MINUTES OF MEETING

CORAL SPRINGS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

 

            A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of the Coral Springs Improvement District was held on Monday, November 14, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. at the District Office, 10300 NW 11th Manor, Coral Springs, Florida. 

 

            Present and constituting a quorum were:

           

            Martin Shank                                      President

            Theodore Mena                                   Vice President

            Duane Holland                                    Secretary

           

            Also present were:

           

            Kenneth Cassel                                   District Manager

            William G. Capko                               District Counsel

            Dan Daly                                             Director of Operations

            Kay Woodward                                  District Accountant

            Jan Zilmer                                           Human Resources

            John McKune                                      District Consultant

            David McIntosh                                  Wastewater Department

            Ed Stover                                            Water Department

            Randy Frederick                                 Drainage Supervisor

            James Rabideau                                  CH2M Hill

            Joe Brown                                           Lanzo Construction

            Steven Solomon                                  Resident

                                                                       

            The following is a summary of the minutes and actions taken during the November 14, 2011 CSID Board of Supervisors Meeting.                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS                             Roll Call

            Mr. Cassel called the meeting to order and called the roll. 

                                                                                                                       

SECOND ORDER OF BUSINESS                        Approval of Minutes

A.                October 17, 2011 Meeting

B.                 October 24, 2011 Continued Meeting

            Mr. Shank stated each Board member received a copy of the minutes of the October 17, 2011 meeting and October 24, 2011 continued meeting and requested any corrections, additions or deletions.

            There not being any,

 

On MOTION by Mr. Mena seconded by Mr. Holland with all in favor the minutes of the October 17 and October 24, 2011 meetings were approved.

           

THIRD ORDER OF BUSINESS                            Audience Comments

A.                Mr. Steven Solomon

            Mr. Solomon addressed the Board and the following was discussed:

·         He would like CSID customers to be credited for the recent FPL outage, which resulted in a boil water period.

·         He feels the District’s rates are high compared to other districts such as NSID and would like them to be more competitive.

·         A great portion of water usage at his home goes towards lawn irrigation.  He would like the District to figure out how much water is used towards his lawn and discount charges for sewage.

            Mr. Shank responded the following:

·         The boil water advisory was precautionary and not mandatory.  The water supplied to residents was good for showering and septic use.  The water could be used for cooking and coffee, but boiling was recommended.   

·         Credits cannot be issued because it is impossible to determine how much water each household drinks daily. 

·         CSID does not have the lowest rates and it does not have the highest rates.  The rates are set because of bonds issued to construct the new plants. 

·         A separate meter can be installed to measure water used towards irrigation, but it will be at the homeowner’s expense. 

Mr. Mena made the following comments:

·         He asked what the average daily cost is on a home using 7,000 gallons.  Mr. Daly responded $60.81.

·         He noted it is approximately two dollars a day and a credit will only be four dollars. 

·         He clarified the boil water advisory was a result of an FP&L power outage and not a mistake made by the District. 

            Mr. Holland made the following comments:

·         He thanked Mr. Solomon for attending the meeting and providing his suggestions.

·         He reviewed the correspondence between Mr. Daly and Mr. Solomon and noticed the dramatic cut Mr. Solomon made in his bill through his sprinkler system. 

·         He liked the suggestion of using algorithms.

 

            The following was also discussed:

 

·         Mr. Shank noted algorithms may be an advantage to some homeowners, but a disadvantage to other homeowners.

·         Mr. Daly stated CSID is the only water company which includes 3,000 gallons of water and 3,000 gallons of sewage in the base rate.

·         Mr. Solomon stated he is not interested in what he gets free.  He is interested in what he pays. 

·         Mr. Mena noted he is a Code Ranger for the City of Coral Springs and reminded Mr. Solomon he is required to only water his lawn twice a week.  The city is not penalizing homeowners for brown lawns. 

 

B.                 Ms. Cindy Heafy

            Ms. Heafy did not attend the meeting.

 

FOURTH ORDER OF BUSINESS                        Project Update – Lanzo

            Mr. Brown provided a status update and the following was discussed:

            Plant F

·         The buildings were delayed by the rains, but are in the process of completion. 

·         The spark test was completed and items needing attention are being addressed.

·         Testing will begin on the clarifier tomorrow.  Once testing is complete the tank will be closed up and the remaining diffusers will be installed.  Hydrostatic testing will also be done.

