Minutes of the
Green Lake Sanitary Sewer and Water District Commission
6:00 p.m., Monday, December 17, 2007
GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant

Present: Dennis Baker, John Bergman, Dennis Peterson, Troy Block, Kevin Dittbenner

Absent: Marv Hey, Clayton Anderson, Brett Aamot

Others present: Ron Hagemeier, Dean Helstrom, Gary Danielson

The meeting was called to order by chairman, Dennis Baker, at 6 p.m. on Monday, December 17, 2007 at the GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Water/Wastewater Flows

The monthly water loss spreadsheet for November shows Spicer with 6.6% loss, Green Lake with 13.1% loss, and New London with 27.9% loss.  The monthly average for all three entities is 15.9% with a year to date average of 18.1%.

There is a DNR Water Conservation Plan report that needs to be completed which is due in March 2008.

A meeting is being held at the wastewater plant on Thursday, December 20, with the Minnesota Department of Health related to the trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids tested for in the water.  The cities of New London and Spicer will also be here along with the city of Litchfield.  There will be a follow up report at the January meeting.

2008 Budget

The 2008 District Budget fees and rates were presented to and approved by the County Board at their December 10, 2007 meeting.

Lake Florida Metering & Billing

Work is currently being done with the Kandiyohi Power Cooperative and the submeter manufacturer regarding the 185 electrical meters as to why some are reading zero kilowatt usage when no one is there and others are reading up to 8 kilowatt usage.  There is not uniform consistency in the numbers.  Close monitoring is being done on six different stations.  An update will be given in January.

Lake Updates

Design work is continuing with a week or two remaining on surveying.  At the first of the year, letters regarding easements will be sent out to property owners on Lake George, Nest Lake and follow up with Lake Henderson.  The bidding process is anticipated for mid to late April 2008 for all the lakes at once with an aggressive construction season possibly beginning in May 2008 with completion by the end of 2008 with the exception of the resorts possibly waiting until Spring 2009.

John Hanson of Diamond Lake along with two other residents and Julie Clocker, from the watershed district, visited the District the other day wanting to get feel of what GLSSWD is all about.  There was discussion regarding numerous items regarding the operation of the District.  It was noted during the meeting that there is need for a finance committee to be set up as well as the committees already in place for Diamond Lake.

Minutes

There was a unanimous decision to remove the last sentence under Lake Updates in the November minutes which reads “The Harrison Township is handling the process on Diamond Lake along with watershed personnel.”  A motion to approve the minutes with the above change was made by Troy Block and seconded by Dennis Peterson.  There being no further discussion, the motion carried.

Bills

A motion to approve the bills was made by Dennis Peterson and seconded by Troy Block.  With no discussion, the motion carried.

Other

The Scada system is only 95% done and needs to get completed by Preferred Controls.  There are problems with information being supplied from the Lake Florida and Lake George lift stations that just can’t seem to get working.  The UPS went out at the Spicer Tower last week and no one has been out to fix it.  Granted there is 10% of the final payment being held back but there is no aggression shown for them to get this work completed.  The consensus of the Commission is to give Preferred Control a deadline to get the work done; if not, get someone else to complete the job; and if Preferred Control does complete the job, work with it for 3 months before making final payment.

There was a permit granted by Gary Geer for the septic system installed in the city of New London that was discussed at the November meeting.

A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Troy Block and seconded by John Bergman.  The motion carried.

The next meeting will be held on Monday, January 28, 2008 at 6 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, 

Elizabeth Slinden
Recording Secretary

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Minutes of the
Green Lake Sanitary Sewer and Water District Commission
6:00 p.m., Monday, November 26, 2007
GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant

Present: Clayton Anderson, Marv Hey, John Bergman, Kevin Dittbenner, Brett Aamot, Troy Block, Dennis Peterson

Absent: Dennis Baker

Others present: Ron Hagemeier

The meeting was called to order by vice-president, Clayton Anderson, at 6 p.m. on Monday, November 26, 2007 at the GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Water/Wastewater Flows

The water loss for Spicer is 0.5% and Green Lake is 4.5%.  These numbers are continuing to fluctuate abnormally.  New London is at 27.8% for water loss.  The average for the three entities for the month of October is 10.9% with the yearly average at 18.3%.

On Wednesday of this week, Spicer will be reading the meters around Green Lake.  Since last month Tom, the meter reader, has talked to the census people and learned more about the computerized system.  A District employee plans to be riding with Tom.  Following the initial meter read, those meters showing as no reads will be pulled up and read again.  There will be troubleshooting and critiquing done to get the meter reads correct.  There will also be a meeting with Ron, Dennis Baker, and Kimberly Wothe in the near future to discuss in house procedures.

2008 Budget

The 2008 Budget was presented last month to the Commission for review and to be brought to the city councils of New London and Spicer.  The 2008 Budget is looking at a 3% increase for water usage from $2.13 to $2.19 per 1,000 gallons and wastewater usage from $3.74 to $3.85 per 1,000 gallons and the hiring of one additional facility operator.  The Green Lake portion of the budget has been approved by the Green Lake Committee with an increase of the O & M from $128 to $146.  The Lake Florida Committee has also approved their portion of the budget.

Following some discussion, a motion was made by Marv Hey and seconded by Troy Block to approve the 2008 District Budget.  The budget will be presented to the Kandiyohi County Board at the December 10, 2007 meeting.

Lake Florida Metering & Billing

The current billing from the Kandiyohi Power Cooperative has improved from the previous billing and is well on the way to being correct.

Hidden Springs Update

The Hidden Springs Development was hooked up as of September 28, 2007.  This development has septic tanks in place to collect the wastewater with the gray water running into a central collection lift station and then pumped to the road to the District’s main collection system.  There was some discussion last month as to an agreement with the residents regarding the need for the pumping of the septic tanks.  Since the pumps installed are grinder pumps, the District is not too concerned as to when the septic tanks are pumped.  The maintenance of the septic tanks will be left to the individual homeowners and/or the Hidden Springs Development Association.

