Municipal Authority Meeting Minutes 2009
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
Reorganizational Meeting
Board members present: Robert Cullison, Debra Hahn, Bill Hewitt and Wally Kane
Guests present: Jeremy Davis of D&T Excavation
The meeting held at the Franklin Township Municipal Building was called to order by acting Chairman Robert Cullison at 7:00 p.m.
Appointed Positions:
Motion by Kane, seconded by Hewitt for the following appointed positions. Motion carried unanimously.
D&T Excavating Inc. as Excavators/Plumbers
ACNB as Depository
Carl Frantz as Plumber
Mason Dixon Environmental as Testing Agents
Robert McQuaide as Solicitor
Glace Associates as Engineers
Musselman & Creager as Accountants
Robert Cullison as Plant Manager
Election of Officers:
Motion by Hahn, seconded by Hewitt to appoint Robert Cullison, Chairman. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Hahn to appoint Wally Kane as Vice-Chairman. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Cullison, seconded by Hewitt to appoint Debra Hahn as Secretary/Treasurer. Motion carried unaimously.
Chairman Cullison advised monthly board meetings would be held on the following dates in 2009:
February 2, March 3, April 7, May 5, June 2, July 7, August 4, September 1, October 6, November 3 and December 1.
Cullison also advised that Board member Debra Hahn had been reappointed to another 5 year term as a Board Member, by the Franklin Township Board of Supervisors at their January Re-organizational meeting.
Cullison advised that due to the recent Right To Know Law which came into effect 1/09, the Authority needed to appoint an Open Records Officer. Motion by Hahn, seconded by Kane to appoint Bill Hewitt as the Authority’s Open Records Officer. Motion carried unanimously.
Approval of Reports:
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Kane to approve the Minutes from the December meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Kane to approve Bill List #1. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Kane to approve General Account Report for December. Motion carried unanimously.
Following up on the discussion at last month’s meeting, Kane advised that he had spoken with KPI about the numerous water line repairs Mendon Pipe Line had fixed, during the installation of the sewer line. KPI advised that all the leaks had been documented, in case there were issues with the same locations in the future. Cullison advised there was a water leak near the Harbaugh’s property which the Authority had D&T repair. Davis of D&T advised that the leak was caused by a break in a joint, which could only have happened by something lifting up on part of one line, while the other line remained stationary. Kane noted he talked to KPI advising that the Authority should not have to pay for repairs, caused by the sewer line construction. He said that KPI was in agreement that Mendon should be responsible for paying any expenses in repairing the leak. Secretary Hahn was directed to send a copy of the invoice to Mendon, requesting payment.
Board members reviewed the request for water services of the Barbara Jones property, 95 Orrtanna Road . Both Kane & Cullison surveyed the area and came to the conclusion that due to the location of the water main and the Jones property, it was cost prohibitive to extend the line due to lack of accessability. Secretary Hahn was advised to send the Jones a letter advising the same.
It was noted that water services to the former Todd Hunter property on High Street had been shut off on December 31. Hahn advised she would send any unpaid invoices to the company holding the mortgage on the property. It was noted that past due invoices for both apartments totalled over $1,000.
Some discussion was held on the possibility of raising the current water connection fee. Kane was asked to contact Solicitor McQuaide to see if a raise in the fee was feasible to do at this time.
Cullison advised he meet with Coyne Chemical & KPI in December to discuss installing a Corrosion Control system at the Rock Top well site. Cullison received an estimate of $18,500 to install the system. This price included cost to design, chemical pumps, new water meter, chemical startup, pipe changes installation of equipment. It was noted that DEP was not mandating that the Authority install the sytem. Motion by Hahn, seconded by Kane, to put the installation of the system on hold at this time. Motion carried unanimously.
Cullison reported that the Authority had been struggling with a major water leak over the past few weeks. He advised he had notice a higher water useage than normal. He contacted American Leak Detection who came out and search for a leak with no sucess in finding it. He then advised that Kritchen contacted Pa Rural Water, who sent someone to search for the leak with no success. Cullison noted the leak was getting greater each day. On 1/12 the loss was 43,000 gallons. Cullison then began to shut off curb boxes from Cashtown towards the Rock Top plant, checking between each curb box to try and detect where the leak might be located. The leak was finally detected beside Bream’s pond along Old Route 30. D&T Excavation was notified and the leak was repaired immediately.
