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Home My WebLink AboutMinutes_GUS_01.28.2009 Minutes of the Meeting of the Georgetown Utility System Advisory Board and the Governing Body of the City of Georgetown, Texas Special Session Wednesday, January 28, 2009 The Georgetown Utility System Advisory Board Special Session of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met on Wednesday , January 28, 2009. Board Members Present: Riki Young - Chair, Richard Lenning - Secretary, Patty Eason, Fred Beach, Temple Page Board Members Absent: Stanley Bland, Bill Sattler Staff Present: Jim Briggs, Jana Kern, Tom Benz, Glenn Dishong, Ken Arnold, Paul Elkins, Micki Rundell, Kathy Ragsdale, Peggy Leatherman, Paul Conomos, Mark Miller, Leticia Zavala, Chris Foster, Walter Koopmann, Steve Glenn, Jimmy Sikes, Mike Stasny, Jordan Maddox, Gabri el Dominguez, OTHERS PRESENT: Allen Woelke & Lauren Starosta - CDM, Joe Savage - Haynie Consulting Engineers , Don Rauschuber, Mary Wilson & Gordon Eurom - CTSUD, Karen Wuncsh - Pate Engineers, Inc., Howard Heiligmann, David Collinsworth - BRA Minutes Regular Meeting Mr. Riki Young called the Special GUS Board meeting to order on Wednesday, January 28, 2009 at 2: 02 p.m. Board may, at any time, recess the Regular Session to convene in Executive Session at the request of the Chair, a Board Member, the City Manager, Assistant City Manager, City Council Member, or legal counsel for any purpose authorized by the Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code Chapter 551, and are subject to action in the Regular Session that follows. I. Consideration and possible action to approve the minutes from the Regular GUS Board meeting held on December 16, 2008. -- Jana Kern Discussion: None Action: Motion by Page, seconded by Lenning to approve minutes as presented Approved 5-0-2 (Stanley Bland, Bill Sattler absent ) II. Discussion and possible action regarding the Project Progress Report and timelines including projects:-- Michael Hallmark/Tom Benz Park WTP Clearwell: The outside of the tank should be completed by the end of January. Contractor has started removing the forms from the inside of the tank. 4th Pump at Leander Pump Station: No change Escalera Elevated Water Storage Tank: The final lift on the pedestal has been completed. Starting to set forms for the pedestal dome. Rock Street WW Extension: Consulting engineer has redesigned to place WW line with in the existing easement. SG3-A: Southwestern University easement was approved. SG-P1: No change 16” Irrigation Water Line & Irrigation Pump Station Improvements : Tank work is completed. Working on pump station improvements and site cleanup. San Gabriel WWTP Wet Weather & Irrigation Water Improvements: No change 2008 Street Rehab: Concrete work completed on Ash Street, Mimosa Street, and 8th Street. Utility work on Main Street is scheduled for completion at the end of January. Action: None III. Consideration and possible recommendation for the award of the annual bid for miscellaneous streetlight material and lamps to various vendors in the estimated amount of $65,189.57. -- Paul Elkins Discussion: Elkins stated that bids were received for the purchase of streetlight material and lamps. These materials will be stocked in the City warehouse and is primarily used for new projects and replacement of existing streetlight material and lamps. Material will be ordered on an as needed basis. Action: Motion by Lenning, seconded by Eason to award the annual bid for miscellaneous streetlight material and lamps to the various vendors in an estimated amount of $65,189.57. Approved 5-0-2 ( Bland, Sattler absent ) IV. Consideration and possible recommendation for the award of the annual bid for wood poles to Thomasson Company of Philadelphia, Mississippi, and Texas Electric Cooperative of Jasper, Texas, in the estimated amount of $173,358.00. -- Paul Elkins Discussion: Elkins stated that this item is to award the annual bid for wood poles. Poles will be stocked in the City warehouse and is primarily used for new projects and replacement of existing poles. Poles will be purchased on an as needed basis. Action: Motion by Lenning, seconded by Eason to award the annual bid for wood poles to Thomasson Company and Texas Electric Cooperative in the estimated amount of $173,358.00. Approved 5-0-2 ( Bland, Sattler absent ) V. Consideration and possible recommendation for the award of the annual bids for water meters and accessories to various bidders in the estimated amount of $395.974.50. -- Glenn Dishong Discussion: Dishong stated that this is the annual bid for water meters and accessories. This equipment is stocked in the City warehouse and is used primarily for the new installation and for replacement of existing meters and metering equipment. Material will be ordered by the using department on an as needed basis. Action: Motion by Eason, seconded by Lenning to award the annual bids for water meters and accessories to various bidders in the estimated amount of $395.974.50. Approved 5-0-2 (Bland, Sattler absent) VI. Consideration and possible recommendation to approve a Master Services Agreement with Haynie Consulting Inc. of Round Rock, Texas, for professional e ngineering and surveying services. -- Tom Benz Discussion: Benz stated that staff has reviewed the qualifications of Haynie Consulting Inc. and has deemed them a