Morgantown Utility Board

MINUTES OF THE MORGANTOWN UTILITY BOARD January 23, 2020 A meeting of the Morgantown Utility Board was held at 12:00 P.M. (Noon), Thursday, January 23, 2020, in the Morgantown Utility Board Office, 278 Greenbag Road. Present were Board Chairman Straface and Members Cayton, Parsons and Witt. Also present were General Manager Ball, Assistant General Manager Smith, Comptroller Osborne, Senior Engineer Jim Fetty, and Attorney Ray. Chairman Straface called the meeting to order. It was moved by Mr. Witt to approve the minutes for the Regular Meeting of November 4, 2019, as submitted. The motion was seconded by Ms. Parsons and passed unanimously. Public Portion:  Bill Rice: Congratulated Sarah Cayton on becoming a Member of the Board and gave recognition to Ron Bane for his years of service to the Utility Board. Mr. Rice briefed the Board on his current involvement in the community. Mr. Rice stated that MUB’s creditability is impeccable and rock solid, and he encouraged the Board to stay the course. New Business:  Welcome New Board Member – Sarah Cayton: Chairman Straface welcomed Ms. Cayton to the MUB Board of Directors; she stated that she is looking forward to working with the Board.  Recognize Departing Board Member – Ron Bane: Chairman Straface presented Mr. Bane with a gift and a plaque to express the Board’s thanks for his outstanding service for the past 15 years. Mr. Bane spoke about his admiration for the organization, and to express thanks to each member of the Board, the General Manager, and the Staff for their support.  Election of Officers: Manager Ball stated election of Officers is performed on an annual basis, and with the departure of Mr. Bane, the office of Vice Chair is now vacant. Current (2019) officers are: Chairman – J.T. Straface Vice Chairman – vacant Treasurer – Tom Witt Secretary – Barbara Parsons After a brief discussion by the Board, it was moved by Mr. Witt to elect J.T. Straface to serve as Board Chair, Barbara Parsons to serves as Vice Chair, Tom Witt to serve as Treasurer, and Karen Kunz to serve as Secretary, all for the remainder of the calendar year. The motion was seconded by Ms. Cayton and passed unanimously.  Monthly IJDC Loan Draw Down – Rockley Road: Close out documents required for final payment have been received from the contractors. This is the last draw down, in order to make final payment. This was a combination grant and IJDC loan project with the debt service to be paid by the customers of Rockley Road. It was moved by Mr. Witt to approve Expenditure Report No. 13, for the Rockley Road Waterline Extension Project; IJDC Project No. 2015W-1619; in a total amount of $71,605.48; with $66,014.58 to be drawn from the IJDC grant; $37.71 to be drawn from MUB; and $5,553.19 to be drawn from the County Commission contribution; and authorizing the General Manager to execute all documents related to said report. The motion was seconded by Ms. Parsons and passed unanimously.  Approval of Bids – TV Inspection Truck: Manager Ball stated this item may be skipped. This item will be re-bid.  Approval of Bids – Lakeview Water Tank Painting: The Lakeview water tank is owned and maintained by MUB; it is located at Lakeview Resort near the timeshare townhomes. Bids for painting the tank were received December 3, 2019, and a bid tabulation is provided. Staff recommends approval of a contract to the qualified bidder with the lowest base-bid. It was moved by Ms. Parsons to approve the bid from, and award of a contract to D&M Painting Corporation, for painting of the Lakeview water tank; Contract No. 5-2019; in a base amount of $147,420, with the additive bid alternate for $19,600, for a combined price of $167,020; as bid on December 3, 2019; and further authorizing the General Manager to sign all documents related to said contract. The motion was seconded by Mr. Witt and passed unanimously.  Approval of Bids –Falling Water, The Glens, Phase 1, Sanitary Sewer Project: This is a sanitary sewer project at a residential development in the Cheat Lake area. It will be constructed at the expense of the developer. Bids were received December 20, 2019, and a bid tabulation is provided. Staff recommends approval of a contract to the lowest qualified bidder. It was moved by Ms. Cayton to approve the bid from, and award of a contract to Stone Paving Inc, for the sanitary sewer project at Falling Water, The Glens, Phase 1; Contract No. 7-2019; in an amount of $114,923; as bid on December 20, 2019; and further authorizing the General Manager to sign all documents related to said contract. The motion was seconded by Ms. Parsons and passed unanimously.  Approval of Bids – CSO Flow Metering: Our current WWTP upgrade project is part of a Long-Term Control Plan (LTCP) which is intended to reduce and minimize Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO’s). As part of the LTCP, and in order to validate its effectiveness, we need to measure CSO discharges and related system flows for approximately six months. There may be a second round of metering upon completion of the WWTP project; the scope of it should be less than the currently proposed initial round, but that will depend in large part upon the results of the first round. That second round, if needed, is not included in the scope of the subject initial round.  This work will require rental of a fleet of portable sewer meters, and the technical services of a firm to install, operate, maintain the meters, and to download and provide the data. We have solicited bids for those services and a bid tabulation is provided. Triad Engineering submitted the lowest bid, but subsequently notified us that their bid was flawed and failed to contain any labor costs. Triad requested that they be allowed to withdraw their bid. The bidding specifications do not prohibit such a request. Staff recommends that Triad be allowed to withdraw their bid. Staff recommends approval of a purchase contract to the lowest remaining qualified bidder. It was moved by Mr. Witt to approve the bid from, and award of a rental/service contract to Civil & Environmental Consultants (CEC); for providing, installing, operating, maintaining portable sewer meters, and to perform related data acquisition; Contract No. 1-2020; in an amount of $394,800; as bid on January 17, 2020; and further authorizing the General Manager to sign all documents related to said contract. The motion was seconded by Ms. Parsons and passed unanimously.  