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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-11-14Nantucket Water Commission , F U C Minutes of Tuesday, November 14, 2019 .14' N C L C I .' 1. Meeting Called to Order: The meeting was called to order at 8:02 AM. 2. Acceptance of Agenda: The Commission accepted the agenda as printed by unanimous consent. 3. Public Comment: None. 4. Acceptance of Minutes for October 17, 2019 and Executive Session October 29, 2019: Motion was made by Commissioner Reinhard and seconded by Commissioner Eldridge, to approve the minutes for the October 17, 2019 meeting and Executive Session meeting October 29, 2019 as presented and authorized the chair to sign. S. Memorandum of Agreement Nantucket Water Commission and Siasconset Water Commission: Mrs. Holdgate presented the Memorandum of Agreement to the Commission and upon unanimous consent, it was presented to the chair to sign. 6. Acceptance of Easements for 1 and 3 Goose Cove Avenue: Motion was made by Commissioner Reinhard and seconded by Commissioner Slavitz to accept easements from the owners of 1 Goose Cove Avenue and easements from the owners of 3 Goose Cove Avenue. The motion was accepted by unanimous consent, and Commissioners Reinhard, Slavitz and Eldridge signed the easements which were notarized by Linda Roberts, Projects Manager/Public Notary. 7. Public Comment: None 8. Production and Billing Report: Mr. Willett presented the Production and Billing report to the Commission, stating first quarter was slightly lower than the same period last year — down 2% in production/pumping. Mr. Willett also stated rainfall is up with October having 13 inches of rain, which he said can attribute to the lower pumping numbers. 9. Execution of Contracts if any pending: None. 10. Director's Report: Mr. Willett informed the Commission on the status of the Merger with Siasconset, stating it is still in process at the State House and we are waiting to hear news. Mr. Willett stated he and Mrs. Holdgate met with Finance Director, Brian rt� A meeting of the Nantucket Water Commission was held on Thu("E&V.r_NcFJ0mftfr124,2 cv 2019 at the offices of the Wannacomet Water Company, 1 Milestone Road, Nantucket, LU ' Massachusetts. -- Commissioners present: Commissioners Allen Reinhard, Nonie Slavitz and Nelson cti Eldridge were present. Commissioners absent: None. Staff & Guests: Mark Willett - -� �Z Director, Heidi Holdgate - Business Manager, Christopher Pykosz — Operations Manager, Denese Allen - Assistant Business Manager and Linda Roberts — Projects Manager. N 1. Meeting Called to Order: The meeting was called to order at 8:02 AM. 2. Acceptance of Agenda: The Commission accepted the agenda as printed by unanimous consent. 3. Public Comment: None. 4. Acceptance of Minutes for October 17, 2019 and Executive Session October 29, 2019: Motion was made by Commissioner Reinhard and seconded by Commissioner Eldridge, to approve the minutes for the October 17, 2019 meeting and Executive Session meeting October 29, 2019 as presented and authorized the chair to sign. S. Memorandum of Agreement Nantucket Water Commission and Siasconset Water Commission: Mrs. Holdgate presented the Memorandum of Agreement to the Commission and upon unanimous consent, it was presented to the chair to sign. 6. Acceptance of Easements for 1 and 3 Goose Cove Avenue: Motion was made by Commissioner Reinhard and seconded by Commissioner Slavitz to accept easements from the owners of 1 Goose Cove Avenue and easements from the owners of 3 Goose Cove Avenue. The motion was accepted by unanimous consent, and Commissioners Reinhard, Slavitz and Eldridge signed the easements which were notarized by Linda Roberts, Projects Manager/Public Notary. 7. Public Comment: None 8. Production and Billing Report: Mr. Willett presented the Production and Billing report to the Commission, stating first quarter was slightly lower than the same period last year — down 2% in production/pumping. Mr. Willett also stated rainfall is up with October having 13 inches of rain, which he said can attribute to the lower pumping numbers. 