BRUNSWICK SEWER DISTRICT

Board of Trustees Regular Monthly Meeting

Approved Minutes

09 August 2007

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Call to Order, Notice of Meeting Advertised, Recorded, and Prepared Agenda

The regular monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Brunswick Sewer District was called to order by Chairperson Priest at 1:10 p.m. on Thursday, 09 August 2007, in the conference room at District offices.  Notice of the meeting was advertised in the 03 August 2007 edition of the Times Record.  A prepared agenda was noted and the meeting was recorded.

 Members present:  Chairperson Priest, Trustees Green, Savage, and Boochever.

 Others present:  General Manager McVey, Finance Manager Nuttelman; Kelly Cleary, camera operator.

Minutes of Previous Meeting(s)

The Trustees reviewed minutes of the 17 July 2007 regular Board meeting.

 IT WAS MOVED BY TRUSTEE BOOCHEVER, SECONDED BY TRUSTEE GREEN, AND UNANIMOUSLY VOTED BY THE TRUSTEES PRESENT TO ACCEPT AS PRESENTED MINUTES OF THE 17 JULY 2007 REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

No members of the public were present.  District staff has been contacted by a Bickford Street property owner regarding the process for petitioning the Board for relief from sewer use billing.  There has also been considerable communication with officials of the Town of Bowdoinham regarding the District sludge utilization program, which is to be reported later in the meeting.

General Manager's Report

o          Financial:    The Trustees examined the Variance Analysis at 31 July 2007, prepared by District staff.  A copy of this report is included in these minutes and adopted by reference.  Revenues, expenditures, receivables, liens, and cash equivalents were reviewed.  In comparison with budgeted amounts, total revenue accrued through the reporting period is $ 70,000, or 4.4% favorable, and total expenditures are $ 41,000, or 2.6% favorable.  The General Manager cautioned, however, that expenses are running approximately $ 110,000 in advance of projections, while a number of capital items have not been acquired yet.  Expenditures are being evaluated.

Board members discussed operating expenses, receivables, and investments.  Comparisons of current year financial data with budgeted and prior year amounts were considered.

o         Disbursements:  The Trustees reviewed weekly reports on disbursements for the preceding month and discussed a number of the transactions listed. Weekly warrants for general disbursements have been signed by the General Manager.

o          Commitments:

IT WAS MOVED BY TRUSTEE BOOCHEVER, SECONDED BY TRUSTEE SAVAGE, AND VOTED BY THE TRUSTEES PRESENT, WITH THE TREASURER ABSTAINING, TO COMMIT TO THE TREASURER FOR COLLECTION, RATES FOR THE MONTH OF JULY 2007, IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROVISIONS OF THE CHARTER, BY‑LAWS, RULES & REGULATIONS, AND SCHEDULE OF RATES, AS COMPUTED AND SET FORTH IN THE ACCOUNTS ON FILE AT OFFICES OF THE BRUNSWICK SEWER DISTRICT.

o          Topics of Note:

            Bibber Parkway Pump Station Facilities Failure:  The failure of a level control system mount led to a shutdown of pump station equipment and caused an overflow on Sunday, 29 July 2007.  Response and restoration of pumping was timely following notice of the problem by the Brunswick Police Department.  District staff and its electrical contractor have investigated the cause of the incident and its effects.  The area was inspected and samples were taken for testing.  No environmental or other damage was found.

An estimate of the quantity spilled is not possible since the time of the failure is not known.  Based on historical influent rates, the minimum quantity spilled is 400 gallons.  Several changes in pump station configuration have been made and other District stations are being evaluated to prevent future recurrence.  MDEP and the Town of Brunswick have been notified, and a report of the incident has been filed 

Search and Selection:  District staff has completed the process.  Three candidates have been hired for one Treatment Plant Operator position and two Collection & Pumping Operations & Maintenance positions, including an additional entry level position authorized for the Collection & Pumping Division.  All of the new employees are on board and engaged in training for safety, procedures, and position responsibilities.

Internal Financial & Related Reports:  The Trustees reviewed a report on Septic & Holding Tank Waste Revenue.  The report tabulates revenues received annually.  Annual receipts in 2005 and 2006 were $211,000, amounting to approximately 7.3% of total operating revenue.  The revenue category has generated in excess of $2.95 million in receipts since 1975.

Chairperson Priest declared the meeting in recess from 2:57 p.m. to 3:12 p.m.

The Finance Manager reviewed for the Trustees a petition by Jon Agne for relief from sewer use billing for his account serving 1 Boody Street.  Mr. Agne states in his request that he returned from a 7‑day business trip to find an outdoor spigot gushing water.  The spigot had been damaged by falling ice.  There are no other occupants of the property.  He seeks adjustment of his second quarter bill for 4,000 cubic feet to its historical level of 600 ‑ 1,000 cubic feet.