Cullison advised that a tree had fallen recently around 9 a.m. near the Rock Top Plant. This caused an electric outage which resulted in water to be drawn from the tank at the well site. Cullison was not aware that the electricty was off and when he discovered it around 7 p.m. , the level in the tank was very low. Cullison immediately contacted MetEd who sent out a service crew immediately to restore power.
Davis advised he had reviewed the road turn around at the Rock Top Plant and advised he could design & correct the turn around to make it safer for travel. Board members were in agreeance that this needed to be corrected before someone got hurt traveling the road.
Davis also advised D&T services would not have a raise in rates in 2009, other than their backhoe costs which would raise to $80/hour.
Davis also advised he had met with Nancy Heckman to review plans to construct a driveway at the Easement site at the Rock Top plant. After reviewing the plans, Motion by Kane, seconded by Hewitt to approve the plan along with an attachment to move an electric pole. Motion carried unanimously.
Cullison advised that due to the Authority’s need for more storage space at the Township building, the Supervisors had given the Authority 3 additional filing cabinets. Cullison advised he was reorganizing records.
There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 8 p.m.
Respectfully submitted.
Debra Hahn, Secretary
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
Board members present: Robert Cullison, Debra Hahn, Bill Hewitt and Wally Kane
Guests present: Andrea Singley , Robert McQuaide
The meeting held at the Franklin Township Municipal Building was called to order by Chairman Robert Cullison at 7:00 p.m.
Approval of Reports:
Motion by Kane, seconded by Hewitt to approve the Minutes from the January meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Kane to approve Bill List #2. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Kane to approve General Account Report for January. Motion carried unanimously.
Attorney Singley presented a proposed draft of an Easement Agreement for her clients the Heckmans. Attorney McQuaide advised he had already reviewed the draft. It was noted that the agreement contained a clause that the Heckmans would take the steps to move & relocate the utility pole, at their expense. They also would be responsible for the construction of the driveway plus the maintenance. Singley advised her clients planned to begin construction within the next 6 months and would notify the Authority when construction would begin. In exchange for the Authority to sign the easement agreement, the Heckmans would then transfer the deed to the small portion of property located at the site. The subject of transfer tax was brought up by both attorneys. They both advised they would have to research to see if the Authority would be subject to any transfer tax.
MOTION by Kane, seconded by Hahn for the Chairman & Secretary to sign any documents pertaining to the exchange of the property between the Heckman’s and the Authority, based on the proposed agreement set forth at the meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
Discussion was held on possibly raising the current water connection fee. McQuaide advised that the Municipal Authorities Act mandated what Authorities could charge for a tap in fee, based on the Authority’s historical data. An engineer would have to be hired to calculate the fee. Members were concerned that if a developer would request water services, the current hookup fee would not cover the actual costs. Members decided that there was no immediate need at the present to increase the fee. But an increase would have to be sought, if the need did arise.
Cullison expressed concern about a recent incident where the phone line services were interupted between the school well and Rock Top well. He advised that when checking the wells he noticed the school well was not pumping. When he arrived at the Rock Top well, he discovered someone had hit a telephone pole which snapped the phone line. He noted that this phone line is what is needed for the two wells to operate together. Cullison immediately phoned Embarq and was given an automated response that the line would be repaired by 7 a.m. the next day. Cullison expressed concerns that not having the line repaired earlier, could cause serious issues with water being available to the residents. McQuaide advised he had no advice to offer on how to get a utility company to respond immediately to such a situation.
In other business, McQuaide was asked what was the next step involving the mortgage forclosed Hunter property on High Street. Cullison noted that the water had been shut off in December. An overdue balance of $1,289 was due on the account. McQuaide advised he would research the matter to see if a municipal lien would need to be required to insure collection of the overdue balance.
Cullison advised the County was holding a Grant Writing Workshop in February. Hewitt expressed interest in attending the workshop. MOTION by Cullison, seconded by Kane for the Authority to pay the $15.00 fee, for Hewitt to attend. Motion carried unanimously.
Hewitt presented the proposed Right to Know information sheet for members to review. He advised he would prepare a Right to Know Resolution for review and approval at the March meeting.
