Town of Germantown

Official Website of the Town of Germantown, Juneau County, WI

O’Dells’s Bay Sanitary District No. 1

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

MINUTES

                                                                                       Held remotely via Skype

                                                                                                 March 11, 2021

                                                                                                        9:00 AM

Present: (all via Skype) Board Members Jim Murphy, Jim Keene, Brad Pavloski, Ken Jax, Rod Abbrederis. Administrator Kathy Oliver, Tom Fitzwilliams from MSA, Kyra Cassidy from MSA

Call to Order/Approve Agenda-

The meeting was called to order via Skype at 9:03 AM and the agenda was approved by Jim Murphy, President. With all board members present, we did have a quorum.

Minutes-

A motion was made by Jim Keene, seconded by Brad Pavloski to approve the minutes from the January 14, 2021 regular meeting. Motion carried 5-0. A motion was made by Jim Keene, seconded by Brad Pavloski to approve the minutes from the February 11, 2021 special meeting. Motion carried 5-0.

Administrator’s Report –

-Financial Status Summary – Financial information was provided by Kathy Oliver, including bank account balances, accounts payable and accounts receivable. 

-Connections Update– .  We’ve had no connections yet in 2021, but have a few waiting to connect.

A motion was made by Ken Jax, seconded by Jim Keene to approve the Administrators Report. Motion passed with all in favor. 

Discussion and Possible Action on Administrator Permission to make bank transfers–

We currently have a policy that requires 2 signatures on all checks from the district. The administrator writes and signs the check, and a board member also signs each check. The Bank of Mauston would require the same in order to move money from one district account to another. This is not very practical as the Administrator often makes transfers between accounts for different expenses, etc. A motion was made by Jim Keene, with a second by Brad Pavloski to grant permission for such transfers to be made by the Administrator, without any additional approval needed by a second person. Motion carried with all in favor.

Discussion and Possible Action on moving 2020 restricted funds to bank CD-

The District collected $442,757.00 in New Member Reserve Capacity Assessment fees in 2020. Per policy to hold that money in an account restricted for facility and improvements, a Motion was made by Brad Pavloski, with a second by Jim Keene, to move that money into the CD at the Bank of Mauston that we have set up for restricted funds. The motion passed with all in favor. Kathy Oliver will make the transfer.  

Discussion and Possible Action on Petition to Include Lands Within the Sanitary District Boundaries-

Steve Laridaen from O’Dell’s Bay Sanitary District #2 made a request to add a 40 acre parcel off of 40th Street to the district boundaries. At this time it is not known why the owner, Kevin Hoag, wants to be part of the District. Tom Fitzwilliams suggested that we should find out what the future plan for the land is. This should include conceptual number of acres, number of lots that may connect, and the time frame for any improvements and connections that may be required to ensure that the district can handle the addition. A Motion was made by Jim Keene to table the request until we can obtain the information. With a second by Rod Abbrederis, the motion carried 4-0.  Brad Pavloski abstained as a developer. Jim Murphy will contact Steve Laridaen to let him know what is needed.

Discussion and Possible Action on Funding for WWTF Operations Update –

Jim Keene and Kathy Oliver presented two options for the District’s cash investment in the facility upgrade project. They worked with Britta Moline, our rep from MSA that is assisting with the project loan and grant application process to understand the requirements of the state for maximum benefit to the district. The board reviewed the option to invest either $1,000,000.00 or $1,200,000.00 cash in the project, along with the financial effects of each. A Motion was made by Jim Keene, with a second by Ken Jax to invest $1,200,000.00. The motion carried with all in favor.

Discussion and Possible Action on WWTF Operations Update-

Tom Fitzwilliams reported that the plant is currently running well and meeting all standards for compliance.  Post pandemic daily flows continue to trend upwards.  He noted that effluent ammonia concentrations have remained below the limit of 12, but that our limits drops to 10 on May 1 per the new DNR standards. With the higher flows and new limits Tom commented that the ammonia polishing reactor that is part of the upgrade will prove very effective in meeting the new limits. There will be a pre-construction meeting in early April (date and location to be determined).    

Discussion and Possible Action on WWTF Design Update and Plan Review-

Current items to complete for the project include finalizing the Clean Water Fund Budget with the District’s $1,200,000.00 contribution. There will be a pre-construction meeting scheduled in early April (date and location to be determined). Kyra Cassidy from MSA will be our main on-site supervision for the project. Prior to project completion we will need to update our Intermunicipal Agreement with District #2. Tom is on the process of securing an easement with Jim Marx for lift station #1 located in O’Dell’s Bay. 

Public Comment –

Jim Murphy commented that we need to reach out to Gregg Haunroth and/or Dave Donnelly to move forward with plans to establish a process for the District, the County and the Township to make decisions and policies regarding connections to the district and private on-site systems.  

Adjourn

A motion was made by Brad Pavloski, Seconded by Ken Jax, to adjourn at 9:38 AM.  Motion carried with all in favor.  The next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 13, 2021 at 9:00AM.

Respectfully Submitted,

Kathy Oliver, Administrator