Minutes of the
Green Sanitary Sewer and Water District Commission
6:00 p.m., Monday, July 28, 2008
GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant

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

Absent: none

Others present: Ron Hagemeier, Brad DeWolf, Roger Stehn, Gary Danielson

The meeting was called to order by chairman, Dennis Baker, at 6 p.m. on Monday, July 28, 2008 at the GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Water/Wastewater Lake Flows

The water loss for the month of June is Spicer 29%, Green Lake 32.9%, and New London 32.4%.  The average for all three entities for the month is 31.4%.  The year to date average is 24.2%.

Leak detection work did find one large and one small leak in New London, however, now the small leak doesn’t appear to be one.  The suggestion was made to begin pulling meters in New London and calibrate them.

A DNR conservation plan is currently in the process of being completed for submission in a few weeks showing how the District plans to conserve water.  This is a mandatory report required every ten years.  Once the report is finalized, it needs to be accepted by the Commission and County Board of Commissioners.

Project Update

Nest Lake – The north shore common loop is installed, service laterals are being worked on, and grinder pump installation is planned to start this week.  On the north shore there are 66 Tier I properties committed to hooking up, 9 properties saying no, and 14 Tier II properties connecting to the system.  The common loop work on the east shore begins this week with the south shore work beginning next week.  On the south and east shores there are 54 Tier I properties committed, 9 properties saying no, 10 properties undecided, and 6 Tier II properties committed.

George Lake – The common line work is scheduled to begin August 11, 2008.  There are 66 Tier I properties committed, 9 properties saying no, 20 properties undecided, and 3 Tier 2 properties committed.

Henderson Lake – There are 38 Tier I properties committed, 5 properties saying no, and 2 properties undecided.

Currently 224 of the 288 Tier I properties are committed to hooking up or 79%.  After working with the undecided properties, this number may be in the high 80% to low 90% range.  In addition, all the resorts are connecting to the system.

Dahmes Stainless Agreement

The City of New London has a signed official agreement with Dahmes Stainless regarding any waste material discharged into the District wastewater system.  Trudie also e-mailed a signed copy to Ron.  This agreement will be enforced by the City of New London with recommendations from the District.

Leak Detection Report

TKDA was hired by the District to check for leaks around the lake from the treatment plant to the New London tower.  There are six hydrants noted with a hydrant leak or at connection to main leak.  Arrangements have been made for a Rural Water expert to come next Monday to confirm these leaks before the District hires a contractor to dig.

City Of Kandiyohi Presentation/Bolton & Menk

While in the process of updating the wastewater treatment plant, the City of Kandiyohi decided not to be in the wastewater business and look at other options.  Brad DeWolf, Bolton & Menk, gave a presentation of a possible forcemain route if the city were to connect to the District.  There would be a lift station located in the City of Kandiyohi with the forcemain running up CR 8 and along CR 26 with a second lift station located at the northwest corner of Diamond Lake connecting to a trunk line running up CR 4 to the plant.  The cost of the project is $3.9 million.  Kandiyohi is in the process of looking for funding through the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority and USDA Rural Development.  The USDA Rural Development has asked for a motion of support from the GLSSWD regarding possible connection of the City of Kandiyohi sewer system to the GLSSWD sewer system.  A motion of support was made by Marv Hey and seconded by Troy Block.  Following some further discussion, the motion carried.

Minutes

A motion to approve the minutes was made by Troy Block 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 Troy Block.  With no discussion, the motion carried.

Other

The annual meeting of the Diamond Lake Association will be on August 16, 2008 at 9 a.m. at the Community Center in Atwater.  There will be a report regarding the inventory work that has been done on the systems around the lake.

The fluctuation in the charges for the May, June and July billings for Lake Florida was mentioned.  This has occurred because of the power problems making it necessary to re-wire the meters.  The charge in May was an underestimated charge based on usage last summer.  The charge in June and July is based on actual usage after the meters were re-wired.  There will be a firm consistent amount charged sometime in the future as the usage history indicates an average amount to be used.