There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 8 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Debra Hahn,Secretary
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
Board members present: Robert Cullison, Debra Hahn, Bill Hewitt, Richard Hartman and Wally Kane
Guests present: Daniel Fetter, Sandra Spence and Ed Sharrah – all Franklin Township Supervisors
The meeting held at the Franklin Township Municipal Building was called to order by Chairman Robert Cullison at 7:00 p.m.
Approval of Reports:
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Kane to approve the Minutes from the February meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Hartman to approve Bill List #3. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Kane, seconded by Hewitt to approve General Account Report for February. Motion carried unanimously.
The Franklin Township Supervisors approached Board members about creating a water/sewer Authority. Spence advised that after the sewer system was up and operating for approximately one year, they would be looking to turn the project over to a water/sewer Authority. She advised that KPI Engineering would be operating the plant the first year, but the Supervisors hoped to find someone to train to operate the plant, towards the end of that year. Spence said a couple different scenarios could take place at that time. One would be for the Supervisors to transfer the system over to the Water/Sewer Authority for $1.00. The Penn Vest loan would also be transfered. Or, the Authority could purchase the system for example, $10 million. Another scenario would be for someone to lease the system. If the system were leased, the Supervisors would still be financially responsible with the other party being responsible for managing the system. Both Kane and Hewitt had concerns that they would like to see if the system would financially support itself and be running smoothly, before the Authority would even consider having the system transfered over to them. Hahn stated that Authority members had discussed the situation before and she felt that the Board would want to keep the Water Authority and the Sewer Authority separate. Spence advised that by August, they would like to have a new Board set up for the Sewer Authority. She noted that five members were needed for the Board. Hewitt and Cullison both expressed a desire to sit on the Sewer Board. Spence also made note that the Sewer Authority would be providing services to over 300 homes. The sewer plant would not be at maximum capacity but could easily be added on to, when the need arose to extend the sewer lines. Spence ended her comments by requesting that the Authority give some thought to the situation. A decision was requested to be in place by August, concerning newly hired staff and the formation of a new Sewer Board.
Cullison advised another water leak caused by the sewer line construction, had to be fixed by the Authority near the Wolfe property along Old Route 30. He stated that Mr. Wolf had called Mr. Cullison on February 27, advising that he could hear water running, but there was no leaks in his house. Cullison advised he found water shooting up around the curb box. Jeremy Davis was called in to fix the leak. The leak had taken place at a place in the line that had previously been broken by Mendon and repaired. Board members agreed that when Davis’ invoice was submitted, it would be forwarded on to Mendon for payment. Cullison also noted that the Cashtown Fire Police had been called out when the leak was fixed, to direct traffic along Old Route 30. He suggested a donation be made to the Fire Police for their services. MOTION by Cullison, seconded by Hartman to give the Fire Police a $50.00 donation. Motion carried unanimously.
Board members also discussed the selling of water to anyone who is not connected to the water main. This discussion was brought up, when members were concerned that the Authority was not charging enough money for Mendon’s use of the Authority’s water. Cullison noted that the water source where Mendon was obtaining water was metered. The usage was recorded by using the ‘honor’ system for any water was drawn from the line. MOTION by Hewitt, seconded by Cullison to set the charge for selling water to anyone who is not connected to the water main at a monthly rate of $200 for 8,000 gallon, $20.00 for every 1,000 gallon or part thereof. Motion carried unanimously.
Board members reviewed 2008 End of the Year financial reports. A Budget worksheet was reviewed. MOTION by Hewitt, seconded by Kane to keep the same Budget figures for 2009, as were stated for 2008. Motion carried unanimously. Copy of Budget Worksheet is attached to these minutes.
Board members reviewed a Resolution No. 2009-01 submitted by Right to Know officer Bill Hewitt. The resolution is to establish policies and procedures to compy with the Right to Know Law and setting fees for the costs. MOTION by Kane, seconded by Hartman to approve the resolution. MOTION carried unanimously. Copy of this Resolution is attached to these minutes.
Kane advised there were no new updates on the Heckman Right of Way/exchange of property agreement.
