January 27, 2003

Commissioners Harriet VanKleeck, Ernie DeWitt, Ernie Kelder, Joseph Roddy

Others: Pat Marsh, William Moylan, John Maylie, Phil Terpening, Brian Cafferty, Perry Soule, Pat McDonough, Amelia D’Antonio, From C.T. Male: Dave Roecker, Ed Vopelak, From Chazen Companies: Nancy Clark & Dan Stone, From Rettew Engineering: Greg Mapstone & his Associate, From O’Brien & Gere: Lowell Kachlsky, & Jeffrey J Contemo

Vacuum Breaker: William Moylan came down to this month’s meeting to discuss the vacuum breaker charge that was put on his 4th Qtr water bill. Mr. Moylan told the commission that he was charged $47.00 for a vacuum breaker, which he thinks is ridiculous. He showed the commissioners two breakers that he had purchased. The first breaker cost him $10 and the other one cost $23. Ernie K. asked Bill M. if he got the notice that the water department sent out about the vacuum breakers. Bill M. does not recall receiving it. Ernie K. said that the letter was sent to all the water/sewer customers who needed vacuum breakers. Bill M. stated, "The purpose of having a vacuum breaker is to prevent anything from backing into the water system. Right?" Pat said yes, but it also prevents anything from backing into your house also. Harriet V. asked Mr. Moylan, "So what are you saying, that you do not want to pay us $47 because we put it on for you?" Bill M said that he would not have a problem with paying the charge if it cost $10 or $20, but $47, that’s one-third of his water bill. The water clerk informed Mr. Moylan that the $47 includes the cost of the breaker plus installation. Bill explained that he called Kingston and New Paltz water departments, and they do not require a breaker. Joe R. explained to Bill that they found out that most of the water/sewer customers did not have a vacuum breakers installed on their outside faucet, so we sent out a notice to all of those customers. After the notice was sent, the water department staff then rechecked for the breakers while doing the 3rd qtr. meter readings and we found that some customers still had not installed the breaker. This Board made a decision that we would install the breaker and charge the customer $47, which includes the cost of the breaker plus installation. Bill M. explained to the Board that he has a check valve on his house. Joe R. said that he believes that the notice spelled out, that if you have an outside faucet with a hose on it, a vacuum breaker must be on there. Bill said, "So now you are trying to protect me inside of my house?" Pat said yes as well as the district. A short discussion followed. Ernie K. told Bill M. that when the Board finishes up with the engineers that they will discuss this matter further and then let him know what they have decided.

Engineers:

C.T. Male: David Roecker & Ed Vopelak came to this meeting to give a 10 to 15 fifteen-minute presentation on the company. They explained to the Board where their company is located, the type of work that they do, what projects that they have done in the past, about their fees, and why their engineering company would be beneficial to the water/sewer department. When they finished, they opened the floor to questions.

Chazen Engineering: Nancy Clark & Dan Stone came to this meeting to give a 10 to 15 minute presentation on their company. Their presentation included how long the company has been in business, what work they have done, about their fees and why they feel their company can be beneficial to the water/sewer department. When finished they opened the floor for questions.

Rettew Engineering: Greg Mapstone and his Associate came to this meeting to give a 10 to 15 minute presentation on their company. Their presentation included the company location, what jobs they have done and their present jobs. They also discussed how long they have been in business, about their fees, and why they can be beneficial to the water/sewer department. When finished they opened the floor to questions.

Amelia D’Antonio: Ms. D’Antonio came down to this meeting to discuss with the commission the charge for a vacuum breaker on her 4th qtr. water bill. Amelia explained to the commission that she did not purchase the house until July and the only mail that she has received are two water bills from the water department. She also stated that the Rosendale Hardware sells the vacuum breaker for only $24.00, so why is she being charge $47.00. Pat asked Amelia is she has her 3rd qtr. bill with her. Amelia said the only bill she has is the most current one. Pat informed Amelia that there was a notice on the 3rd qtr. bill about the breaker. Ms. D’Antonio said she does not recall seeing the notice. Ms. D’Antonio was told by the water clerk what the notice stated. Amelia was not aware that a vacuum breaker was required, since she did not receive the original notice. She then said that she will pay $24.00 for it, but not $47.00. Harriet V explained that the $47 includes the cost of vacuum breaker plus installation. Ms, D’Antonio stated that she understands, but like she said, she did not receive the first notice, so she does not feel that she should have to pay the $47.00. She would be willing to split the different and pay for the breaker itself. A short discussion followed. Ernie D. told Amelia that they have another engineering company schedule, but after their presentation this Board will discuss this matter further and we will let you know what we have decided.