There was a problem with a grinder pump not working on the east side of Lake Florida.  Empire Plumbing was called and after attempting repairs, the pump was replaced.  There was question whether or not it was a necessary replacement.  Ron will check into this and set up grinder pump station maintenance training.  The spare pumps have still not arrived.  Ron will see that this gets done next week.

Bushmills Ethanol Plant called last Friday inquiring about hauling the plant’s cooling water waste to the District for disposal.  More detailed information was to be sent for review, but nothing has been received yet.

The new employee hired, Jacob Harlow from Spicer, is doing good.

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

The next meeting will be held on Monday, August 25, 2008 at 6 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, 

Elizabeth Slinden
Recording Secretary

 

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Minutes of the
Green Sanitary Sewer and Water District Commission
6:00 p.m., Monday, June 23, 2008
GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant

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

Absent: Dennis Baker, Brett Aamot

Others present: Ron Hagemeier, Gary Danielson

The meeting was called to order by vice-president, Clayton Anderson, at 6 p.m. on Monday, June 23, 2008 at the GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Water/Wastewater Lake Flows

The May water loss for Spicer is 22.4%, Green Lake is 24.5%, and New London is 42.4%.  the average for the month is 29.8% with a year to date average of 22.7%.  Plans are still to schedule a meeting with the Spicer city office regarding the record keeping.  The leak detection work in New London has found a couple suspicious spots.  One could be a good sized leak with the second being minor.  There is beginning to be thoughts that their high water loss could have something to do with the meters.

The May billing for Lake Florida is the first billing done as it should be.  The total amount and numbers came out where they should be so moving the meters was the right thing to do.  The charge per kilowatt hours may move up and down a little but should stay in about the same range.

Project Update

The main collection lines are in on the north shore of Nest Lake and service lines are being stubbed in.

Bonding Resolution

The Commission needs to pass a bond resolution that also needs to be signed by the secretary and chairman.  The vice-president may sign in the absence of the chairman.  Troy Block made a motion to pass the resolution relating to issuance of general obligation bonds; concurring in the actions of the Board of County Commissioners; agreeing to certain covenants and restrictions.  Marv Hey seconded the motion.  With no discussion, the motion carried.

Letters to Non-Connected Lake Florida Residents

Letters were sent as a courtesy reminder to those Lake Florida residents not currently connected to the system regarding the opportunity to still hookup before the deadline of September 23, 2008.  A hookup fee of $2,000 would be required after the deadline.

Dahmes Stainless Agreement

John Bergman had talked to Trudie today that Forest Dahmes would have the agreement back from his lawyer today.  Forest said he would reluctantly sign it under protest and have it to the New London City office by 4:30 p.m. today so John could bring a copy to the Commission meeting.  John does not have it, since it was never delivered to the city office.

Leak Detection Report

TKDA began leak detection work last Thursday for part of the day and came back today.  They are going from hydrant to hydrant with the District’s part-time employee and recording anything abnormal.  There are 5 to 6 hydrants identified that definitely have something wrong, some curb stops needing more investigation, and probably some holes dug as a result.  There will be more work to be done later because the dollar amount limit of $4,000 to $5,000 is soon spent.

Minutes

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

Bills

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

Other

An Xcel power outage issue was experienced on Thursday, June 12, from 1 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. totaling 17.5 hours.  The District had seven generators running without experiencing a lot of problems.

After advertising twice and interviewing about 12 applicants, the Facility Operator I position was offered to an applicant who after a few weeks decided to stay at his current job.  The position was then offered to a local person, Jacob Harlow, who accepted.  It is not yet official due to his requirement to pass other county required tests.  If hired he would be on probation for one year.

Brent Hatlestad on the east side of Indian Beach Road called today inquiring, since his septic system has failed, about hooking up to the District sewer system.  A full assessment with related costs would be charged, however, he is asking for the hookup fee to be reduced or waived since when the project at Indian Beach Cove went through there was never mention to him about hooking up.  Ron had told him this would be a decision for the Commission and would be discussed at the meeting.  Following discussion, Troy Block made a motion to reduce the hookup fee on this property waiving the $1,000 District portion if he hooked up to both water and sewer.  If only hooking to sewer, the hookup fee would remain at $2,000.  Dennis Peterson seconded.  There was some discussion regarding this setting precedence for other properties.  This should not occur since the motion states “this property only.”  There being no further discussion, the motion carried.  Ron will contact the neighboring resident with the same offer.

