situation and the California Governor’s Executive Orders, this Board meeting was conducted with the Board via video/teleconferencing measures and live streamed on the District website. Public comment was opened using email and questions and answers on Zoom. 2. ROLL CALL Director(s) Bender, Aguera, Harris, Vice President Laliotis, and President Finn. EMPLOYEES PRESENT: Brian Wright, Steven Poncelet, Mike Salmon, Joe Horvath, and Shanna Kuhlemier. CONSULTANTS PRESENT – Steve Gross, District Counsel 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – defer. 4. CHANGES TO THE AGEND A – Brian Wright requested an emergency procurement for Donner Creek Well motor replacement item to the agenda. The Board of Directors make the finding that the item came to the attention of the District af- ter the agenda was posted and the need to take action prior to the next agenda. President Finn called for public comment, seeing none. Director Aguera moved, and President Finn seconded, that the Board approve the addition of the emergency procurement to the agenda. The motion passed (5-0), by a roll call vote. 5. PUBLIC INPUT President Finn called for public comment. Steven Bauman To help our community through the PSOM power outage events this Summer please implement a micro-grid for Truckee As soon as hu- manly possible. These power outages are a harbinger of our future with climate change and wildfires becoming a new normal. Truckee needs action NOW. DocuSign Envelope ID: 6CFF3E64-5248-4084-90A2-8CA5FF15B8C3 Krista Haskell As a full tie resident of Truckee I’m very concerned about the upcom- ing power outages. To help our community through the PSOM events this summer can we please implement a micro-grid for Truckee ASAP. These power outages are a harbinger of our future with climate change, wildfires are becoming the new normal. Truckee needs action NOW! Lets be on the right side of change. Ned Roberts To help our community through potential PSOM power outage events this Summer please implement a micro-grid for Truckee as soon as possible. Tom Derr Please consider implementing a community micro-grid for Truckee. Something to provide essential services with power and help our com- munity through the PSOM power outage events that might be upcom- ing. Pam Tony Kozlowski PLEASE help our community through the PSOM power outage events this summer by implementing a micro-grid for Truckee now. It's outra- geous that NV Energy can potentially impact so many homes without being held accountable. Thank you for your consideration Jim Szafranski I would encourage the Board to discuss energy independence given the risk of PSOM power outage events this Summer and beyond as climate change and wildfires seem to be moving us into a new normal where energy reliable. Ana Levaggi To help our community through the PSOM power outage events this Summer please implement a micro-grid for Truckee now. Thank you Susi Lippuner To help our community through the PSOM power outage events this Summer please implement a micro-grid for Truckee now. This will be essential for community members - especially the frail elderly and dis- abled - and for general public safety. It's my understanding that the hospital already has a generator, so it would be the other businesses that need to be supported. Thank you, Celia DuBose I am very concerned about PSOM power outage events this Summer and am writing to ask the TOT to please implement a micro-grid ASAP. Corky Leslie Please help our community through the PSOM power outage events this Summer please implement a micro-grid for Truckee now. We need basic electricity for safety purposes. Don Leslie Please include me as pro micro grid for downtown to Shell station. DocuSign Envelope ID: 6CFF3E64-5248-4084-90A2-8CA5FF15B8C3 Eric Smith To help our community through the PSOM power outage events this Summer please implement a micro-grid for Truckee now. Ina Bauman Please consider and hopefully approve helping in the coming (and probably all future years too) power outages for wildfire protection. Our own town grid is the only sensible and safe answer to what’s hap- pening now. Thank you for your work on behalf go TDPUD Matt Holt To help our community through the PSOM power outage events this Summer please implement a micro-grid for Truckee now. Ari Holt To help our community through the PSOM power outage this summer please implement a micro-grid for Truckee now. Thank you Erica Smakulski To help our community through the PSOM power outage events this Summer please implement a micro-grid for Truckee now. Grocery stores need to keep food, gas stations need to b e powered. Now that many businesses are not accepting cash, credit systems need to re- main powered, and a few other important retailers need to remain powered. Grass Valley has created a micro-grid and would be a re- source for information in this matter. Thank you for your forethought. Kelly Delepine To help our community through the PSOM power outage events this Summer please implement a micro-grid for Truckee now. Bruce and Angela Dennie As concerned full-time Truckee residents we would like to voice our support for Truckee implementing a micro grid this summer as a back- up for potential power outages. Marcia Growdon Regarding possible multi - day power outages: please consider in- stalling a micro grid along the Old Donner Hwy, and through down- town Truckee to insure that we have access to groceries, hospital, res- taurants, banking, fire Dept, schools, EV charging and other vital ser- vices. This might also prove useful under certain dire winter condi- tions. Helene Linker Public Comment for July 7 Board meeting MESSAGE: To help our community through the PSOM power outage events this Summer please implement a micro-grid for Truckee now. Thank you Helene Linker Robin McLaughlin To help our community through the PSOM power