Engineers: O’Brien & Gere: Lowell Kachlsky & Jeffrey Contemo from Insite Engineering, came to this meeting to give a 10 to 15 minute presentation on their company. They began by doing a brief summary on their qualifications, explaining to the commission their experience with different types of water and wastewater plants. Lowell and Jeff then explained some of the projects that their companies have completed, what projects they are currently working are and why they feel the companies will be beneficial to the water/sewer department. When their presentation was finished, they opened up the floor for questions.

When all of the presentations were done Ernie K. said that he thought all the companies were good, but he would like to know the Town Board’s opinion of the companies presented here tonight. Ernie also said that he feels that something should be done to get one of these engineering companies hired for the water/sewer dept. This Board knows that the Town Board will have the final decision on which engineer to hire. Supervisor Terpening said yes, but the Water/Sewer Board will recommend the company that you would like to see hired. Ernie K. said he thought they were all good, and they would be good, any one of them would be an asset to Rosendale. Pat asked the Town Board if there was anyone engineering company that you do not like or would not like the water/sewer Board not to hire. Pat McDonough stated, "The only problem I have, which is a very small problem, is I would be a little concerned with dealing with

two companies, that work together, but maybe it can be worked through. Brian C. made a comment on the size of O’Brien & Gere company. Joe R. told Brian C. that if he were to go back and read the report that O’Brien & Gere submitted on the water and wastewater, he would see that they did submit a thorough report. Brian C. stated that he does not know what happened with Chazen, my guess is that there was a communication problem with the RFP, and what specifically they were supposed to delivery, but I do not know. Patrick M. said it sounded like they gave what was asked for, but just did not ask for the right things. A discussion followed on the reports that were submitted by both O’Brien & Gere and Chazen. Perry Soule stated that he would like to ask a question on C.T. Male. In their request of qualification's booklet I did not see a lot of projects, if any that had to do with water, let alone sewer, what I see is they have a limited amount of experience in the field of wastewater. Can anyone counter that? Joe R. said he has the same feel about C.T. Male, but he has not finished reading their booklet yet. Pat said, they did send a section on what they considered to be relevant, which I believe they called it selective project experience. Pat also said on a request by the W/S Commissioners, I contacted references for all four engineering companies. I requested three references per each company, and all of them were excellent. Perry S. asked, "Pat, you have worked with O’Brien & Gere?" Pat said yes, they are currently working with them now. Perry S. said, so that should put some weight toward making a decision, just by their experience that you are getting at this time. Pat said, she has not come across any problems in dealing with their company. Perry asked Pat if she has ever worked with Rettew Engineering. Pat said no, but she knew Greg Mapstone form when he worked for the health department, and all of Rettew’s references did come back excellent. A short discussion followed. The Water/Sewer Board told Town Board that they will make a recommendation on the engineering company they want the Town Board to hire for the water/sewer department.

Vacuum Breaker Complaint: Pat told the commissioners that Hank Jordon had talked to her about the vacuum breaker charge shortly after he received his water bill. Hank claims he talked to Terry Johnson about the breaker, and that Terry told him not to worry about the breaker until spring or that he would not need it until then. Terry J. claims that he did not tell him that. He said he told Hank that the water department would be rechecking again in October to see what customers had the breaker and who does not. Hank is not here to tell his side of the story and either is Terry. A short discussion followed. The commissioners decided that because they do not have enough facts to make a decision that they would table this matter until the February meeting.

Bill Moylan & Amelia D’Antonio: The commissioners discuss the matter of the $47.00 charge that both Bill M. & Amelia D’Antonio feel they should not have to pay. Joe R. said, "Because Ms. D’Antonio did not buy her house until July of this year and because she did not receive the first notice, can we split the $47 charge in half?" The other commissioners do not see a problem with doing that. Harriet told Joe R. to put it into a motion. A motion by Joe R. to split the $47 charge for the vacuum breaker that appears on Ms.D’Antonio in half. The cost will be $23.50, and the reason we are doing this is because she was a new homeowner and did not receive the first notice. Motion seconded by Harriet V. Three of the four commissioners agreed to Joe R. motion. Ernie D. will not agree to this motion unless Bill Moylan is also given the same consideration, because he also stated that he did not receive the first notice. A motion was then made by Ernie D. A motion by Ernie D., to give Bill Moylan the same consideration and charge of only 23.50 as the previous customer received. Motion seconded by Ernie K. All commissioners agree.

