MINUTES OF MEETING

CORAL SPRINGS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

 

            The recessed meeting of December 19, 2011 of the Board of Supervisors of the Coral Springs Improvement District was held on Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 2:40 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

            Andrew Bauman                                 District Counsel

            Dan Daly                                             Director of Operations

            Kay Woodward                                  District Accountant

            John McKune                                      District Consultant

            David McIntosh                                  Wastewater Department

            Shawn Frankenhauser                         CSID Safety Coordinator

            Steven Seigfried                                 CSID Staff

            Alvan Jones                                         CSID Staff

            Joel Rony                                            Lake Worth

            Rhon Ernest-Jones, PE                       IBI Group

            John Goldman                                     CDM Smith

            Kurt Kiefer                                         CDM Smith

            Jennifer Leone                                    CDM Smith

                                                                                                                                   

            The following is a summary of the minutes and actions taken during the January 4, 2012 CSID Board of Supervisors Continued Meeting.                                                                                                                                                                                                        

FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS                             Roll Call

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

                                                                                                                       

SECOND ORDER OF BUSINESS                        Audience comments

            There not being any, the next item followed.

 

THIRD ORDER OF BUSINESS                            Discussion of RFQs

A.                Continual District Engineering Services

            A draft RFQ was previously distributed to the Board.  The following was discussed:

·         The RFQ is written so more than one firm can be utilized.

·         A matrix will be added to the RFQ making it is easier for firms to choose which areas they are responding to. 

·         A revised RFQ will be sent to District counsel for review. 

·         Firms will be ranked based on area of specialization.  For example: water, wastewater and geotech. 

·         Mr. Mena clarified the Board’s intent to have a ‘stable’ of engineering firms which will be on call for particular issues. 

·         Mr. McKune is separate from this RFQ because he was hired as an engineering consultant.

·         In many instances the District will be better served by small local firms.  There will be scenarios where the District will need a middle size firm and a larger firm will be needed for other projects. 

·         This format allows the District to choose which firm is best for certain projects. 

·         Mr. Mena reiterated he wants an advisor involved. 

·         Mr. Cassel explained Mr. McKune, Mr. Daly, the department heads and he will be part of the Selection Committee.

·         Mr. Mena also wants District counsel to be involved in the selection process. 

 

B.                 Engineering Services for Review of Nanofiltration Plant

            A draft RFQ was previously distributed to the Board.  The following was discussed:

·         Mr. Shank discussed the RFQ with Mr. Daly and Mr. Cassel.  The Board can either put this out as an RFQ or Mr. McKune can hire a consultant without going through the RFQ process. 

·         Mr. Shank questioned how independent the services will be if Mr. McKune sub-contracts the work.  Mr. Bauman does not feel it will make a difference because the services will ultimately be selected by the Board. 

·         Mr. Mena asked what Mr. Cassel foresees the District needing major engineering services for within the next five years.  Mr. Cassel responded he is following the Board’s earlier request to build a ‘stable’ of engineers.  Once the nano plant and Plant F are complete Mr. Cassel does not foresee anything in the near future requiring a major engineering firm.  A small or medium size firm is sufficient to meet the District’s need.  If there is a major project, a design build scenario can be used. 

·         Mr. Mena asked what size firm is needed for the slakers’ project.  Mr. Cassel responded a small or medium firm will suffice. 

 

On MOTION by Mr. Mena seconded by Mr. Holland with all in favor Mr. McKune was authorized to hire a subcontractor to review the nanofiltration plant. 

 

FOURTH ORDER OF BUSINESS                        Other Matters

            The following was discussed:

·         Mr. Shank noted there was another setback with Plant F. 

·         Mr. McIntosh explained they noticed rust spots while performing hydrostatic testing. 

·         Mr. McIntosh was told they should be substantially complete with the work by next week. 

·         The fine air diffusers will be repaired this week.

·         Mr. Jones provided an update on the nano plant.  There has been little progress due to the holidays.  They are currently doing performance acceptance testing on the SCADA system and computer programming for the SCADA system.  This testing is expected to be complete by the end of the week. 

·         Mr. Cassel reported painting of the acid room floor has begun.

·         Mr. Shank reported he participated in a productive meeting with Mr. Cassel, Mr. McKune and CH2M Hill.  CH2M Hill listened to suggestions.  Mr. Shank requested they provide solutions, suggestions and/or options prior to failure. 

·         Mr. Shank expressed his discontent for hydrogen sulfite coming from the plant.  CH2M Hill suggested dispersing the hydrogen sulfite in the air.  Mr. Shank told them it is an unacceptable solution.

·         Mr. Shank distributed information he obtained from the EPA website regarding hydrogen sulfite. 

·         Mr. Mena mentioned Cooper City has a similar issue with hydrogen sulfite.  Mr. McKune explained Cooper City has towers without scrubbers like CSID, but they do not have the amount of hydrogen sulfite in the water as CSID.  They have iron and CSID does not.

·         Testers will be installed by the lime softening plant.  Mr. Shank told CH2M Hill any levels coming out of the nano plant which are higher than what is coming out of the lime softening plant is unacceptable. 

·         Mr. Shank does not agree with CH2M Hill’s charges for documents.  They are willing to supply the District’s documents; however, there will be a charge of up to $45,000.  Those are the District’s documents.  They were paid for and are being stored at CH2M Hill.  Mr. Shank is willing to hire a company to copy the documents.  He is not willing to pay them to go through them or make them available to the District.  He is also not willing to have a senior engineer oversee while someone hired by the District goes through the documents.  Mr. Shank is only willing to pay them for a half an hour for digital copies. 