qualified firm to perform civil engineering, construction observation, utility design, and surveying services. Approval of this MSA is not a guarantee of work, but approval of the MSA will allow for task orders to be issued. Lenning asked if these MSA is to help with support to the City's engineering department. Benz stated that is correct. Action: Motion by Page, seconded by Eason to approve a Master Services Agreement with Haynie Consulting Inc. for professional engineering and surveying services. Approved 5-0-2 (Bland, Sattler absent) VII. Consideration and possible recommendation to approve o f the contract between American Archaeology Group, LLC. of Lampasas, Texas, and the City of Georgetown to provide archeological surveying for the 2006 Annexation Water and Wastewater lines for an amount not to exceed $58,350.00. -- Tom Benz Discussion: Benz stated American Archaeology Group, which is run by Mr. Michael Bradle, has done numerous Georgetown projects and has always been able to obtain the permitting in a professional and cost effective manner. What American Archaeology Group will be doing for the City is the archeological surveying for the 2006 annexation for water and wastewater. Action: Motion by Lenning, seconded by Eason to approve a contract between American Archaeology Group, LLC. and the City of Georgetown to provide archeological sur veying for the 2006 Annexation Water and Wastewater lines for an amount not to exceed $58,350.00. Approved 5-0-2 (Bland, Sattler absent) VIII. Consideration and possible recommendation to approve cost reimbursement contracts with individual Whitetail Subdivision residents for the design and construction of 950 feet of 8 ” water line. -- Glenn Dishong Discussion: Dishong stated Staff has been working with these residents for about six years trying to find ways to install water lines within the development. There is a group of ten home owners that will be reimbursing the City approximately 75% of the total cost that will be split equally between an up front payment of $51,190.00, which staff has, along with the signed contacts, and then there will be monthly payments over a five year period. Also by installing this 8" line will help the residents with fire protection. Staff is proposing to construct the improvements via a change order to an existing water line contract vs. separate bid due to: 1) the urgent need f or water service brought on by recent failure of residential water wells, 2) reasonable unit pricing in the existing contract, and 3) savings in mobilization costs associated with a separate project. The total cost of engineering and construction is expected to be $136,371.00 with reimbursement contracts funding $101,371.00 ($51,190 up front) plus interest and $35,000.00 contributed by the City to be recovered in the water service rates to the Deer Draw customers over an 18 year period. Action: Motion by Page, seconded by Beach to approve the cost reimbursement contracts with ten individual Whitetail Subdivision residents for the design and construction of 950 feet of 8 ” water line. Approved 5-0-2 (Bland, Sattler absent) IX. Consideration and possible recommendation to approve Change Order #1 to expand the scope of the contract with Joe Bland Construction, LP for the 2008 Street Rehab Project Phase II to include the construction of 950 feet of 8” water line on Deer Draw at a cost of $115,591.00. -- Glenn Dishong Discussion: Dishong stated that the challenge for this project in trying to go through the normal process of design then putting it out for bid by doing this we have no idea what the cost is going to be. Working with the Whitetail residents the risk of not knowing the cost would be has been a challenge for them. Also, with the failure of three to four wells and the immediate need for water this has driven us to this solution. Staff recommends using the existing contractor - Joe Bland Construction - that is already doing line work for the City. Staff would expand the scope of the existing contract to include the installation of the water line for the ten Whitetail residents. Action: Motion by Beach, seconded by Lenning to approve Change Order #1 to expand the scope of the contract with Joe Bland Construction, LP for the 2008 Street Rehab Project Phase II to include the construction of 950 feet of 8” water line on Deer Draw at a cost of $115,591.00. Approved 5-0-2 (Bland, Sattler absent) X. An ordinance amending existing sewer rates to include a separate rate for the use of qualifying, non-residential evaporative cooling equipment. --Kathy Ragsdale & Micki Rundell Discussion: Ragsdale stated that over the last few years, the City has had several requests from nonresidential customers to provide a credit to their sewer charge to compensate for the water lost to evaporation. Staff originally tried to determine the amount of water lost to evaporation by metering the water going into the cooling system with one meter and the residual water, which is discharged into the sewer (the blowdown,) with another. The difference should be the evaporation. However, there were several issues with this process: 1) The evaporative cooling equipment and their meters are located inside the buildings, blocking the signal for an electronic meter reading. 2) To be read manually, the meter reader must go inside the building, which we oppose because of safety and liability risks. 