Water & Sewer Commission

Town of Mount Airy Water and Sewer Commission Meeting Minutes – October 7, 2015 Commission members in attendance: Dick Swanson, Council Liaison Peter Helt and Fred Goundry. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm. Ron Thompson of Vanmar Associates and Virginia Siemer, Source Water Specialist, of the Rural Water Association attended the meeting. Minutes: Peter Helt moved to approve the minutes of the September 2, 2015 meeting. Seconded by Fred Goundry and the motion passed unanimously. Old Business: Available Unassigned Water: Dick Swanson presented an updated assessment of the available water for in-Town development and redevelopment. The spreadsheet showed that in addition to the 60,000 gpd previously recommended for Council authorization to release for development, approximately 12,000 gpd could be made available for development. In September, Ron Thompson of Vanmar Associates provided a spreadsheet that shows 34,908 additional gpd that could be added to the W&S estimate of 60,000. The difference is that the W&S uses the highest of the last five years while Mr. Thompson's calculation is based on a five year average. Mr. Thompson requested that the W&S recommend releasing the additional water and advocate for assigning it to residential development to more closely balance residential appropriation (Planning Commission allocation) with commercial appropriation. He stated that there are residential projects waiting on water to begin the development process. The W&S will review the Town Code to determine the process for reviewing and recommending changes to the current available water and allocation of that water to categories of projects. FOG Compliance: Dick Swanson asked the W&S, and they agreed, if a letter should be sent to FSEs that, based on their Grease Control Form, may be eligible for a variance. Also, Peter Helt moved and Fred Goundry seconded a motion to approved FOG variance requests from High's at 109 Ridgeside Court and Tutti Frutti 411 East Ridgeville Blvd based on an on-site inspection confirming that neither FSE has a grease trap. The motion passed by unanimous vote. Late Payment Fees: Peter Helt stated that, based on input from the town Attorney, the Town could increase its late fee for non-payment of water bills to more closely approximate the cost of processing the second billing notice. He explained that late fees generally run from 5% to 10% of the total bill. The W&S discussed whether the fee should be a percentage or flat rate. The W&S agreed that a flat rate is preferable. Peter Helt moved that the W&S recommend that the Council set the late fee at $20 if the billing software can handle a flat rate or change the fee to 10% of the total bill if the software can not accommodate a flat fee. Seconded by Dick Swanson and passed by unanimous vote. New Business: Stormwater Management: Dick Swanson advised the W&S that he and Larry Hushour walked the Rails to Trails to discuss stormwater management issues. They determined that the stormwater remediation should include the entire trail from the spring head (at 3 North Main Street) to the storm drain at Route 27 due to the confluence of several sources of stormwater runoff meeting in Watkins Park. This will be discussed with Carroll County to get their assessment of the stormwater issues. Peter Helt mentioned that traditionally stormwater management has been the purview of the Streets & Roads Commission. He suggested that the W&S coordinate with S&R to clarify the responsibilities of each commission. Water Sources: Peter Helt stated that, at some time in the past, the Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company stated in a letter that they would allow test drilling and development of an additional well if the carnival grounds were rezoned to meet zoning requirements for future improvements to the property. The W&S agreed that this offer should be formalized and acted on since the property is in a water recharge quadrant where the Town holds unused MDE credits for additional water. Adjournment: Peter Helt moved to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Fred Goundry and passed by unanimous vote. The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 pm. W&S Meeting: The next W&S meeting is November 4, 2015 in Town Hall at 7:00 pm. Prepared by, Dick Swanson, Secretary