Nyack Water Board Meeting

January 16, 2025 A regular meeting of the Board of Water Commissioners was held on the above date at 9 North Broadway, Nyack, NY. The meeting was called to order by Chairman McDowell at 4:30 PM. The following were present: William McDowell Chairman Michelle Bullock Commissioner John Phillips Commissioner Elizabeth Turk Commissioner Latoya Aguillard Assistant Secretary Andy Stewart Village Administrator Thomas Lynch Superintendent Absent: Commissioner Pearl Gray, Secretary Barbara Kunar, H2m Upon motion by Commissioner McDowell, second by Commissioner Bullock, and carried, the Board accepted the minutes of December 2024 as written. The Cash Flow Statement for December 2024 was presented to the Board for review. The Statement of Revenue and Expenditures for December 2024 was presented to the Board for review. Andy Stewart, Village Administrator-Presented an overview of the Nyack Water budget and revenue for the past few years to the Village of Nyack Water Board. This presentation provided a clearer view of the projected versus actual figures that had not been made available to the Board until now. As a result, the Board reinforced the need for the rate increase that Village Treasurer Jennifer Hetling has put together as part of the forecast for the new budget year. The Board reviewed the Projects Update submitted by H2M architects + engineers: A) Watermain Projects:  a. Phase B: i. J. Fletcher Creamer (JFC) began construction on Monday 11/18/2024. H2M is providing an inspector onsite full time to watch over and document the JFC construction crews progress. ii. JFC Progress: 1. Doscher, Hobe and Patterson – Water Main Installation has been completed. H2M had requested activation of the water main from Rockland County Department of Health (RCDOH). RCDOH has requested JFC to resample Doscher, Hobe and Patterson due to the length of time the main sat stagnant. Resampling was performed on 1/13/25 & 1/14/25. RCDOH indicated approval would be forthcoming following satisfactory test results. 2. Central Avenue and Benson Avenue – Water Main Installation has been completed. H2M requested and was granted approval to place Central Avenue and Benson Avenue into service. JFC is currently transferring service connections on Benson Avenue and anticipates completion the week of 1/20/25. Central Avenue is scheduled for service transfers the week of 1/27/25. 3. First Avenue – JFC has completed water main installation. The main has been filled, chlorinated and pressure tested. Bacteriological samples are being obtained on 1/16/25 and 1/17/25. H2M will request activation of the water main from Rockland County Department of Health (RCDOH) following satisfactory results. 4. Francis Avenue – Water main installation has been completed pending final Hydrant Installation. Once hydrants are installed, water main will be filled, chlorinated and pressure tested. H2M will request activation of the water main from Rockland County Department of Health (RCDOH) following satisfactory results. 5. Marion Street – JFC has scheduled 1/21/25 to begin installation of the new water main. iii. Fifth Avenue Water Main Replacement – H2M has been in discussions with Chairperson McDowell and Superintendent Lynch regarding the status/replacement of the Fifth Avenue Water Main Replacement. Village Administrator Stewart was also included in these conversations as it related to costing and/or removal of roadways from contract. 1. During the month of December 2024, multiple water main breaks occurred on Fifth Avenue as JFC have been working to replace water mains on Central and Francis Avenues. a. Fifth Avenue & Central Avenue Breaks – i. During the repair of the breaks in this area, heavy tuberculation was observed on the inside of the water main as well as general pipe wall thinning. Additionally, corrosion (electrolysis) was observed on the top side of the pipe. b. Fifth Avenue and Francis Avenue Breaks – i. During the repair of the breaks in this area, there was a complete failure of the water main invert position. Similar to Fifth and Central, heavy tuberculation was also observed. c. Other Breaks: i. other water main breaks were observed due to settlement issues, longitudinal cracks, etc. ii. A lot of the breaks experienced was largely due to the water main being at or beyond its useful life expectancy and the need for more regular maintenance (i.e. pipe cleaning). It is important to note that in the areas of the breaks, the structural integrity of the existing main is in poor condition and susceptible to additional breaks in the future. The existing main is also chocked down from its original diameter due to the heavy tuberculation observed. From records, the existing main is original cast iron, with no internal lining and is older than 1960’s. There are no records of replacement. iii. In discussions with Chairperson McDowell and Superintendent Lynch, the decision was made to remove Summit, Park and Bridge from contract and replace with Fifth Avenue as the closest even swap. Those three (3) roadways will be moved to Water Main Improvement Phase C. iv. H2M has been authorized to proceed with designing Fifth Avenue for replacement under emergency authorization from RCDOH. H2M has been in discussions with RCDOH on the process moving forward and will provide them a copy of the design drawing when complete. Everything installed is to be captured by As Built and submitted to RCDOH. Upon motion by Commissioner McDowell, seconded by Commissioner Bullock, and carried, the Board approved the water main tie-in on Benson and Central, contingent upon Rockland County Department of Health approval. Superintendent’s Report: Sedimentation Flight Scrapers -Superintendent Thomas Lynch notified us that during routine maintenance at the water treatment plant, both sedimentation flight scrapers were lost due to wood findings in the lagoon. When the first scraper went out of service, the quoted cost for replacement was over $15K. Superintendent Thomas Lynch decided that the most cost-effective solution would be to order the necessary parts and have our distribution crew handle the repairs. The parts have been ordered and we are currently awaiting their delivery. At 5:29 PM, upon motion by Commissioner Turk, second by Commissioner Bullock, and carried, the Board moved into executive session to discuss several issues. At 6:02 PM upon motion be Commissioner Phillips, second by Commissioner Bullock, and carried the Board moved out of executive session. Subsequent to coming out of executive session, Chairman McDowell presented to the Board a proposal to increase his monthly stipend by $150. Chairman McDowell recused himself from the vote. Assistant Secretary Latoya Aguillard then polled the present Board members. Upon motion by Commissioner Phillips, seconded by Commissioner Bullock, and carried by Commissioner Turk, the Board approved Chairman McDowell’s monthly stipend increase. Our next meeting will be Thursday, February 20, 2025 There being no further business, upon motion by Commissioner Bullock, second by Commissioner Phillips, and carried, the meeting was adjourned at 6:11 PM. Respectfully submitted, Latoya Aguillard Assistant Secretary