Prior to accepting the December minutes Joe R. thought that he had made a statement that since the water department was asked to run the water line from the hydrant to the foundation at the Rec. Ctr., why couldn’t the hydrant be moved at the same time. Pat explained to Joe that the Town Board wanted to move the hydrant more toward James Street. She told Joe if he wants, that she would write a memo to the Rec. Commission asking if they would like the hydrant relocation to be part of the Rec. Ctr. project. Joe said, "Then let the December minutes stay as they are."

A motion by Ernie D. to accept the December minutes. Motion seconded by Joe R.

Purchase order request sheet: Pat and the commissioners reviewed the purchase order request sheet. All of the purchase orders were approved.

Engineers: A discussion followed on whether this Board should have a special meeting to discuss and make a decision on which engineering company should be hired, or wait until the February meeting. Ernie K. then made the statement that he does not think the water department will have an engineer until September of 2003. The other commissioners asked him why. Ernie explained that the Town Board and this Commission should have narrowed it down to two engineering companies tonight, because it would have made the decision that much easier. Pat M. told Ernie that the Town Board said that they will go with what ever engineer this commission chooses. Pat also mentioned that she will not be here for the February 24, meeting, so would this commission like to meet the Monday before? All of the commissioners agreed to meeting on the Monday before, which would be February 17.

Meeting adjourned at 9:25 p.m. on a motion by Harriet V. Motion seconded by Ernie K.

The next meeting is scheduled for February 17, 2003, at 7:00 p.m. at the Rosendale Town Hall.

Respectfully submitted

Theresa Heinitz

_____________________________________________________________________________

February 17, 2003

Commissioners: Ernie Kelder, Ernie DeWitt, Joseph Roddy

Others: Pat Marsh, Henry Jordan

Ernie Kelder will be the acting chairman at tonight meeting, because Harriet VanKleeck will not be a the meeting.

Meeting called to order at 7:00 p.m. on a motion by Ernie D. Motion seconded by Ernie K.

A motion by Joe R. to accept the January minutes. Motion seconded by Ernie D.

Vacuum breaker Complaint: Hank Jordan came to to this meeting to discuss with the commission, the $47.00 charge that was put on his third quarter w/s bill. Hank J. told the Commissioners that he had talked to Terry Johnson about the vacuum breaker. Terry informed him that he would not need the breaker until March of 2003. Pat informed Mr. Jordan and the commission that Terry J. was unable to make the meeting, but that he did submit a note on what he had told Mr. Jordan about the vacuum breaker. Pat gave each commissioners and Mr. Jordan a copy of Terry’s note. After reading the note, Henry J. stated that he does not recall Terry saying that, and he would not lie, because it is not in his principles to do that. When I received my fourth quarter bill, I was shock to see a charge of $47.00 for a vacuum breaker. I have one breaker already, and it only cost me $10.00 at the Rosendale Hardware. Hank then stated that he is not one to complain, but since I am down here, I have two other complaints that I would like to get off my chest. The first is, I do not think it is fair to be charged for sewer when you water you lawn. The second is, I believe that the water department’s lagoon is breeding mosquitoes.

The commissioners asked Hank if he has more than one outside faucet. Hank said he has two. The commissioners informed him that each faucet should have vacuum breaker on it. Joe said that he does not believe that anyone would lie, but sometimes things can be misunderstood. A short discussion followed. Enrie K. told Hank J. that this Board appreciates him come down to discuss this matter with them. This Board will discuss this matter further and let him know what they have decided. When Hank J. left, Joe said, he believes that the conversation between Terry J. and Hank J. was just a misunderstanding on both ends. I also believe that Hank obeys the rules at all times and that’s why I think an exception should be made here. Hank does need the extra vacuum breaker, Right? Ernie K. said yes he does. Joe said then he should pay the price for the second breaker, but at a lesser charge. Ernie K. asked what the water department paid for the vacuum breakers. The water clerk informed the Board, the cost to the water deptartment for the vacuum breakers was $12.00, and the installation was $35.00. Ernie K. said, we will write a letter to Hank J., telling him he the second breaker, and then we will do the same thing; split the $47 charge in half like we did for Bill Moylan and Ms. D’Antonio. Joe said I know that we cut their fee in half, but in this case can we just charge Hank J. the price that we paid for the breaker, which is $12.00. A short dicussion followed. A motion by Joe R. to charge Hank Jordan, the water & sewer department cost for the vacuum breaker, which is $12.00. Motion seconded by Ernie D. All commissioners agree.