outage events this Summer please consider implementing a micro-grid for Truckee now. DocuSign Envelope ID: 6CFF3E64-5248-4084-90A2-8CA5FF15B8C3 Sara Walker Please implement microgrid and do everything possibly ble to pre- serve power to essential services including places for computer work- ers to continue working from Truckee due to ing outages Sara and Gary Walker Idana Davenport Please help our community through the PSOM power outage events this Summer please implement a micro-grid for Truckee now. Thank you Danika and William Griffin To help our community through the PSOM power outage events this Summer please implement a micro-grid for Truckee now. Billy Griffin As a local business, we are very concerned about the prospect of los- ing power this summer/fall due to wildfire prevention outages, not just for our livelihoods, but fir the community as well. New Moon Natural Foods is a grocery store carrying perishable provisions for our com- munity. The Truckee community relies on us for over $1M of food sales per month. Especially is a situation where residents may not have refrigeration, its all the more important that the local grocery stores be able to provide daily shopping needs. If we (and the other grocery stores along DPR) are closed, not only will the community have limited access to food during the outage, but it will take an extra day or more to restock. Furthermore, with everyone trying to restock their homes at once, supply/demand imbalances will be created that will resonate through the community for weeks before finally rebalanc- ing Our business has been trying for 18 months to procure our own generators, but Covid supply problems and the Texas debacle have made large-scale independent power generation difficult to obtain, Our community needs open grocery stores (and restaurants and hos- pital, etc). Please do what you must to implement a micro -grid for Truckee, ASAP. Thanks you for your hard work and co nsideration in these difficult times. Kelly Thayer I feel strongly compelled to write and express my feelings that TDPUD Board should stop pursuing legal action against Kim Harris and just let her serve the community. She won the election fairly, beating 3 incum- bents, as she ran on transparency and fiscal responsibility. Id like to understand what the Board is trying to accomplish with this legal ac- tion? Kim Harris is a valued member of community and should be treated as such. Mike Wolf I am writing to show my support for a Local Agency Collaboration group for Green House Gas Reductions. This is long overdue in Truckee and the PUD will be a major player for realizing our GHG goals. Barney Dewey, I appreciate your attempt to add self-generation to the standing committees this evening at the TDPUD Board meeting. I would like you to consider a way to move the micro -grid issue forward faster than the longer-term issue of self-generation. I do not think Truckee can afford to wait long for a committee recommendation for a short-term micro-grid wrapped in a me- dium- or long-term decision on self-generation. DocuSign Envelope ID: 6CFF3E64-5248-4084-90A2-8CA5FF15B8C3 I believe the micro-grid needs to be fast-tracked. Clearly, PG&E has done much of the work understanding the issues and advantages around micro -grids. Please take advantage of that analysis and Grass Valley’s experience with micro-grids. The normal internal process must be bypassed to get a micro-grid ASAP. I understand that a survey ranked Broadband service as a high priority. This shows the prob- lem by managing by community consensus. Surveys, like focus groups, don’t work in many situations. People don’t know what they don’t know. The community has a Broadband pro- vider, Suddenlink. Admittedly, they have some old infrastructure in portions of Truckee that needs fixing. In other portions of Truckee, their infrastructure is good and their Internet ser- vice is excellent. In my opinion, TDPUD should not spend any resources on trying to fix the situation caused by another public provider. I suggest three items, (1) Fast-track micro-grids outside of a committee. (2) Substitute me- dium- to long-term self-generation for the Broadband committee. (3) Push the fixing of Sud- denlink’s infrastructure problems to the Town of Truckee and the State of California. Do not waste limited TDPUD resources on Broadband. Focus on water and power. I was an elected Director of a fire district a number of years ago. I have some understanding of public agencies vs. private sector businesses. I understand you run a local business in Truckee so I believe you understand both sides. Please do whatever you can to take that fast decision making culture you know for a business and do what you can to inject it into TDPUD. I realize that is not easy; but, I think it is necessary concerning the micr o-grid. 6. DIRECTOR UPDATE This item provides time for Directors to comment on any item within the purview of the Dis- trict. 7. GENERAL MANAGER UPDATE – PRESENTATION 8. Friends of the Library Presentation. 