1.
Call to Order.
7: 32 p.m.
2.
Roll.
Directors Amoroso, Comstock, Godino, Siedman and Smith
present; director Siedman presiding.
3. Manager’s Report.
-- Update
on the Terrace Avenue Bluff Stabilization Project.
Staff
reported that the Working Group met on September 16, 2014 to plan for a
community meeting to “Save Terrace Avenue at Surfer’s Overlook”. The tentative date for the meeting is October
25th, subject to Supervisor Kinsey’s availability. Assuming the meeting goes forward, the
Working Group will publicize it extensively with signage in the community, as
well as flyers, articles in the Hearsay
News and so forth. The staff of the
BCPUD and the Bolinas Fire Protection District (“BFPD”) will put together a
“powerpoint” slideshow of photos documenting the problem and the recommended
geostructural stabilization of the bluff.
The goal of the meeting is to recruit community volunteers to launch a
“capital campaign” by a set deadline if any project is to occur, it will need
to be largely privately funded.
-- Update on the BCPUD Chlorine Disinfection
Byproduct Reduction Project.
Staff
met with consultant Jonathan van Bourg, director Smith and Dr. Alex Horne on
September 4, 2014 to discuss his draft report and recommendations for improving
the water quality in the Woodrat #1 reservoir, which is the source of much of
the district’s chlorine disinfection byproject problems. Dr. Horne hopes to have a final report
complete for the Board’s review in October.
In brief, everyone agrees that backwash from the water treatment plant should
no longer go directly into the reservoir as it is nutrient-rich and promoting unwanted
algae growth. Algae is the source of the
water quality problems, not runoff from the surrounding watershed. Everyone also agrees that we need to get more
oxygen into the reservoir; Dr. Horne suggested the injection of liquid oxygen
via a “speece cone” to supersaturate the bottom of the reservoir with a blanket
of liquid oxygen. This also would have
the benefit of eliminating iron (within 2 weeks) and manganese (within a year)
from this raw water source. Staff also
is working hard on the tasks necessary to rehabilitate the clarifier and start
a coagulation pilot study; staff also continues to profile the reservoir.
--
Update on the Status of BCPUD’s Current Capital Improvement Projects.
Staff
noted that the status of two of the district’s current capital improvement
projects (the bluff stabilization and chlorine disinfection byproduct projects)
was just addressed. In addition, the
Mesa Park Ballfield Irrigation and Public Restroom Project has begun; staff has
monitored the contractor’s work undertaken on BCPUD land, and Mesa Park’s
Project Manager, Ed Pohlman, is closely monitoring and inspecting the work in
progress.
The
Brighton Beach Stair Replacement Project is complete. Chief Operator Bill Pierce planned this
project, and Shift Operator Scotty Hanks worked with extra hire to install the
project.
The district’s Water Meter Replacement Project
has been underway for several months. To
date, 34 meters have been replaced and approximately 180 more are scheduled for
replacement as time/staffing permits.
The meters were identified for replacement by staff following a
comprehensive survey and ranking of each meter in the district based on its
apparent age/condition.
The Billing Software Replacement Project is
nearly complete. A new software program has
been purchased and installed and Administrative Assistant Belle Wood is in the
process of entering all customer data.
Staff hopes to “go live” with the new software beginning with the
quarter ending in September. Staff noted
that Belle Wood has done an excellent job of managing this project and working
with the district’s outside consultant to identify the best billing software
for the district.
The pest tenting and replacement of the siding
at the sewer lab building is being planned for Spring 2015.
The Flow Meter Installation Project – i.e.,
the installation of two new flow meters at the wastewater treatment ponds – is
underway and staff plans to have the meters installed prior to December 31,
2014.
As for the various water line replacement
projects currently budgeted (Birch between Ocean Parkway and Elm Road, Cedar
between Larch and Elm Road, and Fern between Elm and Alder Roads), staff is
conferring with local contractors for prices to lay only the new main
lines. BCPUD staff will install all of
the additional project components (service laterals, meters, disinfection
procesures, etc.).
