Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-07-16 Truckee Donner Public Utility District Board of Directors Joseph R.Aouera Hern J.Robert A.Jones (916) 5$7-3898 Robert A.Jones FAX (916) 587-1189 James A. Maass 04 Patricia S. Sutton REGULAR MEETING 7:00 PM, Wednesday, July �16 1997 General Manager Peter L. Holzmeister TDPUD Board Room AGENDA 1. Call to order 2. Roll call 3. Public Input - 7:00 PM(or as soon thereafter as possible)This is time set aside for the public to address the Board on any matter not on the agenda. Testimony related to any agendized matter should be addressed at the time that item is considered. ACTION ITEMS 4. Use of District owned property for placement of communications facilities: a) Consideration of a policy, a standard lease form, and a standard letter of authorization to apply to land use regulatory agency • b) Consideration of a request submitted by PacBell Mobile Services to place a monopole type antenna and related facilities on the Ponderosa Palisades water tank site for wireless communications purposes 5. Consideration of continuing the emergency action relating to repair of the Tahoe Donner substation transformer WORKSHOP ITEMS 6. Discussion of the requirements of AB 1890 regarding a public benefits program 7. Discussion of the work program of the Water Operations Department 8. Discussion of possible cooperation between Truckee Donner PUD and Del Oro Water Company 9. Discussion of monthly staff reports ADJOURNMENT NOTE., The complete packet of material relating to the agenda is available for review at the PUD office and at the Truckee Library Posted d m rn July 7 ,19 7 Susan A�MCraig, Deputy District Clem Post Office Box 309 11570 Donner Pass Road Truckee, California 96160 MICHAEL E. GRAHAM . 10185 TRUCKEE AIRPORT ROAD•SUITE 405•TRUCKEE,CALIFORNIA 96161-3306 TELEPHONE 916.587.1177•FACSIMILE 916.587.0'707 July 16, 1997 Peter L. HoWneister, General Manager Truckee Donner Public Utility District Post Office Box 309 Truckee, California 96160 Re: Ponderosa Palisades Water Tank Site Request from PacBell Mobil Services Dear Mr. Holzmeister: I have just received notice that the Truckee Donner Public Utility District is considering a request from PacBell Mobil Services to place a wireless communication facility on the District property • located at the Ponderosa Palisades Water Tank Site. I have met with a couple of my neighbors, namely Ellen and Don Hyatt, and have spoken with others concerning this contemplated use. It is probably no surprise to the District Board that the neighbors may be upset with this type of expanded use, however, it is my opinion that there is a sufficient legal basis on which to protest this expanded use which is beyond that contemplated by the original agreement between the Public Utility District and the developer, C. S. Beavers. I have reviewed the relevant portions of the agreement dated April 10, 1962 by and between "Truckee Public Utility District" (sic) and C. S. Beavers, the developer of the Ponderosa Palisades Unit Number 4 Subdivision. Specifically, the agreement contemplates the conveyance of the property for use for "public electrical and water utilities, facilities and services, and the same shall constitute a limitation and restriction on the title and ownership of said lands and shall be deemed a covenant running with the land,..." As such, there exists a legal restriction on the use of this land which is binding on the Truckee Donner Public Utility District. My review of the proposal from PacBell Mobil Services indicates that it is outside the contemplated use and the restrictions imposed on the Public Utility District in accepting the conveyance of the land. Any owner of a parcel within the Ponderosa Palisades Unit Number 4 Subdivision has a legal right to pursue any and all remedies to enforce this restriction as it constitutes a covenant appurtenant to the lands within the Subdivision. NEVADA OFFICE: 335 WEST FIRST STREET•RENO NEVADA 89503 MICHAEL E.GRAHAM•CERTIFIED SPECIALIST•STATE BAR OF CALIFORNIA•PROBATE,ESTATE PLANNING,TRUST LAW Peter L. Holzmeister, General Manager Truckee Donner Public Utility District July 16, 1997 • Page 2 Unfortunately, my schedule does not allow me to make a personal appearance before the Truckee Donner Public Utility District Board Meeting tonight given the fact that I received such short notice of this considered request. I would therefore urge the Board either to defer consideration of this matter until further input may he provided by the affected parties, or to simply deny the request from PacBell Mobil Services, without further consideration. I appreciate your consideration of the foregoing and ask that this letter of objection be made part of the public record. Five copies of this correspondence are herewith enclosed for circulation to each of the Directors. Very truly yours, LAW O ICES OF M CIIIAEL E. GRAHAM r A L GRAHAM MEG • WdWOW\MM DPUD.LTI • TDPUD MEMORANDUM . July 14, 1997 TO: Board of Directors FROM: Peter L. Holzmeister, General Manager SUBJECT: Monthly report AGENDA # 9 1. LAFCo workshop: Directors Pat Sutton and Ron Hemig and I attended a workshop sponsored by Nevada County LAFCo on July 9, 1997. The workshop was held in Sacramento and taught by Bob Braitman. Mr Braitman teaches government at UC Davis and is active in LAFCo administration in California. The workshop was informative. i think we all learned much about the law and procedures of LAFCo. 