9. Measure T- Local Wildfire Mitigation Measure. PUBLIC HEARING 10. Public Hearing related to changes to District Code, Appendix C, and Miscellaneous Fees. Conducting a Public Hearing and consideration of public comments; adopt the recom- mended changes to district code, Appendix C, Miscellaneous Fees: a) add a flat fee for Residential Solar installations and b) New account setup, removing the $30 Dis- count for Last Meter Read. President Finn opened the public hearing taking testimony in support or opposition to the public hearing. Seeing none, President Finn closed the public hearing. Director Harris moved, and Vice President Laliotis seconded, that the Board approve staff’s recommendation. The motion passed (5-0), by a roll call vote. CONSENT CALENDAR DocuSign Envelope ID: 6CFF3E64-5248-4084-90A2-8CA5FF15B8C3 11. Consideration for Approval of the 2021 Hirschdale Well Rehabilitation. This authorizes the General Manager to execute a construction service contract with Carson Pump for the maintenance and rehabilitation of Hirschdale Well in the amount of $15,760, plus a 10% change order authorization, for a total Amount to not exceed $17,336 plus tax. 12. Award a contract for the AC Street Paving Repair 2021 Project. Award a Bid from June 15, 2021 and Authorize the General Manager to execute a construction service contract with Lakeside Paving and Sealing, for the AC street Pav- ing Repair 2021 Project for a total not to exceed amount of $150,000. President Finn called for public comment, seeing none. Director Harris pulled item 13 for further discussion. President Finn pulled item 14 for further discussion Director Bender moved, and Vice President Laliotis seconded, that the Board approve the con- sent calendar. The motion passed (5-0), by a roll call vote. ACTION ITEM (S) 13. Ratification of the Districts Unrepresented Employee Wage Schedule. 1. Ratify the 2020-2021 Unrepresented Wage Schedules as: a. Approved on March 18, 2020; and b. Amended on July 15, 2020; and c. Approved on February 3, 2021. 2. Approve the 2021 Unrepresented Wage Schedule revision, effective July 3, 2021 to include the new General Manager Salary range established by the Board for the 2021 recruitment for the new General Manager. President Finn called for public comment, seeing none. Director Aguera moved, and Vice President Laliotis seconded, that the Board approve staff’s recommendation. The motion passed (4-1), by a roll call vote. Director Harris voted no. 14. Consideration to Establish Standing Committees. Establish two standing committees, one for the Community Broadband Initiative and 100% Clean Renewable Energy Initiative. President Finn called for public comment, seeing none. Vice President Laliotis moved, and Director Bender seconded, that the Board approve staff recommendation with the additional duties for the 100% Clean Renewable Energy Committee to explore micro grids and local generation. The motion passed (5-0), by a roll call vote. 15. Consideration to Approve a Contract Amendment for Phase 2 Design Services with Jennifer Stole Architect for the Building Modernization Project. DocuSign Envelope ID: 6CFF3E64-5248-4084-90A2-8CA5FF15B8C3 Authorize the General Manager to sign an amendment to the existing special ser- vices contract with Jennifer Stole Architect for Phase 2 Design services in the amount of $87,000, plus a 10% change order allowance in the amount of $8,700, for a total not to exceed contract amount of $127,600. President Finn called for public comment, seeing none. Director Bender moved, and Vice President Laliotis seconded, that the Board approve option number one as presented. The motion passed (5-0), by a roll call vote. 16. Consideration to Appoint President Finn to Represent the TDPUD Board of Directors and the District as it relates to preliminary local agency collaboration and GHG reduction group. Appoint President Finn to participate and represent the TDPUD Board and District on the Local Agency Collaboration group for Green House Gas Reductions. President Finn called for public comment, seeing none. Vice President Laliotis moved, and Director Harris seconded, that the Board approve the ap- pointment of Christa Finn to the Green House Gas Reductions group. The motion passed (5- 0), by a roll call vote. 16.1 Consideration to ratify the emergency procurement for Donner Creek Well motor re- placement item to the agenda. President Finn called for public comment, seeing none. Vice President Laliotis moved, and Director Aguera seconded, that the Board approve the rat- ification of the emergency procurement as presented. The motion passed (5-0), by a roll call vote. ROUTINE BUSINESS 17. Approve the Treasurer’s Report July 2021. a. Fund Balances for the Month Ended April 2021. b. Disbursements Month Ended May 31, 2021. President Finn called for public comment, seeing none. Director Aguera moved, and Vice President Laliotis seconded, that the Board approve the Treasurer’s Report. The motion passed (5-0), by a roll call vote. 18. Approve the Minutes of June 2, 2021 and June 16, 2021. President Finn called for public comment, seeing none. President Finn moved, and Director Bender seconded, that the Board approve the minutes. The motion passed (5-0), by a roll call vote. DocuSign Envelope ID: 6CFF3E64-5248-4084-90A2-8CA5FF15B8C3 CLOSED SESSION 20. Closed Session: Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957(a) Discussion of Public Utility Se- curity and Services. The item passed (5-0), Ayes, Directors: Aguera, Bender, Harris, Vice President Laliotis, and President Finn by roll call vote. 1. Approve and adopt the District’s Physical Security Plan pursuant to the Califor- nia Public Utility Commission Decision 19-01-018 instituting rulemaking for physical security plans for electrical utilities; and 2. Authorize the Electric Utility Director/Assistant General Manager to send a letter to the California Public Utility Commission to acknowledge Board approval and adoption of the District’s Physical Security Plan” 19. Closed Session Pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(d) (4) Deciding Whether to Initiate Litigation, one case. No Reportable action ADJOURNMENT - 10:06 p.m. There being no further business before the Board, the meeting was adjourned to the next scheduled regularly scheduled meeting of the Truckee Donner Public Utility District on July 21, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. TRUCKEE DONNER PUBLIC UTILITY DISTRICT _________________________________________ Christa Finn, President Respectfully Submitted, ________________________________ Shanna D. Kuhlemier, CMC, District Clerk DocuSign Envelope ID: 6CFF3E64-5248-4084-90A2-8CA5FF15B8C3