Wastewater Treatment Board

CITY OF CORTLAND WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY Meeting Minutes Members: Da te : 1/ 23 /17 Ti me : 5 :30 p m Chairman John Troy – Present C on fe r en ce R o om , C or t la nd Wa st e wa t e r Vice Chair William Starr – Present Commissioner Todd Morris – Present Commissioner Diann Potter – Present Commissioner Gary Thomas- Absent Village of McGraw Mayor Allan Stauber – Present Bruce Adams, Supt. of Wastewater – Present Edward Poole, Operator of Record - Present Meeting called to order at 5:28 p.m. Minutes from December 19, 2016, meeting for approval. Motion to approve the minutes from December 19, 2016, meeting by Bill Starr. Seconded by Diann Potter. UNANIMOUS Plant Manager’s Report: Plant Managers Report for January 23, 2017 (as written by Supt. Adams) Administration– On January 5 the City met with the County to discuss opportunities for collaborative action on vermicycling of sewage sludge and diverted food waste. On January 11 we met with Byrne Dairy to discuss their wastewater and trucked waste production for the next several years. The tenor of the meeting was very friendly and we believe we will have a mutually beneficial relationship moving forward. I completed all of the industrial pretreatment inspections for 2016. The City has been negotiating a labor contract renewal with the wastewater union. The union and the City are in agreement on nearly all points and are negotiating the one or two remaining points. Operations– The treatment process continues to run smoothly and we are meeting all permit requirements. On January 24 we will start up the new PAC distribution system. We will initially work out of totes in order to compare product from two different suppliers. Upon determining which product has the best performance/cost ratio, we will begin purchasing in bulk. The new cover and mixer have been placed on the North digester. WesTech is scheduled for the week of February 20th to verify proper installation and functioning. Contingent upon everything working properly, we will then start using it, giving us in excess of a half million gallons of digestion capacity. On the week of February 27 we are going to start up an "enhanced biological" mode of operation wherein we will run cycles of aerobic and anoxic periods to effect nitrogen removal without operating the decanters. This constitutes a mode halfway between conventional activated sludge and sequencing batch reactor. Maintenance– We are creating entries in our computerized maintenance management system for all the new equipment. For each piece of equipment, we are entering the manufacturer's recommended service items. The CMMS will WWAB Minutes 23 January 2017 Page 2 of 5  then automatically produce work orders as needed, just as it does with our existing equipment. Bruce Adams Superintendent of Wastewater Motion to approve the Plant Manager’s Report by Diann Potter. Seconded by Todd Morris. UNANIMOUS Finance: Financial statements and abstracts dated 12/31/16, and 1/16/17, were submitted for approval. Motion to approve financial statements and abstracts by Bill Starr. Seconded by Diann Potter. UNANIMOUS Sewer Grievance: A sewer grievance letter was received from John Barden on 1/04/17, for property located at 134 Groton Avenue, City of Cortland. Mr. Barden reported that late last year a water main pipe had broken due to the freezing temperatures and flooded his basement causing extensive damage. Mr. Barden further reported that he had previously requested to have the curb box shut off on this property but was not done as water continued to pour into his basement. He is requesting relief towards the sewer portion of his billing. Mr. Barden's grievance was reviewed by the board. Bill Starr stated that this grievance falls in line with previous grievances in which water had not gone into the system, resulting in some form of allowance, but will need to obtain supporting documentation, receipts, etc, for the board to review and render a decision. A motion was made by Bill Starr to table the grievance until the next Wastewater Advisory Board meeting in order to provide Mr. Barden the opportunity to submit the sewer grievance application with additional supporting documentation such as copies of plumber's bills and/or receipts for materials used in completing repairs. A letter for additional information and an application will be sent to Mr. Barden by Margie Becker. Motion to TABLE the grievance until the next WWAB meeting by Bill Starr. Seconded by Todd Morris. UNANIMOUS Sewer Grievance: A sewer grievance application was received from Wen Juan Zhang on 1/18/17, for property located at 12 Park Street, City of Cortland. Wen Juan Zhang reported a high meter reading on the 4th quarter sewer billing and is requesting relief on his sewer billing that averages with the first three quarters of 2016. WWAB Minutes 23 January 2017 Page 3 of 5  Introductions were made by the board members to Mr. DeMunn and his wife, (property owners), who were present. John Troy explained to Mr. and Mrs. DeMunn the process on how the board reviews and determines the possible maximum allowable credit that can be granted. Erich DeMunn stated that in mid December, he was notified by the Water Department that there was a high reading on his property. He immediately went over to the property and did an inspection finding no leaks or causes of high water usage. Mr. DeMunn also reported that there are three apartments on this property with only two tenants that were there during the holidays and that he believed that it was not possible that a large amount of water (292 units), could have been used. He then returned to the Water Department and spoke with Margaret Noble notifying her that he did not locate any sign of leaks or other problems. She advised him that she would send Matthew Wethje out to the property and check the meter with him. On 1/5/17, Mr. Wethje from the Water Department met with Mr. DeMunn at the property and checked the water meter at which time was, according to Mr. DeMunn, running very slowly. Mr. Wethje tested the meter and he determined that it was working properly. Mr. DeMunn further reported that the meter is very old and disputed the accuracy of the readings. Mr. DeMunn then spoke with Chris Bistocchi, Superintendent, disputing the accuracy of the meter, requesting a new meter be installed, which he agreed to the new meter installation. Margaret Noble had advised him that they could have the old meter tested, which he agreed to. Mr. DeMunn presented the test results of the certified meters to the board which showed a 99.10% to 100% accuracy rate, indicating that the meter was working properly. However, Mr. DeMunn stated that he believed that the readings were incorrect and disputed the accuracy results of the meters. Mr. DeMunn stated that although he now has a new water meter at the property, he will speak with Mr. Bistocchi as to obtaining his own future readings as there is no way to obtain readings from the new meters, which are radio controlled and cannot be read from the property. Mayor Allan Stauber explained to Mr. DeMunn how the Village of McGraw conducts their water readings of his residents and that these certified meters are the only evidence that they have that show how much water is being used and that the taxpayers have to pay for the water that goes into the system. Mayor Stauber further stated that the grievance he is presenting to the board is actually a matter to be presented to the Water Department Board, which Mr. DeMunn agreed and stated that they do have a pending grievance with them. Bill Starr then stated that the board should possibly table the grievance until the next WWAB meeting pending the determination by the Water Board on Mr. DeMunn's water grievance to render a decision. A motion was then made by Bill Starr to table the grievance until the next board meeting on February 27, 2017. Motion to TABLE the grievance until the next WWAB meeting by Bill Starr. Seconded by Diann Potter. UNANIMOUS WWAB Minutes 23 January 2017 Page 4 of 5 2017 Nominations for Appointment of Board Chairman and Vice Chairman: As required under the charter, a Chairman and Vice Chairman must be nominated each January. A nomination was made by Bill Starr for John Troy as Chair, seconded by Todd Morris. Diann Potter nominated Bill Starr for Vice Chair, seconded by Todd Morris. UNANIMOUS New Business: No new business Old Business: No old business Motion to Adjourn at 6:12 p.m. by Todd Morris. Seconded by Diann Potter. UNANIMOUS Respectfully submitted by: City of Cortland WWTF WWAB Minutes 23 January 2017 Page 5 of 5