Engineers: Harriet VanKleeck, who was not in attendances, informed the water & sewer clerk that her choice for the engineer is C.T. Male. Ernie K. said that he does not agree with Harriet V. choice to hire C. T. Male; he chose O’Brien & Gere. Ernie said the reason he chose their company was because they have a lot of personnel in their company, they are on top of things as far as he can tell, and I think they would be an asset to Pat. Ernie K. asked Pat what she thought. Pat said she thinks all of the engineering companies were good. Ernie K. asked Joe what engineering company he chose. Joe said that he read through all of the material and through that they were all very good. He chose is O’Brien & Gere and Insite Engineering, but because they are two separate companies, he thinks that we should make a call to the senior project engineer, ask them to do a report up on both water and wastewater and keep in their files, when needed. The report should be done with no charge to us. Joe said that he was also considering C.T. Male, but after reviewing the pricing on all four engineering companies his recommendation is O’Brien & Gere. Ernie D. said, the only reservation he has about O’Brien & Gere is that they are very big and whether our operation here, compared to what they usually do is very small, which makes me wonder whether we would get priority treatment when we do need help, and O’Brien & Gere is also not local. If O’Brien & Gere is hired, we would be dealing with two companies at a times and as far as the money, you gain on one thing, lose on another. The work that they have done seems to be satisfactory, Right Pat? Ernie then stated his comments on C.T. Male. A short discussion followed. A motion by Ernie K. to make a recommendation to the Town Board to retain the services of O’Brien & Gere. Motion seconded by Ernie D. All commissioners agree.

Purchase Order Request Sheet: Pat and the commissioners reviewed the purchase order request sheet. All of the purchase orders were approved.

Bid Opening & Financing Telemetry system: Pat informed the commission that Smith Control was the low bidder for the new telemetry system. Pat stated that she does not have a copy of the bid package, but the bid has five parts to it, the existing storage tank, the new storage tank, the pump stations, the filter plant and the main control central, which is located at the Creek Locks plant. Pat then explained what has to be done at each facility and how the new system will be installed. The bid amounts came in at $55,000, $60,000 & $84,500. There was one company that was going to submit a bid, but didn’t because they were coming up with a bid figure for equipment only of $120,000, which does not include installation. The new telemetry system would operate by a radio signal, which would eliminate the phone that we have now. The company with the low bid, came out here in the fall with their equipment and went to all the different locations to see if they could get a radio signal, which they did, so we know that this system will work. Joe asked Pat, "Are the radio signal tied in any radio companies?" Pat said no.

Pat explained to the commission that the original telemetry system was installed in 1982. We upgraded the system in 1992 and now it is impossible to get parts to repair it, so she thinks that the bid for $55,855.00 is probably their best bet at replacing the system. Pat went on to say that she also went to the Town bookkeeper to see what our department has money wise, and found out that there is $30,000 in their operating budget that could be placed into a capital fund account and be used toward doing this project. The water department would still need an additional $30,000 more to finish the project. This year the water dept. does not have any debt on the Town taxes, so if we were to take out a loan it would be put on the Town taxes under water next year. Pat gave a memo to the commissioners, which shows how much it would cost for a $30,000 loan for one year and how much it would cost for two years (memo attached). The Supervisor informed her that they would need prices from three different banks. Ernie D. asked Pat, "Pertaining to the memo, this tax will apply to only the homes that are within the district, Right?" Pat said yes. Joe stated to Pat that she is looking at this based on the low bid, and on $30,000 you are only looking at a 10% override, less then 10% which might not be enough, and you could come up short on money. Joe asked Pat if she understood what he is saying. Pat told Joe that she does, but right now we have, sitting in an account somewhere, is $3,000 of debt money from the previous loan, and how we ended up with that much after being paid if off, I don’t know. That money can only be spent to repay a debt, so it can be available and factored into this project. Pat asked the commission what they think about all of this. All of the commissioners agree that the telemetry system needs to be replaced, and since all of the facilities are included, that they should probably do it now because they are not going to get a better price than that. Pat said, "So, if you are all agreeable to replacing the system, does someone want to make a motion to accept the low bid. If you are agreeing to this, our next step would be to let the Supervisor know so that he can find out about financing a loan, and then get a Town Board Resolution to accept both the bid and the financing." A short discussion followed. A motion by Ernie D. that we the Water/Sewer Commission recommends to the Town Board to accept Smith Control’s bid of $55,855.00 to replace the Telemetry System on all facilities. Motion seconded by Joe R. All Commissioners agree. A second motion made by Ernie D. to consider borrowing $30,000 to complete the Telemetry project. Motion seconded by Ernie K. All Commissioners agree.

