Water & Sewer Commission

Town of Mount Airy Water and Sewer Commission Meeting Minutes – September 2, 2015 Commission members in attendance: Dick Swanson and Council Liaison Peter Helt. Fred Goundry was an excused absence. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm. Councilmen Bob King and Ron Johnson of Vanmar Associates attended the meeting. Minutes: Peter Helt moved to approve the minutes of the August 5, 2015 meeting. Seconded by Dick Swanson and the motion passed unanimously. Old Business: Stormwater Management: Dick Swanson stated that efforts continue to obtain title to the Merridale stormwater pond in order to perform needed stormwater remediation. FOG Compliance: Dick Swanson updated the W&S on FOG compliance. He stated that High’s (1001 Twin Arch Road) submitted their Grease Control Device Registration Form and a request for a variance. Tutti Frutti of Mt Airy submitted a request for variance without the Registration Form. He will coordinate with Brian Johnson to perform an inspection of the establishments and obtain the Registration Form from Tutti Frutti. Both requests assert that they do not have a grease trap on premise. Dick Swanson stated that the W&S should review all Registration Forms and send a letter suggesting that an FSE that may qualify for a variance consider requesting such a variance. Capital Investment Priority List: Councilmen Bob King noted that in order to meet the objectives of the Master Plan, the Town needs to focus on the long term development of additional water sources. He pointed out that water availability for future in-Town development was the number one priority in a recent informal poll of the Council members. The W&S will be making a recommendation to the Council to initiate a review of potential water sources in order to develop a plan to meet the Master Plan objectives. That recommendation was adopted at the August W&S meeting. New Business: Late Payment Fees: Peter Helt explained the water bill late payment process. He stated that if payment is not made within 30 days a second bill is issued and a 1.5% late fee is assessed. Continued failure to pay results in a “door hanger” stating that water will be shut off in one week if payment is not made and a $40 fine is imposed. When the Town receives payment, the water is turned on and a $30 fee is levied. Peter Helt suggested that the W&S consider recommending an increase of the 1.5% late fee to cover the costs of processing a second bill. He noted that calculating the late fee based on a percentage may not be equitable since the amount varies with the amount of the bill and bears little relationship to the actual cost of issuing a water bill. He suggested a flat fee representative of the costs of issuing a water bill. The W&S agreed with the recommendation and Peter Helt will propose that the Council consider changing the late fee structure. Available Unassigned Water: Ron Johnson of Vanmar Associates asked the W&S to consider updating its estimate of available water for infill and redevelopment. He provided a spreadsheet that shows 34,908 additional gpd that could be added to the W&S last estimate of 60,000 gpd for a total of 94,908 gpd. The W&S will review his calculations and assumptions as well as update the W&S projection of available water. Adjournment: Peter Helt moved to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Dick Swanson and passed by unanimous vote. The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 pm. W&S Meeting: The next W&S meeting is October 7, 2015 in Town Hall at 7:00 pm. Prepared by, Dick Swanson, Secretary