2. LAFCo committee meeting on sphere of influence: We have submitted our draft sphere of influence report to Nevada County LAFCo and a committee has been established to review it. I will attend that committee meeting on July 24, 1997. 1 believe that SR Jones, Nevada County Executive Director, will attempt to reduce the geographic area of our sphere and i will do what i can to resist • that effort. 3. Truckee Governance study: The managers of Truckee's governmental agencies have met and are trying to reach agreement on how to proceed with a study of governance in Truckee. Steve Wright and I have been assigned the task of suggesting a standard outline for each agency to use in writing its "report card". There is still considerable resistance on the part of some agencies to doing a study. 4. NCPA: The managers of the NCPA members are still meeting monthly to plan for deregulation and make sure NCPA is prepared to help us. We continue to work with ENRON on the details of the strategic alliance. 5. FERCISPPCoVPC: Bob McDiarmid is preparing our intervention in SPPCo's FERC filing relating to implementation of their network transmission service for Truckee's contract with Idaho Power Company. We are confident that this is the last proceeding that will be necessary to get full benefit from the IPC contract. 6. Job descriptions by objectives: i am working with the management and professional staff of the District to prepare Job Descriptions by Objectives (JDBO) to guide performance for the remainder of 1997. We use JDBO to make sure we are all working toward the same goals. I use them as part of the annual performance appraisal process. 7. Donner Lake Water Company: I spoke with Bob Fortino, owner of Del Oro Water Company and Donner Lake Utility Company. He has expressed interest in pursuing cooperative efforts with • our District. I will report more at the July 16, Board meeting. PLH/smc Truckee Donner Public Utility District STAFF REPORT TO: Board of Directors FROM: Ed Taylor, Water Superintendent SUBJECT: Water Department Monthly',Activities Report for June 1997 The water department staff continues to meet each week to review scheduling of activities, training and department standards. A schedule for the next three months was prepared and is reviewed each week at the department staff meeting. The previous weeks work is reviewed for effectiveness and completeness. The staff attended Work Order Training. WATER QUALITY: • The routine daily water quality sampling and testing program was completed as required. All of the tests were good and well within drinking water quality standards. The chlorination system at Hirshdale treatment plant failed. This caused some water quality problems, mainly color and turbidity. We changed from the gas chlorine system to the 12% liquid chlorine system at the treatment plant. The liquid chlorine is safer and easier to handle than gas. MAINTENANCE, REPAIRS, & NEW CONSTRUCTION: The Distribution Crew is focusing on leaks and service upgrades. Staff repaired six water main leaks in the month of June. Thirty-two new service connections were installed in June. Five water services were upgraded this month. One hundred thirty four USA locates were complete during the month. PUMP OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Removed all flammable material from all pump station sites and stored it all in an approved • storage container. r t . At Armstrong pump station the vegetation was removed and the outside of the building was repaired and painted. The stand of dead trees at the Southside pump station site was cut down. The screens on the air in and the overflow drains for the water storage tanks were all repaired. Repaired the altitude valve at the Roundbill Tank. Repair the building at Sanders well. Cleanup the outside of the Airport site, including brush, weeds and other debris. Rebuilt the control valve at Prosser Heights Well. Removed, rebuilt and reinstalled the#2 pump at Soma Sierra Pump Station. Installed three phase electric protection at Innsbrook Pump Station. Performed scheduled maintenance at