Storage Tank - Mountain Rd: Pat informed the commission that the new storage tanks on Mountain Road are leaking. A short discussion followed on how the situation is being handled. Joe R. stated to Pat, "Do not involve anyone in the water/sewer department with this problem. Pat said no. Ernie D. wants to state his opinion on this matter, "Let the contractor, the tank company and the engineer resolve the problem."

NYSERDA Project: Pat gave the commissioners and update on the NYSERDA project, which included some pictures.

Vouchers were submitted for approval of Payment.

Meeting adjourned at 8:21 p.m. on a motion by Ernie K. Motion seconded by Ernie D.

The next meeting is scheduled for March 24, 2003, at 7:00 p.m. at the Rosendale Town Hall.

Respectfully Submitted

Theresa Heinitz

______________________________________________________________________________

Rosendale Water & Sewer Commissioners Monthly Meeting

October 27, 2003

Commissioners: Ernie Kelder, Ernie DeWitt, Joseph Roddy, Harriet VanKleeck, Carol St. Rose

Others: Pat Marsh, Two students from Kingston High School

Meeting called to order at 7:20 p.m. on a motion by Harriet V. Motion seconded by Ernie D.

A motion by Ernie K. to accept the September minutes, motion was seconded by Ernie D.

Sewer Project (NYSERDA): Pat informed the Commission that all of the changes have been done on the sewer project and the results we are getting back seem promising.

Sand Hill storage tank: Pat informed the Commissioners that she had talked to O’Brien & Gere about the Sand Hill storage tank and what has to be done with it. The engineers told me that the project would have to be put out for bid. They also told me that they would write up a proposal for the storage tank. A short discussion followed.

Meg Dunne: Pat stated to the Commission that Meg Dunne is coming to the meeting to discuss her 3^rd quarter water bill. Harriet V. told Pat that she received a call from Meg. Meg is unable to attend the meeting because it is her wedding anniversary and she is going out. Pat asked Harriet if Meg had mentioned the complaint she has. Harriet said no, but I told her that I would talk to you (Pat) about it. Harriet stated "Meg was planning to attend this meeting but, because it is her anniversary she is unable to. I told her that I would let her know tomorrow (10/28/03) the Board’s decision about letting her attend the November meeting. Meg then mentioned to me that her current water bill is due by October 31^st , and if it is not paid, a late charge will be added onto the unpaid balance. I told Meg that I would talk to this Board about waiving the late charge so she could attend the November meeting. Joe R. asked Pat, "What is Ms. Dunne’s complaint?" Pat explained that Meg Dunne’s water meter has been stuck since September of 2000 and at that time she was notified about the meter. We cannot replace her meter because first, her shut-off valve does not work, and second, because a curb valve cannot be located. Meg stated to me that she was going to get in touch with a plumber and have the valve fixed, but because our department could not shut off the water, the work was never done. Meg has been receiving an estimated bill for the last three years. In June 2002, Meg and several other customers were sent a letter stating that they had been receiving estimated bills, and that they should call the water department to schedule a meter replacement. The letter also stated that if the meter is not replaced that the estimates would increase each quarter; that the water department was unable to gain access to replace the meter, and so Meg’s water bills have been increased each quarter. Meg Dunne’s meter was the only one that was not replaced. All the other customers who received the letter had the meter replaced. Harriet asked Pat if Meg ever answered the letter. Pat told Harriet that she did talk to Meg over a year ago. At that time, I told Meg about not finding her curb valve and if she wanted to fix the shut off valve in her house all she has to do is to let our department know in advance and we would shut down the water main. Meg will be fixing her shut off valve on Wed, 10/29/03. Joe asked Pat why the does the water main need to be shut down? Is there something wrong with the curb valve? Pat told Joe that they cannot find her curb valve. Carol St Rose asked Theresa (the water clerk) "Has Meg Dunne paid the estimated bills that were sent to her?" Theresa said yes. Harriet told Carol the only bill that is not paid at this time, is her third quarter bill because Meg will be attending our November meeting to tell her version of this matter. Harriet then stated all that Meg is asking of this Board, is that we waive the penalty charge on her outstanding water bill. Theresa informed Harriet that in November all unpaid water bills must be put on the customers 2004 Town Tax bill. Pat told Theresa that Meg Dunne’s bill could be held until the November meeting. Joe R. asked, "Has Meg been paying all of these estimated bills faithfully and with out a problem, right?" Theresa said yes. Joe then stated "Why don’t we do this? Meg does have a plumber coming out to fix her shut off valve on 10/29 and we will be putting on a new meter, right? Pat said yes. Joe then said, "Why don’t we waive the third quarter bill and not pay the penalty on the next quarter bill which will be an accurate bill. Theresa asked Joe "What about the third quarter, it still has to be paid." Joe said it will, but not the interest. Harriet stated to Joe that if the bill is not paid by 10/31/03, a penalty charge will be added to the bill. Joe said he knows that. Harriet stated, "That is what Meg Dunne is asking if we will waive the penalty charge because she cannot make the meeting until November. A discussion followed on Meg Dunne’s billing history. All of the Commissioners agreed to drop the penalty charge on Meg’s third quarter bill and table this matter until the November meeting.