·         Estimated completion is for mid December. 

 

Nano Plant

·         Performance acceptance testing is being conducted.

·         Testing on Train #1 was completed today, Train #2 will be tested next and if it is successful, they will proceed with Train #3. 

·         Once all three trains have been tested they will run them simultaneously.  This involves wells #8 through #11. 

·         The electrical portion of the wells was completed today.

·         The RTU hookup and radios will be in Wednesday or Thursday.  The wells will be required to run all three trains simultaneously.

·         They are proceeding with the preliminary work list generated by CH2M Hill.  Mr. Brown reviewed the list with Mr. McKune and provided comments.  He will forward a copy of his comments to Mr. Cassel.  He does not agree with some of the items.  He feels other items on the list are part of the contract and they will be done.

·         Hydrobility levels increased and shut the plant down.  It needs to be flushed and ran to waste for one and a half hours.  This ends treatment, but not testing. 

·         Mr. Shank asked about the letter from Lanzo regarding lightning damaging equipment.  Mr. Brown responded there was either a lightning strike or a power surge.  CH2M Hill was asked to determine what the cause was in order to take necessary steps to repair the issue. 

·         Mr. Shank wants them to determine how this can be prevented from happening again because both FP&L power surges and lighting strikes are common occurrences.  

·         Mr. Mena noted engineering and the contractor should have been proactive and prepared for issues like this. 

·         Mr. Rabideau stated CH2M Hill designed surge protectors in the system and there is lighting protection system.  All instruments outside the building have individual surge protectors.  The building envelope does not need surge protectors because it is not susceptible to lightning strikes.  They are investigating what caused the incident. 

·         Mr. Shank stated the prior Board was not informed of all the issues which could arise with the nano plant. 

·         Mr. McKune stated the nano plant will require staff be highly trained and will need better operators.  It is a more complex system and is sensitive to lightning strikes as well as power surges.  The District will likely need to hire an electrician. 

·         Mr. Cassel stated DEP and EPA requirements are becoming more stringent for the removal of certain trace chemicals in water.  Lime softening will not remove these chemicals.  This is why so many utilities are going with nano plants.

FIFTH ORDER OF BUSINESS                             Discussion and Approval for RFQ Soliciting District Engineering Services  

            Mr. Cassel asked the Board if they want an RFQ prepared for District engineering  services as discussed at the workshops.  Mr. Shank requested the RFQ process begin.

 

SIXTH ORDER OF BUSINESS                             Approval of Work Authorization #50 Invoice for August 27 to September 30, 2011

            The following was discussed:

·         Mr. Shank noted on page three, under work remaining under the lump sum, it lists O&M manual, yet they are billing the District for preparing the O&M manual separately. 

·         Mr. Rabideau stated there are O&M manuals provided by the contractor for individual equipment.   CH2M Hill reviews the manuals for content and sends it back to the contractor with comments or approval. Those are submittals. CH2M Hill prepares a separate O&M manual to run the plant. 

·         Mr. Cassel questioned what Mr. Willems is doing.  Mr. Rabideau is working on inspections.

·         Mr. Cassel asked what travel-other means.  It is for travel to the site.

·         Based on additional input provided by Mr. McKune and Ms. Woodward, Mr. Cassel suggested reducing the amount he recommended paying in the agenda package to $41,534.85.

 

On MOTION by Mr. Mena seconded by Mr. Shank with all in favor the Board authorized a payment of $41,534.85 for invoice # 3811381 from CH2M Hill.

 

SEVENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS                      Staff Reports

            The following was discussed:

·         Mr. Shank stated Mr. McKune recommends a SCADA system for monitoring wells.  Mr. Stover stated they are in the process of getting prices on transducers for each well.  Personnel will need to be used for immediate monitoring.

·         The wells have to be cleared out every six years.  All the wells have to be redone.

·         SFWMD lifted the two-day water shortage restriction.  Broward County can water three days a week before 10:00 a.m. or after 4:00 p.m.; Monday, Wednesday and Saturdays for odd number houses and Tuesday, Thursday and Sundays for even number houses.

·         Mr. Shank requested Mr. Frederick provide Mr. Daly easement and right-of-way information for the parcels with erosion issues.

·         Mr. McIntosh reported there were issues two weeks ago with the wastewater plant due to heavy rain.  Two pumps ran out of service.  They were still able to monitor flow to a third pump and another pump was repaired immediately. 

