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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-09-15 WUCFD MINUTESWATER UTILITIES COMMUNITY FACILITIES DISTRICT (APACHE JUNCTION WATER COMPANY) CITY OF APACHE JUNCTION, ARIZONA REGULAR MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2009 The regular meeting of the District Board of the Water Utilities Community Facilities District (Apache Junction Water Company), City of Apache Junction, Arizona, was held on September 15, 2009, at the Apache Junction City Council Chambers pursuant to the notice required by law. CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Insalaco called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. ROLL CALL Board Members Present:Chairperson Insalaco Vice Chairperson R.E. Eck Mrs. Robin Barker Mr. Doug Coleman Mr. Rick Dietz Mr. Chip Wilson Staff Present: (Mr. Jeff Serdy was absent.) • George Hoffman, District Manager Kathleen Connelly, District Clerk David Fern, Utility Director Frank Blanco, District Director Giao Pham, District Engineer John White, District Finance Manager Donna Meinerts, District Finance Dir. Others Present:Bryant Powell, Assistant City Manager Hazel Randall, District Admin. Asst. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF AUGUST 18, 2009 )Mr. Dietz MOVED THAT THE MINUTES OF AUGUST 18, 2009, BE APPROVED. Water Utilities Community Facilities District Meeting Minutes of September 15, 2009 Page 1 of 8 MOTION. VOTE:Unanimous. The motion carried. RESOLUTION NO. 2009-007, AMENDING RESOLUTION NO. 94-1 BY ESTABLISHING THE OFFICIAL LOCATIONS FOR THE POSTING OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS AND OTHER MATERIALS OF INTEREST TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC Mrs. Barker SECONDED THE District Clerk Kathleen Connelly briefed the board on the item.She stated under the open meeting law and Title 48 the district is required to have certain posting locations for things like that.The last policy decision on those locations was in 1994, and those locations are now out of date.We updated the city notices last year, and she recommends that the district parallel the locations for the city notices, which are shown on the resolution.As this is a special district, she is also obligated to notify the Pinal County clerk of the board, the city clerk of Apache Junction, and the secretary of state as to where those official posting locations are. official notices, agendas and Chairperson Insalaco called for any discussion.There being no discussion, he called for a motion. Mrs. Barker MOVED THAT RESOLUTION NO. 2009-007, A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE WATER UTILITIES COMMUNITY FACILITIES DISTRICT (CITY OF APACHE JUNCTION, ARIZONA) AMENDING RESOLUTION NO. 94-1 BY ESTABLISHING THE OFFICIAL LOCATIONS FOR THE POSTING OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS AND OTHER MATERIALS OF INTEREST TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, BE APPROVED. Mr. Dietz SECONDED THE MOTION. VOTE:Unanimous. Water Utilities Community Facilities District Meeting Minutes of September 15, 2009 Page 2 of 8 The motion carried. MOTION FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION )District Clerk Kathleen Connelly stated this item is postponed for this evening. AGREEMENT WITH DESERT COMMUNITIES AND ARIZONA STATE LAND DEPARTMENT FOR THE PURPOSE OF SHOWING FINANCIAL CAPABILITY FOR ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES' REVIEW OF DISTRICT'S APPLICATION FOR MODIFICATION OF ITS DESIGNATION FOR ASSURED WATER SUPPLY )District Clerk Kathleen Connelly stated this item is also postponed for this evening. DISTRICT MANAGER REPORT None. DISTRICT DIRECTOR REPORT District Director Frank Blanco presented a photograph of the interconnect pump house and described it and the surrounding area. Mrs. Barker asked what the chain link fence is for. District Director Frank Blanco stated it is a temporary fence on Baseline Road.It will be removed along with the construction water hose. There was general discussion on the wall and how nice it looked, and that it is what they wanted. Vice Chairperson Eck commented he believes the times might have helped them with the cost. District Director Frank Blanco stated they did well on the bids. The contractor has been moving forward very quickly.There is a small building on the right that is the storage room that the Water Utilities Community Facilities District Meeting Minutes of September 15, 2009 Page 3 of 8 district had agreed to build for the homeowners association. You cannot really see it from Baseline Road.He showed an example of the wall that was constructed, the Mesa interconnect pipeline, and pipe that is the final connection where the last bolt will be tightened at 9 a.m. on Friday. Vice Chairperson Eck asked where that is located. District Director Frank Blanco stated it is at Baseline Road just west of the animal shelter. Vice Chairperson Eck asked if there is a massive backflow on the one side. District Director Frank Blanco stated it is a cave out.It keeps the water from backflowing into the system and keeps the water from flowing into the tank when it is not needed.He commented the security of Booster #1 is all but done.The final piece is an automatic gate that self closes and has a magnetic lock to keep the site secure at all times.It will no longer be a gate they can drive into because it is already open.Most of the time when they are out there doing their work, they tend to not lock the gates as it is easier to drive around the block and come back in.The new gate is also steel.He stated that the Bureau of Reclamation Surplus Land location is at the intersection of Ironwood and the Central Arizona Project Canal. It is six acres.It aligns with Houston Road to the south and the old Ironwood without the bridge. Mr. Dietz asked if they had made a decision on which parcel they are getting. District Director Frank Blanco stated the preferred parcel is the one at Ironwood and the canal because of the residual property across the street from Ironwood and the potential for being able to use that. Mr. Dietz asked if the old property is just to the right of that on the other side of Ironwood along