John Tommins: Carol St R. asked Pat, "Is there a second complaint?" Pat told Carol that the complaint came by fax. Pat explained that John Tommins, who lives on the corner of John & South St., called me on September 24, 2003 to complain about a black residue on the exterior of his house. He feels that it is being caused by our generator from the water plant. I went to check it out myself and I did not feel that our generator is causing the black residue on his home. I talked to him last week and told him again that, as far as I was concerned, the black residue is not being caused by the water plant generator and if he still feels that it is, then he should hire someone to prove this. Today (10/27/03) I received a faxed letter from Mr. Tommins (copy of letter given to Board). He still feels that our generator is causing the residue on his house and that we should doing something about it. Carol St. R. asked Pat if Mr. Tommins has any proof that it is our generator causing the residue. Pat said no. Joe stated that after reading the letter that Pat sent to Mr. Tommins, he believes it is a black mold, which is quite common in our area and if it is just the right kind of conditions, it will show up. Ernie D. agrees with Joe because of all of the rain that we have had this year. Joe agrees with Pat. If Mr. Tommins thinks it is our generator, let him prove it. All the Commissioners agreed. A short discussion followed.

Engineer Services: Pat would like to know what this Commission would like to do about the report that O’Brien & Gere wrote up on the water plant. Joe thinks that most of the expenses in the report will be the responsibility of the development coming in, so he thinks that they should not go to all that expense until that time comes. Pat stated to Joe, "The reason for having the report done was because we asked the engineers what they thought we might need, so they wrote up the proposal for those items. We did not go to the engineer because of the development; we went to them because we needed to know these things. Pat asked Joe, "So you don’t think these items need to be addressed unless there is a development?" Joe said no that is not what he is saying. What he is saying that is a lot of those items listed in that report have to be done by the developer. Why should they go into all of that expense when the development will be responsible for those expenses? Harriet V. stated to Joe that she gave him some material to read over and she asked him if he did. Joe said no. Harriet would like him to read the material, then come back and make that same statement. Joe said that he will read the material. A short discussion followed.

Service contract: Harriet V. asked Pat if she has heard anything from the Town Board concerning the service contract for the Town’s heating units. Pat stated that she was told it is being worked on.

Vouchers were submitted for payment approval.

Meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m. on a motion by Carol St. R. Motion seconded by Harriet V.

The next meeting is scheduled for November 24, 2003, at 7:00 p.m. at the Rosendale Recreation Center, at 1055 Route 32.

Respectfully Submitted,

Theresa Heinitz

Rosendale Water and Sewer Commissioners Monthly Meeting

November 24, 2003

Commissioners: Harriet VanKleeck, Ernie Kelder, Carol St. Rose, Joseph Roddy, Ernie DeWitt

Others: Pat Marsh, Chris and Meg Dunne

Meeting called to order at 7:04 p.m. on a motion by Harriet V. Motion seconded by Joseph R.

