VILLAGE OF MORRISVILLE WATER AND LIGHT DEPARTMENT

August 18, 2008                                                  

 

MONDAY                                                                              6:00 PM

4226 Garfield Road in Hyde Park

 

The Trustees met at 5:00 p.m. to tour the Zack Woods property prior to the meeting.

 

The meeting duly noticed and warned was called to order at 6:00 PM.

 

PRESENT:

Trustees:  Dana Wildes, Tim Sargent, Ed DeBor, Keith Thompson, Peter Bourne

Staff:  Craig Myotte, Jim Fontaine, Penny Jones

 

1)         PUBLIC MEETING:

 

            No members of the public were present.

 

2)         OLD BUSINESS – ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND GREEN RESOURCE INVESTMENT:

 

            Discussion deferred to next meeting.

 

3)         MANAGEMENT REPORT:

 

Jim reported that August hydro generation is good due to the continued heavy rainfall. Trustee Thompson asked how often the boards are replaced. Jim replied it depends on a number of factors but typically several times per year.

 

Jim provided an update on the smart metering collaborative process underway. The schedule is very aggressive and there are 5 meetings scheduled of the minimum requirements group that Jim is assigned to.

 

Penny handed out a revised analysis of the Green River funds and provided the Trustees with an explanation of the hand out provided. The hand out shows the balance as of 7/31/08, the investments as of 7/31/08 and the interest withdrawals from previous years.

           

The Trustees had a brief discussion on the merits of investing the Green River funds to increase our green energy credits. Green credits can be obtained from new renewable generation, not upgrading existing generation. The Trustees remain interested in staff investigating the conversion of the horizontal unit at Plant #1 to a peaker unit.

 

Penny responded to questions regarding the July 2008 financial reports. Chair Wildes stated that the modifications Penny made to show Other Income below Operating Income was an excellent improvement to the wastewater financials.

 

The Trustees remain concerned about power supply costs. The Trustees reiterated the importance of getting VPPSA to provide better summaries that clearly show the benefit for all dollars invested in new generation resources and contracts.

 

There was a brief discussion of energy sales and why they are lower than expected.

                                                                 

4)         APPROVE MINUTES OF MEETING HELD AUGUST 4, 2008:

 

On a motion by Trustee Sargent, seconded by Trustee Thompson and unanimously approved, the Board approved the minutes of the August 4, 2008, regular meeting.

 

Trustee DeBor stated that the minutes on the Water and Light website show the last minutes posted are April 2008. Craig stated that the minutes for May, June and July would be posted before the next meeting.

 

5)         UPDATE OF WWTF PROJECT:

 

Jim handed out and discussed some project pictures he had taken recently and reviewed the items discussed at the 1st monthly project meeting held on August 12, 2008. The project is about a month behind schedule at this time due to the heavy rainfall. Craig reviewed the draft project schedule provided by Keymont showing tasks and timeline from now through April 2009. There was a brief discussion of the benefits of the Aqua-Aerobic system.

 

6)         UPDATE OF WATER METER PROJECT:

 

Jim reported the water meter project is off to a slow start but we still expect to be 90% complete by the end of November 2008. The replacement of the existing meters is scheduled to occur at the beginning of the schedule. Ti-Sales staff is coming to Water & Light on September 1 to discuss handheld/software issues.

 

7)         OTHER BUSINESS:

 

The Trustees discussed the last Morristown Planning Commission (MPC) meeting that Chair Wildes attended on August 5. The MPC meeting for August 19th includes an update on the TSSA discussions. Craig will provide an update for Chair Wildes. Chair Wildes and Trustee DeBor indicated they would attend the August 19th meeting. Chair Wildes stated that Chip Sawyer from LCPC had done an excellent job with the proposal handed out at the August 5th meeting but concerns remain by the MPC on the density changes proposed by Mr. Sawyer. Chair Wildes stated that the next steps can’t be established until the outcome of the August 19th meeting is known.

 

The Trustees discussed the Cusson water billing issue. It appears that Mr. Cusson is not willing to make the payments that were agreed to. Staff will proceed to shut off his water.

 

Jim asked the Trustees for their time and date preference for a tour of the WWTF Upgrade Project. The Trustees stated they were flexible and asked Jim to set it up in the next couple of weeks.

 

The Trustees discussed churches connected to the water and sewer facilities but not currently being billed for water and sewer services. The Trustees stated that a special rate class may be considered for churches. However, the facilities (rectory, senior center, day care, etc.) at each church needs to be carefully examined to determine what is equitable.

 

The Trustees discussed the tour of the Zack Woods property. The Trustees directed staff to get an appraisal done on the property an initiate the process to sell the parcel to recover as much as possible for investment in other initiatives being considered by the Trustees. Staff will collect property tax information and revisit ownership (electric vs. Village) with an attorney.

 

8)         ADJOURNMENT:

 

At 7:10 PM, on a motion by Trustee DeBor, seconded by Trustee Thompson and unanimously approved, the Board adjourned the meeting.

 

 

                                                                        ___________________________________

                                                                        Tim Sargent, Clerk