Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutWater Report January 21, 1980 WATER COMMITTEE REPORT to Board of Directors, TDPUL' for January 21, 1980 Regular Meeting The Water Planning Committee Meeting set for January 14, 1980 was cancelled, and the Committee met on January 16. Directors Karl Kuttel and Pat Sutton were present. Also present were Manager Milt Seymour and District Engineer Dan Cook. There was no suggested agenda of items to be discussed prepared or distributed. Director Sutton requested a quick verbal report from the Manager regarding the water problems on the SouthSide on December 13 dupe to the big rain storm. Mr. Seymour indicated that the below-ground interior of the pumping station had been flooded; that the pumps had not been damaged because they are sealed; and that the problem was resolved within less than 4 hours. Mr. Cook confirmed that the priority projects authorized for funding from some source Include Alternate B costing $123,200 for the reconstruction and relocation of the Sierra Meadows Booster, which will resolve the problem. Mr. Seymour also reported that there had been a problem with the water main crossing the Truckee River east of Highway 267 due to the storm. DISTRICT LANDS: Director Kuttel requested that the Committee discuss District-owned lands, and expressed his concern that the land be leased or sold so that water system improvements can be paid for. The Manager pointed out that a request/mio�ie District's 1.9 acre parcel at Highway 89 South and Donner Pass Road had been received from the new bank being started in Truckee, and it would be on the January 21 °Ieeting agenda. He provided a copy of a news release dateoapuary 17, 1980 about the new bank. Director Sutton expressed concern eu"'flnvolvement of both the Manager and Board President Kuttel as bank organizers when the District has received an inquiry about District land. Mr. Kuttel indicated he would only partici- pate in the discussion without voting. Sutton said she believed that there were Attorney General's opinions indicating that any party with a financial interest must remove themselves from participation while the item is under consideration. Mr. Seymour agreed that both he and Mr. Kuttel should not participate in the Board's discussion on the bank's proposal. There was discussion of the District's attempt to account for monies from the sale of District lands which were or may have been used to pay Electric Department expenses without crediting the Water Department. Mr. Kuttel reiterated the parcel sales he wishes to have looked into: the 120 acre sale to Dart, the sales to Dr. Keith and Dr. Warmkessel, the 4.2 acre sale to the Park & Recreation District, and the Golf Course. He emphasized that he only wants an accounting of the amount of the sale plus interest, and he requested Committee agreement limiting the inquiry to that. Director Sutton declined to agree with this proposal as a recommendation to the Board at this time. She stated that she believed the entire matter needs some further investigation from the standpoint of past accounting practices allocating administrative expenses, and whether department expenses were properly charged to each utility. WATER COMMITTEE REPORT for January 21, 1980 Board Meeting page 2 WATER RATES: The Manager reported that the Electric Committee will be recommending an 1112% increase in Domestic and small Commercial electric rates, which will affect the water pumping rates. He also reported that he expects a 7z//o growth rate in the Water Department 10 � this year. He said that he expects that the District will probably need a 15% increase in the Water Tariff base rate (Zone 1), and the 111 electric rate proposed increase plus the last electric rate increase in a revised pumping charge. Director Sutton indicated thatshe believes that the pumping charge should be written to allow for changes in the electric rates without having to revise the zonal charge to reflect that increase each time. It was agreed to recommend to the Board that the Manager & Engineer prepare information on the need to increase the Water Tariff. (SEE RECOMMLiNDATI ON AT END OF REPORT.) WATER CONNECTION FEES: Mr. Seymour indicated that he believed that the Connection Fee should be Increased to $190; the current fee is $140 (including $50 reserve for future water meter) for a 3/4 inch service. He said that the y50 increase would be to allow for a connection plan check, a connection location check, inspec- tion of the service line prior to connection, etc. He indicated that the costs of a new job classification for a Water Department Estimator-Inspector could be paid