Cullison submitted information to the Board about the Swiftreach program. Swiftreach Networks is a one notification service that meets the needs of PA water authorities. Cullison advised he would be watching a program about this service and bring the info back to the Board at the April meeting.
Kane suggested that the Authority should consider purchasing some type of leak detection equipment. Cullison stated that he had been researching the type of equipment that was available. He was requested to gather the info to present to the Board at the April meeting.
There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 8:15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Debra Hahn
Secretary
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
Board members present: Robert Cullison, Debra Hahn, Bill Hewitt, Richard Hartman and Wally Kane. Guests: Jeremy Davis
The meeting held at the Franklin Township Municipal Building was called to order by Chairman Robert Cullison at 7:00 p.m.
Approval of Reports:
Motion by Kane, seconded by Hewitt to approve the Minutes from the March meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Kane to approve Bill List #4. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Kane to approve General Account Report for March. Motion carried unanimously.
Chairman Cullison advised he recently attended a Wellhead Protection Planning meeting sponsored by the PA Rural Water Assocation. He advised he would be working on a Contingency Plan in the event that the Authority’s water source would become contaminated. The plan would also include methods to inform customers of the contamination event and methods to supply customers with potable water.
Jeremy Davis presented the Authority with a repair bill in the amount of $375.00. The repair work was done at 929 Old Route 30. The cause of the water leak was from the Sewer line construction. Secretary Hahn was instructed to forward the invoice to Mendon Pipeline Co. for reimbursement.
On the Heckman Right of Way agreement, Kane advised that the deed had been recorded for the panhandle portion of property given to the Heckmans. It was also noted that the payment of $700.50 had not been received by the Authority for the reimbursement of attorney’s fees from the Heckmans. Kane noted that Attorney McQuaide had written a letter to the Heckman’s attorney, Andrea Singley, requesting the status of reimbursement.
Secretary Hahn advised that a shut-off notice had been sent to the property owner at 246 High Street. The notice advised that if the overdue water invoice was not paid by April 24, the water would be shut off.
Hewitt advised he received information on Stormwater management meetings that were to be held in the county. Hewitt offered to attend the meetings and opened up an invitation for any other Board members to join him. He also advised he would be working on writing up a grant request, to extend the water main to McKnightstown.
There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 7:35 p.m
Respectfully submitted,
Debra Hahn
Secretary
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
Board members present: Robert Cullison, Debra Hahn, Richard Hartman and Wally Kane.
Guests: Jeremy Davis
The meeting held at the Franklin Township Municipal Building was called to order by Chairman Robert Cullison at 7:00 p.m.
Approval of Reports:
Motion by Hartman, seconded by Kane to approve the Minutes from the April meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Kane, seconded by Hartman to approve Bill List #5. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Kane, seconded by Hewitt to approve General Account Report for April. Motion carried unanimously.
Chairman Cullison presented a copy of the Drinking Water Warning that was posted on High Street & Orrtanna Road customer’s doors between 4/13 – 4/17. Notices were posted due to broken then repaired water lines. Cullison advised that George Kritchen prepared the notices and took them to the residents home. He also posted Boil Water Removal notices when the water was tested clean to drink. Kritchen’s invoice for preparing, delivering both notices plus water testing was over $530. Cullison presented a letter to the Board from Swiftreach Networks Public Notification System. The system provides services which rapidly delivers pre-recorded voice & text messages via the use of databases & mapping technologies to targeted individuals delivered by phone, E-mail SMS and/or paging. Cullison stressed to the Board that he felt the Authority should subscribe to the Swiftreach Services for a more efficient and economical way to contact customers in an emergency situation. After reviewing the Swiftreach proposal for services, MOTION by Cullison, seconded by Hartman to subscribed to the service with the Pay-As-You Go Annual Subscription Plan. Motion carried unanimously. Secretary Hahn was directed to contact the sales person to have the system installed.
Cullison presented the Board with sample water line detection equipment. It was discussed at last month’s meeting that the Authority needed to purchase it’s own water line detection equipment. Cullison noted he found the equipment in the US Blue Book. It was suggested to see if the equipment could be purchased at a lower cost through another source. MOTION by Hahn, seconded by Kane, for Cullision to purchase the equipment at the least expensive cost found. Motion carried unanimously.