Meg and Chris Dunne: Meg & Chris came to this meeting to discuss their third quarter water bill. Meg explained to the Commission that they have had a problem with the water meter for several years and it needs to be replaced. Meg said they received their 3^rd quarter water bill which was $144.42 and knew it went, it gave us the incentive to get the meter fixed which we did. Our bills have been averaging from $77 to $94 and to have a bill go up to $144.00 seems quite excessive; so we came here tonight to see if something could be done to get the bill reduced. A short discussion followed on the Dunne’s third quarter bill. Ernie K. then asked Pat if the Dunne’s were aware that their curb valve cannot be located. Pat told the Dunne’s the reason the main water line had to be shut down is because the water department cannot locate their curb valve. The Commission also informed the Dunne’s that it is stated in the water district regulations that it is the homeowners’ responsibility to see that the curb valve is fixed. A discussion followed on the curb valve. It was decided by the Commission that the Dunne’s should not try to locate their curb valve until the spring of 2004. The Commission also informed the Dunne’s that they would discuss the matter of their bill further and they will be informed of the decision. A short discussion followed on what should be done about the Dunne’s third quarter bill. The Commission decided to adjust the Dunne’s bill to $94.50 the same amount as the June 2003 bill.

Grants to update water meters: Pat told the Commission she had attended a seminar last week to find out what grant money is available through the Record Management Office, which has to do with record keeping. The grant is called, New York State Archives – Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund, they are giving out grants to municipality or departments within a municipalities to improve their record keeping; grants are available for up to $75,000. One of the programs that can be funded through this program is an Automated Meter Reading System. Pat requested the grant’s office to send information on how to apply for the grant and the metering system (a hand-out about the system was given to each Board member). If we apply for the grant for the automated meter reading system we could be funded up to $25,000 which will include the start-up package. The start-up package comes with one laptop computer w/common software, 95 badger water meters, w/transmitters, one data integration system to work with existing billing software, one mobile receiver, start-up and training; she explained how the system works. If we were to go with the new metering system, the water department would be responsible for upgrading the rest of the meter, at a cost of $110.00 per meter. Upgrading the rest of the meters can be done over a period of time, but first there has to be a commitment from this Board, then the Town Board, showing the authorization for financing the rest of the meters, that can be paid over a period of years. The grant office would like to see a resolution or something showing that we are committed to do the rest of the meters in the district, if we were to go with this new system. The cost to the department to replace the rest of the meters would be about $11,000 a year over a four year period and of course, no decision has to be made on this tonight. Joe asked Pat "So there is a time limit of four years?" Pat told Joe that they don’t actually put a time limit on it they just want to be sure that you actively start this. It would a waste to have the system if you didn’t upgrade all of the meters. Harriet read from the handle out, that the first 100 meters must be purchased by June 30 of 2005. Joe asked how many meters are currently in the system. Theresa (w/s clerk) said 527, but four are sewer only and they have no meters. Pat said so there are about 523 meters in the system. A discussion followed on the new system verses the way the metering is done now. Pat said the Village of Liberty got a grant for this system last year, she was sent a copy of the whole grant application. Witting the grant would take some time, but it would not be that difficult. A discussion followed. Ernie K. asked Pat how much would we save by going with this system; Pat responded we will save on customer service, manpower, data entry and mistake on the bills. Pat said she did not want a decision tonight, but she would like to know by the next meeting. Joe stated his opinion on this matter. A short discussion followed. Pat again reminded the Commission that she would like their decision on the matter by the next meeting.

Sewer Plant Project: Pat informed the Commission that the sewer project (NYSDERA) is going quite well now and they are almost through the start-up phase. The project will soon being going to the next phase, which is testing. Pat stated that they we were funded more money from NYSERDA, which will about cover the engineering costs. A short discussion followed.

