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11-05-98SOUTH TAHOE PUBLIC UTILITY DISTRICT "Basic Services for a Complex World" Robert Baer Genera Manacjer Richard Soibri~, Assistant Mana~ler ............................. ... ..............-..1.........,..... .............................. :~:~:~:~:~~.:~:.:~:~~~:~:~:~:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:.:.~~~~~~.~~~~~~~.:`:~~~:~~~~~:.:~~~~~~~:~~~~~~~:~:~~~~~:~:~~~:~:~:~~~:~:~:~~~:~:~:~:~~~;~;~;~;~z~:.;~:~:~:.~~~z*~~~ ...... [~-:.: ......... i-? .......... i-- ?-!:!????!'!?:::~ :i:.:?.i James Jones, President BOARD MEMBERS Christopher H. Strohm, Vice President Duane Wallace, Director Mary Lou MoSbacher, Director Pembroke Gochnauer, Director REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS SOUTH TAHOE PUBLIC UTILITY DISTRICT NOVEMBER 5, 1998 MINUTES The Board of Directors of the South Tahoe Public Utility District met in a regular session November 5, 1998, 2:00 P.M., City Council Chambers, 1900 Lake Tahoe Boulevard, South Lake Tahoe, California. BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Vice President Strohm, Wallace, Gochnauer, Mosbacher. President Jones was absent due to District business. ROLL CALL STAFF: Baer, Solbrig, Sharp, McFarlane, Noble, Forsythe, Attorney Neese. GUESTS: Judy Brown/City Council Liaison, Andy Bourelle/Tahoe Daily Tribune, David Kelly, Charles Nelson. Staff requested Consent Item No. 6 (Scott Cable Communications, Inc.) be removed and placed on the next Regular Board Meeting Agenda. CORRECTIONS TO THE AGENDA OR CONSENT CALENDAR Consent Item No. 5 was brought forward for a separate vote. Moved Gochnauer/Second Mosbacher/Jones Absent/ Passed to approve the Consent Calendar, as amended: CONSENT CALENDAR ST007146 REGULAR BOARD MEETING MINUTES - NOVEMBER 5, 1998 PAGE - 2 1) Authorized payment of Alpine County Annual Impact/ Mitigation/Compensation fee in the amount of $106,700; 2) Diamond Ditch Irrigation System Repair- Approved Change Order No. 1 for Ford Construction in the amount of $2,200; 3) Christmas Valley Tank - Approved Change Order No. 1 for Resource Development Co. Inc., in the amount of $6,330; 4) A-Line Replacement Project: Continuation - Approved Change Order No. 9 for Ford Construction for a total amount of $11,227.44; 7) Authorized payment of 1999 ACWA agency member- dues in the amount of $11,500; 8) Authorized Clerk of the Board to execute three-year renewal contract with Secured Storage for off-site storage of microfilmed records; 9) Approved Regular Board Meeting Minutes of September 17, 1998; 10) Approved Regular Board Meeting Minutes of October 1, 1998. CONSENT CALENDAR (continued) CONSENT ITEMS BROUGHT FORWARD FOR ACTION / DISCUSSION Moved GochnauedSecond Mosbacher/Wallace Voted No/Jones Absent/Passed to approve execution of agree- merit with Chris Twomey to complete four projects in the amount of $5,159. Diane Noble spoke on behalf of property owner, Pradip Patel, dba Super 8 Motel. She reviewed the history: Last summer staff required that a backflow assembly device be installed in Mulligan's Restaurant, located in the Super 8 Motel. The property owner stated he was not aware of this requirement and Mulligan's (which is leased out) did not install the device, as part of their pro- ject. He assured staff it will be completed as soon as EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT FOR CONTRACT EMPLOYEES (Consent Item No. 5) REQUEST TO APPEAR BEFORE THE BOARD: PRADIP PATEL, DBA SUPER 8 MOTEL, 3600 LAKE TAHOE BOULEVARD ST007147 REGULAR BOARD MEETING MINUTES - NOVEMBER 5, 1998 PAGE - 3 possible. Staff recommended extending the deadline for the work to be done from November 19, 1998, to December 3, 1998. The Operations Committee reviewed this item and recommends approval. Moved Gochnauer/Second Wallace/Jones Absent/Passed to authorize extending the deadline to complete installation of the backflow assembly device to December 3, 1998. REQUEST TO APPEAR BEFORE THE BOARD: PRADIP PATEL, DBA SUPER 8 MOTEL, 3600 LAKE TAHOE BOULEVARD (continued) ITEMS FOR BOARD ACTION The District has planned to construct the final phase of the A-Line replacement and the second phase of the B-Line in the summer of 1999. In order to meet this schedule, staff had planned to begin the bidding in early November. Bid- ding the project at that time allows for the least expensive contract. EPA headquarters has not approved the District's deviation request. To complete the 1998 construction, the District obtained a $5 million "grant anticipation loan." With- out approval of the deviation request, the District will not be able to begin the 1998 construction work. Congressmen Doolittle, Gibbons, and Ensign, as well as Senators Boxer and Feinstein, have been assisting the District with the fund- ing request. Baer reviewed the history of the deviation request in detail. Stemming from the 1997 Presidential Summit, $7.15 million was appropriated by Congress in October 1997 to go to- wards construction of the pipeline. The District has already spent about $22 million on the project. The District's de- viation request asked that project costs spent prior to October 1, 1997 be used as the required 45% local grant matching funds. EPA headquarters did not favorably view the deviation request, and instead is requiring the District to spend nearly $8 million, as an additional match after October 1, 1997, to receive the $9.65 million grant (the October 1997 appropriation and a $2.5 