Cullison also suggested that the Authority send a donation to the Cashtown Fire Company for their help during the times that the broken water lines were being repaired. Motion by Kane, seconded by Hartman to send a check to the Fire Company for $100.
Cullison noted that after the water lines had been repaired, a High Street resident contact him to let him know his water was ‘muddy’. Cullison advised that in the future when a line is repaired that the lines be blown off before turning the water back on. Kane suggested that the water lines should be blown off at least twice a year as preventive maintenance. No action was taken on this subject.
Kane suggested to the Board that members should be compensated for their time, if they are called out to a site for an emergency situation. He noted that one of the water leaks had members on site until 3 a.m. MOTION by Hahn, seconded by Hartman to compensate members a hourly fee of $10, for any time spent on site with an emergency situation. Motion carried unanimously.
Kane advised that the state would be widening High Street at least 2 feet on either side, in the near future. When that happened, some curb boxes would be buried under the roadway. He suggested that the Authority work now on getting these curb boxes relocated. . MOTION by Hartman, seconded by Cullison to begin relocating curb boxes along High Street. Motion carried unanimously.
There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 8:15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Debra Hahn
Secretary
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
Board members present: Robert Cullison, Debra Hahn, Richard Hartman & Bill Hewitt.
Guests: Jeremy Davis
The meeting held at the Franklin Township Municipal Building was called to order by Chairman Robert Cullison at 7:00 p.m.
Approval of Reports:
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Hahn to approve the Minutes from the May meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Hahn to approve Bill List #6. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Hartman to approve General Account Report for May. Motion carried unanimously.
Board members reviewed the Subfacility Report for Well 1 submitted by George Kritchen to the Department of Environmental Protection. The report stated total number of gallons used for the year 2008.
Chairman Cullison reported that he needed approval to sign the contract submitted by Liquid Engineering to have the inside of the water tank at the Rock Top Well site cleaned. Cost for the cleaning was $2,870. He reported that the tank needed to be full, before the divers could enter the tank. MOTION by Hewitt, seconded by Hartman to approve the cost & signing of the contract. Motion carried unanimously.
Chairman Cullison advised that he recently filed & received an Emergency Work Permit from Penn DOT. The work permit could be used up to 25 times. He noted that the permit must be posted on the work site at all times.
Cullison advised that much work was needed in preparation of the installation of the sewer laterals to the customer’s homes. He stated that many of the water customer’s curb boxes needed to be raised to the appropriate level and painted. It was necessary to have the boxes raised, so they would be visible to the sewer line construction crews. It was noted that the curb boxes along High Street had already been moved & raised as needed. MOTION by Hewitt, seconded by Hartman for Cullison & Jeremy Davis to begin to raise & mark all customer’s curb boxes, with work to be completed by August. Motion carried unanimously.
Discussion was held on the property at 336 High Street that was recently purchased by Leonard Sites. Cullison stated that the new owner advised the property would not need two water meters, as the home was being converted to one residence. He also noted that Mr. Sites advised he would have his own plumber do the work to disconnect the one meter. Secretary Hahn was advised to send Mr. Sites a letter, advising that the work could be done by his plumber but would need to be inspected by the Water Authority when work was complete.
Cullison addressed the Board about putting a procedure in place, in the event that a boil water notice was implemented that would affect the Franklin Township School. He advised that the Authority would need to provide drinking water to the students. Davis stated that he knew of a Distributor would might be interested in supplying the bottled water, if the need ever arose. Davis would contact the Distributor and bring the info back to the July meeting.
Discussion was held on the Motion made at June’s meeting to subscribed to the service of Swiftreach Services. This Service would provide rapid delivery of pre-recorded voice & text messages in the event of emergency water situation. Secretary Hahn advised that after researching the entire cost to subscribed to the service including the $1,000 on-site training fee she felt that the Board members could put a procedure in place themselves, that would be less costly. It was discussed that an updated data base would be needed for all water customers that would include phone numbers & e-mail addresses. MOTION by Hewitt, seconded by Cullison to rescind the Motion to subscribe to the Swiftreach Services and put a procedure in place for emergency notification implemented by the Authority themselves. Motion carried unanimously. Secretary Hahn was directed to put together an information letter to gather phone numbers & e-mail addresses and mail it with July’s water statements.