--
Inspection of Sewer Force Main.
Staff noted that director Amoroso requested
this item on the agenda following the July 20th force main break
that resulted in a small sewer spill downtown.
It is not possible to video-inspect this main as the district regularly
does with the rest of the collection system as the force main is under constant
pressure. Staff therefore will research
alternative inspection approaches and provide a report to the Board for
consideration.
On the water side of operations, consumption remains
down. The most recent data indicates
that the Back of the Mesa recently consumed only a small amount more than it
did during the same quarter in 2009 (which is the year the BCPUD imposed
mandatory rationing). The district continues
to be able to meet demand exclusively with water diverted from the Arroyo Hondo
creek and the Woodrat #1 and #2 reservoirs are full, but for the amount that
has been lost due to evaporation in recent months.
The County Department of Public Works (“DPW”)
has issued a notice that the Wharf Road Seawall Repair Project will begin on
September 22, 2014. The applicable
permits limit the work to be done in the lagoon to low-tide events, so DPW
staff is advising residents that work may need to begin as early as 7 am and continue
until 7 pm and on the weekends until that portion of the work is
completed. Wharf Road will be open to
residents only past the the project site to the beach.
The paved road in the Seadrift Subdivision is
scheduled to be repaved and the contractor perfoming the work has offered the
resulting grindings to the Bolinas community.
Staff advised the contractor that the grindings must be tested for
environmental contaminants and that Mesa Park must approve the use of its
parking lot as a deliver site. Samples
of the grindings have been taken and delivered to the testing lab; results are
expected later this week.
Staff directed the Board’s attention to a
recent communication from the Local Agency Formation Commission (“LAFCO”);
LAFCO is continuing to work on its study of the water systems in Marin and the
district is providing requested information.
Staff reported that County counsel is
evaluating the district’s legal options with regard to the removal of
obstructions in the Zebra right-of-way.
In the meantime, staff has conferred again, at length, with the
obstructing property owner who believes he has cleared enough of the
obstructions from the right-of-way such that the neighboring property owner can
install access. Staff inspected the site
and confirmed that a sufficient clearing of the major obstructions has been
done to install an access road, but considerable debris (fence boards, metal
stakes, etc.) and overgrown vegetation remain in the right-of-way. In the meantime, staff has clearly advised
the property owner, again, that the studio structure currently within the Zebra
right-of-way must be removed.
On the wastewater side of operations, staff
has scheduled a site visit by Bailey Greene, an engineer who worked with Dr.
Oswald on the design of the BCPUD’s sewer pond treatment system; the meeting
will take place this Friday and directors Amoroso and Smith also plan to
attend.
On Tuesday, September 23, 2014 in Sacramento
the State Water Resources Control Board (“SWRCB”) will conduct a public hearing
on a proposed Waste Discharge Rule for “discharges to land by small domestic
systems”. Staff is following the SWRCB
progress on this rule as it likely will apply to the BCPUD’s spray disposal
process.
Staff directed the Board’s attention to the
binders, which contain the BCPUD’s response to the recent Grand Jury report on
Marin County’s sewer systems, as well as an inquiry from a resident on Terrace
Avenue who is interested in hooking into the district’s sewer system if a connection
becomes available. With regard to the
latter inquiry, staff noted that the issues are practical and jurisdictional in
that (1) a sewer connection must be available; (2) the proposed point of
connection must be feasible vis-a-vis the collection system; and (3) the
jurisdictional boundaries of the sewer system must be observed. Staff is researching the latter question
concerning the boundary of the sewer district and will report back to the
Board.
Finally, staff reported that Jennie Pfeiffer
has been appointed to serve on the County’s C-SMART stakeholder advisory
committee.
--
Drainage Project Manager’s Report.
Drainage Project Manager Lewie Likover
submitted a written report.
4.
Community Expression.