Kevin Dittbenner passed out copies of an e-mail received regarding the removal of the mold problem on the underside of the New London water tower.  The bid is for $ 2,500 with typically 4-5 years of good results.  Following discussion, Troy Block made a motion to go ahead with cleaning the New London tower for up to $2,500.  Marv Hey seconded the motion.  The motion carried.

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, July 28, 2008 at 6 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, 

Elizabeth Slinden
Recording Secretary

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Minutes of the
Green Sanitary Sewer and Water District Commission
6:00 p.m., Monday, May 19, 2008
GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant

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

Absent: Troy Block, Dennis Baker

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

The meeting was called to order by vice president, Clayton Anderson, at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 19, 2008 at the GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Water/Wastewater Lake Flows

Water loss for Spicer is 8.5%, Green Lake is 9.6%, and New London is 34.4%.  The average for the month is 17.5% with a year to date average of 20.9%.  It is still the plan to schedule a meeting with the Spicer officials to discuss the fluctuation of numbers reported each month.

It was noted that the usage gallons on the Lake Florida usage and billing report are less the last month than the previous month.  This is due to a water leak from a pipe bursting at a residence while no one was there.  There has been a notice put in the Lake Florida newsletter that went out last week regarding shutting off of the water when it is not needed.

Calibration of all the meters in the system was completed last week with no problems noted.

Project Update

The moving of the electric meters has been completed on Lake Florida.  The first true reading will be at the end of the month with plans to bill the actual kilowatt hours for the May billing.  The majority of the punch list items have been completed.  The spare pumps and panels will be kept at the wastewater treatment plant.

The contracts are complete for the Henderson, George, and Nest Lake project.  GM Contracting, a subcontractor of Quam Construction, was out drilling today.  Work with easements is continuing on all the lakes.

Green Lake Committee Report – Clayton Anderson

Regarding the request from Curt Kuznia to reduce the assessment for Tier II hookup to sewer, the Committee voted to continue with the current hookup policy with full assessment paid.  A letter was sent notifying him of the decision as well as the possibility of installing a holding tank.

Other Tier II properties were discussed.  As long as the current policy is followed, special hookup situations should not occur in the future.

There was discussion regarding the continuation of leak repairs on the homeowners’ side of the curb stop being paid by the District.  It was the consensus of the Committee that before changing this procedure there first is need to get the leaks under control.

The Committee voted to spend up to $4,000 hiring TKDA to perform leak detection work around Green Lake while they are working in New London.

Hookup Requirements for Tier II & III Non-Riparian Properties

The County Board Policy Issue was discussed and approved by the Commission last month.  A “Follow Up Comment” from Gary Geer, County Zoning, has been added stating if looking for a cheaper alternative for the lower priced lots in Tier II that the proposed policy requirement to meet new lot requirements is probably not necessary because the current Kandiyohi sewer ordinance will determine if there is enough size on the lot to provide an on site system.  Following discussion, Dennis Peterson made a motion and Marv Hey seconded to accept the policy with the addition of the “Follow Up Comment.”  With no further discussion, the motion carried.

Review of Current Assessment Policy

An assessment policy written 7 years ago for the Green Lake area only is still in effect.  Since the District now includes the lakes of Henderson, Nest, George, and Florida and the cities of Spicer and New London, the policy wording has been changed to clarify the exemption of these lakes and cities.  A motion to accept the revisions made to the assessment policy was made by John Bergman and seconded by Brett Aamot.  The motion carried.

Minutes

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

Bills

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

Other

There has been a proposed pre-treatment agreement between Dahmes Stainless and the City of New London written and Dahmes Stainless has taken the agreement to his lawyer for review.  The agreement states that any waste being put into the system from the business needs to be sampled and analyzed to allow the District to determine if the waste can be discharged into the sewer system.  If the agreement is not met, stiff penalties will occur.