Lake Updates

The final assessment for Lake Florida is $17,625 which came in right about at the estimate.

The engineers are doing design and field work on George Lake, Henderson Lake, and Nest Lake with bids being let next spring.  Once the numbers are in, there will be informational meetings.  If favorable, a public hearing will be held and a possible go ahead from the County Board.

The Harrison Township is handling the process on Diamond Lake along with watershed personnel.

City of Kandiyohi

The city is looking at going with either the District or City of Willmar for wastewater treatment needs.  The city council is pursuing approval of money for a feasibility study to be done by Bolton and Menk.  Hookup to the District would be accomplished quicker for Kandiyohi if Diamond Lake would come into the District.

Minutes

A motion to approve the minutes was made by Dennis Peterson and seconded by John Bergman.  There being no discussion, the motion carried.

Bills

Ron Wothe, Jimmy Apple Seed, was reimbursed the hookup fee because he did not follow through with plumbing in the building that would have resulted in a mandatory hookup to the District system.  A motion to approve the bills was made by Marv Hey and seconded by John Bergman.  With no further discussion, the motion carried.

Other

There was discussion regarding sewer availability to residents with failed systems.  The resident would be required to hook up to the District if within a reasonable distance from a collection line.

A house in the city limits of New London now has a new on-site septic system with the city being unaware the previous system had failed until the backhoe left the property after the work was completed.  John will check with Gary Geer if a permit was issued.

Some discussion took place regarding the three houses in the Spicer city limits with District service stubbed up to them and the need for an agreement on how the District will get the dollars for these when they hook up.

A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Troy Block and seconded by Brett Aamot.  The motion carried.

The next meeting will be held on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 6 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, 

Elizabeth Slinden
Recording Secretary

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Minutes of the
Green Lake Sanitary Sewer and Water District Commission
6:00 p.m., Monday, October 22, 2007
GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant

Present: Marv Hey, Dennis Baker, Clayton Anderson, John Bergman, Dennis Peterson, Kevin Dittbenner, Brett Aamot

Absent: Perry Wohnoutka

Others present: Ron Hagemeier, Gary Danielson, Tom Bonde

The meeting was called to order by chairman, Dennis Baker, at 6 p.m. on Monday, October 22, 2007 at the GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Jeremy Pfeifer will attend next month to explain the transformation of one or more old system cluster sites back to private ownership.

Water/Wastewater Flows

The water loss for Spicer is 16.8%, Green Lake is 28.1%, and New London is 19.2% with the monthly average at 21.3% and year to date average is 19.1%.  The Eagle Estate mag meters are still out of service.

The total water and wastewater sold for Green Lake is up from last year.  The water sold for New London is also up however the wastewater sold is down.  Both the water and wastewater sold for Spicer are down.

There have been no water leaks repaired.  There are no known leaks.

Green Lake Committee Report

The Green Lake Committee met on Wednesday, October 10, 2007.  There will be another meeting scheduled this year to further discuss residents requesting water and sewer hookup to garages and guest houses.  Gary Geer of the county zoning office will be involved as to modifying the current assessment and hookup policy.

There was discussion among the Commission with the consensus for the Green Lake Committee to handle the issue and report back in November.

Lake Florida Committee Report

The Lake Florida Committee met on Thursday, October 11, 2007 regarding the proposed 2008 budget which was approved.  There are some billing issues that Kandiyohi Power Cooperative is working on getting resolved.  This will be included on the agenda in November.

Draft 2008 Budget

A draft 2008 District budget reflecting an increase of 3% for the water and sewer usage rates and the hiring of an additional employee was presented to the Commission.  This would increase the water usage rate from $2.13 to $2.19 per 1,000 gallons, the wastewater usage rate from $3.74 to $3.85 per 1,000 gallons, and the hiring of an additional employee.  The facts are not only is there the need for hiring another employee to handle the increased workload, but that the repair and maintenance expenses are rising because of the age of the facility.  Following some discussion, the Commission was asked to take the draft for review, present copies to the cities of New London and Spicer, and return in November to finalize the budget for presentation to the County Board at their December meeting.

Final Date for Waived Lake Florida Hook Up Fees

Following discussion, a motion was made by Marv Hey and seconded by Clayton Anderson to set a final date of September 30, 2008 for waived hook up fees on Lake Florida.  The motion carried.  Note:  This applies only to current structures and not new construction.

Hidden Springs Hook Up

The Hidden Springs sewer system is now hooked up to the lake sewer collection line.  Discussion took place regarding the need for pumping the septic tanks and how this would be monitored.  There will be a policy worked out between the Lake Florida Committee and the District and brought back to the Commission in November.

Expired Commission Member Appointments for 2008

The first term for Clayton Anderson expires December 31, 2007.  He may serve another term and Dennis Peterson will seek County Board approval to have Clayton Anderson appointed to a second term.

Meeting Dates for November and December

The November Commission meeting will be held on Monday, November 26, 2007.  The December Commission meeting will be held on Monday, December17, 2007.

Minutes

There was discussion regarding the review of the water & sewer assessment policy for second tier particularly the Lake Avenue South structures in the city limits of Spicer.  Dennis Baker will check with Kimberly regarding this and report back to the Commission in November.  A motion to approve the minutes was made by John Bergman and seconded by Brett Aamot.  There being no further discussion, the motion carried.

Bills

A motion to approve the bills was made by Clayton Anderson and seconded by Marv Hey.  With no discussion, the motion carried.

Other

Tom Bonde urged the Commission to extend wastewater service to Diamond Lake.  The watershed district is also working with Diamond Lake regarding sewage treatment issues.  The City of Kandiyohi is also still interested in GLSSWD sewer service.

The Lake Florida assessment hearing scheduled for Friday, November 16, at 7 p.m. will be held in the community room at the Kandiyohi Power Cooperative building.