Jennie Pfeiffer said that some small
communities with solar installations are considering the possibility of
“mini-grids” in order to have solar back-up when the grid is down (as it stands
now, solar facilities connected to the grid cannot be used when the grid is
down for safety reasons). Director Smith
noted that such systems have been around for some time and a few people in town
have them, but there are problems/challenges with them that should be taken
into consideration; he said he analyzed the issue and concluded that it doesn’t
make sense. He offered to speak with
Jennie about his analysis outside of the meeting.
5. Coastal Permit and Second Unit Permit –
210 Laurel Road, APN# 191-011-35 (A. Patton for R. Donohugh) (legalize existing
second unit, relocate an existing detached accessory structure and construct a new
detached accessory structure).
Staff noted that the Board considered an
expanded water use permit application for this project; this month, the coastal
permit application for the same project has been sent to the BCPUD. President Siedman noted that no one was
present from the public to comment on this permit application and requested
staff to advise the County planner.
6. Request to Suspend Sewer Connection (L.
Ferlinghetti).
Director Comstock said he has no objection to
suspending the connection, but noted that Mr. Ferlinghetti may be interested to
selling it to the person who has inquired about connecting into the
system. Director Siedman said that if
the connection is suspended, all accrued and unpaid fees would need to be paid
prior to activation. Director Smith
moved to suspend the connection subject to all accrued service charges being
paid before the connection can be reactivated, and director Comstock seconded
the motion. Director Amoroso noted that
the district has a process in place for water meter suspensions but not for
sewer connection suspensions; he queried whether a specific process for sewer
connection suspensions should be enacted.
After a brief discussion, director Smith amended his motion to suspend (but
not waive) Lorenzo’s obligation to pay the sewer service charge for FY 2014-15 in
order to provide for some time for the district to develop a resolution
specific to the suspension of sewer connections.
D. Smith/L. Comstock all in favor to
suspend (but not waive) Lorenzo Ferlinghetti’s obligation to pay the FY 2014-15
sewer service charge subject to the requirement that this charge (and any other
accured but unpaid charges) must be paid in full before the connection can be
reactivated.
7 Request that BCPUD Adopt a Resolution of
Commitment to Comply with the Brown Act (M. Lewis).
Matt Lewis provided the Board with sample
resolutions enacted by other districts and cities affirming their commitment to
comply with the Brown Act notwithstanding the fact that the state has suspended
certain provisions of the Act as part of its budget process, including the
state’s obligation to reimburse local governments for their costs incurred in
abiding by the Brown Act. Director
Amoroso asked staff if the district has ever sought the reimbursement of these costs
from the state; staff said it has not and that the district has continued to
abide by the Brown Act notwithstanding the suspension of some of its provisions. Matt noted that the BFPD has passed a motion
to reaffirm that district’s commitment to comply with the Brown Act. Director Siedman said that when the Board
members are elected they take an oath to obey the laws of the State of
California and it seems redundant to adopt a resolution such as Matt is
suggesting, but he noted that other districts have done so. Discussion ensued, with the directors
expressing support for and a commitment to the Brown Act, but disagreeing over
the need for/potential language of such a resolution. The Board ultimately directed staff to
agendize a proposed resolution expressing the district’s commitment to continue
to abide by the Brown Act for consideration at the October 2014 regular
meeting.
8. West Marin Mosquito Control Coordinating
Council: Update on Issues Under
Discussion Concerning the Renewal of a Non-Toxic Protocol for West Marin and
Request that BCPUD Host a Meeting with the Marin/Sonoma Mosquito Vector &
Control District (L. Goldblatt).
Liza Goldblatt stated that the Marin/Sonoma
Mosquito Vector & Control District (“M&VCD”) staff has proposed the use
of methoprene in septic systems. The
West Marin Mosquito Control Coordinating Council would prefer that the current
agreement stay in place, which does not allow the use of methoprene. She believes it will be very effective for
the BCPUD to host a meeting in Bolinas for the M&VCD staff and board
committee members to come hear from the community on this topic. Director Comstock thanked Liza for her good
work on the Council and said he is in favor of the BCPUD doing what it can to
help on this issue. Liza suggested the
BCPUD invite the M&VCD out for a community meeting in November, if
possible. After a brief discussion,
staff was directed to coordinate and schedule the meeting.