system facilities. . PLANNING: March 89-80 Properties This is a multi-use commercial project that will provide warehouse, retail, and truck maintenance facilities for the local concrete company. Additionally there will be six mini storage units. Mike reviewed the improvement plans and contact with the project representatives is continuing. Aspen Apartments This is a 32 unit apartment complex being constructed in the Donner Trails Subdivision. Mike worked with the Fire District Staff and the Developer during the pressure/leakage testing for the fire sprinkler system. Truckee Northwood Town Homes This is a 5-unit condominium project located on Northwoods Blvd. in the Tahoe Donner subdivision. Construction is expected later in the summer of 1997 Truckee Donner Town Homes This is a 6-unit condominium project located on Northwoods Blvd. in the Tahoe Donner subdivision. is Construction is expected later in the summer of 1997 STAFF REPORT July 14,1997 To: Board of Directors From: Bob Quinn, Electric Superintendent Subject: June Activity Report AGENDA ITEM The following projects/tasks were undertaken by personnel of this department during the month of June: The overhead power line serving the airport beacon above Alder Hill Estates was removed and placed underground. The completion of this project virtually eliminated the District's fire liability in this specific area. An overhead 3 phase line switch was repaired and adjusted near the rodeo grounds. Truckee Circuit#5, the line supplying power to the Prosser area, was worked on. This is a budgeted projected that involves the installation of several new poles, numerous cross- arms and insulators, and the installation of larger conductor. This will be an on-going • project this construction season and will be worked on between customer development projects. A new recloser was installed in Donner Lake substation and the new Donner Lake circuit #2 was energized. Customers in the Donner Lake area will experience fewer outages as the load is now split between 2 circuits. Temporary structures were installed within the Tahoe Donner substation to facilitate the removal of the failing station transformer and the installation of the three temporary transformers. The transformer was removed on June 27th and sent to L.A for repairs. The three temporary transformers were placed on line at that time and are currently carrying the load in Tahoe Donner. The service crew completed 36 new overhead services, 26 new underground services, and responded to 151 USA's. Several members of the department, Ron Reynolds - Steve Holiabaugh - Denny Devine - and myself, attended a 2 day NWPPA workshop on work orders held here at the District. i attended the California Electric Superintendent's Committee meeting in Roseville and the Utility Coordination Committee meeting here in Truckee. During June, applicants for the vacant electrician position were tested. The successful applicants were interviewed by a staff committee and the position has been offered to a man from Palmer, Alaska. • A conference call was held with representatives of Pac Bell, Westar Cable, and the TDPUD, concerning the issue of joint pole ownership and billing. A meeting was held with airport staff to ascertain when District staff could expect a schedule to clear code violations that were created with the remodeling of the EAA building on airport property. TRUCKEE DONNER PUBLIC UTILITY DISTRICT PLANNING DIRECTOR ACTIVITIES JUNE, 1997 Note: Since most of these projects are ongoing, Staff continues to report the basic information and highlights the activities that have occurred during the reporting month. When a project/activity is completed it is reported, then deleted from this report. Strategic Planning/District $Savings Business Customer Key Accounts Program- An analysis is currently being conducted on TDPUD commercial accounts to determine TDPUD's business account's potential revenue loss if we lose a particular/set of account(s). There is still some question as to how much revenue is really at stake since TDPUD will still provide electric system distribution services. Staff is planning to develop and implement some customer seminars in Truckee in conjunction with NCPA and ENRON to educate our customers about this "upcoming" relationship. The seminar plan is on-hold pending the NCPA/ ENRON negotiation. TDPUD Competition Plan- Staff is planning to prepare a report about the different utility issues we are currently being challenged by. The report will include a discussion of the different approaches TDPUD can take to meet these challenges as well as an analysis and recommendations to respond to competition. This comprehensive report is being postponed until the evaluation results of the GSHP pilot, the large Business