HomeMy WebLinkAbout#4 Donner Lake status rpt
To: Board of Directors
From: Peter L. Holzmeister
Date: December 29, 2000
Status of Donner Lake water system issue
The purpose of this memorandum is to bring you current on happenings related to the
Donner Lake water system. A few months ago we retained the services of several
consultants to help us decide whether to acquire the Donner Lake water system. What
has happened has not been clearly evident because those consultants worked in
obscurity behind the scenes. However, their various work products are about to come
before the Board for formal consideration and action.
Sauers Engineering and CEQA: We retained the services of Sauers Engineering to
process the CEQA requirements. We circulated a draft mitigated negative declaration.
Several comments were received expressing concern over the lake intake and the
treatment plant. In consideration of those comments a revised draft negative declaration
has been prepared, and appears on this agenda as an action item. We are proposing
that the revised negative declaration be recirculated for thirty days and a new public
hearing be scheduled for January 17, 2001. The Board could adopt the final CEQA
determination in early February.
Terrance Lowell & Associates and formation of the special assessment district:
We retained Terrance Lowell & Associates to prepare the assessment district engineer's
report. That report is near completion. That report, along with the draft assessment
district ballot and notice of intent to form an assessment district will appear on the
Board's agenda in the very near future. We may want to consider holding a special
meeting to deal with this matter as soon as the documents are in final form and ready for
Board action. We will need to establish a public hearing to be held 45 days after the
ballots are mailed, which would be some time around late February.
Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth and formation of the special assessment district:
We retained the above referenced firm to help with formation of the assessment district.
They have prepared the appropriate resolutions, the notice of intent and ballot form that
will be mailed to all property owners. At the appropriate time they will prepare the form of
bond that will be purchased by the State of California to provide revolving fund money to
the project.
State Revolving Fund money for the project: I have been in contact with the
administrators of the State Revolving Fund Program. They sent me an application
packet to begin work on. I am informed that I cannot submit the application until they
invite our District to apply, and normally we are not invited until we own the system. I am
working to modify that administrative procedure based on the water emergency present
in the Donner Lake community.
Dennis DeCuir and possible acquisition of the Donner Lake water system: We
retained Dennis DeCuir to help guide us through the factors involved in possible
acquisition of the Donner Lake water system. After we receive the assessment district
engineer's report and join it with the work that Dennis has been supervising, we will have
the information needed to estimate the cost to acquire, rebuild and operate the Donner
Lake water system. We should have all of this information by the January 18, 2001
Board meeting. At that time the Board will be in a position to discuss and possibly
authorize me to make a formal offer to Robert Fortino to purchase the Donner Lake
water system.
Conclusion: We are involved in a complex process. During January and February many
matters will be brought to the Board for action. Hopefully this report provides an
overview and sets the stage for what will happen quickly in the next two months.