There being no further information to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 7:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Debra Hahn
Secretary
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
Board members present: Robert Cullison, Debra Hahn & Bill Hewitt.
Guests: Jeremy Davis
The meeting held at the Franklin Township Municipal Building was called to order by Chairman Robert Cullison at 7:00 p.m.
Approval of Reports:
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Hahn, to approve the Minutes from the June meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Hahn, seconded by Hewitt to approve Bill List #7. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Hahn to approve General Account Report for June. Motion carried unanimously.
Chairman Cullison gave a verbal list to Jeremy Davis, of various repairs needed:
Raise read out at 75 Oak Tree Road. Check to see if a better location for the meter could be determined for the property at 1024 Old Route 30.
Curb boxes needing lids at the following properties: 5 Edwards Court, 863 Old Route 30, 851 Old Route 30and 997 Old Route 30.
Property at 997 Old Route 30 – lid needs bolt. 134 Orrtanna Road – Raise read out.
Cullison instructed Secretary Hahn to send letters to two property owners at 1046 Old Route 30 & 4 Edwards Court concerning their water meters being obstructed. He advised that the 4 Edwards Court meter could not be read for the meter reading, due to the meter being located in the middle of a flower garden. The meter at 1046 Old Route 30 was read, but bushes in front of the meter needed to be trimmed.
Cullison also advised the property at 336 High Street had been converted from two apartments to one residence. He inspected the property and confirmed that the plumbing had been fixed so water would be filtered through one meter.
Cullison also reported that the Authority would be setting up a booth at the Cashtown Fire Hall on Saturday, September 5 during Community Day. The booth needed to be manned from 9 am to 5 pm. Cullison was requesting voluteers from the Board to man the booth during these hours.
There being no further information to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Debra Hahn, Secretary
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
Board members present: Robert Cullison, Debra Hahn & Dick Hartman
Guests: Jeremy Davis & Daniel Fetter
The meeting held at the Franklin Township Municipal Building was called to order by Chairman Robert Cullison at 7:00 p.m.
Approval of Reports:
Motion by Kane, seconded by Hartman, to approve the Minutes from the July meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Kane, seconded by Hartman to approve Bill List #8. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Kane, seconded by Hartman to approve General Account Report for July. Motion carried unanimously.
Chairman Cullison made a request to the board to approve the purchase of a dehumidifier for the Rock Top Plant. MOTION by Kane, seconded by Hartman for Cullison to purchase the humidifier. Motion carried unanimously.
Cullison made a request to Jeremy Davis, asking him if he could move the small utility building located at the Rock Top Plant site. The building which presently sits below the plant, would be easier to access, if it were moved beside the plant. Davis advised he would visit the site to see if the building could be moved. He would report back at the September meeting.
Daniel Fetter, Franklin Township Supervior stated he was at the meeting to make himself available for any questions the Authority had on the Sewer project. Cullison advised that the Authority would be appreciative if they were kept into the ‘loop’ of the progress of the project. Fetter advised the new Sewer authority secretary would be appointed at their August 6 meeting. He also advised the target date for customer’s to begin hooking up to the line was August 15. He noted that there were 30 approved contractor’s on the list, to perform the hookups.
Fetter also advised of a water run off problem occurring in the 900 block of Old Route 30. He advised when the rain feel hard and ran down the road, that the water ‘disappears’ in front of the Davis property. Fetter stated that when the next heavy rainfall occurred, he would like to visit the area to see if he can locate where the water is going.
Secretary Hahn advised that the letters were coming in from water customer’s advising their contact information, in case of an emergency. She also advised that the township would be willing to post any emergency boil water notices on their web site if needed.
There being no further business to address, the meeting was adjourned at 7:40 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Debra Hahn
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
Board members present: Robert Cullison, Debra Hahn, Wally Kane, Bill Hewitt & Dick Hartman
The meeting held at the Franklin Township Municipal Building was called to order by Chairman Robert Cullison at 7:00 p.m.
Approval of Reports:
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Hartman, to approve the Minutes from the August meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Hartman to approve Bill List #9. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Kane to approve General Account Report for August. Motion carried unanimously.
Chairman Cullison shared a copy of the recent publication “Protecting the Source’ with board members. The publication contained an article about the Municipal Authority. The article gave a short history of the Authority and commended Mr. Cullison for his many years of work in the water industry.