out of this increase in the connection fee. Both Directors Kuttel and Sutton agreed that the District should be doing all of these things on each connection to the system, and that the cost should be included in the Connection Fee. Director Sutton indicated that she presumed such expenses were already included in the Connection Fee,in addition to the costs of setting up a new account, the hardware and labor to make the connection at the main, etc. She asked for an accounting from the Engineer of all the items included in his calculation of the existing Connection Fee so that any increase in this fee can be justified by cost figures. It was agreed to recommend to the Board that the Manager and Engineer proceed In the evaluation of the Connection Fees. (SEE REC0rUME11DATI0113 AT END OF REPORT. ) FACILITIES FEES: Mr. Cook indicated that he has already been authorized several months ago to prepare a description and definition of this fee, both the philosophy and the physical components, and that he is in the process of doing this. Sutton indicated she felt there is some uncertainty about the purpose of the fee. It was agreed to recommend to the Board that the Facilities Fees be evaluated along with the Water Rates and Connection Fees. (SEA. RECOMMENDATION AT END OF REPOH'i'.) WATER COMMITTEE REPORT for January 21, 1990 Board Meeting page 3 GUIDELINES & STANDARDS: Director Sutton expressed concern that no Guidelines and Standards for the water system have ever been formally adopted by any Board, and that the work started by a sub-committee ( xoo-,k-,,,��,, Sedymour & Sutton) 2 or 22 years ago has never been completed on theJlu�del�rnes & Standards recommended in the 1976 Water System Analysis Report. She said she would like to see those revisions and refinements pursued and completed within the next few months so they .� can be presented to the Board. Mr. Cook said he would look into it. There was discussion about requirements the District may want to request be included in County building requirements within the TDPUD water service area: drainage & shut-off features in the house, depth of customer'; water service line, etc. FUNDING FOR PRIORITY PROJECTS: Mr. Cook confirmedA�a he is preparing pre-applications for both Farmers Home Administration and apartment of Water Resources loans, as directed by the Board. He indicated that DWR does have funds available, that a DWR loan would need voter approval, and that a loan from this source is more expensive to use than a FmHA loan. He outlined the procedures and time schedule for both FmHA and DWR funds, and pointed out the difference with the District's prior FmHA loan-grant. DONNER CREEK WELL #2: Mr. Kuttel expressed concern about the quality of the water from this well, and showed the build-up of minerals deposited in water-heater fittings he had removed in the Gateway area recently. He suggested that the hook-up of the Sanders Well be included in the current projects so the Donner Creek Well #2 could be abandoned as a water source. Mr. Cook said that the Sanders Well set-up has been planned to provide water to the Town System, and that it should be altered to serve the area north of town. He indicated that the alterations to the pump and the connection to the Prosser Heights system could be included in the Project ?9-1 funding request, or could be accomplished as previously discussed as a Budget item. Mr. S }�r 7�ecommended that the corrosiveness of the water from the Donner Cree3y�uIn various seasons of the year be determined by regular water analyses. The Committee agreed. (SEE ffi-,OMMENDATI ON AT END OF REPORT. ) INCREASING SCOPE OF LOAN APPLICATION PROJECTS: There was discussion about expanding the projects for funding in the current package. Mr. Kuttel express his strong recommendation that the size of the package be expanded to include something for each service are,- of the District. He indicated that this would help sell the ballot measure to the voters. WATER COMMITTED REPORT for January 21, 1980 Board Meeting page 1+ Director Sutton said she believed that the Board should stay with its current plan in order to try to get something on the ballot in June so construction of the priority projects could possibly take place this year. Mr. Cook and Mr. Seymour recommended that the best approach at this time is to attempt to obtain a loan commitment and voter approval of the projects the Board has already established as priority items. Mr. Cook indicated that he believed that some commitment can be obtained in time for the June election. Mr. Kuttel again stressed the political advantage of including something for everyone in order -to get voter support; he expressed concern about the prob- lems in the Southside of the system if the voters aren't willing to pay for them without some improvement in their own area. Director Sutton suggested that if the voters in the District don't approve the funding of these priority projects, a later alternative would be to try to form an assessment district In the Southside so the people in that area can improve their water delivery and fire-flow. She further said that if the voters in the entire District don't care, and if the people in the Southside don't care, then the District would have to decide whether there can be any additional hook-ups in that part of the system on a long-term basis. MISCELLANEOUS: Sutton inquired about what she presumes to be an exposed water line in the open trench behind Donner Center; she asked the Manager to determine the situation and whether there might be some system problem resulting from the exposure of the line during cold weather. She also inquired about the large holes in the roadway in at least one location on West River Street resulting from the recent storm; Mr. Seymour indicated it was not located at a road crossing by the District for a water connection. Sutton also expressed concern that the storm waters in the vicinity of Ace Hardware and Cal-Gas did not seem to be draining properly beneath Donner Pass Road into the drainage ditch the District provided the County an easement for and helped to construct across the edge of the 1.9 acre parcel. The I,anager indicated that the Office and Ware}Iouse did not suffer too badly from the storm waters that backed up in that area. WELL S1ANDARDS: Director Sutton indicated a strong desire for the Committee to proceed with any work to be done on the Well Standards that were proposed so that they can be recommended to the Board for adoption soon. THE WATER COMMITTEE AGREED TO MAKE THE FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS TO 'rHE BOARD: 1 - that the Board authorize the Engineer and the Manager to evaluate the need to increase Water Tariffs, Water Connection Fees, and Water Facilities Fees; and 2 - that the Board authorize the Manager to obtain a regular monthly chemical analysis of water from the Donner Creek Well. #2 so that records can be established on the properties of the water. ectfully submitted,itted, i_ 2-� PA SUPTON TDPUD Director TRUCKEE-DONNER PUBLIC UTILITY DISTRICT POST OFFICE BOX 309 TRUCKEE, CALIFORNIA 95734 TELEPHONE S87 3896 January 21, 1980 MANAGER'S REPORT 1. General Status of the District - Since the last Board Meeting, we have had another series of storms - mostly rain - that caused some problems for the elec- trical system. Although outages were numerous, they were generally of lesser Consequence than the outages suffered during the Christmas storm. We have also had two water leaks during the past two weeks - one in Tahoe Donner and one in Gateway; both were broken services. Pumping records at Northside Well and Donner Creek Well indicate that we may have another as yet undetermined leak in the Town system. The amount of water being pumped is considerably greater than normal. One of the side effects of the long series of storms extending from Christmas until just recently is the inability to install many new electrical services or change new services from temporary to permanent. Now that good weather has returned and the damage caused by the storms has been repaired, our crews are going full steam at getting caught up in their efforts to in- stall and convert new services. I have directed the General Foreman to give this activity the highest priority. 2. District Conservation Program - We are working with Sierra Pacific to set up an insulation program for do-it-yourselfers and local contractors sometime in the late Spring or early Summer. Under this program, Sierra Pacific will furnish the insulation at their cost. PUD customers needing the insulation would purchase it and install it themselves or arrage with a local contractor to have it installed. Sierra Pacific would provide the insulation blowers for do-it-yourselfers and would assist the District in making the necessary energy audits several weeks prior to making the insulation available. Other possibilities are being examined including alternate energy from biomass, possibly in conjunction with Douglas Lumber Company. 3. Emergency Alternator for District Headquarters - I have looked into the possibility of installing an emergency alternator, for the PUD headquarters should we lose power from Sierra Pacific. The recent events in Tahoe City and South Lake Tahoe indicate that such a standby power supply would be extremely desirable in case of long power outages originating in the Sierra Pacific 60kV and 120kV system. A five kilowatt generator would enable the District head- quarters to operate normally except for the electric heating system. The cost of a standby generator including switch-over panels and electric start, and perhaps a propane supply for fuel would be between $1,500 and $2,500 depending on the exact model, !.size and features selected. Since power interruptions to the PUD headquarters are rare, I would recommend the less expensive models with manual switch over from District power to standby power which should cost ap- proximately $2,000. Such a standby plant would enable us to operate lights in the District's headquarters as well as the two-way system and would provide power for the station lamps in our telephone sets. rt Q+ rt N t7 ft 0 Ktt C7 rt 4 a' w O G � wG' p O N v 0 N m m H m NO LQED0rt H. (n Ga mG mrtanrooali Pd aLQ N rtartr• tiroW �t roa nm aNH ft 0r• rt 9antt "Ch n a If- 0rt5r• �"h0NXrt mrtE 0m 00110ft r• NN amN a F,l<1c 11 0rtE � N ~ m r Nr• a 0 m Qj m ° n �aNaP.00 rt 7 xxF, w" to IA 0 W N C a rt m m N tp n G V Hm r- m 1­ 5rto m 01t Nm a 1,• N0 r-hV11 m o tt � N rt !j 0W NW r• m m I �CNG a' m m aHwacn Fl HrtE 0 11rta r• rtG m 0 m a Na h a r• rtftN 8. V 0 rn It m nw0 to a nnGart rt Fl- o m a 0 h0 o N drat m m PF m INS m N rt N 0 m H ft P ft n 0 7 ft p, rt a r• a 0 I h m r• I � w {gyp m o m N pj m °t > r• o rtri5i C7 H V m r• N H � GEco rj. (D N C7 lb h W 0 0 fmt m m a r• ro0 r 0 rtrtr• ro m 0 a m � a s r• a a nH rtrt Nma0mw m a+ N N 6 0 tJ E m rt0 gP. G ITm m 0 co Pros rtw mrtN-j rtttx mn mNNo' EnrNrmrt N lb o N M I rr � m I°i m m rt is FHo t hm am 0 m rt ft m l & rID °t x m ry' N art' r"r rt art ft 0 0 m � a 0 �cw aroa m X � m Fl It Eo rt H p m m H G N N N Nm ratc E3 £ EW an H. td rt m r r• a a r- n a m � hNartr- ra0 0 rK tJ m rt m H a FFl- wa ro In� m o � rt a ° N � a a aNw It mn XmMrt a rt amp r• co 0 0 For Release 1/17/80 Contact: A. Milton Seymour 916-587-3896 TRUCKEE MAY GET NEW BANK A group of sixteen local residents filed an application with the California Superintendent of banks to charter a new commercial bank in the Truckee Area..... The Truckee River Bank. The idea of a new bank originated last summer at a meeting between Jim Bezzerides, Steve Boice, Milt Seymour and banking consultant Jerry Findley. Bezzerides and Seymour later hired Findley to make a feasibility study which concluded that there would be substantial support for a new locally owned bank. An exploratory meeting with a group of civic minded local citizens confirmed the support predicted by Findley. Quickly a group of active organizers formed and the tasks of naming the bank, completing the lengthy application, setting initial policy, locating a qualified president and finding a suitable location began. Perhaps the easiest of these chores was choosing a name. Various names were proposed; Bank of Truckee, Tahoe-Truckee Bank, Sierra Bank etc. The name that caught the imagination of the organizers was "TRUCKEE RIVER B.,1NK". The name sounded good and reflected a service area extending from South Lake Tahoe to the California-Nevada State line near Reno. This includes the Tahoe Basin, Truckee, Donner Lake and towns as distant as Sierraville and Loyalton . During the past two weeks, informal solicitations of support from community leaders indicates that when the new bank stock is offered for sale, demand will greatly exceed the initial $1,500,000 offering. MOII: Two 1/17/80 Temporary Chairman, Milt Seymour indicated that despite -the heavy demand for stock by initial investors, a portion of the stock would be reserved to offer to the general public. 11 We want the widest practical ownership of our new bank", he said. 11 No Director, rounder or member of the public will be able to buy more than 37- of the 150,000 shares of stock to be offered." Assuming the TRUCKEE RIVER BANK receives its charter within the next two months the bank expects to open its doors by the Fall of this year at one of several West Truckee sites under consideration. Jerry Findley, Banking Consultant who has helped form /,.2 banks in California and is the author of deveral books on banking stated that the enthusiasm and speed with which the new bank is being organized is as great as any other new bank he has worked with. The list of organizers include: Jim Bezze.rides, Steve Boice, Pat and Don Callahan, Milt and Bonnie Seymour, Glen Stice, Don Strand, Eric Noda, Charles White, Bill and Diana Stephens, Tom Watson, Jack Leonesio, Jerry Wells, r� Steve Lieberman, Karl Kuttel, Bill Me Clintock, and Bill McKee. li ii`L'I4D���� Y C