A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Clayton Anderson and seconded by John Bergman.  The motion carried.

The next meeting will be held on Monday, November 26, 2007 at 6 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Elizabeth Slinden
Recording Secretary 

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Minutes of the
Green Lake Sanitary Sewer and Water District Commission
6:00 p.m., Monday, September 24, 2007
GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant

Present: John Bergman, Kevin Dittbenner, Perry Wohnoutka, Dennis Peterson, Brett Aamot

Absent: Dennis Baker, Clayton Anderson, Marv Hey

Others present: Ron Hagemeier, Mr. & Mrs. Curt Kuznia, Roger Stehn, Gary Danielson

The meeting was called to order by Dennis Peterson at 6 p.m. on Monday, September 24, 2007 at the GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Water/Wastewater Flows

The August water loss numbers for Spicer are -4.4% and Green Lake are -7.1%.  This is not a mag meter problem but the meter reading dates of the City of Spicer.  New London water loss is 20.8%.  The average loss for the three entities is 3.1% with a total year to date average of 18.9%.  The numbers should average out better next month.  Ron has talked to Lorie and Kimberly regarding this.

The mag meter at the Eagle Estates lift station was struck by lightning during a storm on Thursday, September 20.

Lake Florida & Other Lake Updates

The project on Lake Florida is complete.  There are metering issues that need to be solved.  Ron has received at least 25 calls from residents regarding the billing.  This is set up to work with a mag meter that tracks the total flow coming from the lake.  There is a contract with Kandiyohi Power to supply turtle meters to track the kilowatt usage for the grinder/pump stations.  Last month with the District meters in place 407,000 gallons of flow for the month was received and the Kandiyohi Power meters totaled 277 kilowatts used.  This was divided out to be so many gallons per kilowatt and charged out.  The total gallons being charged are correct but the registering of the kilowatts used seems to be wrong.  Dean Helstrom with Bolton & Menk is investigating the issue by doing calibration work regarding the stations.  The residents concerns are being handled on a case by case basis.

Since the last Commission meeting, the County Board made the decision to expand the District to include Henderson, George, and Nest Lakes.  Data is being compiled for the project with anticipation of a bid opening in April 2008.

Curt Kuznia - Request for reduction in sewer assessment for second tier garage

After reviewing the current policy and some discussion with Curt regarding his request, the Commission recommended the Lake Committee address this at their next meeting.  Ron will contact Clayton Anderson to put this on the agenda.

Review of Water & Sewer Assessment Policy for Second Tier - Lake Avenue South structures that are in the city limits of Spicer and request hook up to GLSSWD

The Commission was asked if these residents would request to hookup to the District stubs in the future should they be charged the District hookup fee and assessment.  Following discussion, the Commission told Ron, if contacted, to refer them to the City of Spicer since they are in the city limits.  If hook up should be requested, the city will workout the reimbursement for fees with the District.

Review of Lake Florida Base Fee Assessments - Regarding grinder stations installed in lots where there is no hook up to a structure

The reason the four grinder stations were installed on vacant lots was so the residents could get in on the low financing and also not have to pay the $2,000 hookup fee when building.  Dean made an agreement with these residents when the stations were installed that a base fee of $20.40 per month would need to be paid when hooked up to the main collection line.  There has been one call complaining about this charge.  Following some discussion, the Commission is in agreement these residents should pay the base fee.

Minutes

A motion to approve the minutes was made by Brett Aamot and seconded by John Bergman.  There being no discussion, the motion carried.

Bills

A copy of a certification of final payment for the replacement of the GLSSWD sewer force main at the Country Stop in the amount of $29,280 was distributed.  Following some discussion, a motion to approve the bills with the inclusion of the certification of final payment for the replacement of the GLSSWD sewer force main was made by John Bergman and seconded by Kevin Dittbenner.  With no further discussion, the motion carried.

Other

Ron and Gary will meet with the Green Lake and Lake Florida Committees regarding the 2008 budget and present a draft to the Commission at the October meeting.  A 3% increase in usage fees is being looked at for all entities and the possibility of financing required to hire another employee.

Since working with Trudie on the spreadsheet for the bond repayment, calculating in the Lake Florida EDU’s being generated and possible future EDU’s, and unless something changes, the currentbase fee of $34.00 should carry the District through the year 2020.

Since it has been dry this year, there has just recently been livestock at the old pond site.

The meeting was adjourned by Dennis Peterson.

The next meeting will be held on Monday, October 22, 2007 at 6 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Elizabeth Slinden
Recording Secretary

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Minutes of the
Green Lake Sanitary Sewer and Water District Commission
6:00 p.m., Monday, August 20, 2007
GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant

Present: Clayton Anderson, Brett Aamot, John Bergman, Dennis Peterson

Absent: Dennis Baker, Kevin Dittbenner, Perry Wohnoutka, Marv Hey

Others present: Ron Hagemeier, Roger Stehn, Dick Gunderson, Dean Helstrom, Terry Frazee, Tom Bonde, Gary Danielson

The meeting was called to order by chairman, Clayton Anderson, at 6 p.m. on Monday, August 20, 2007 at the GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Water/Wastewater Flows

The water loss for the month of July is Green Lake at 7.4%, Spicer at 7.4%, and New London at 18.4%.  The south side mag meter was struck by lightening, damaged, and all the numbers were lost.  The amount coming to the south side is known and the loss has been split between Spicer and Green Lake.  The monthly average is 11.1% with the year to date average at 21.1%.

Lake Florida & Other Lake Updates

Formal informational meetings for Henderson Lake, George Lake, and Nest Lake were held August 10 & 11.  The Henderson Lake and George Lake meeting was held in Willmar at the Health & Human Services Building and was not well attended.  This could be because there is much support in that area.  The Nest Lake meeting was part of the Nest Lake Property Owners Association meeting. Also in attendance were non members of the organization both from the lake shore and second tier.  The meeting was held at the Dethlefs Center in Spicer and was well attended.