·         Mr. Bauman stated they are public records.  The Public Record Act allows them to be inspected and allows a charge for copies. 

·         Mr. Joel stated there are certain documents outside the public domain because of homeland security.

·         Mr. Bauman stated the documents he went through with staff have to do with historical documents on the drainage system, pumps and other items.  They are District documents. 

·         Mr. Bauman reviewed several work authorizations associated with the nano plant and Plant F.  They are the District’s documents and are to be provided in copy format to the District.  CH2M Hill is supposed to create a computer database and make it accessible to the District.  The District has the right to access its documents under contract. 

·         Work Order #1 states CH2M Hill will not charge a franchise fee.  The District has the right to use documents for their intended purpose.  The District cannot sell the design for the nano plant to another district. 

·         Mr. McKune noted prior to Work Order #1 there were several handshake agreements with Gee & Jenson. 

·         Mr. Shank stated CH2M Hill wants to charge the District for the following:

Ø  Taking them out of Iron Mountain.

Ø  Ms. Early go through boxes to pick out what belongs to the District.

Ø  Ms. Early be present while District staff goes through boxes.

Ø  Copying fees. 

·         Mr. Bauman stated this is unacceptable.  CH2M Hill has some right to keep custody and maintain records.  They have a responsibility to maintain records for themselves.  This does not entitle them to have sole custody of those documents. 

·         Mr. Bauman spoke to CH2M Hill’s attorney about obtaining documents.  Their attorney was surprised because he thought the issue had been worked out.  Mr. Bauman does not believe their attorney is informed about how CH2M Hill is handling this records request. 

·         Mr. McKune suggested the District pay to have documents taken out of Iron Mountain and delivered to CH2M Hill’s office.  He can go through those boxes with Ms. Early within a couple of days. 

·         Mr. Cassel received an email from Ms. van Raavensway.  They will provide the options requested by Mr. Shank for the next Board meeting. 

·         Mr. Cassel discussed the Bemo Roofing warranty.  The standard process for the District with regard to warranties is the District signs them last.  Bemo Roofing refuses to sign the warranty documents first.  They want the District to sign the documents and send it to them. 

·         There was Board consensus to sign the warranty documents first and then send them to Bemo Roofing. 

·         Mr. Bauman suggested the Board sign the documents and send them to him.  He will forward them to Bemo Roofing with a cover letter stating the District will reject the warranty if any changes are made to it.  When Bemo Roofing sends back the fully executed documents he will compare them to the District’s copy. 

·         The District received a letter from families of three teens involved in a fatal accident when a car fell into a Coral Springs canal.  They want to file suit.  SWCD and NSID received letters as well.  The District responded notifying them it is not a District canal.  The original letter was provided to Mr. Capko. 

·         Mediation is scheduled for February 15, 2012.  Staff will meet to discuss issues prior to mediation. 

·         Mr. Cassel is reviewing items discussed at a previous meeting with Lanzo.  He is putting together a comparison of all information received. 

·         Mr. Cassel requested a baseline timeline and actual timeline presented by the contractors from CH2M Hill to make further comparisons.  He believes a substantial amount of lost time was self inflicted by the contractor and is not associated with engineer reviews or the District. 

·         Mr. Shank asked if the Board has to abide by Broward County Ethics Laws or by State Ethics Laws.  Mr. Bauman responded the Board must abide by State Ethics Laws.  He will review Broward County’s new Ethics Laws to see if they apply to CSID. 

·         Mr. Shank asked about bond refinancing.  Mr. Bauman responded the earliest the current bonds issued by the District can be called is 2017.  There is a possibility to do an advanced refund.  Mr. Capko looked at the District’s rate and compared them to current market rates.  He does not think the District will save enough on interest to warrant an advanced refund; however, several calls were made and he will provide the Board with a definitive answer.  Mr. Shank requested Ms. Woodward contact Mr. Capko to discuss this.

·         Mr. Daly reported the District was fined for not retesting the sample which tested positive after the power failure.  He explained it was not retested because the laboratory never called the District.  They sent a letter to the Health Department explaining the District was not notified by the laboratory.  After meeting with the Director of the Board of Health he understood the District did not do anything wrong.  The fine was reduced from $9,000 to $2,750.

·         Mr. Mena suggested sending the bill to the laboratory.  Mr. Daly suggested sending a letter requesting credit from the laboratory for future services. 

·         The laboratory also ran the wrong tests on samples provided.  Mr. Daly had staff send in two more samples to be tested correctly.  He contacted the Director of the Board of Health who responded positively to the District’s proactive efforts.  They will average the year for the quarterlies if needed. 

·         Mr. Daly is contacting other municipalities to see what laboratories they use. 

·         Mr. Mena wants a letter sent to the laboratory letting them know what happened and asking what they will do to remedy the problem. 

·         Mr. Mena does not want vacation time for key staff to coincide with scheduled meetings/ workshops.

·         There was Board consensus to hold a workshop meeting on February 1, 2012 at 2:30 p.m.

 

FIFTH ORDER OF BUSINESS                             Adjournment

            There being no further business,

                             

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

 

 

 

                                                                                                                       

Kenneth Cassel                                         Martin Shank

Assistant Secretary                                   President