million new congressional appro- priation). The EPA offer allows no credit for the $16 million spent prior to October 1, 1997, and provides some accelera- tion of federal funds. After weeks of negotiating with EPA, no resolution has been reached. While negotiations may continue; due to the financial uncertainty, staff recommend- ed canceling the 1999 construction phase of the project. EXPORT PIPELINE REPLACEMENT ST007148 REGULAR BOARD MEETING MINUTES - NOVEMBER 5, 1998 PAGE -4 Moved Wallace/Second Mosbacher/Jones Absent/ Passed to direct staff to cease construction planning as of this date (November 5, 1998). Moved Wallace/Second Strohm/Jones Absent/Passed to approve payment in the amount of $1,881,307.56. Moved Gochnauer/Second Strohm/Wallace Abstained/ Jones Absent/Passed to approve Regular Board Meeting Minutes of September 3, 1998. (Director Wallace abstain- ed, as he was absent from that meeting.) Moved Wallace/Second Strohm/Mosbacher Abstained/ Jones Absent/Passed to approve Regular Board Meeting Minutes of October 15, 1998. (Director Mosbacher abstain- ed, as she was absent from that meeting.) 3:30 P.M. 3:40 P.M. Water and Wastewater Operations Committee: The committee met November 3. Minutes from the meeting are available upon request. Planning / Ordinance Committee: The committee met October 30. A draft of the water section of the adminis- trative code has been completed. The committee will review it at their next meeting on November 12. County Water Agency / EDWPA / LAFCO Committee: The cost-sharing agreement with the County Water Agency will be on the next regular Board meeting agenda for approval. Director Strohm reported on the recent articles about the contamination of EID's open water reservoirs. Water Quality Task Force Ad Hoc Committee: The committee met on October 21. Director Mosbacher requested that staff provide her with the amount spent to move the air pressure relief valve from in front of her neighbor's house on Grass Lake Road. EXPORT PIPELINE REPLACEMENT (continued) PAYMENT OF CLAIMS REGULAR BOARD MEETING MINUTES: SEPTEMBER 3, 1998 REGULAR BOARD MEETING MINUTES: OCTOBER 15, 1998 MEETING BREAK MEETING RESUMED BOARD MEMBER STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS BOARD MEMBER AD HOC COMMITTEE REPORTS BOARD MEMBER REPORTS ST007149 ~ REGULAR BOARD MEETING MINUTES - NOVEMBER 5, 1998 PAGE - 5 General Manager: Bob Baer reported on four items: 1) $9 million in funding was approved for the Salton Sea project; 2) ultra Iow-flow toilet legislation died in committee; 3) EID's request to have the ownership of Sly Park Reservoir transferred to them died in committee; 4) Senator Feinstein's MTBE legislation also died in committee. STAFF REPORTS Richard Solbrig reported on the status of the emergency projects: STATUS OF EMERGENCY PROJECTS Upper Truckee River Sewer Line and Original A-Line Crossing Emergency of 8/20/98: Final seeding and wood chip mulching is underway. A temporary fence will be installed to keep cattle away. The NRCS paid C.B. Ebright Construction to coordinate installation of the cattle crossing, as requested by TRPA and Lahontan. The project is almost complete. Arrowhead Replacement Well Emergency of 8~20~98 - The drill rig has been removed from the project site. Gardner Mountain Replacement Well Emergency of 9/17/98 - The USFS has not made a decision on signing the cate- gorical exemption form needed to allow the drill rig access to their property. If they decide not to sign, an environmental process must be met, which would mean the project could not begin until spring. The drill rigs are available now, and Haen Construction is ready to go. Specifications for the pro- ject have been written. District General Counsel: Kevin Neese reported on: the the status of the Bijou Pump Station easement agreement; Cold Creek Restoration Plan, consolidation of the Alpine County agreements; and his attendance at the Groundwater Resources of California conference. STAFF REPORTS 4:05 P.M. (Note: The closed session that was adjourned from the Special Board Meeting, held earlier on this date, was continued at this point.) ADJOURNMENT TO CLOSED SESSION 5:05 P.M. RECONVENE TO REGULAR SESSION ST007150 REGULAR BOARD MEETING MINUTES - NOVEMBER 5, 1998 PAGE - $ ACTION / REPORT ON ITEMS DISCUSSED DURING EXECUTIVE SESSION The Board directed staff regarding this item. No Board action. Legal counsel and staff updated the Board and received direction regarding this item. No Board action. The Board members present voted unanimously to accept the managers' proposal. 5:10 P.M. Pursuant to Section 54956.9(a) of California Government Code/Con- ferencewith Legal Counsel Existing Litigation: Schwake v. STPUD, Federal Case No. CV-N-93-851 -DWH Pursuant to Section 54956.9(b) of California Government Code/ Conference with Legal Counsel Anticipated Litigation (three cases) Pursuant to Section 54957.6(a) of California Government Code/ Conference with Labor Negotiators - Agency Negotiators: Board of Directors; Employee Organization: STPUD Management Staff ADJOURNMENT James R. Jones, Board President South Tahoe Public Utility District ATT E ST:~'"'~~.:'~~ K~thy Sharl~Clerk of the I~oard South Tahoe Public Utility District ST007151 REGULAR BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING GUEST SIGN-IN SHEET IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE BROWN ACT: COMPLETION OF THIS INFORMATION IS VOLUNTARY, NOT MANDATORY, AND IS NOT A PRECONDITION FOR ATTENDANCE