The Trustees discussed provisions of the District adjustment policy and the details of Mr. Agne’s situation.  It was noted that the usage in question was not returned to the sewer.  District staff recommended that the usage be reduced to 1,000 cubic feet.  At the conclusion of their discussion,

IT WAS MOVED BY TRUSTEE GREEN, SECONDED BY TRUSTEE BOOCHEVER AND UNANIMOUSLY VOTED BY THE TRUSTEES PRESENT TO APPLY AN ADJUSTMENT TO THE ACCOUNT SERVING 1 BOODY STREET BY REDUCING THE USAGE TO 1,000 CUBIC FEET.

Total flow to the Treatment Plant for July of 2007 was 70.506 million gallons, down approximately 20% from the previous month.  Flows of 9.0 mg (estimated) and 6.3 mg for the month originated with Topsham and the Navy Base, respectively.  Average daily flow to the plant for the period was 2.27 mg, 59% of that allowed by permit.  The maximum daily flow processed was 2.792 mg, which occurred on 22 July 2007.  Rainfall for the month totaled 3.80 inches.  Maximum daily rainfall received was 0.87 inches, which occurred on 29 July 2007.  Area precipitation in 2007 through 31 July is 28.39 inches, in comparison with the norm of 27.64 inches.

Topsham flows are being estimated for a portion of the period, due to a mechanical problem with the wastewater meter measuring flow received; a model based on historical flow data is being developed to provide a rational estimate of the flow.  A project is currently underway to replace the meter.

Septage receiving for the period totaled 169,800 gallons, down 15% from the previous month.  Removal rates for BOD and TSS for the period were 96.4% and 94.2% respectively, in compliance with the minimum 85% required by permit for each parameter.  Additional treatment processes instituted in June to improve solids removal remain in operation.  Seasonal disinfection continues.  A total of 260 cubic yards of sludge was field stacked for future land application.

Facilities Inspector Matthew Hight of the Division of Engineering & Technical Assistance conducted the annual MDEP inspection of District facilities on 01 August 2007.  The visit this year included a discussion on facilities capacity, wet weather flow management, and infiltration and inflow control.  Trustee Green, the General Manager, and the Assistant General Manager participated for the District.

Flows to a majority of wastewater facilities in the Northeast increased dramatically in 2005 with the return of normal or high annual rainfall that ended three years of relative drought.  The District has reported an exceedance of the 3.85 mgd permit limit for monthly average daily flow in 8 of the past 31 months.  Since 1984 the District has either replaced or rehabilitated over 24,000 linear feet of pipe and 50 maintenance holes with a combined value of over $2 million to restore structural integrity and control the introduction of unpolluted water to the system.  The most recent project was completed in 2006.

MDEP is requesting that the District prepare a plan to address the flow exceedances and commit to making progress toward improvement.  Trustee Green noted that this initiative is not being applied to all publicly owned treatment works statewide.  It is being required of the District because some point of focus is necessary each year, and all other areas of District operations relating to its discharge permit are well in hand.  District staff has agreed to prepare a flow management plan over the next two months for submittal to the Department.  The burden of the plan on the District is not expected to be prohibitive, although plan cost and implementation time will be significant

The Trustees reviewed a number of pieces of correspondence related to the land application program.  The program utilizes land located in the Town of Bowdoinham, where Town officials have expressed interest in knowing more about the program, and in having more done to mitigate local effects of the program, particularly as regards odors following spreading.  Town officials visited the Egypt Field site on 30 July 2007 to view storage and spreading operations.

The General Manager has been requested to attend a meeting of the Bowdoinham Board of Selectmen on 14 August 2007 to discuss the program and changes being made to it.  In addition to the 30 July event, spreading is scheduled for 13 and 27 August and 10 September 2007.  Spreading techniques are being changed to reflect new information obtained by working with a consultant.

The Trustees considered a procedure stating conditions under which the District may choose to respond in the event a request is made for the District to provide aid in a potential emergency situation involving another public or private wastewater system.  The procedure was developed by District staff.  District response would be limited to an attempt to prevent, limit, or remedy an emergency situation, contingent on the availability of District personnel and equipment.  The owner of the system requesting District assistance will assist and will reimburse the District for cost of the services provided.