The public hearing process is scheduled for Friday, August 24, with Henderson Lake at 7 p.m. and George Lake at 8 p.m.  The hearing for Nest Lake will be held on Saturday, August 25, with the north shore at 9 a.m., the west shore at 10 a.m., and the south and east shores at 11 a.m.  These public hearings will be held in Willmar at the Health & Human Services Building.

Highway 23 Sewer Force Main Replacement Quote

Bolton & Menk, Inc. sent out five requests for quotes and received two back with Quam Construction Company, Inc. at $27,460 and Chad Monson Excavating at $46,420.  Construction is expected to begin this week with day one putting in the line and day two making the connections.  With the 48 hour wait on the Gopher One locate received today; the work could begin as early as Thursday.  Bolton and Menk, Inc. will be inspecting the project.

Indian Beach Road Sewer Air Release Failure

At approximately 11:30 a.m., Ed Fick at 13370 Indian Beach Road called and notified the GLSSWD that it appeared sewage was coming out of the ground across the road from his residence.  Nate Reed was dispatched to the site and confirmed that sewage was present on the ground.  After reviewing as built drawings and analyzing the situation, it was thought to be a force main break.  Since the flow to the #5 lift station was heavy, Efficiency Pumping was called to start hauling wastewater.  Jerome Vikse from Duininck Companies was called to the site to help develop a plan to by pass pump wastewater around the suspected line rupture and plan for repair of the suspected break in the force main line.  Dean Helstrom from Bolton & Menk also arrived on site to help determine the cause and help plan the needed repairs.  There was much work developing a plan to by pass pump the wastewater around the suspected line break and some difficulty getting the pumping system to work.  At approximately 11 p.m., the final connection was made and by pass pumping began.  The by pass pumping equipment was monitored and maintained throughout Sunday.

On Monday, Jerome Viske from Duinincks was met at the site with his personal drawings showing an air release manhole in that area.  After metal detecting and probing, an air release manhole was found, pumped out, and repaired which resolved the problem at about 7 p.m.

The District checks sewer air releases every year, but this one was not on the as builts so it has not been maintained regularly.  It had been covered with dirt and sod when landscaping was done and forgotten about.  The fact of it being covered was not the problem.  Not being on the record drawings was the problem.

12026 Indian Beach Road (Phil Forstrom) Water/Sewer Service Relocation

Phil Forstom has removed the cabin and will be building a new house.  The common water lines and shut offs will be under the new house if not rerouted.  The sewer line is okay.

Minutes

A motion to approve the minutes was made by John Bergman and seconded by Dennis Peterson.  There being no discussion, the motion carried.

Bills

A motion to approve the bills was made by Dennis Peterson and seconded by Brett Aamot.  With no discussion, the motion carried.

Other

Tom Bonde, historian for the District, was introduced.  Copies of a history of the District Tom compiled in 1996 were distributed to the Commission members.

Gary Danielson invited the Commission to attend the hearings this weekend.  Dennis Peterson will be there as a member of the County Board and also representing the Commission.

A motion to adjourn was made by John Bergman and seconded by Brett Aamot.  The motion carried.

The next meeting will be held on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 6 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, 

Elizabeth Slinden
Recording Secretary

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Minutes of the
Green Lake Sanitary Sewer and Water District Commission
6:00 p.m., Monday, July 23, 2007
GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant

Present: John Bergman, Clayton Anderson, Dennis Baker, Dennis Peterson, Brett Aamot

Absent: Kevin Dittbenner, Marv Hey, Perry Wohnoutka

Others present: Ron Hagemeier, Terry Frazee

The meeting was called to order by chairman, Dennis Baker at 6 p.m. on Monday, July 23, 2007 at the GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Water/Wastewater Flows

The water loss for Green Lake is 31.3%, New London is 29.7%, and Spicer is 29.3%.  The average loss for the month is 30.1% and 22.8% for the year.

Discussion took place regarding accounts on the lake not hooked up to water.

Water Leak Repairs at 13680 Skyline Drive & New London Water Tower

The District’s first water leak on Skyline Drive was repaired.  This line was put in by McBroom from New London.  The water was surfacing by the road at the shut off.  Again, a bad flare was found to be the cause.

There was a leak at the hydrant next to the New London water tower.  When the hydrant lead valve was shut off, the leak was found to be on the hydrant side making it unnecessary to shut down the tower.  The line was shut down, dug open, and revealed not much wrong.  When turning the valve back on, it was discovered someone had opened the hydrant a little and hadn’t gotten it closed all the way so water was shooting out the weep holes and coming out of the valve box.  The hydrant was fully shut off and the leak stopped.  Since the hole was open, additional maintenance work was done to the valve box.

New London Force Main Replacement Update

The specifications worked on by Dean Helstrom for the sewer force main replacement were reviewed by Ron today and will be sent out tomorrow to contractors requesting quotes.  The quotes are to be submitted back by the end of next week and the force main replacement completed by the end of August.  The plan is to lay new pipe along side the existing pipe, then shut down the lift stations, bypass the sewage, and make the new connections.

Lake Florida & Other Lakes Progress Updates

Lake Florida has about 20 residents remaining to be hooked up.  With a couple residents still undecided, there will be a total of 185 or 187 hookups.  All the individual grinder stations are installed and the electrical portion is soon done.  They are looking at the first week in August to be done with hook ups.  The SCATA system is 80% complete, online, and being monitored by the installers by dialing into the system from their office.

An informational meeting for George Lake and Henderson Lake is planned for August 10 with the location undecided.  A public hearing to be held at the County Health & Human Resources Building is scheduled for August 24 with Henderson Lake discussion at 7 p.m. and George Lake discussion at 8 p.m.

The Ness Lake Annual Association meeting including a sewer system informational presentation will be on August 11 at 10 a.m. with the location undecided.  A public hearing to be held at the County Health & Human Resources Building is scheduled for August 25 with the north side discussion at 9 a.m., the west side discussion at 10 a.m. and the south and east side discussion at 11 a.m.