9. Memorandum of Understanding between the BCPUD
and Mesa Park Concerning the Mesa Park Ballfield Irrigation and Public Restroom
Project; Update on Status of Bridge Loan for Costs of Project Not Covered By
Advance of Grant Funds; Request from Mesa Park for BCPUD to Advance Payment for
Such Costs if Bridge Loan Not Secured.
The Board received a draft Memorandum of
Understanding between the BCPUD and Mesa Park concerning the Mesa Park
Ballfield Irrigation and Public Restroom Project (“MOU”) prepared by staff to
memorialize how the project will be paid for via a $400,000 advance of grant
funds, supplemented by funds contributed by Mesa Park (and, if necessary, the
BCPUD) until the final $100,000 in grant funds is released by the state funding
agency after the project is complete. Director
Smith moved to approve the MOU and director Amoroso seconded the motion for
discussion purposes.
Discussion of the draft MOU ensued, with
director Amoroso asking if the BCPUD will be reimbursed for staff time spent on
the project. Bryan Lee said that the
project budget includes $35,000 for project administration and Ed Pohlman has
indicated his costs will be less than $10,000, so there should be sufficient
funds remaining to reimburse the BCPUD for administrative costs. Discussion continued about the MOU’s
provisions re: insurance and indemnification; Bryan Lee said he would discuss
those items with the Mesa Park Board. Bryan then reported that Mesa Park
representatives met with Wells Fargo to discuss a potential bridge loan to pay
costs due prior to the release of the final $100,000 in grant funds; unfortunately,
a loan from Wells Fargo is unlikely because a loan amount of $100,000 exceeds
Mesa Park’s annual operating income and because Mesa Park is not the Project grantee. He therefore requested that the BCPUD consider
advancing any funds needed to complete the project, which will be repaid when
the final $100,000 in grant funds is issued (which will be on or before June
30, 2015).
Director Amoroso asked several questions
relating to potential cost overruns and asked what will happen if the project
costs exceed the $500,000 grant amount.
Bryan said that Mesa Park is managing the project closely and has funds
it can draw on in an emergency to pay for cost overruns. Director Amoroso said that Mesa Park has not
repaid the BCPUD in the past for funds loaned; specifically, there was a loan
for $8,000 that has not been repaid.
Bryan responded that, to his knowledge, Mesa Park has reimbursed the
BCPUD for all costs paid out on the Project, but he would work on an accounting
to be sure. After further discussion,
staff suggested that perhaps the Finance Committee should meet with
representatives from Mesa Park to try and resolve as many questions and open
issues as possible with a revised MOU, and then present the MOU to the Boards
of both agencies for consideration.
Director Smith said that the issue really
seems to be how much money will need to be advanced by the BCPUD to pay the
contractor to ensure the project is timely completed until the final $100,000
in grant funds is paid out; he noted that the state is obligated to pay the
grant and he does not believe it is inappropriate for the BCPUD to advance funds
for this project. Director Godino
concurred and director Comstock said he agrees, but wants to be sure that the
BCPUD does everything it should do to mitigate risk if something goes awry on
the project. He said that the
possibility of cost overruns should be addressed, that Mesa Park must use all
available revenue sources before BCPUD funds are contributed, and that BCPUD
must be paid back any and all funds advanced on the project. Bryan Lee pointed out that Mesa Park will
begin receiving Measure A funding this year, which is anticipated to be about
$40,000 per year for the next seven years, in addition to Mesa Park’s parcel
tax funds of approximately $30,000 per year.
At the conclusion of the discussion, Director Siedman noted that the MOU
is referred for now to the Finance Committee to meet with Mesa Park
representatives Bryan Lee and Dylan Squires to revise the MOU and address the
issues of concern; a revised MOU will then be forwarded to the Mesa Park and
BCPUD Boards for consideration.