9. Execution of Contracts if any pending: None. 10. Director's Report: Mr. Willett informed the Commission on the status of the Merger with Siasconset, stating it is still in process at the State House and we are waiting to hear news. Mr. Willett stated he and Mrs. Holdgate met with Finance Director, Brian Turbitt and Assistant Town Manager, Rachel Day, regarding the FY21 Budget, and reviewed what would happen if the merger does happen, confirming we would still be able to keep track of Siasconset income/expenses separately. Commissioner Reinhard asked about the five -person board and Mr. Willett confirmed that two of the Siasconset Commissioners would be able to move over to the Nantucket Water Commission and remain there until the next election, where they could run to remain in the seats if they wished. Commissioner Slavitz commented that the Chair position would need to be by vote with a five -person board, rather than on a rotational basis, as it currently is. a. North Liberty & Sherburne Turnpike area update: Mr. Willett informed the Commission the project has started and is going well, mentioning some issues may come up with the sewer portion because the sewer department does not currently know where all the sewer lines are in some of the areas. Mr. Willett stated that he is concerned because Mr. McNeil is now planning to do the drainage portion of the project after the new water and sewer lines are installed, and he has procured a separate engineer to do the plans for the project. Much discussion ensued, and Mr. Willett assured the Commission we will update them when we know any definitive plans. Mr. Willett also stated that timing issues may arise with the sewer portion because the sewer department is missing elevation information on their sewer man holes and lines and that David Gray is looking into getting answers to the questions regarding the information needed. b. Midland Ave & Columbus Ave update: Mr. Willett asked the Commission if they would agree to attend a meeting next week to approve the minutes of this meeting so Mrs. Roberts can get the minutes with the easements recorded. Mr. Willett also mentioned the contract with Haley and Ward for the Engineering work for the Midland project exceeds the $50,000.00 threshold and will also need the Commissioners to sign to execute. The Commissioners unanimously agreed to meet next week on Thursday, November 21, 2019 at 8:00 AM. c. Hydraulic Model: Mr. Willett informed the Commission the engineering firm Tata & Howard is working on the Hydrolic Model project stating engineers were here last week measuring hydrant flows in order to use real field date for calibration of the model. Mr. Willett also stated the Article Funding from town meeting for Water Distribution Improvements and Pumping Implementation gives us flexibility to use the funds for the work where needed. d. Budget Fiscal Year 2021: Mr. Willett commended Mr. Pykosz, Mrs. Holdgate and Mrs. Allen for a job well done preparing the data for the FY21 Budget projections. Mr. Willett explained to the Commission we have a new software platform this year for working on the budget called OpenGov, which has simplified the process and will allow the Finance Committee to look at similar entries across the different departments in a uniform manner. Mr. Willett stated we have budgeted for approximately 1/3 less connections in FY2021 based on our assumptions and research, which equates to around a total of 50 new connections. Mrs. Holdgate presented the certified retained earnings report to the Commission of $3,827,757.00, which is now certified by the Department of Revenue. Commissioner Slavitz asked if this dollar amount is close to the dollar amount Peter Lamb had suggested we keep for retained earnings and Mrs. Holdgate said yes, it is reflective of the suggested percent of earnings. Mr. Willett mentioned that the sewer department is looking at implementing a tiered rate structure and that a similar tiered structure will be required in the future for water as well, as this will most likely be mandated by DEP in the future. Mrs. Holdgate also announced the FY21 Budget Hearing with the Finance Committee currently is scheduled for January 21, 2020 at 4pm. 8. Commissioner's comments and reserved for unforeseen items for discussion by the Chair: Mrs. Holdgate informed the Commission we currently have an intern at Wannacomet, Connor Allen, 17 years old, who is shadowing our Water Technicians for a school project and he will be writing a report based on the 100 hours here at WWCO. Commissioners were overall delighted to hear of a young student interested in learning more about the water world and public service employment. 9. Adjournment: There being no further business to come before the Commission, amotion was made to adjourn the meeting. This motion was made by Commissioner Reinhard, seconded by Commissioner Slavitz and unanimously voted to adjourn at 9:24 AM. The next monthly meeting will be held on Thursday, December 12, 2019 at 8:00 AM at 1 Milestone Road. Approved: 2,4,4� Date: /�° O` Meeting packet included 11/14/19 Agenda, Production and Billing Report and Minutes from the October 17th and 29th, 2019 meetings. Next Regular Meeting Scheduled December 12th, 2019 at 8:00 AM.