The Trustees discussed the procedure and its terms.  Counsel has reviewed the procedure and recommends a single change.  At the conclusion of their discussion,

IT WAS MOVED BY TRUSTEE GREEN, SECONDED BY TRUSTEE SAVAGE, AND UNANIMOUSLY VOTED BY THE TRUSTEES PRESENT TO ADOPT AS AMENDED BY COUNSEL THE PROCEDURE FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES THAT MAY BE REQUESTED BY NONDISTRICT- MAINTAINED PUBLIC AND PRIVATE WASTEWATER SYSTEMS.

The General Manager thanked the Trustees for their participation in a workshop held on 02 August 2007 to discuss the District’s position on responsibility for wastewater facilities located at the Base and on contracts for service to Navy facilities.  Discussion at the workshop revealed the existence of two points of view regarding ownership of Base wastewater facilities.

One of these views suggests that the condition of existing facilities poses the risk of additional cost to the District’s users, and for this reason ownership of facilities should not be actively sought.  An alternative view suggests that there is considerable benefit in owning the facilities and being able to permit new uses, and that District user interests can be protected from most if not all additional costs by means of a specially calculated user rate for service to Base property.

Finance Manager Nuttelman left the meeting at 4:50 p.m.

The Trustees deliberated the two points of view, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of greater responsibility.  At the conclusion of their discussion,

TRUSTEE BOOCHEVER MOVED AND TRUSTEE SAVAGE SECONDED A RESOLUTION THAT THE POLICY OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE BRUNSWICK SEWER DISTRICT IS TO SEEK OWNERSHIP AND OPERATION OF WASTEWATER COLLECTION AND PUMPING FACILITIES ON THE BRUNSWICK NAVAL AIR STATION AND CAPEHART MILITARY HOUSING DURING AND AFTER CLOSURE OF THE AIR STATION.  TRUSTEES PRIEST, SAVAGE, AND BOOCHEVER VOTED IN FAVOR OF THE RESOLUTION; TRUSTEE GREEN VOTED AGAINST.  THE RESOLUTION PASSED.

The Trustees returned to their consideration of a formula by which to make cost of living adjustments.  They reviewed a formula for such adjustments prepared by District staff.  The formula takes into account understanding gained in the course of a presentation to the Board by the Maine State Economist and subsequent deliberation by the Board in which it was determined to use a twelve‑month averaging formula based on national data.

The formula is presented as a means to accomplish economic adjustment that may be desirable for a number of possible uses, and not just for the purpose of adjusting wages.  Trustee Priest recognized that the new formula cannot be applied to current contracts but can be used for new and renewed agreements.  Trustee Green suggested the narrative language of the proposal should be tested with numbers and Trustee Savage agreed.  At the conclusion of their discussion, it was consensus of the Board that the question be tabled to the next Board meeting for demonstration of use of the formula.

On the suggestion of the General Manager, in deference to the time, and with the concurrence of the Chairperson, the matter was deferred to a later meeting.

The pay plan approved by the Board at the July meeting has been implemented.  Meetings were held with individual employees to explain the wage survey, development of the pay plan, and its effects on the employee.  Few problems have surfaced, although three employees have petitioned for review of their placement within the wage matrix.

One of the petitions is based on inaccurate information regarding the number of wastewater licenses held, used to place the employee in the matrix.  The other two petitions are apparently the result of errors in placement made while developing alternative plans.  The General Manager is seeking Board authorization to modify the approved plan by moving the three employees to the next step, noting that in each case employee performance warrants the proposed modification.  Annual cost of the proposed modifications is calculated at approximately $ 4,200, which includes changes in the cost of major benefits that accrue.

Following discussion of the proposed modifications and their relation to the approved plan,

IT WAS MOVED BY TRUSTEE GREEN, SECONDED BY TRUSTEE BOOCHEVER, AND UNANIMOUSLY VOTED BY THE TRUSTEES PRESENT TO AUTHORIZE THE GENERAL MANAGER TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ADOPTED PAY PLAN, IN RESPONSE TO PETITIONS BY THREE EMPLOYEES, BY ADVANCING EACH OF THE THREE EMPLOYEES ONE STEP IN THE MATRIX, EFFECTIVE WITH THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE PLAN.

On the suggestion of the General Manager, in deference to the time, and with the concurrence of the Chairperson, the matter was deferred to a later meeting.

o          Trustees Regular         Monday           10 September 2007     7:30 a.m.

o          Trustees Regular         Tuesday           09 October 2007         6:30 p.m.

o          Trustees Regular         Tuesday           13 November 2007     (to be determ)

Remarks from the Chair

o          Chairperson Priest thanked the Trustees for their assistance. 

There being no further business before the Board, Chairperson Priest declared the meeting adjourned at 5:41 p.m.

Attest,

Emily L. Boochever
Trustee Clerk
Board of Trustees

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