Customer meetings and other competition related projects and issues are available. Energy/Water Showcase Program- HDR Engineering and the California Energy Commission have completed the energy-efficiency analysis of the TDPUD water system. We may want to wait until we know what our "new" purchased power costs are before we make any decisions on which options may be worth implementing. TDPUD Building GSHP Proposal - A study to determine the cost-effectiveness of installing GSHPs into the TDPUD building for heating and cooling has been completed by the Davis Energy Group. The report indicates that TDPUD can benefit by using GSHP in the building and also act as a community GSHP demonstration project along with the pilot sites. DEG is currently working on design parameters and a refined cost estimate for considering GSHP for the TDPUD building. Deregulation Education- I will be attending various courses, seminars, workshops and meetings to help me get up to speed with deregulation activities. Conservation/DSM/Economic Development Value-Added Customer Programs & Services- Staff will be having discussions with NCPA and ENRON regarding the types of programs and services ENRON will be able to offer our customers through TDPUD. Staff may visit the ENRON offices in Houston to talk to their programs and services developers. Since the NCPA/ENRON negotiation has been delayed, Staff will draft a proposal of some possible energy and water services programs we may want to consider implementing during deregulation. Some of these programs will be eligible to meet the State's Public Goods Charge(AB 1890). Ground Source Heat Pump Pilot Site Activity- Nine GSHP pilot site units are currently in operation. A tenth site is almost complete in Glenshire. This final pilot site will be completed by this Fall. A GSHP Bulk Purchase & Installation Group meeting was held June 3. Staff is receiving excellent proposals from GSHP industry professionals for installing multiple GSHP projects. The goal is to have interested BP & I participants commit in July and begin installations in August. California GSHP Training Grant/Match-funded Activities- The Geothermal Resources Association in Davis(sub-contractor to TDPUD for statewide GSHP contractor training through California Energy Commission grant) has already built a mobile training facility and conducted some contractor training courses to date. GRA is doing an excellent job in implementing the requirements of the grant. GSHP/Water Heater Promotion- The results of the Truckee GSHP pilot monitoring and evaluation study will be used to determine GSHP's role in TDPUD's Strategic Plan. A proposal has been developed to promote the benefits of high efficiency GSHPs and electric water heating to TDPUD customers. Energy Surveys/High Bill Assistance- Staff completed 0 commercial and 4 residential energy survey(s) this month. Staff also responded on-site to 2 "high" bill complaints. Communications/Public Relations/Education Newsletter- The next newsletter issue will focus on customer feedback(survey), GSHP BP & I Group update, deregulation issue updates and TDPUD water projects, etc. TDPUD New Customer Brochure- Creative Concepts is developing a proposal to revise and update our current TDPUD new customer brochure. The new issue will probably be done later this year when we have a better understanding where we stand with deregulation and our relationship with NCPA and ENRON. Water Information Piece- Staff is currently working with the marketing team to develop a TDPUD water information piece that will educate our customers on the value/high quality of TDPUD water and the need to use it wisely. Water conservation information and efforts will be included in this piece. Water conservation practices will benefit the community by lowering water pumping costs, sewage treatment costs and the future infrastructure costs associated with these efforts. Staff will contact TTSA and TSD for their input. This piece is being subsidized by a $5,000 Western grant. Media Plan- A media plan is currently being developed. The plan will describe what will be communicated and through what media. The plan will be designed to educate TDPUD customers about TDPUD and such issues as deregulation, etc. Staff proposes completing the customer survey first to help formulate the media plan. Customer Feedback- A survey is being designed to get important information from our customers regarding their opinion of TDPUD, services, programs, wants and needs, etc. Employee Customer Service Training- Staff and A.D. Marketing are working on selecting and/or developing an employee customer service training program. The focus will be on training employees enhanced customer service skills and provide them with the tools to provide TDPUD