A check has been received from the insurance company in full for generator operation and plant operator overtime expenses resulting from the car accident on March 21, 2008.

Interviews are being scheduled for Tuesday, May 27, for the second round of six applicants for the Facility Operator I position.

A document which was drafted as a response to questions during the hearing process of what the future would be regarding hookup costs for Tier I and Tier II properties on George, Nest, Henderson, and Florida Lakes was presented to the Commission.  This was written with the understanding the Commission needs to look at and think about future hookup fees.

The City of New London water tower is covered on the bottom with mold.  This has been discussed by the City Council and was decided since the tower is owned by the District they should take care of cleaning the tower.  A bid of $2,500 has been received to power wash the tower with a chemical that is guaranteed to be mold free for 10 years.  The mold is the result of condensation created because the water is colder coming into this tower than the other towers and the under side of the tower is shaded.  Following discussion it was recommended since there is no money in the budget to do the cleaning, the Commission should look at the tower and the city will get more information on the chemical being used before making a decision.

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

The next meeting will be held on Monday, June 23, 2008 at 6 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Elizabeth Slinden
Recording Secretary

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Minutes of the
Green Sanitary Sewer and Water District Commission
6:00 p.m., Monday, April 21, 2008
GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant

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

Absent: Brett Aamot

Others present: Ron Hagemeier, Harvey Lange, Terry Frazee, Gary Danielson, and Dean Helstrom

The meeting was called to order by chairman, Dennis Baker, at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 21, 2008 at the GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Water/Wastewater Lake Flows

The water loss for March in Spicer is 22.5%, Green Lake is 24.8%, and New London is 39%.  The monthly average is 28.8% with the year to date average at 23%.

TKDA has been contacted and a quote for $500 was received to conduct leak detection work from the water plant to the golf course and New London tower while they are in New London.

Lake Florida Usage Metering Update

The relocation of the turtle meters to eliminate metering of control panel KWH’s should be completed by Friday, April 25, weather permitting.

Sewer Collection System Project Bids & Discussion Regarding George, Henderson, & Nest Lakes

There were 4 bids received with Quam Construction being low with a bid of $4,408,467.38.  The assessment hearings will be held Friday, March 25 and Saturday, March 26, with formal County Board action taken either at the time of the hearings or on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at the regular County Board meeting.  Clayton Anderson moved with Marv Hey seconding to approve the project.  The motion carried.

There was discussion regarding the County Board policy issue:  Should the public sewer hook-up requirements for Tier II and Tier III (non-riparian) properties within the Green Lake Sanitary Sewer and Water District be modified to allow the construction and use of on-site ISTS conforming to MPCA 7080 Rules when GLSSWD collection lines are available.  Troy Block made a motion seconded by Clayton Anderson to recommend the following if such a change would occur:  1. only lots of record as of May 6, 2008 of 20,000 square feet or more would quality for the exemption, 2. exempted lots must have adequate room for two, conventional, 7080 compliant operational ISTS system sites as currently required of new county developments, and 3. in lots containing an operational, 7080 compliant, conventional ISTS system, that system would quality as one of the two required sites.  The motion carried.

Usage Metering Requirements Regarding George, Henderson, & Nest Lakes

There has been an agreement worked out with the Kandiyohi Power Cooperative (KPC) to do most of the meter reading and billing.  There is an exception of those residents on the north and southeast shores of Nest Lake being served by X-cel Energy.  KPC electric meters will be installed, read automatically, and the rates are the same as for Lake Florida.  This agreement is specifically for these three lakes.  The X-cel customers will be working with the City of Spicer and a different style of electric metering monitoring system.  Dennis Baker, Troy Block, and Ron will be meeting with the new person at Spicer next week regarding the reading and billing.  John Bergman made a motion seconded by Clayton Anderson to approve the agreement with Kandiyohi Power Cooperative.  The motion carried.