Bunny Park Residents

Letters have been sent to all the Bunny Park residents regarding hookup availability to the low pressure system.  There has been no response to date.  There are currently two residents hooked up.

Minutes

A motion to approve the minutes was made by Dennis Peterson and seconded by Brett Aamot.  There being no discussion, the motion carried.

Bills

A motion to approve the bills was made by Clayton Anderson and seconded by John Bergman.  With no discussion, the motion carried.

Other

There was discussion to reschedule the August meeting.  A motion to reschedule the meeting to August 20 was made by Clayton Anderson and seconded by John Bergman.  The motion carried.

A motion to adjourn was made by Clayton Anderson and seconded by Brett Aamot.  The motion carried.

The next meeting will be held on Monday, August 20, 2007 at 6 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Elizabeth Slinden
Recording Secretary

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Minutes of the
Green Lake Sanitary Sewer and Water District Commission
6:00 p.m., Monday, June 25, 2007
GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant

Present: Dennis Baker, Perry Wohnoutka, Kevin Dittbenner, Dennis Peterson, Brett Aamot

Absent: Clayton Anderson, John Bergman, Marv Hey

Others present: Ron Hagemeier, Dean Helstrom, Gary Danielson, Roger Stehn

The meeting was called to order by chairman, Dennis Baker at 6 p.m. on Monday, June 25, 2007 at the GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Water/Wastewater Flows

The water loss report for May shows Spicer at 11%, Green Lake at 21.8% with a leak that was fixed, and New London at 31.6% continuing to locate and fix leaks.  The monthly average is 21.5% and 21.3% for the year average.

Water Leak Repair at 9921 North Shore Drive & New Service Line Request

A call was received on June 10 from Mrs. Hughes at 9921 North Shore Drive reporting water in the yard, basement, and running out of the pavers going down to the lake.  The District confirmed the leak and shut off the complete common water line until the Gopher One locates could be completed.  Water service was provided by a hydrant line to one of the three houses on the common line.  The other two were unoccupied at the time.  An excavator dug down a day and a half later to find the leak resulting from a bend in the pipe causing a bad flare.  The leak was fixed.  In the past few years this common line between the three residents has had many problems requiring excavating on the property.  The Hughes will be taking the cabin out and building a new house next year and are requesting the common line be removed and individual lines installed to each neighboring property.  When the architect is done with the design, stakes will be put where the new house will be to determine if the existing line is in the way and would need to be moved.

Lake Updates

Lake Florida currently has 131 completed hook ups as of Friday.  Since the last meeting two additional are being added--one that was initially sharing a grinder station now has its own sewer hookup and one with just a sewer stub is now connected--making for a total of 187 possible hook ups.

A meeting was held on June 24^th with Henderson Lake residents at their annual lake association picnic.  They were presented with a project summary sheet for the Henderson Lake Project contingent upon George Lake also connecting to the system.  If George Lake does not hook up, Henderson Lake could be looked at separately hooking up to the main force main.  The response was very positive.

A meeting with George Lake will take place on Saturday at Decision Hills at 10 a.m.  Letters have been sent to those that are part of the Lake Association as well as those that are on the lake but not part of the Lake Association.  An estimated cost at this point is about the same dollar value per home as Lake Florida except for the finance charges which would be 6% rather than 2% making the payments more.

Information has been presented to the Nest Lake Association and various resorts and the County is now in the process of picking a time and date to communicate with property owners.

The communication system for Lake Florida is to be up and operational no later than Friday.  They were here today and will be back tomorrow working on a punch list.

Hidden Springs on Lake Florida will be connecting to the system.  The service line is being installed this week and they will do their own internal work.

The meter reading is going good but the flow meters need to be calibrated--one is recording and one is not.

New London Force Main

      A.   Pipe Rupture - A week ago from last Friday the District was called out about 8:30 a.m. to the Country Stop for a force main rupture.  This leak will cost about $7,000 dollars to repair.  This pipe has been fixed 3 times in the last 7 years and needs to be looked at as far as replacing the pipe from TH 9 south to about west of the Country Stop at the air release manhole.

B.      Pipe Replacement - Ron would rather put money into a replacement rather than more repairs.  There is no money budgeted for replacement, however, there are some dollars in reserve left from the old system, about $400,000, that would be used.  A motion was made by Brett Aamot and seconded by Dennis Peterson to authorize Ron to go ahead with whatever actions are necessary to do the repairs and replacement and report to the Commission next month.  With no further discussion, the motion carried.

Minutes

A motion to approve the minutes was made by Brett Aamot and seconded by Kevin Dittbenner.  There being no discussion, the motion carried.

Bills

A question was asked regarding the Truck Utilities bill.  This is for the crane that is in the process of being installed.  Also, Maxwell Landscape & Supply is for more work needed at the Tom Torgerson residence for settling that has occurred.  A motion to approve the bills was made by Kevin Dittbenner and seconded by Brett Aamot.  With no further discussion, the motion carried.

Other

It was asked if there has been any further communication from Rural Cellular.  Yes, they are no longer interested.

A local plumber, Empire Plumbing, has been contracted by GM Construction to handle the warranty service calls for Lake Florida.

A motion to adjourn was made by Dennis Peterson and seconded by Kevin Dittbenner.  The motion carried.