customers with superior electric and water utility service. Business & Energy Efficiency Partnership- The energy and water efficiency measures have been incorporated into the Chamber building. The Chamber Partnership project is designed to encourage local groups, clubs and individuals to tour the facility. TDPUD Staff is available for guided tours. Staff will be promoting the use of the Chamber facility to TDPUD customers for energy and water information and conservation education this Summer. Community/Statewide Involvement Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Committee- Working with other businesses in reviewing the following activities: the Downtown Specific Plan, Business • Questionnaire, Doing Business in Truckee Guide, etc. Staff attended the June 10 meeting. Town of Truckee Air Quality Management Plan Advisory Committee- The Committee is currently evaluating different options for mitigating the PM 2.5/10 problem in Truckee. Duane Hall, Town Planner, is currently drafting a Truckee Air Quality Management Plan based on input from the Air Quality Management Plan Advisory Committee. Committee meetings are on hold until the plan is completed in draft form, probably July, 1997. Staff is hoping that some of these monies will be available to promote the GSHP, clean air, heating and cooling technology. Northern California Power Agency Member Services Task Force- This committee's activities are currently on-hold. California Municipal Utilities Association Energy Services and Marketing Committee- The Committee is working on projects and programs to help CMUA member utilities prepare for deregulation. Through this committee, I have worked with other public utility staff on developing guidelines for the AB1890 Public Goods Charge for publicly- owned utilities. I attended a CMUA meeting and workshop on the Public Goods Charge June 5, 6. This State-mandated program will probably result in TDPUD spending 2.85% of annual revenues from 1998 through 2001 or longer on public goods programs including providing low-income assistance(AB 1600). • CEC California Ground Source Heat Pump Collaborative- Staff participates in quarterly meetings of the California Energy Commission's GSHP Collaborative. The Collabora- tive was formed to oversee the development and promotion of the GSHP industry in California. Utility Energy Forum Planning Committee- The next UEF meeting will be held in Granlibakken May, 1997. Employee Safety/Training Safety Committee- The TDPUD Safety Committee met June 30. The Safety Committee meetings generally involve discussions about the status of safety items listed in this report as well as recent employee accidents and property damage. Healthy Meals- This continues to be a popular program with employees. The next "healthy" lunch is July 2. The menu included: (see attached recipes and nutritional analyses). • • Staff Report for June Support Services Kathy Neus PURCHASING AND WAREHOUSING 1. New vendors are being sought for special order items. 2. Going out for quotes and purchase of several transformers for upcoming developments. 3. Assisting the meter reading department with customer letters. 4. Researching and correcting outstanding inventory items on the uninvoiced receipts and unreceived invoice reports. 5. Sue is continuing to help close out development agreement work orders when time allows. 6. Sam has staged the material for several jobs, both in the electric and water departments. 7. Most of the transformers ordered through the bidding process have been received, physically numbered and entered into the computer records. METER READERS 1. Meter change outs - the meter readers and the service crew have installed approximately 650 meters this year for a total of 3,000 OMR meters currently in service within the District. 2. The meter readers are beginning their annual seal checks which also includes inspection of our facilities, service drops, meters and service connections. 3. There were 10,557 meters read, 293 service reports completed, 20 low usage investigations and 153 (48 hour/1013 disconnect) notices delivered. BUILDING AND GROUNDS MAINTENANCE 1. The sandblasting and stucco quotes are almost all in. 2. The bid has been awarded for the replacement of the roof over the west side of the building and is scheduled to be completed by August 29. 3. The Fame work on the outside wall should be completed by July 18 and the remainder of the Fema projects should be completed by the end of August. VEHICLE MAINTENANCE 1. The department continues to be busy as it seems to be the year of vehicle mishaps. Another fender bender, no injuries. 2. Unit 06, engine was over-revved, fuel pump is broken and the engine is being inspected for any additional damage. 