Review of May Meeting Date

A motion was made by Clayton Anderson and seconded by Troy Block to schedule the May meeting for Monday, May 19, at 6 p.m.  With no discussion, the motion carried.

Minutes

A motion to approve the minutes was made by Troy Block and seconded by Clayton Anderson.  There has been no response to a bill sent to the party responsible for the accident on March 21 causing generators to operate and plant operator over time.  A follow-up letter will be sent next week as well as a letter to the insurance company.  There being no further discussion, the motion carried.

Bills

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

Other

After interviewing six applicants for the Facility Operator I position, it was felt that none met the minimum qualifications.  Jeff McMahon is sending letters stating the District is expanding the pool and an ad will be in the paper this week and next.  Ron will contact the trade schools in St. Cloud and Ely as well as posting on two trade web sites.

Clayton Anderson will be getting the Lake committee together for a meeting to discuss 2^nd tier hookups for garages, guesthouses, etc.

There was much discussion regarding a commercial business in New London that admitted to dumping a concentrated red dye into the District sewer system causing hardship for the District and water leaving the plant had a red tinge.  The Commission reviewed an agreement the City of New London is working on.  The Commission gave Ron consent to check into the leverage the District has regarding the situation and recommended the agreement contain stiffer penalties.

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

The next meeting will be held on Monday, May 19, 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, March 24, 2008
GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant

Present: Dennis Baker, Clayton Anderson, Dennis Peterson, Kevin Dittbenner, Troy Block

Absent: Marv Hey, John Bergman, Brett Aamot

Others present: Ron Hagemeier, Gary Danielson

The meeting was called to order by chairman, Dennis Baker, at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 24, 2008 at the GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Water/Wastewater Flows

The water loss for February is Spicer 24.3%, Green Lake 19.7%, and New London 40.5%.  The monthly average is 28.2% with a total year to date average of 20.1%.

Lake Florida Usage Metering Study Results

Chuck from Kandiyohi Coop Power has switched the solid state meters to disk meters for the grinder stations on 20 seasonal homes and is scheduled to switch out 20 additional meters on year round homes.  The readings between March 3 and 18 have been monitored and studied showing four of the meters are still reading kilowatt hours with little or no run time indicated on the grinder pump.

Area Lakes Improvement Update

At the March 18, 2008 meeting, the Kandiyohi County Board approved plans and specifications, authorized bid advertisement, and set improvement hearing dates and times for the Wastewater Collection System for Henderson, George, and Nest Lakes.  Bids will be opened April 15, 2008 at 10 a.m.  An informational meeting is scheduled for April 19, 2008 at 9 a.m. for all the lakes.  The public hearings will be on Friday, April 25, at 7 p.m. for Nest Lake and Saturday, April 26, at 9:00 a.m. for Henderson Lake and 10:30 a.m. for George Lake.  The awarding of the bid will be April 26, 2008.

2^nd Tier Sewer Hookups Regarding Additional Lake Systems

There was discussion regarding a matter that the County Board needs to decide regarding the sewer ordinance that now requires hookup to the sewer system if available.  If the property owner is in compliance with an on site system and has enough approved area for an additional system or if an on site system is not compliant and has enough approved area for two systems, they should not be forced to hookup.

Minutes

A motion to approve the minutes was made by Troy Block and seconded by Kevin Dittbenner.  There being no 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 crane truck is ready and working great.

The District is working on getting an old tanker previously used by the landfill.  After doing some modifications and if DOT approved, it could be used for bypass hauling.

On Friday, March 21, at 12 a.m. the on call plant operator was called out that the #3 lift station had no power.  While checking that the generator was running, the operator noticed an Xcel Energy truck was out because a motorist had left the road taking a power pole down.  An hour and half later the #1 lift station went out and the generator began running.  A total cost of $2,320 for the plant operator’s labor and cost of the generators running was calculated.  Following discussion, a motion was made by Troy Block and seconded by Clayton Anderson to submit for reimbursement of expenses to the motorist and the insurance company.  The motion carried.

Interviews for the Facility Operator I position at the plant will begin tomorrow.