3) The metering process does not account for t he drift or any water used for flushing or cleaning, requiring the business to provide us with an unsubstantiated usage amount and for the City to provide a manual calculation each month in order to bill. But research has shown that this process loses an average of 75% of the water used to evaporation. Therefore, the total amount of water used in this process should not be used in the calculation of the volumetric sewer charge. In order to compensate the users of evaporative cooling equipment for the differ ence evaporation makes in their sewer input, we have developed an Evaporative Cooling Rate that decreases the volumetric cost by 75%, while the monthly service charge remains the same. This would apply to qualified users that have a dedicated water meter for their cooling equipment. Those customers that have one primary meter that measures both domestic water use and cooler use will have a volumetric rate that is 50% lower than the standard rate. Action: Motion by Lenning, seconded by Eason to recommend approval of the ordinance amending the existing sewer rates to include a separate rate for the use of qualifying, non -residential evaporative cooling equipment. Approved 5-0-2 (Bland, Sattler absent) XI. A presentation for consideration and possible recommendation to proceed with the multi-phase process of acquiring and implementing a new Customer Information System (CIS) and Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) to replace the current systems, which are outdated and unreliable. -- Micki Rundell, Jim Briggs Discussion: Rundell and Briggs explained this item to the Board and also gave a power point presentation. Action: Motion by Beach, seconded by Lenning that staff moves forward with this plan as presented to the Board. Approved 5-0-2 (Bland, Sattler absent) 3:56 p.m. -- recessed 4:06 p.m. -- resumed XII. Discussion and possible recommendation for a memorandum of understanding between CTSUD and the City regarding the acceleration of the Lake Georgetown WTP expansion and the future construction of a Southlake WTP jointly owned by CTSUD and the City. -- Glenn Dishong Discussion: Dishong stated that staff has been working with CTSUD to facilitated the future planning of intakes and related infrastructure located on Lake Georgetown to meet the n eeds of both utilities. The MOU that is being presented today has changed slightly from the MOU that was presented at the December meeting. It still provides agreement in principal between the City and CTSUD to accelerate the expansion of the North Lake Water Treatment Plant to commence within the next 90 days with substantial completion scheduled for June 2010. The transfer of the Shadow Canyon subdivision has been removed from the MOU. Dishong went on to explain the general terms of the MOU. Action: Motion by Lenning, seconded by Beach approve the MOU between the City and CTSUD and forward on for Council approval. Approved 5-0-2 (Bland, Sattler absent) XIII. Presentation and discussion regarding the Sun City Water Conservation Pilot completed during the summer of 2008. -- Glenn Dishong Discussion: Dishong explained the item and gave a power point presentation on the outcome of the Sun City water conservation pilot program. Action: None XIV. Presentation and possible recommendation on the updated Water Services Master Plans of the Water Distribution and Wastewater Collection Systems. -- Tom Benz Discussion: Benz gave a brief explanation of this item and Allen Woelke & Lauren Starosta, of CDM, gave a power point presentation on the water distribution and wastewater collection systems. Action: None XV. Consideration and possible recommendation to approve the Executive Summary of the December 2008 Water Master Plan and referenced table and figures as an Element of the 2030 Comprehensive Plan. -- Tom Benz Discussion: Benz explained this item and also stated that there will be a public hearing. Action: Motion by Lenning, seconded by Eason to appr ove the Executive Summary of the December 2008 Water Master Plan and referenced table and figures as an Element of the 2030 Comprehensive Plan. Approved 5-0-2 (Bland, Sattler absent) XVI. Consideration and possible recommendation to approve the Executive Summary of the December 2008 Wastewater Master Plan and referenced table and figures as an Element of the 2030 Comprehensive Plan. -- Tom Benz Discussion: Benz explained this item and also stated that there will be a public hearing. Action: Motion by Lenning seconded by Eason to approve the Executive Summary of the December 2008 Wastewater Master Plan and referenced table and figures as an Element of the 2030 Comprehensive Plan. Approved 5-0-2 (Bland, Sattler absent) XVII. Discussion related to the schedule, dissemination of information, process and timeline related to consideration of the creation of an independently governed utility board for Georgetown's Utility System. -- Jim Briggs Discussion: Briggs explained the item and stated that he would be bringing updates to the Board over the next several months. Action: None Motion by Page, seconded by Lenning to adjourn. Approved 5-0-2 (Bland, Sattler absent) Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 06:06 PM. Approved : Attest: _______________________ ________________________ Riki Young - Chair Richard Lenning - Secretary