the canal. District Director Frank Blanco stated that is correct. Water Utilities Community Facilities District Meeting Minutes of September 15, 2009 Page 4 of 8 Mr. Dietz commented it is actually connected under the old parcel, plus it gives us easy access as it is right along the canal. District Director Frank Blanco stated that is correct. Vice Chairperson Eck commented he believes there are now steps to this as we will be serving north and south of the canal. They should look at how close they are to Houston and the county island there.He commented it would be an advantage for them to have water there.They lost eleven buildings to a fire. District Director Frank Blanco commented on the process the district went through to get access to the land.The district had to request the land become surplus, the letter from the Central Arizona Water District to proceed with the sale, the letter from the Bureau of Reclamation confirming they would sell the land and the different requirements in order to do so, including sending a notice to Housing and Urban Development providing the property for the homeless if they have a use for it. Vice Chairperson Eck commented they would put a homeless shelter by a water treatment plant. District Director Frank Blanco stated it is unlikely, but the advertisement is required.The letter stipulated a 12 to 18 month time frame from July 2008.The next step was the district sending the $15,000 check to the Bureau of Reclamation. Mr. Dietz asked if the district will be reimbursed by Pinal County for that. District Director Frank Blanco stated they have been reimbursed. The next step was the completion of the hazardous materials survey, followed by a Bureau of Reclamation request to the General Services Administration for the land appraisal for direct sale, and it was received on June 25, 2009.The latest is an email on August 24 from the Bureau of Reclamation stating the case has been accepted by the General Services Administration but has yet to be reassigned to a realty officer. It had been initially assigned to someone who retired.The estimated time is 18 months, which would be January 2010.The Water Utilities Community Facilities District Meeting Minutes of September 15, 2009 Page 5 of 8 appraisal is still pending.The letter states it is surplus land used for maintenance and operations of Central Arizona Project Reach 5, so they are hoping it will be appraised as surplus land instead of something else.Once they have the appraisal, they should see a publication in the federal register and a listing and notification that will be for federal properties suitable as facilities to assist the homeless.When he looks at some of those properties that are listed, they have actual buildings on them.He does not believe the district parcel would be suitable for the homeless when compared to the others listed.He commented on the water system update.Well #8 recently lost production capacity significant enough for them to call in Lane Western to look at it.It is scheduled for a video for this fiscal year to pull the equipment and video the casing.It is currently shut down and we are using Wells #5 and #6 and the Arizona interconnect.The Mesa interconnect will accommodate these types of problems in the system.It is not hurting us that much as the well is a low producer and it has nitrates.They will be addressing where they will go in this next fiscal year. Mr. Dietz asked what it is producing now. District Director Frank Blanco stated it was dropping down to 120 gallons a minute, and in some cases just dropping off. Vice Chairperson Eck commented he feels bad because as a water person he felt that they should not have done that well but he never spoke up. Assistant City Manager Bryant Powell asked what Well #6 and Well #5 produce. District Director Frank Blanco stated Well #6 does about 580 gallons per minute and Well #5 does about 600 gallons per minute.Between the two, with low flow from the interconnect, they are able to meet their 1.9 million gallons per day peak day demand without using the emergency meter from Arizona Water. The loss of Well #8 is not as critical as losing Well #5 or Well #6.He commented they purchased an arsenic analyzer and they have finally received it; it processes a sample within 20 minutes of taking the sample instead of waiting 7 to 14 days in Water Utilities Community Facilities District Meeting Minutes of September 15, 2009 Page 6 of 8 sending it to a lab to get the results.It allows them to analyze the water quality and optimize the chemical feed rates. Vice Mayor Eck asked how much it cost. District Director Frank Blanco stated it cost about $23,000.It comes with a laptop computer.It will save the cost of sending the samples out to the lab.They are required to do 4 arsenic samples per year but they want to make sure they are treating the water properly and reducing the arsenic levels to what is required.He believes it will be paid back in about 2 years. He commented the storage flow and pressures of Well #5 are normal, and Well #6 is also producing. Vice Chairperson Eck commented he is doing a terrific job, along with the help of Hazel. DISTRICT TREASURER REPORT None. DISTRICT LEGAL COUNSEL REPORT None. ADJOURNMENT ) Chairperson Insalaco adjourned the meeting at 6:25 p.m. ACCEPTED THIS 5TH DAY OF OCTOBER , 2009, BY THE CHAIRPERSON AND DISTRICT BOARD OF THE WATER UTILITIES COMMUNITY FACILITIES DISTRICT (APACHE JUNCTION WATER COMPANY), CITY OF APACHE JUNCTION, ARIZONA. SIGNED AND ATTESTED TO THIS 6TH DAY OF OCTOBER 2009. n S. Insalaco Chairperson Water Utilities Community Facilities District Meeting Minutes of September 15, 2009 Page 7 of 8 ATTEST: Kathleen Connelly District Clerk WATER UTILITIES COMMUNITY FACILITIES DISTRICT MINUTES CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the regular meeting of the Water Utilities Community Facilities District of the City of Apache Junction, Arizona, held on the 15th day of September, 2009.I further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present. Dated this 17th day of September, 2009. Kathleen Connelly District Clerk Water Utilities Community Facilities District Meeting Minutes of September 15, 2009 Page 8 of 8