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

The next meeting will be held on Monday, April 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, February 25, 2008
GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant

Present: Dennis Baker, John Bergman, Kevin Dittbenner, Brett Aamot

Absent: Clayton Anderson, Marv Hey, Dennis Peterson, Troy Block

Others present: Ron Hagemeier, Brad DeWolf

The meeting was called to order by chairman, Dennis Baker, at 6 p.m. on Monday, February 25, 2008 at the GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Water/Wastewater Flows

The January water losses for Spicer show -6.2%.  Spicer noted that 390,000 gallons of irrigation water not accounted for earlier was added in January.  If the irrigation water is removed from the accounted for water volume, January’s loss would be 7.5%.  The loss for Green Lake is 10.3% and New London is 31.8%.  The average total water loss is 12%.

Lake Florida Metering & Billing

Bolton and Menk, Inc. will continue to work with Kandiyohi Power Cooperative this week proposing to switch the house disk electrical meters with the grinder pump solid state turtle electrical meters.  This will be done at 20 to 30 seasonal and permanent homes.  The station pump runtimes and kilowatt usage will be read weekly.  If the test results show the control panel heater kilowatt usage not being registered, Bolton & Menk, Inc. will work with Kandiyohi Power Cooperative to switch out all of the solid state meters with the disk meters by the end of March 2008.

The SCADA system has been operating satisfactorily and will continue to be monitored.

Plans and specifications for the proposed future lake connections (Henderson Lake, George Lake, & Nest Lake) are 85% complete.  Surveys were mailed to Tier I Property Owners in January and questionnaires will be mailed to Tier II Property Owners the week of March 3, 2008.  Bolton & Menk, Inc. will provide plans and specifications along with a proposed project schedule to the Commission at the March meeting.

Diamond Lake is going through a series of meetings and has received a grant to conduct septic tank inspections to determine compliance.

The City of Kandiyohi is looking at abandoning their wastewater treatment system and exploring the cost associated with pumping to Willmar or the GLSSWD.

Second Tier Sewer Hookups Regarding Additional Lake Systems

There needs to be future discussion regarding 2^nd tier property hookups.  The issues include affordable service, financing (who pays), lot sizes, who should or should not be required to hook up, distance from lake, etc.  Gary would like this issue addressed before lake informational meetings and hearings start this coming spring.

Review of GLSSWD Service Call Rates

Ron provided information pertaining to hourly plumbing service rates as submitted by three local area plumbers with the average hourly rate being $70.00 per hour.  Following discussion, a motion was made by Brett Aamot and seconded by John Bergman that the District charge $70.00 per hour with time and a half after regular hours for service calls not associated with normal District activities.  The motion carried.

Leslie Foster (Old Mill Inn Resort) Update

Ron received a call from the county auditor questioning where the 2002 assessment on Leslie Foster’s property should be placed since the parcel number is no longer valid.  The property has been divided into 15 units to be sold as part of a common interest community.  After discussing the situation on the phone with Leslie, it was decided to split the assessment between units #3 and #4 with the annual fees placed on unit #3.  A letter containing this agreement was sent to Leslie for his signature.  The letter has been returned signed and forwarded to the county auditor’s office.  If any of these 15 units were ever split from the common interest community, the District would need to review what additional charges would apply.

Cloudnet Contract Renewal

A letter regarding the renewal of the 3-year contract to rent space on the water tower has been sent to Cloudnet requesting a 9% increase.  The increase would be 3% for each year resulting in a payment of $436 rather than $400 each month.  Cloudnet responded in agreement with the increase.  After recommendation from the Commission, the current contract will be amended reflecting the increase and sent to Cloudnet.  A motion to approve the increase and authorize Ron to amend the current contract was made by John Bergman and seconded by Kevin Dittbenner.  The motion carried.