Cullison also shared Fact Sheets with boards members on the IS-700 NIMS Awareness Training. He stated that he had completed the course and suggested that other board members do the same. The course, which is offered on line, is sponsored by the Federal Government. He noted that if the Authority would be applying for future grant money, it would be favorable if all board members had completed the course.
Cullison advised that the GASD had approached him about installing a new water meter at the school. The District was beginning a new program on tracking energy uses at their facilities, i.e. electric, gas, water. The present meter did not have the capabilities to record the needed data. Cullison stated he requested Carl Frantz prepare an estimate, for the cost of the meter and installation. He said that if the new meter was installed, he would like for the readings to be taken outside of the building. The current meter is located in the basement, and Cullison has to sign in and out of the building, to take the quarterly meter readings. Kane commented if the GASD would be paying for the new meter and the installation. Cullison advised that they would help pay. It was noted by all board members that if the GASD was willing to pay for the meter and it’s installation, they saw no objection in replacing the meter. Cullison advised when he got the quote from Frantz, he would discuss with GASD, and bring back additional information at the October meeting.
It was noted that Carl Frantz had installed the new dehumidifer in the Rock Top Plant building. Cullison advised it was working well.
There was no new information from Jeremy Davis on whether or not he could relocate the small utility shed at the Rock Top Plant. Cullison hoped that Davis would have the information at the October meeting.
There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 7:20 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Debra Hahn
Secretary
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Board members present: Robert Cullison, Debra Hahn, Bill Hewitt & Dick Hartman
The meeting held at the Franklin Township Municipal Building was called to order by Chairman Robert Cullison at 7:00 p.m.
Approval of Reports:
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Hartman, to approve the Minutes from the September meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Hartman to approve Bill List #10. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Hahn to approve General Account Report for September. Motion carried unanimously.
Chairman Cullison presented copies of the Water Supply Inspection Report, recently approved by the Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Standards and Facility Regulation. The routine inspection was held on September 15, 2009 by Kim Snok of DEP along with Cullison and George Kritchen.
Board members reviewed the quarterly water billing report. It was noted that there were several accounts with outstanding balances due. Hahn advised she would be sending out late notices within the next thirty days. She also advised there would probably be a few notices of intent to terminate water due to accounts being more than two quarters in arrears.
Cullison advised he was approached by the property owners of 1013 Old Route 30, concerning the area where a water leak had been fixed, and the area never repaired with hot mix. He advised he would be contacting Jeremy Davis to complete the work, before the water turned colder.
Cullison also advised that the storage building at the Rock Top Well site was in too bad of shape to move and relocate. He noted that the roof was bad and the building would ‘fall apart’ if moved. MOTION by Hartman, seconded by Hewitt to have the building demolished, once it becomes unusable. Motion carried unanimously.
Hartman stated that he had recently purchased the paint, to paint the boundery lines at the Rock Top Well site.
Cullison stated that it was time again to blow the water lines off. The last time this maintenance work was performed was in April. Cullison noted he would contact Jeremy Davis to have this work performed again.
Cullison reported that he recently discovered why the water tank at the Franklin Township School pump house, exploded last year. He advised that somehow, the pump was releasing some air into the tank when pumping water. He discovered this when he found another tank in the pump house that was filled with air. He had a release valve put on that tank, to prevent another explosion.
There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 7:20 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Debra Hahn
Secretary
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Board members present: Robert Cullison, Debra Hahn, Wally Kane & Bill Hewitt
Guests present: Jeremy Davis
The meeting held at the Franklin Township Municipal Building was called to order by Chairman Robert Cullison at 7:00 p.m.
Approval of Reports:
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Kane, to approve the Minutes from the October meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Kane to approve Bill List #11. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Kane to approve General Account Report for October. Motion carried unanimously.
Chairman Cullison report that the system experienced two major water leaks since the last meeting. The most recent leak caused the system to lose up to 40,000 gallons a day. Cullison had to enlist the help of PA Rural Water, to locate the leak in the vicinity of 863 Old Route 30. It was thought by the sound of rushing water, that the leak was located near the residence. Jeremy Davis was contacted to begin digging to locate the leak. Davis started near the house and worked his way out to the road before locating the leak. He advised that the Authority would need to repair the homeowners lawn, come spring.