·         Ms. Woodward reported field work for the Fiscal Year 2011 audit was completed last week.  The audit report is expected to be ready a month earlier than last year. 

 

A.                Manager

·         East and West Basin Water Level Calculations During Rain Events

            This item is for informational purposes only.  Mr. Cassel reported he met with the city and is working with them on better communication/coordination to clean out grates. 

·         Monthly Water Break Report

·         Utility Billing Work Orders

The above items are for informational purposes only. 

 

B.        Director of Operations

            Mr. Daly reported the following:

·         The issue with the injection wells is being taken care of.  Mr. McIntosh is looking into what happened with the winding. 

·         They are looking into a SCADA system for the wastewater plant. 

 

C.        Attorney

·         Update on Legislative Package

Mr. Capko reported the following:

·         The Broward County Legislative Delegation had a hearing last Wednesday where they had a second reading on the District’s local bill.

·         Mr. Capko answered several questions from the delegation regarding the bill  addressing a change in compensation for Supervisors.

·         The District’s bill passed. 

·         Mr. Shank asked if he responded to the Board of Education regarding their request to be reimbursed for bottled water during the boil water advisory.  Mr. Capko has not yet responded.  A letter has been drafted and will be sent out tomorrow. 

·         He spoke with CH2M Hill’s attorney who does not recall getting correspondence from Mr. Lyles regarding the District’s public records.  The demand letter was sent and they should be receiving it this week.

·         Mr. Lewis is checking into the FP&L dual feeds issue. 

·         District employees cannot participate in the Florida State Health Insurance Program.  There is a Florida Statute which provides certain government entities can participate and piggyback off the Florida State Health Insurance Program, but it is limited to small counties and small municipalities within the counties.  Special Districts are not allowed to participate.  Mr. Lewis can go before the FASD Board to suggest working on a bill to go before legislation next year.   

 

            D.        Engineer

·         Project Status Report

            The following was discussed:

·         Performance testing is being conducted on the membranes.  After this testing is complete, they will perform a full system test.  This should be done by next Tuesday.  Performance testing of the whole plant will be conducted afterwards.

·         After all testing is completed the next steps will be discussed to connect the nano plant into the system.  This will require certification from the Health Department. 

·         A meeting will be held with the Health Department to determine the requirements before the certification process begins. 

·         They are inspecting work on Plant F as requested by the Board. 

·         Testing is being conducted on the paint and the coatings to determine whether there are pinholes which can affect the steel. 

·         The aeration basin will be installed along with air diffusers after the coatings are complete. 

·         Mr. Shank noted there are several old items on the Project Status Report.  Mr. Rabideau stated those items may not be considered complete. 

·         Mr. Shank discussed the design of the generator room and lack of access to the generator.  Mr. McKune will meet with Mr. Daly, Mr. McIntosh, the electrician and the gear manufacturer onsite to find out how to get front access.

 

EIGHTH ORDER OF BUSINESS                         Approval of October Financials and Check Registers

            There being no questions or comments,

 

On MOTION by Mr. Mena seconded by Mr. Holland with all in favor the October financials were approved.

 

NINTH ORDER OF BUSINESS                            Supervisors’ Requests and Audience Comments

            The following was discussed:

·         Mr. Holland complimented District staff on their great job during the rain event. 

·         Mr. Holland suggested meeting with the department heads and management to determine the organization’s direction as well as getting a professional facilitator. 

 

Mr. Holland MOVED to hire a professional facilitator to assist the District in its organizational structure and Mr. Mena seconded it.

 

·         Mr. Holland knows professional facilitators.  He is also aware the city has these capabilities. 

·         Mr. Shank suggested the expense be $100 per day and recommended Mr. Ken Fink.

 

On MOTION by Mr. Shank seconded by Mr. Mena with all in favor a facilitator will be hired to assist the District in its organizational structure at a cost not to exceed $100 per day.

 

·         Mr. Shank requested a District map as well as a poster size aerial picture of the plant.

·         Mr. Shank requested an overlay of the new flood zones and the District. 

·         Mr. Solomon commented on the CH2M Hill invoice and had some questions about the cost of the project, of which Mr. Cassel provided responses. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS                           Adjournment

            There being no further business,

                             

On MOTION by Mr. Mena seconded by Mr. Holland with all in favor the meeting was adjourned.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                       

Kenneth Cassel                                         Martin Shank

Assistant Secretary                                   President