Sand Hill storage tank: Pat stated to the Commission that at the last meeting she had mentioned about having O’Brien & Gere write up a proposal for the storage tank on Sand Hill Rd.; which did and a copy was sent to each of you. The Commissioners acknowledged they had received it. Joe said there is one thing in the proposal that he would like to comment on, it has to do with the removal of the exterior coating system. Joe then stated, "Abating lead paint and complete removal, the report is correct on the one thing about a steel tank; by not removing all of the paint could shorten the life expectancy of the tank. When we had the tank looked at, which I believe was about two years, the report was that the tank was in very good shape. We should now, consider having all of the paint removed instead of just the bad spots, so that the life expectancy of the tank will not be shortened. A short discussion followed. Pat informed the Commission that O’Brien & Gere is willing to write a bid showing what the cost would be with total paint removal, and the cost if only the bad spots are removed. After reviewing the proposal, Pat asked the Board if they would like O’Brien & Gere to start drawing up a bid contract, so that we can see what it will cost to have the storage tank cleaned and recoated. A short discussion followed. Pat stated that the one thing they don’t want to do is have the bid just go out the one way; then have to go back out to bid again, because we changed our minds. Harriet informed the other Boards members, that it is stated in the Sand Hill storage tank proposal that the bid will be going out both ways. All Commissioners agree that O’Brien & Gere should starting writing a bid contract for the Sand Hill storage tank.

December’s meeting: Theresa (the water clerk) informed the Commission that she will be away the week of December 22^nd which is the night of the Board’s monthly meeting, and the only night the Rec. Ctr. is available is 15^th. Theresa asked the Commission, "Could the Water/Sewer meeting be held on December 15^th instead of the 22^nd? A short discussion followed. All Commissioners agreed to on meeting on December 15^th, 2003 instead of the 22^nd.

Chemical and Lab prices for 2004: Pat informed the Commissioners that she had four companies submit price quotes for chemical supplies for 2004, the lowest bidder was Duso Chemicals. Pat asked if she could go with the lowest bidder for the chemicals, the Commissioners all agreed. Lab prices 2004: Pat informed the Commission that only three Laboratories submitted prices quotes for Laboratory services for 2004. The lowest bidder was STL Laboratories and the 2^nd lowest was Environmental Labworks of Marlboro. All Commissioners agree that STL Laboratories will be the laboratory supplier for the water and sewer department for 2004.

Vouchers were submitted for payment approval.

Meeting adjourned at 8:05 p.m. on a motion by Harriet V. Motion was seconded by Ernie D.

The next meeting is scheduled for December 15^th 2003, at 7:00 p.m. at the Rosendale Recreation Center, at 1055 Rte 32.

Respectfully submitted

Theresa Heinitz

_____________________________________________________________________________

Rosendale Water and Sewer Commissioners Monthly Meeting

December 15, 2003

Commissioners: Harriet VanKleeck, Carol St. Rose, Ernie DeWitt

Others: Pat Marsh

Meeting Called to order at 7:02 p.m. on a motion by Harriet V. Motion seconded by Ernie D.

Prior to accepting the November meeting the water clerk noticed that the motion to accept the October minutes was not mentioned in the November minutes. The Commissioners stated that the October minutes were accepted at the last meeting. A motion by Carol St. R. to accept the November minutes, motion was seconded by Harriet V.

Water meter upgrade: Pat and the Commission decided to table the matter on upgrading the water meter until January 2004 meeting, because there are only three Commissioners present.

Sewer Plant project: Pat informed the Board that the sewer plant project is still going well and the data that is coming in is very good. A short discussion followed.

Sand Hill storage tank: Pat informed the Commission that the Town Board only gave authorization for preparation of the document and the bid evaluation because they did not want to commit to any more money then that. Pat then said that somehow we need to convince the Town Board that this project needs to be done. Harriet V. told Pat that she and Ernie tried to explain that to the Town Board. Ernie D. stated "Maybe after the first of the year when the new administration comes in, we could talk things more." Carol St. R. stated, "The Town Board did not feel that they needed to approve the whole package for the storage tank at this time." Harriet told Carol that she and Ernie tried to explained to the Board that the project needs to be done and that it has to be put out for bid, but the Board did not seem to understand that. A short discussion followed on the matter.

Purchase order request sheet for 2004: Pat and the Commissioners reviewed the purchase order request sheet for 2004. All purchase orders were approved.

Pat resignation: Pat informed the Commission that she will be resigning from the Town of Rosendale Water & Sewer department, because she has accepted a job in Westchester County. Carol St R. asked Pat when she leaving.

Pat said her last day will be the December 26^th, because she is going on vacation. Pat explained to the Commission that she will leave Terry everything that will at least get him thru January and she will also be going over the grant with him. .

Meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m. on a motion by Ernie D. Motion seconded by Carol St. R.

The next meeting is scheduled for January 26, 2004, at 7:00 p.m. at the Rosendale Recreation Center at 1055 Rte 32.

Respectfully Submitted

Theresa Heinitz