There was much discussion regarding the amount of money the Authority had spent in repairing water leaks, since the Sewer project has begun. Hewitt suggested that the Authority place an lien on the sewer system, for the amount of money spent on repairing the leaks. Kane said he foresees more leaks in the future occurring, because of the ground starting to settle around the areas where the sewer lines had been installed Cullison advised the Authority lost approximately $5,800 of treated water from the past two water leaks. It was requested that the Franklin Twp Supervisors be invited to the December Board meeting to discuss the matter. Chairman Cullison advised he would contact the Supervisors.
Cullison also requested that a meter be placed at the Rock Top Well site, to help with the process of detecting the location of leaks. He also recommended that a pit be constructed at the well site to hold the meter. Cullison also advised that the Authority needed to purchase a new storage shed at the site, as the current shed was not in good enough condition to relocate. Davis suggested that the pit be put underneath the storage shed, with a door in the floor to access the pit. Cullison advised the 4″ meter would cost approx. $800. Davis offered to meet with the staff at L/B Waters to come up with a design to construct the pit & meter installation. He noted he would bring the information back to the December meeting. There was no former motions presented to do this work.
Cullison advised that Jim Herring was requesting to hook up his store building to the water line. Cullison requested that a new updated water connection application be sent out to Jim, by Secretary Hahn.
Cullison advised that the Authority needed to reconsider contracting an agency to notify water customers in case of an emergency situation with water service. He presented to the board a proposal by One Call Now. Cost was $149.95 for delivery of up to 1,000 messages. Motion by Kane, seconded by Hewitt to contract the services of One Call Now. Motion carried unanimously. Hahn was directed to contact the One Call Now manager, to set up the program.
Kane advised that board member Richard Hartman was looking to step down from the Board. It was discussed that the Authority would advertise for a replacement board member. Hahn was to place advertisements at both the Cashtown & McKnightstown Post Offices. She was also to send a request to Lori Killinger, Secretary for the Franklin Twp Supervisors to put an advertisement on the Township’s website.
There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Debra Hahn
Secretary
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Board members present: Robert Cullison, Debra Hahn, Wally Kane & Bill Hewitt.
The meeting held at the Franklin Township Municipal Building was called to order by Chairman Robert Cullison at 7:00 p.m.
Approval of Reports:
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Kane, to approve the Minutes from the November meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Kane to approve Bill List #12. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Hewitt, seconded by Kane to approve General Account Report for November. Motion carried unanimously.
Chairman Cullison announced that the One Call Now system had been put into place. He issued instructions to each board member on how to access the system and leave messages in case of a Boil Water Notice. He also advised that the Bendersville Municipal Authority was going to putting this program into place and needed his assistance in setting the program up.
Cullison presented each board member with booklet containing all curb box & meter locations within the water system. He advised that each member should keep this booklet in a safe place, in case Cullison would not be available in the future for meter readings. He also requested that each member turn the booklet over to their predecessor, if they ever leave the Board.
Cullison advised that Jim Herring’s store had been hooked up to the system. He requested Hahn to set up a new billing account for this property.
Board members discussed the possibility of working on replacing water meters throughout the system, so they could be read with the touch wand, as opposed to having to manually read the meter. Cullison advised there were more meters in the system that needed to be manually read, than the electronic touch, for the readings. He noted that several of the meters were difficult to read, due to fogging glass and location. Cullison was requested to get a list of the most difficult to read meters and bring it to the January meeting. Kane was requested to contact Jeremy Davis to get a quote on the cost for labor, to replace each meter. Kane will bring this info to the January meeting. At that meeting, Board members will review the information and make a decision on whether or not to move forward to replace the meters.
Cullison advised that there were several more water leaks experienced in the last month, due to the installation of connecting the sewer main to the individual homes. Board members discussed charging back the contractors for any expenses incurred by the Authority to repair the leaks. Kane noted that it would be difficult to prove who should pay for the repairs, if the water lines were not correctly marked. The Board had not received any invoices from Jeremy Davis for the repair work. Once invoices are on hand, the Board will review and hold further discussion.
There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Debra Hahn