The next meeting will be held on Monday, July 23, 2007 at 6 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Elizabeth Slinden
Recording Secretary

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Minutes of the
Green Lake Sanitary Sewer and Water District Commission
6:00 p.m., Monday, May 21, 2007
GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant

Present: Clayton Anderson, Dennis Baker, Kevin Dittbenner, Dennis Peterson, John Bergman, Marv Hey, Perry Wohnoutka

Absent: Brett Aamot

Others present: Ron Hagemeier, Gary Danielson, Dean Helstrom, Dick Bakken, Terry Frazee, Roger Stehn

The meeting was called to order by chairman, Dennis Baker at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 21, 2007 at the GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Water/Wastewater Flows

The April water loss is 19.9% for Spicer, 34.6% for Green Lake, and 31.6% for New London.  The yearly average is 21.3% for all three entities.  There was about 4-5 meter horns sold in the last week to replace existing horns.  If these horns were leaking, it wouldn’t account for much of the loss.  There have been no substantial leaks found.  Rural Water was here last week to do training on the leak detector for the District.  As soon as time allows, this work will begin.  The District is continually looking for leaks, the meters are being monitored, and have all been calibrated.  New London is aggressively looking at leaks as well as the curb stops (found one leaking) and had a bad hydrant.  The water lost during the New London tower drain down is calculated in the accounted for water numbers.

Larsen House Septic System Updates

A bid to renovate the onsite system of $4,660 was received from Lake Region Contracting, Inc.  Gary and Ron discussed and thought it to be reasonably priced to put in a new system consisting of a new tank and drain field per zoning requirements by a certified designer.  This system is designed to handle limited gallons per day and will be monitored by installing a water meter and be auto read by the District.  Installation work of the system should start this Wednesday.

Bunny Park Grinder Station

The grinder station was installed last week at the Denny Chvatal residence and is in operation.  Following discussion regarding others in that area that could hookup, a motion was made by Clayton Anderson and seconded by John Bergman to send a letter to those residents affected by the Bunny Park project giving them the opportunity to hook up with waiver of the hookup fee.  With no further discussion, the motion carried.

Lake Updates

Dean Helstrom reported as of today there are 80 homes hooked up to the Lake Florida system that have been tested and operational.  With the current 3-4 hookups per day, an anticipated completion date for final hook ups is late July.  Restoration is currently being completed on the east side of the lake for homes that are hooked up.  Then, following around the lake at about a week behind the final hookups for restoration to be complete.  The SCADA telemetry should be operational by the end of the month.  The Lake George lift station generator system is expected by June 15 with the Duininck’s portion of the contract restoration completed by June 8.

Decision Hills Bible Camp on George Lake is very interested in having sewer which makes a complete loop around the lake.

Cedar Point Resort on Nest Lake is favorable with the design for their unit.  The next meeting will be when presenting the project at the hearing stage.

George Lake steering committee meeting on May 31.

Lake Florida Association meeting with the entire lake on June 2 with project updates.  Anticipated weekly hook ups will be posted on the web site.

Henderson Lake meeting on June 24.

Tower Space Rental Proposal

Power Source Technology, representing Rural Cellular, has shown interest in mounting six (6) antennas on top of the Spicer Water Tower and building an accessory shelter at the tower site with a tentative rental offer of $1,000 per month.  There was concern by Kimberly Wothe, City of Spicer, that not enough room exists for a shelter.  After concerned parties met at the site today, there was agreement it could be made to work.  Before moving forward an agreement with the City of Spicer for easement for the shelter needs to be in place.  If this works out, the rental dollars would be dedicated to tower maintenance.

Minutes

A motion to approve the minutes was made by Marv Hey and seconded by Dennis Peterson.  The correction was made that Brett Aamot was present at the April meeting.  The Christensen Brothers are installing an on site system at their rental house on property located between County Road 4 and Indian Beach Road.  There was clarification regarding the verbal agreement with GM Contracting for the District to answer call outs at Lake Florida throughout the project until September 30, 2007.  There being no further discussion, the motion carried.

Bills

A motion to approve the bills was made by Clayton Anderson and seconded by Perry Wohnoutka.  A grinder station on the south side of the lake currently powered by a house that is to be torn down will need a separate permanent electrical service installed.  This will be an additional Xcel Energy account for the District.  With no further discussion, the motion carried.

Other

None

A motion to adjourn was made by Clayton Anderson and seconded by John Bergman.  The motion carried.

The next meeting will be held on Monday, June 25, 2007 at 6 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, 

Elizabeth Slinden
Recording Secretary

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Minutes of the
Green Lake Sanitary Sewer and Water District Commission
6:00 p.m., Monday, April 23, 2007
GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant

Present: Dennis Baker, Marv Hey, John Bergman, Dennis Peterson

Absent: Perry Wohnoutka, Kevin Dittbenner, Clayton Anderson

Others present: Ron Hagemeier, Dick Bakken, Gary Danielson

The meeting was called to order by chairman, Dennis Baker at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 23, 2007 at the GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Water/Wastewater Flows

The March water loss for Spicer is 11.1%, Green Lake is 19.8%, and New London is 44.6%.  The year to date average is 18.8%.  It was suggested New London start looking for possible water leaks since their loss volume increased by a wide margin in March.  Next month’s numbers will be affected by the New London water tower going dry within an hour during the afternoon of Tuesday, April 17^th, when an 8” water main was hit by a contractor along County Road 40.

The meter calibration has been completed with nothing major found.  The New London high service meter was found to be reading about 3 percent too low.  There are also some chattering check balls at the Spicer lift station which Ron is getting replacements prices for.  Quotes will also be requested for replacement with flapper style check valves.

John Bergman mentioned that New London is getting the listening device from Bolton and Menk to begin checking for leaks.

Electrical Service for Future Grinder/Pump Stations

At the time the project went through, the decision was made, on the 44 grinder/pump stations around Green Lake, to credit the property owner $10 a month to provide power to the units.  Now with Lake Florida the policy is the property owner is providing the electricity for the grinder/pump station operation.  A decision needs to be made regarding Bunny Park and other future project station installations.  Following discussion, a motion was made by Marv Hey and seconded by John Bergman that on all future grinder/pump station installations the monthly electrical operation cost is the property owners’ responsibility.  The motion carried.

