Utility Committee

City of Oconomowoc Utility Committee Meeting Minutes – July 25, 2017 Alderman Shaw called the meeting to order at 4:00 PM. Members Present: Alds. Shaw, Schmidt and Kowieski Staff Present: Tom Steinbach, Lucas Caine, Joe Pickart, John Schuh, Ellen Schmidt and Tina Wallace 2. Consider/recommend Awarding the CTH DR Water Main Extension Contract: Caine reported that back on April 18, 2017 the City signed an agreement with the Village of Summit for providing sewer and water service for the new Village Hall located on the northwest corner of Dousman Rd. and CTH DR. The Utility Department advertised for the installation of water main and received three bids. Caine is recommending Mid City Plumbing & Heating in the amount of $150,505. Pickart stated expenses will be charged back to the Village of Summit. Motion by Schmidt to recommend awarding the CTH DR Water Main Extension Contract to Mid City Plumbing & Heating in the amount of $150,505; second by Kowieski. Motion carried 3-0. 4. Review Committee Reports: Electric – Pickart referred to his report included in the packet. He noted the decrease in kilowatt hours due to LED lighting and commercial efficiencies. He stated the LED lighting project should be completed by the fall of 2018. Water – Caine referred to his report included in the packet. He stated attached to the water report is a copy of the Executive Summary that was just concluded. Caine stated one of the recommendations is to construct a new well and pump station on the Pabst Farms site. Staff has been working on the aerator replacement at the Powerhouse downtown which will be completed this week and back online next week. Ald. Shaw stated after reviewing the Executive Summary it identifies some deficiencies and improvements that can and should be made. He suggests staff needs to look at how to schedule these improvements and costs. Pickart stated he received a letter from the DNR for approval of Well #8 at Pabst Farms but in order to get the approval they have to abandon Wells #1 and #2. Wastewater – Steinbach referred to his report included in the packet. He noted the influent flow spiked up drastically on July 12. He stated the department used the collection system for storage for a few hours in the morning to help minimize the peak on the plant. He did see an elevated phosphorus level in the watershed areas. Members had a lengthy discussion on stormwater management regarding new projects that occur in the City. The Members feel the City should be proactive and increase the focus and emphasis on new development requirements. Steinbach stated the budget for the watershed project continues to be a challenge due to the uncertainties related to the agricultural projects and the timing of getting them to completion. He reported the Utility is requesting another variance for chlorides and the EPA has requested the City add more timeline dates in terms of what the City is doing for source reduction. The EPA also wants the City to look at Lime Softening of the water supply and reducing road salting, and septage and holding tank contributions. Members discussed how the City should manage street salting in the future, incentives for replacing older softeners. Ald. Kowieski suggested that Steinbach put together a small summary of the top 3-5 items that need to be addressed through policy and Council. Also, he would like a public education piece added in the summary. Utility Billing – Schuh reported earlier this year staff sent out an insert with the Utility bills explaining the change in the way WPPI is billing the City. 6. Staff and Committee Comments: Pickart reported that this past Sunday morning an electric switch gear failed and caused and outage for 64 minutes at Roundy’s which effected a wide area going to the lights to the north. 7. Adjourn: Motion by Schmidt to adjourn at 4:57 PM; second by Kowieski. Motion carried 3-0. Tina Wallace, Deputy City Clerk S:\Committees - Commissions\Utility Committee\Minutes\2017\7-25-17.doc