3. There were six BIT inspections, seven service inspections, and several miscellaneous repairs, such as strobe lights and turn signals. Truckee Donner /iUtilityBoard of Directors_ Joseph R.Aguera J. Ronald Herrig Business Office Planning Services Robert A.Jones (916)587-3896 (916)587-3944 FAX(916) 587-5056 fames A. Maass Patricia S. Suiton General Manager Peter L. Hoizr:eister ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES: June - July, 1997 STAFF REPORT " Submitted by Mary Chapman, July 16, 1997 j J CUSTOMER SERVICE: Customer service activity has been very busy. We processed many service transfer and reconnect requests. New construction and requests for new services has also increased during this period. BILLING: Billing is current. I have been attending two groups of meetings that are focused on customer billing systems for the new deregulated environment. Apparently, everyone will have to upgrade or buy a new billing . system to handle the new requirements. Most are looking to totally replace their billing systems. The first group is made up of members of NCPA. This group has focused on discussing the various options that will be available to the members which include upgrading or purchasing a new system on your own, working with a vendor to do part or all of your customer billing, or member agencies going together to purchase a billing system and operate the system in a similar manner to a service bureau. The second group of meetings has been made up of both representatives of NCPA and those of the Southern California Public Power Agency (SCPPA). This effort was first started by the SCPPA members who later invited the NCPA members into the project. R.W. Beck was hired by the SCPPA group to help the members develop a model "request for proposal' that the members could use to purchase a new billing system. The final model RFP will be done on August 18, 1997. In the meantime, the joint NCPA/SCPPA group will be hearing presentations from approximately 10 vendors on July 17, July 23 and July 24. The presentations will only be for an hour and a half. There is no way that any of the vendors could make a thorough presentation during that time period. The members will only be able to get a feel for what is available in the market to handle the new requirements of deregulation or if there is anything at all. OrCom will be one of the presenters. They will be presenting their Mirror Pond billing system. We are currently using their Classic billing system. While the Classic billing system has served us well for the last ten years, it will not be able to handle the requirements of the deregulated environment. On July 29, Peter and I will be attending an NCPA meeting where the members will further discuss the options that might be available to the members either individually or jointly. Whether the District decides to open its borders or not, it may be necessary for us to "look like everyone Post Office Box 309 0 11570 Donner Pass Road 0 Truckee, California 96160 else" when it comes to customer billing. This is a decision that is yet to be made by the Board. We are only in an information gathering stage at this point. ACCOUNTING: Accounts payable and payroll are current. We are currently working on financial reports for the month of June, 1997. In two weeks we will be upgrading our Payroll software to a version that will be year 2000 compatible. We have submitted a request to OrCom to review all of the remaining software to find out which programs still will need to be upgraded and a time frame to upgrade each one. There will be a charge associated with these upgrades. We are already on the year 2000 compatible versions of the General Ledger and Budget software. OTHER: We have formed a network committee to develop a plan for designing, purchasing, installing and implementing a personal network system for the District. The members of the committee are Joan Antonucci, Rosana Matlock, Steve Hollabaugh, Ed Taylor and myself. We've held a few meetings at which we identified a list of how the District staff could utilize a network, we developed a personal computer standard describing the configuration of future personal computers that would operate efficiently on the network, we listed all of the District's existing personal computer equipment and identified which computers would have to be replaced or upgraded and we developed a list of all of the decisions that will have to be made in order to purchase and implement a network system. We are still in the information gathering phase of the project. Last month we upgraded our IBM AS400 version of the operating system and increased our hard drive space. The staff has also been working on their Job Descriptions By Objectives to identify departmental goals and objectives for the next year. 0697MOLY.RPT •