Larsen House Septic System Updates

The District has been pumping the septic tank out twice weekly.  An on-site sewer system design person from Lake Region Contracting (LRC) looked at the situation last Monday and decided there is no way to make the system work as far as the MPCA rules are written.  LRC will design a modified system which will be taken to Gary Geer, Kandiyohi County Zoning Administrator, for his approval.  If approved, the cost will be reviewed and an installation agreement will be made with Marlys Larsen, the property owner, before construction begins.  If not approved, the property will need to hook up to the District centralized sewer system.  This will be on the agenda again next month.

District Meter Calibration

This was discussed earlier along with the water/wastewater flows.

Lake Updates

There have been more general discussions with residents on Henderson Lake.  Gary has been working with Bolton & Menk and soon will be setting up lake meetings.

To date there are 29 hookups on Lake Florida.

A meeting with one resort group, Cedar Point Association, on Nest Lake is scheduled for Saturday, May 19, 2007.

There is nothing more regarding the City of Kandiyohi.  Bolton & Menk is doing a feasibility study for the city.

GM Construction Agreement

Mike Urban, Project Manager, of GM Contracting called regarding some call outs a few weeks ago the District had to Lake Florida for emergency lights on and horns sounding.  The District has been asked to consider being on call weekends and after hours.  It has been verbally agreed that the District will troubleshoot and contain the problem for $65.00 an hour for work when called.  If the problem is bigger than can be dealt with, GM Contracting will be called.  Base fee billing of $20.40 is beginning for the first 16 Lake Florida residents hooked up.  No usage will be charged yet because of trouble with the grinder pumps running and totaling KWH’s when not actually pumping wastewater.  The District lift station flow meters need to get working and be calibrated.

SCADA System

The SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system should have been up and running by now but there have been unforeseen changes necessary.  The system when completed will enable monitoring from the District computer of the four new lift stations.  Hopefully this will be complete in a couple weeks.

May Commission Meeting Date

The Commission unanimously decided to have the May meeting on Monday, May 21, 2007 at 6 p.m.

Minutes

A motion to approve the minutes was made by Dennis Peterson and seconded by Marv Hey.  The truck crane was ordered after the last meeting but has not arrived.  Ron will follow up on this.  There being no further discussion, the motion carried.

Bills

A motion to approve the bills was made by Brett Aamot and seconded by John Bergman.  A question was asked regarding the Bolton and Menk bill for labor services of $1,200.00.  This was for the feasibility study regarding the Larsen and other properties along Highway 23.  There was a question if the pond pasture would be rented again.  Yes, but not beginning until August.  With no further discussion, the motion carried.

Other

During road survey work as part of the County Road 4 improvement project, a failing sewer system was found draining into the road ditch along the west side of County Road 4 at the Christensen Brothers old farm building site at 14020 County Road 4 NE.  A letter has been sent to the owner from the County Zoning Administrator’s office stating that the situation needs to be taken care of according to the County ordinance regulations.  During discussion it was noted that there is ample room to improve the sewer drain field system and since the house is old and sits on seven plus acres of land, that someday additional development would take place and hook up to the GLSSWD centralized system would be reviewed again at that time.  The Commission was in agreement on common consent not to require hook up to the GLSSWD system at this time.

A motion to adjourn was made by Marv Hey and seconded by Brett Aamot.  The motion carried.

The next meeting will be held on Monday, May 21, 2007 at 6 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, 

Elizabeth Slinden
Recording Secretary

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Minutes of the
Green Lake Sanitary Sewer and Water District Commission
6:00 p.m., Monday, March 26, 2007
GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant

Present: Clayton Anderson, Marv Hey, Dennis Peterson, Kevin Dittbenner

Absent: Dennis Baker, Brett Aamot, John Bergman, Perry Wohnoutka

Others present: Ron Hagemeier, Brad DeWolf, Gary Danielson, Marlys Larsen, Wayne Elliot, Elizabeth Christenson

The meeting was called to order by vice-president, Clayton Anderson at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 26, 2007 at the GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Water/Wastewater Flows

The February losses for New London and Spicer have increased.  Spicer is 15.1%, Green Lake is 18.4%, and New London is 32.8%.  The total average is 22.1% for the month with the yearly average at 15.7%.  The meters will be calibrated in April.

Highway 23 On-Site Systems

Brad DeWolf spoke regarding the three centralized sewer hook up options being considered to serve the four properties in the District along Highway 23, three of which currently have District owned and operated on-site sewer systems.  Option 3, connecting a low-pressure system to the manhole installed during the Rose Sewer Project, is the most economical.  The base assessment for the trunk line providing the service is estimated to be $30,000 or $7,500 per parcel.  The service assessment has been estimated at $45,000 or $11,250 per parcel, which would include the grinder pump, abandoning the septic system, and making the connections to the system operational.  The reason for this discussion was noted as being the Larsen rental house drain field has frozen completely for the last two winters and the septic tank now has to be pumped out regularly.  After discussion regarding the Larsen property, the decision was made for Ron to contact Gary Geer at the zoning office to review the situation and to also contact local contractors for bids for a drain field replacement.

George Lake Petition

Last fall a notice was mailed out regarding interest in having the County move forward pertaining to the possible installation of a sewer collection system around George Lake.  The results came back with 60 to 65 in favor, 20 saying no, and 20 to 25 not replying.  At the last meeting, the Kandiyohi County Board accepted the petition and will schedule a public hearing after June 1, 2007.  A policy committee will be formed using names from the petition to help set policies to recommend to the County Board for approval.  After late May or early June, a Friday night open house followed by a Saturday morning public hearing similar to the Lake Florida meetings will be scheduled at the Health & Human Service Building.

Other Lake Updates

There will be times set up with the Henderson Lake Association.  Nest Lake will probably be segmented out in areas when going around the lake to schedule the hearings.  The County Board wants Diamond Lake brought back for consideration in the future.  The City of Kandiyohi wants to abandon their wastewater treatment facility and is looking for alternatives such as coming north and hooking into a future District lift station at Diamond Lake or hooking into the City of Willmar System.