Annual Performance Review - General Manager: Related to this agenda item, Chairman Straface asked for a motion to convene an Executive Session of the Board of Directors under the provisions of WV Code 6-9A-4(b)(2)(a), to discuss matters related to personnel. The motion was made at 12:37 P.M. by Mr. Witt, seconded by Ms. Parsons and passed unanimously. Chairman Straface requested that Mr. Ball, Mr. Smith, and Ms. Osborne remain available to participate individually. Chairman Straface reconvened the Regular Session, and called the meeting back to order at 1:48 P.M. He reported that the Utility Board’s Executive Session discussion was limited to the stated purpose, and that there was no decision made or official action taken during the session. Ms. Parsons stated that as a Board, we reviewed our general manager’s goals and objectives from last year. We reviewed the actions and activities that took place as far as this organization and its progress. We had a discussion in terms of having met those goals and objectives and having had a few challenges throughout the year that have been satisfactorily resolved. The executive director has done a very good job of managing this organization, as usual. It is an exemplary organization and it is known to be an exemplary organization throughout the state as a water utility, and we are very pleased with the performance of our executive director. Therefore, we have proposed a salary increase. It was moved by Mr. Witt to approve a 3% increase to the annual salary of the General Manager, retroactively effective on July 1, 2019. The motion was seconded by Ms. Parsons and passed unanimously. Old Business:  Rockley Road Water Project: Manager Ball stated construction is completed. We have received all necessary documentation for project close out and with the Board approval today will allow for final payment to be made.   Cobun Creek Reservoir Project: Manager Ball stated Kanawha Stone is now 20% complete. Even though the pace of work has recently improved, the project is now estimated to be approximately one year behind schedule. We have formally notified the surety (who provided the Performance Bond) of this unacceptable status, and we have had subsequent discussions with the contractor and the surety, in order to identify how the completion date may be optimized. We have notified the contractor and surety that we reserve all rights, and that we expect them to pay our costs that result from the delay. D&M Construction has returned to resume construction of the raw water line at White Park and have achieved 83% completion based on project price. They are currently installing protective measures and removing selected trees along the recently approved route. In addition to our own inspectors, this work is under the watchful observation of an arborist and a construction inspector, both hired by the City at our expense, as provided by the pipeline license agreement. Green River Construction has completed the removal of the dam at Appalachian Lake and WVDEP has inspected and approved the dam removal. The Maintenance Building and the generator, both at the WTP, have both been fully completed.  WWTP Project: The contractor is 80% complete based on contract price. The membrane building and tanks remain a major focus at this time; work there continues for finishes, electrical, HVAC, and equipment and controls, including membrane pumps, piping, membrane support structures, testing of membrane modules, installation of a pre- engineered building over the membrane tanks, and startup / checkout of the membrane controls and equipment. Construction of the Pre-Screening building, digester roof and the expanded control building remains underway. Operations continue to be controlled from a temporary control center located in a trailer. Temporary bypass pumping of primary clarifier effluent and activated sludge settled effluent pipelines have begun in order to allow construction of the new plant outfall, as has demolition of these lines in order to create a clear path for the new outfall line. Other new work about to begin includes boiler room modifications, replacement of plant influent pumps and motors, construction of new plant outfall, membrane tank bridge crane, and installation of new digester (#1) conical hopper. General Manager’s Report:  EPA Award: On the recommendation of the WVDEP, the EPA presented MUB with a Pisces Award, citing our innovative financing of the Star City WWTP project.  Legislative Session: The legislature is in session; we do not have any active legislation which we are supporting, but we do maintain a “defensive posture”.  February Meeting: Due to the President’s Day holiday, the February Board meeting will be held at 12:00 Noon, Tuesday February 18th, at the MUB office at 278 Greenbag Road. Board Issues:  No issues brought before the Board. Executive Session:  Chairman Straface asked for a motion to convene an Executive Session of the Board of Directors under the provisions of WV Code 6-9A-4(b)(2)(a), to discuss matters related to personnel. The motion was made at 2:00 P.M. by Mr. Witt, seconded by Ms. Parsons and passed unanimously. The Board requested that General Manager Ball and Attorney Ray remain present for the session. Chairman Straface reconvened the Regular Session, and called the meeting back to order at 2:56 P.M. He reported that the Utility Board’s Executive Session discussion was limited to the stated purpose, and that there was no decision made or official action taken during the session. There being no further business to come before the Board, upon a motion by Ms. Parsons, seconded by Mr. Witt, and unanimously approved, the meeting adjourned at 2:57 P.M. J. T. Straface, Chairman Karen Kunz, Secretary