10.
BCPUD Comments on LAFCO’s Proposed
Update to Adopted Fee Schedule.
Staff presented LAFCO’s proposed update to
its fee schedule and noted that the deadline to submit comments is September
30, 2014. The update changes the way
LAFCO calculates, assigns and collects application fees for jurisdictional
changes and related planning activities, it establishes fixed fees, and it raises
the hourly composite staff rate from $50/hour to $126/hour. The Board had no comment on the proposed
update.
11.
2014 Local Agency Biennial Notice – Conflict of Interest Code.
Staff recommended that the Board review its current
conflict of interest code, BCPUD Resolution 572, and update it if
necessary. If an update is necessary,
staff will present it at the October 2014 regular meeting.
L. Comstock/D.
Smith
all in favor directing staff to review the current
conflict of interest code and update it if necessary.
12.
Water Supply Update.
The Board reviewed the latest data analysis submitted
by the district’s consulting hydrogeologist about the irrigation well at the
Resource Recovery site. In response to
questions from the Board, director Smith explained the relationship of the
various charts and the data collected about the rate of pumping and recharge of
the levels in the well. A significant
question under evaluation is the impact of the lack of rain on the well’s
production.
13. Volunteer Committee Reports
--
Bolinas Lagoon Advisory Committee: Nothing to report.
--
Downtown Parking & Traffic Committee: Nothng to report.
--
Resource Recovery: Nothing to report.
--
Water Conservation Assistance Committee: Northing to report.
--
West Marin Mosquito Control Coordinating Council: Nothing further to report.
--
Land Stewardship Committee:
Director Siedman reported that the committee met the previous Friday and worked
on a map of the BCPUD lands and talked about the use/potential improvements of
existing paths.
14.
Other Business
a.
Board
Committee Reports
--
Finance: Staff reported that the
field work for the district’s FY 2013-14 audit is scheduled for tomorrow,
September 18, 2014.
-- Legal: Director Siedman reported that
the committee met to review a conceptual proposal from the garbage company for
a renewal of the existing franchise agreement (which expires in June 2015) for
a period of 10 years, with an annual 5% increase in rates over the term of the
agreement. This approach recently was
approved by the Board of the Stinson Beach County Water District and director
Siedman discussed the matter with Larry Baskin, a member of that district’s
Board of Directors. Although a 5% per
year rate increase may seem high, when analyzed relative to other districts
around the state, the rates in West Marin remain far below average. Director Godino said she feels the proposal
is fair and reasonable and preserves parity between Bolinas and Stinson on these
costs. The next step will be for staff
to arrange a meeting between the Legal Committee and garbage company
representatives to formally discuss a proposal.
Director Smith reported that he and
director Comstock had a very productive meeting with garbage company
representatives about the district’s request for the company to ensure that garbage
and recycling is kept separate. The
company has agreed to conduct two “runs” through the areas is serves with its
“goat truck” (which includes streets the company cannot access with its larger
trucks) – one run for garbage and one run for recycling – rather than mix the
garbage and recycling and separate it at the disposal site as it has been
doing. The district offered to work with
the company as necessary to facilitate its efforts in this regard.
-- Mesa Septic, Flood Control and Roads: Nothing
to report.
-- Operations: Nothing
to report.
-- Park and Recreation: Nothing further to report.
-- Personnel: Nothing to report.
-- Sewer: Nothing to report.
b.
Minutes
of the August 20, 2014 Regular Meeting.
Director Comstock and director Smith offered
clarifying revisions to the minutes.
D. Smith/L. Comstock all in favor to
approve the minutes of the August 20, 2014 regular meeting, as amended.
c.
Warrants
L. Comstock/G. Godino all in favor to approve the warrant list.
d.
Scheduling
of Next Meeting(s)
October 15, 2014 at 7:30 p.m.
15.
Adjournment.
10: 41 p.m.