Truck Crane Quotes

The District currently has a 1994 truck with a small crane.  It has the capacity to lift smaller pumps but not to pull the 50 hp pumps when work is needed on them.  There is $20,000 dollars in the budget for purchasing a crane to be mounted on a used flat bed truck that will do the job.  Two quotes were received with one being for an IMT Type from Truck Utilities at 28,000 ft. lb. capacity at the cost of $17,098.58 complete and delivered.  An additional quote with a remote radio control, which is not really necessary, was also included.  The second quote was a RKI Type from North Central Truck Equipment at 38,000 ft. lb. capacity which is larger than needed.  They were unable to bid a 28,000 lb. capacity crane.  Ron recommended to the Commission that approval be given to purchase the 28,000 ft. lb. capacity crane without the remote radio control at the cost of $17,098.58.  Marv Hey made a motion with Kevin Dittbenner seconding.  With no further discussion, the motion carried.

Minutes

A motion to approve the minutes was made by Dennis Peterson and seconded by Kevin Dittbenner.  There being no discussion, the motion carried.

Bills

A motion to approve the bills was made by Kevin Dittbenner and seconded by Dennis Peterson.  With no discussion, the motion carried.

Other

None

A motion to adjourn was made by Marv Hey and seconded by Kevin Dittbenner.  The motion carried.

The next meeting will be held on Monday, April 23, 2007 at 6 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Elizabeth Slinden
Recording Secretary

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Minutes of the
Green Lake Sanitary Sewer and Water District Commission
6:00 p.m., Monday, February 26, 2007
GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant

Present: Dennis Baker, Clayton Anderson, Kevin Dittbenner, Brett Aamot

Absent: John Bergman, Perry Wohnoutka, Dennis Peterson, Marv Hey

Others present: Ron Hagemeier, Gary Danielson,

The meeting was called to order by chairman, Dennis Baker, at 6 p.m. on Monday, February 26, 2007 at the GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Water/Wastewater Flows

The water loss average for the month is 9.2% with Green Lake at 1.4%, New London at 24.2%, and Spicer at 2.1%.  Following discussion regarding the fluctuation of the total water pumped compared to accounted for water for the three entities, there seems to be a difference in the accounting.  The suggestion was made to have the meter reading and billing system representative from Siemens Company meet with Ron and review the figures before approaching the city of Spicer.  Ron will call to set up a meeting.  The Mag meters are scheduled to be calibrated when the weather is nicer, probably in April.

Lake Updates

Both of the intermediate lift stations at Lake Florida were started today and are in service.  The other two larger lift stations, George Lake Station and Lake Florida Main Station, are also in service but not complete.  There are ten Lake Florida houses hooked up with 4 or 5 being permanent homes.  All components of the SCADA System are in and work is to be completed by March 2, 2007.  Bolton & Menk are working with area residents to supply power to the pressure monitoring manhole site.  GM Contracting and the subcontractor are currently not working and will begin as soon as the weather and frost conditions improve.

Bolton & Menk, Inc. will be meeting with the Nest Lake Board and Resort Owners on March 1, 2007 to discuss the schedule of future meetings, phasing of the project, and approval of base EDU formulas for the resorts.

Discussion with Henderson Lake property owners indicates they are in favor of the project.

A petition received from George Lake will be discussed at the County Board meeting on March 6, 2007 with a project meeting scheduled based on the Kandiyohi County Board direction.

Highway 23 Houses, Hookup Feasibility Report

Bolton and Menk, Inc. submitted a breakdown of project costs for the Larsen Wastewater Collection System consisting of three options.  Option 1 includes installing a grinder pump and connecting the Larsen house to the existing GLSSWD sewer line on Skyline Drive.  Option 2 would connect four (4) homes along the frontage road of TH 23 to the existing GLSSWD sewer line on Skyline Drive.  Option 3 would include hooking up the properties along the frontage road of TH 23 and connecting to the manhole installed during the Rose Sewer Project.  The costs are not much different than have been offered on the lakes.  The decision needs to be made soon whether to replace the septic system on the Larsen house at a cost of about $4,000 or to install a new centralized collection system and tie it into the current collection infrastructure.  Following discussion, it was decided to place this on the agenda again next month, invite the property owners to the next meeting to present the potential project, and get their input.  Clayton Anderson made a motion with Kevin Dittbenner seconding to invite the property owners to the March meeting.  The motion carried.

Skating Rink Water Usage

The Commission needs to make a decision regarding water usage on skating rinks.  Following discussion, the decision was made to not charge for the water but the need to account for it.  Ron and Dennis Baker will meet with Kimberly and Lorie at Spicer regarding accounting for the water and will report back at the March meeting.

2007 Projected EDU’s

Ron presented a handout showing EDU’s projected for 2007.  The commercial units for Spicer have gone up since 2006 and New London units have gone down because the three entities have come to an agreement to use the same average residential usage number to bill all commercial accounts.  Green Lake is up a little for 2007 because of more usage at the Bible Camp and Spicer Castle.  In fact, there was so much usage at the Bible Camp, with a small water leak identified, that the business was actually cut back a couple of EDU’s for fear of over charging them.  The total EDU’s from 2006 to 2007 did go up a little, percentage wise not a lot.  EDU counts determine future base fees needs.

Minutes

A motion to approve the minutes was made by Clayton Anderson and seconded by Brett Aamot.  There being no discussion, the motion carried.

Bills

A motion to approve the bills was made by Kevin Dittbenner and seconded by Clayton Anderson.  With no discussion, the motion carried.

Other

none

A motion to adjourn was made by Clayton Anderson and seconded by Brett Aamot.  The motion carried.

The next meeting will be held on Monday, March 26, 2007 at 6 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

 

Elizabeth Slinden
Recording Secretary

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Minutes of the
Green Lake Sanitary Sewer and Water District Commission
6:00 p.m., Monday, January 22, 2007
GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant