by Neil Richard
The Service Authority Board of Directors Meeting got off to a bumpy start at 6:30pm. The Board Room was warm and humid due to an issue with the cooling system and Chairman Werle's microphone wasn't working. After a few words from Ruby Brabo reminding him that a working microphone was necessary for those watching from home to hear, Chris Werle borrowed a microphone that worked.
There were no amendments to the Agenda and no Public Comment.
Mike Bennett began his report by stating he participated in a conference call on the 23rd with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) along with Jerry Gouldman, the Service Authority's Chief Water Plant Operator, and Julie Floyd from VDH, regarding the Waterworks Business Operations Plan. Bennett said the Plan is a management tool that is required to be in place and requires a lot of work and information. He said Werle volunteered to work on the over 60 page document. He said the plan was to work on it in bite-sized pieces until it is complete. Bennett also said that in reviewing the Plan, they discovered there were several pieces of information that they didn't know existed and appreciated Werle taking the lead on getting it completed.
Bennett continued his report by saying he met with Dan Hingley, Interim General Manager, and a potential developer for a new Potomac Landing section in Fairview Beach. Bennett said he appreciated Hingley attending on short notice and for being so polite and professional while answering questions. Bennett said the proposed plan for an additional 87 homes has yet to come before the Planning Commission. He also said that if the plan was approved and the homes were connected to the existing Fairview Beach system, it would mean an additional million dollars in revenue for the Service Authority.
Bennett also talked with Chris Werle and the management of AQUA regarding the ability to track customer complaints. Bennett said it was important to him to track these issues and look for trends. He said during the February 3, 2018 Town Hall, the members of the Fairview Beach Residents Association volunteered to collect data but were ignored by Service Authority management. He said one of his neighbors submitted a Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) request and was given a USB drive with over 100 PDF files, each one being an individual complaint. Bennett said he thinks there should be a better way of doing this, especially electronically, to track and search complaints and analyze them for trends.
Richard Granger had no report.
Ruby Brabo said that regarding the customer complaint data, it also becomes a record of repetitive complaints over time which currently seems to be lacking. She said this is especially the case when there is turnover with staff and management. Brabo then asked about the Potomac Landing Expansion and if there was a need for capital improvement, suggesting that if the Walnut Hill developer was able to make improvements, maybe this developer can too. Hingley said it was a topic of conversation, and that the new wastewater lift station may be needed but there are other options that may make it unnecessary. He said that it was too soon to tell right now. Bennett added that the development would essentially go up Potomac Landing Drive towards Route 218 and that the proverbial rule that stuff flows downhill really is true. And in this case, it may not flow to the right place. He also said that the water supply may require a booster pump and that the developer was concerned about getting the right water pressure at fire hydrants.
Brabo said the County is doing their best to not contribute to debt but maybe the developer is willing to work with us like the Walnut Hill developer. She also recommended including Eric Gregory, County Attorney, in future meetings to ensure there were no violations of proffer laws.
Brabo then continued that they had received 21 applications for the General Manager's position. She recommended that the hiring process should be modeled after what the County used to hire the County Administrator. Brabo then went on to give details on how that process worked. Werle said he looked at the first eight applications that came in and only one was even remotely qualified. Brabo also recommended that by the next meeting everyone come up with ten interview questions.
Cathy Binder said she attended the two day training session hosted by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for treatment plant operators. She said she was no expert but had a much better understanding of how the plants work. She also said she had the pleasure of meeting many of the operators. She said some of the employees told her that training opportunities like this were not always available to them and that there was a lack of trust in the past but it has been improving.
Chris Werle began his report by saying that he met with Dr. Young and representatives from Draper Aden and Davenport on the 22nd regarding an infrastructure inventory report. On the 23rd he also attended the VDH meeting about drinking water and said the previously mentioned Waterworks Business Operations Plan would help the Service Authority operate as more of a business. He said it was an exhaustive report and each section is very detailed. Werle said he hoped to have the first three sections completed by the end of the month. He proposed that once the entire Plan was finished, to present it to the Board but cautioned it was a living document.
Werle continued that on the 27th and 28th he also attended the DEQ training session and looked forward to the second phase of training. On the 31st, he met with senior management to discuss management changes so far and the potential database for customer complaints. He said it would help identify systemic issues in the future. Brabo asked if the database would be maintained once it was finally compiled. Werle said there are already two administrative personnel on staff. He said it shouldn't require any extensive training but would take time to enter in historical data. Brabo asked if these staff already get these customer complaints, including after-hours calls. Werle said they already get the information and Hingley added that work orders are already tracked, just not compiled in one place. Bennett also added that there may not be as much detail in the historical data but going forward there's an opportunity to get more detail.
The Consent Agenda was approved.
The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.
Dan Hingley, Interim General Manager, provided an update that he said would be similar to those he had presented in the past. The biggest news out of his lengthy report included reduced oversight by DEQ due to improved system operations. DEQ had previously stipulated that the Service Authority provide weekly updates but after one month have rescinded that in favor of the typical monthly reporting. Bennett added that "in one month, DEQ has lightened up" because of the improvement they've seen. He offered Hingley kudos for making that happen.
Hingley continued his presentation offering similar detailed updates on all the wastewater and water supply facilities, offering answers to various questions from the Board, and graciously accepting high praise from the Board for his hard work. His report included new Notices of Violations (NOVs) from VDH regarding missed sampling for the first two quarters. He said these Most Probable Number (MPN) samples were taken for the third quarter after new management, including himself, were put in place. He also said that even though these are violations, they are largely administrative in nature and there is no danger to the water supply. As Hingley was updating everyone on the Circle water system, Brabo suggested that the County Administrator note that it was at capacity, zoned commercial, and should be factored into the future Comprehensive Plan. Bennett also asked if a sampling schedule had been created to avoid future NOVs and Hingley said a schedule was created and available at all facilities.
On the water side of the Service Authority, Hingley noted that a trend was the lack of redundancy in functional wells. He said that several systems did not have the necessary number of wells available for use as required by their respective permits. Brabo asked if the wells had to be in use and Hingley said it was an administrative choice if the wells were used all the time or not. He said the permit only requires that back-up wells be available should there be a need. He cautioned that the biggest issue was that without a redundant or back-up system in place, it created a single point of failure. Hingley said this was the case in the recent Saft well failure in Dahlgren last month.
There was a lengthy discussion regarding the wells and media filters in Fairview Beach. Hingley said the hatch used to inspect the filter media was not able to be opened and therefore it could not be put online yet. Bennett asked if the problem was caused by the wells being taken off-line and Hingley said not necessarily. Werle added that ongoing repairs and maintenance could have prevented this.
Hingley's update on the Courthouse water system included a plan to reconnect what he called the "east" and "west" sides as they once were and should be now according to the permit. He said this system received an NOV from VDH for this disconnect and is making plans to correct it with a new interconnect line. Werle asked if that was still going to be a 650 foot section of pipe and Hingley said it was but they were still waiting on the estimate. Brabo commented that this is proof that citizens who had lived in the area and complained repeatedly about water issues in the past were lied to. She said this was perfect evidence that customers were misled when statements were made that if the YMCA water was fine then their water must be fine too. Brabo said she found it extremely disturbing that the Board and residents were misled. Werle agreed and Brabo said she felt that it just needed to be on the record. Hingley said the project is waiting on VDH approval but expected it to pass through as a maintenance project just fine.
Hingley commented that he was not quite halfway through the 120 day contract and hoped that enough progress had been made with the Service Authority to ensure it continues to comply and continues to provide full transparency. Werle said he felt everyone would agree that the progress has been "nothing short of amazing."
Bennett added that he hated to beat a dead horse but felt it was a good idea to notify DEQ and VDH when they were back in compliance to ensure the Service Authority didn't continue to receive NOVs. He also brought up a concern about making such great progress but without a clear picture on the cost. He said he would like to get a better idea of how things were operating and if they were within the expected budget. Dr. Young, County Administrator, said he shared his concerns and that the County as a whole was in a bit of a grey area due to the audit but that he would stress to his staff that we need to know some numbers to ensure things are on track.
Brabo added that when she first started on the Board eight years ago, Service Authority meetings lasted two to five minutes and there was no real reporting being done. She said she had the General Manager's Report added to the Agenda two years ago and Hingley has shown there's a huge difference in reporting then versus now. Brabo said she appreciates the knowledge Hingley gives to the Board and that because they're not experts, they rely heavily on the General Manager and staff. She said it's disturbing to learn that we were misled but refreshing to have such an honest report. Brabo also said that she learned from Binder that Service Authority staff never attended and was glad to see them in the audience again tonight.
The Board went into Closed Session at 7:46pm and invited Dr. Young, Eric Gregory, Dan Hingley, Jeff Bueche, John Jenkins, and Sheriff Dempsey to participate.
They returned from Closed Session at 8:04pm and adjourned afterwards.
Meeting Attendees:
Christopher Werle (Chairman, Board of Directors)
Dan Hingley (Interim General Manager of Service Authority)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Michael Bennett (Citizen)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Service Authority will next meet on September 18, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Service Authority Meeting.
The Service Authority Board of Directors Meeting got off to a bumpy start at 6:30pm. The Board Room was warm and humid due to an issue with the cooling system and Chairman Werle's microphone wasn't working. After a few words from Ruby Brabo reminding him that a working microphone was necessary for those watching from home to hear, Chris Werle borrowed a microphone that worked.
There were no amendments to the Agenda and no Public Comment.
Mike Bennett began his report by stating he participated in a conference call on the 23rd with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) along with Jerry Gouldman, the Service Authority's Chief Water Plant Operator, and Julie Floyd from VDH, regarding the Waterworks Business Operations Plan. Bennett said the Plan is a management tool that is required to be in place and requires a lot of work and information. He said Werle volunteered to work on the over 60 page document. He said the plan was to work on it in bite-sized pieces until it is complete. Bennett also said that in reviewing the Plan, they discovered there were several pieces of information that they didn't know existed and appreciated Werle taking the lead on getting it completed.
Bennett continued his report by saying he met with Dan Hingley, Interim General Manager, and a potential developer for a new Potomac Landing section in Fairview Beach. Bennett said he appreciated Hingley attending on short notice and for being so polite and professional while answering questions. Bennett said the proposed plan for an additional 87 homes has yet to come before the Planning Commission. He also said that if the plan was approved and the homes were connected to the existing Fairview Beach system, it would mean an additional million dollars in revenue for the Service Authority.
Bennett also talked with Chris Werle and the management of AQUA regarding the ability to track customer complaints. Bennett said it was important to him to track these issues and look for trends. He said during the February 3, 2018 Town Hall, the members of the Fairview Beach Residents Association volunteered to collect data but were ignored by Service Authority management. He said one of his neighbors submitted a Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) request and was given a USB drive with over 100 PDF files, each one being an individual complaint. Bennett said he thinks there should be a better way of doing this, especially electronically, to track and search complaints and analyze them for trends.
Richard Granger had no report.
Ruby Brabo said that regarding the customer complaint data, it also becomes a record of repetitive complaints over time which currently seems to be lacking. She said this is especially the case when there is turnover with staff and management. Brabo then asked about the Potomac Landing Expansion and if there was a need for capital improvement, suggesting that if the Walnut Hill developer was able to make improvements, maybe this developer can too. Hingley said it was a topic of conversation, and that the new wastewater lift station may be needed but there are other options that may make it unnecessary. He said that it was too soon to tell right now. Bennett added that the development would essentially go up Potomac Landing Drive towards Route 218 and that the proverbial rule that stuff flows downhill really is true. And in this case, it may not flow to the right place. He also said that the water supply may require a booster pump and that the developer was concerned about getting the right water pressure at fire hydrants.
Brabo said the County is doing their best to not contribute to debt but maybe the developer is willing to work with us like the Walnut Hill developer. She also recommended including Eric Gregory, County Attorney, in future meetings to ensure there were no violations of proffer laws.
Brabo then continued that they had received 21 applications for the General Manager's position. She recommended that the hiring process should be modeled after what the County used to hire the County Administrator. Brabo then went on to give details on how that process worked. Werle said he looked at the first eight applications that came in and only one was even remotely qualified. Brabo also recommended that by the next meeting everyone come up with ten interview questions.
Cathy Binder said she attended the two day training session hosted by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for treatment plant operators. She said she was no expert but had a much better understanding of how the plants work. She also said she had the pleasure of meeting many of the operators. She said some of the employees told her that training opportunities like this were not always available to them and that there was a lack of trust in the past but it has been improving.
Chris Werle began his report by saying that he met with Dr. Young and representatives from Draper Aden and Davenport on the 22nd regarding an infrastructure inventory report. On the 23rd he also attended the VDH meeting about drinking water and said the previously mentioned Waterworks Business Operations Plan would help the Service Authority operate as more of a business. He said it was an exhaustive report and each section is very detailed. Werle said he hoped to have the first three sections completed by the end of the month. He proposed that once the entire Plan was finished, to present it to the Board but cautioned it was a living document.
Werle continued that on the 27th and 28th he also attended the DEQ training session and looked forward to the second phase of training. On the 31st, he met with senior management to discuss management changes so far and the potential database for customer complaints. He said it would help identify systemic issues in the future. Brabo asked if the database would be maintained once it was finally compiled. Werle said there are already two administrative personnel on staff. He said it shouldn't require any extensive training but would take time to enter in historical data. Brabo asked if these staff already get these customer complaints, including after-hours calls. Werle said they already get the information and Hingley added that work orders are already tracked, just not compiled in one place. Bennett also added that there may not be as much detail in the historical data but going forward there's an opportunity to get more detail.
The Consent Agenda was approved.
The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.
Dan Hingley, Interim General Manager, provided an update that he said would be similar to those he had presented in the past. The biggest news out of his lengthy report included reduced oversight by DEQ due to improved system operations. DEQ had previously stipulated that the Service Authority provide weekly updates but after one month have rescinded that in favor of the typical monthly reporting. Bennett added that "in one month, DEQ has lightened up" because of the improvement they've seen. He offered Hingley kudos for making that happen.
Hingley continued his presentation offering similar detailed updates on all the wastewater and water supply facilities, offering answers to various questions from the Board, and graciously accepting high praise from the Board for his hard work. His report included new Notices of Violations (NOVs) from VDH regarding missed sampling for the first two quarters. He said these Most Probable Number (MPN) samples were taken for the third quarter after new management, including himself, were put in place. He also said that even though these are violations, they are largely administrative in nature and there is no danger to the water supply. As Hingley was updating everyone on the Circle water system, Brabo suggested that the County Administrator note that it was at capacity, zoned commercial, and should be factored into the future Comprehensive Plan. Bennett also asked if a sampling schedule had been created to avoid future NOVs and Hingley said a schedule was created and available at all facilities.
On the water side of the Service Authority, Hingley noted that a trend was the lack of redundancy in functional wells. He said that several systems did not have the necessary number of wells available for use as required by their respective permits. Brabo asked if the wells had to be in use and Hingley said it was an administrative choice if the wells were used all the time or not. He said the permit only requires that back-up wells be available should there be a need. He cautioned that the biggest issue was that without a redundant or back-up system in place, it created a single point of failure. Hingley said this was the case in the recent Saft well failure in Dahlgren last month.
There was a lengthy discussion regarding the wells and media filters in Fairview Beach. Hingley said the hatch used to inspect the filter media was not able to be opened and therefore it could not be put online yet. Bennett asked if the problem was caused by the wells being taken off-line and Hingley said not necessarily. Werle added that ongoing repairs and maintenance could have prevented this.
Hingley's update on the Courthouse water system included a plan to reconnect what he called the "east" and "west" sides as they once were and should be now according to the permit. He said this system received an NOV from VDH for this disconnect and is making plans to correct it with a new interconnect line. Werle asked if that was still going to be a 650 foot section of pipe and Hingley said it was but they were still waiting on the estimate. Brabo commented that this is proof that citizens who had lived in the area and complained repeatedly about water issues in the past were lied to. She said this was perfect evidence that customers were misled when statements were made that if the YMCA water was fine then their water must be fine too. Brabo said she found it extremely disturbing that the Board and residents were misled. Werle agreed and Brabo said she felt that it just needed to be on the record. Hingley said the project is waiting on VDH approval but expected it to pass through as a maintenance project just fine.
Hingley commented that he was not quite halfway through the 120 day contract and hoped that enough progress had been made with the Service Authority to ensure it continues to comply and continues to provide full transparency. Werle said he felt everyone would agree that the progress has been "nothing short of amazing."
Bennett added that he hated to beat a dead horse but felt it was a good idea to notify DEQ and VDH when they were back in compliance to ensure the Service Authority didn't continue to receive NOVs. He also brought up a concern about making such great progress but without a clear picture on the cost. He said he would like to get a better idea of how things were operating and if they were within the expected budget. Dr. Young, County Administrator, said he shared his concerns and that the County as a whole was in a bit of a grey area due to the audit but that he would stress to his staff that we need to know some numbers to ensure things are on track.
Brabo added that when she first started on the Board eight years ago, Service Authority meetings lasted two to five minutes and there was no real reporting being done. She said she had the General Manager's Report added to the Agenda two years ago and Hingley has shown there's a huge difference in reporting then versus now. Brabo said she appreciates the knowledge Hingley gives to the Board and that because they're not experts, they rely heavily on the General Manager and staff. She said it's disturbing to learn that we were misled but refreshing to have such an honest report. Brabo also said that she learned from Binder that Service Authority staff never attended and was glad to see them in the audience again tonight.
The Board went into Closed Session at 7:46pm and invited Dr. Young, Eric Gregory, Dan Hingley, Jeff Bueche, John Jenkins, and Sheriff Dempsey to participate.
They returned from Closed Session at 8:04pm and adjourned afterwards.
Meeting Attendees:
Christopher Werle (Chairman, Board of Directors)
Dan Hingley (Interim General Manager of Service Authority)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Michael Bennett (Citizen)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Service Authority will next meet on September 18, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Service Authority Meeting.
It seems Mrs. Richard is still angry with the PSA catching her in a lie.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Richard wasn't mentioned in the article so I'm not sure how she's relevant. But yes, I'm sure she is upset with the Service Authority for lying about the issues with the water and sewer systems.
ReplyDelete