Update Regarding Main Lift Station Forcemain Leak & Repairs

About 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 23, the plant operator received a call that wastewater was coming out of a manhole located just to the north of the Green Lake outlet bridge.  After inspection, it was confirmed that the valve manhole on the 16” main lift station forcemain was leaking.  The main lift station was shut down and septic haulers were called to bypass haul all wastewater to the plant.  Throughout the evening hauling continued and repair parts were obtained.  Sunday morning crews from Duininck Companies and Quality Flow, Inc. were on site to make repairs.  At 5 p.m. on Sunday repairs were completed, the forcemain was put back into service, and bypass hauling ceased.

Minutes

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

Bills

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

Other

New London has hired a company that can track plastic water lines to determine leaks.  Since the District may be interested, Ron requested to be informed when this is being done.

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

The next meeting will be held on Monday, March 24, 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, January 28, 2008
GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant

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

Absent: none

Others present: Ron Hagemeier, Gary Danielson

The meeting was called to order by chairman, Dennis Baker, at 6 p.m. on Monday, January 28, 2008 at the GLSSWD Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Election of Officers

Nominations for chairman were opened with Dennis Peterson nominating Dennis Baker and Kevin Dittbenner seconding.  Marv Hey made a motion nominations cease and cast a unanimous ballot for Dennis Baker with John Bergman seconding.  The motion carried.

Vice-president nominations opened with a motion by Troy Block and seconded by John Bergman that Clayton Anderson remains vice-president.  Marv Hey moved nominations cease and cast a unanimous ballot for Clayton Anderson with a second by Brett Aamot.  The motion carried.

John Bergman was nominated to remain secretary by Clayton Anderson with Brett Aamot seconding.  Dennis Peterson made a motion the nominations cease and cast a unanimous ballot for John Bergman with a second by Marv Hey.  The motion carried.

Water/Wastewater Flows

The average water loss for the year is Spicer 11.3%, Green Lake 20.0%, and New London 28.4%.  The total average for the year for all three entities is 19.9%.  A letter was sent along with the DNR water appropriation report regarding water accountability.  There are still plans to monitor around the lake with the leak detection device purchased last year if manpower allows.

Lake Florida Metering & Billing

The Commission was brought up to date regarding three metering experiments in progress at various residences regarding metering.  As of today, there is nothing conclusive in the findings.  Ron will ask Chuck Ahl from the Kandiyohi Power Cooperative and Dean Helstrom from Bolton and Menk to be in attendance next month for an update.

Review of Lake Florida Waived Hookup Fee

The final date of September 30, 2008 decided upon at the October 22, 2007 meeting for the waived hook up fee on Lake Florida, this applies to current structures along with the four vacant lots that installed grinder pumps, not any other new construction.

Review of GLSSWD Service Call Rates – Regular Hour Rate & Overtime Rate

Following some discussion regarding the current District service call rates, the commission unanimously decided to gather information on rates being charged outside of the District and place this item on the agenda again next month. 

Update Regarding Latest MDH Sampling Requirements

The Department of Health is requesting more work for 2009 after receiving the data on trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids tested for in the drinking water.  The Bible Camp, Spicer Castle, and the wastewater plant are in the 70 to 80 percent range of the maximum contaminant level (MCL) and have been selected for future sample sites.

Update Regarding Water Main Break on Indian Beach Road

The first water main leak in 7 ½ years was found on Friday, January 5, when Ron Brown called that he did not have water.  Before a District employee was sent out, calls began coming from several residents by the Spicer Castle.  Upon arrival at the Castle the water was boiling out of the ground.  The leak was isolated and Quam Construction was called to make repairs.  They returned at 7 a.m. on Saturday, the leak was repaired, and water back on at 2:30 p.m.

SCADA Update

After Dean Helstrom relayed to Harold at Preferred Control regarding the decision of the Commission last month to look into hiring someone else to complete the job using the remaining 10% of money being withheld, Preferred Control were here immediately to finish.  They also had an afternoon of training with the District employees.  The SCADA system is virtually complete.

Minutes

A motion to approve the minutes was made by Troy Block and seconded by John Bergman.  There being no 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

The Commission congratulated Gary Danielson on receiving his “2007 Outstanding County Engineer of the Year” award.

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

The next meeting will be held on Monday, February 25, 2008 at 6 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, 

Elizabeth Slinden
Recording Secretary