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MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING

 OF THE HARBOR WATER P.U.D.

MARCH 13, 2023

 

            The regular meeting of the Harbor Water P.U.D. Board of Directors was called to order by Chairman Dan Fraser at 6:30, March 13, 2023 in the administrative building, at 98069 W. Benham Lane Harbor, Oregon

            Board Attendance was taken: Dan Fraser “present” Tom Beene “present” Jim White “present” Herman Bloemsma “present” Bill Frye “present.” Others in attendance were Ken Burshem, Ami Arneson, Courtney St. John, Matt Robart.

            Pledge of Allegiance was said.

            Minutes from the previous board meeting on February 9, 2023 were reviewed.  Dan reported a couple of items that needed to be corrected.  One, in the superintendent reports, it should read, the pilings being drilled into the river could contaminate, not decontaminate. Also, in the superintendent report, Dan would like it to read, the port is going ahead with putting in a Water Treatment plant, instead of the Port is going further. Tom Beene made a motion to accept the minutes with corrections, seconded by  Jim White, Roll call – All in favor. 

            The month’s current bills, in the amount of $60,397.22 were presented, discussed, and approved. Herman Bloemsma  made a motion to accept and pay the bills seconded by Tom Beene, Roll call - All in favor. 

            Dan asked that the following items be added to the March agenda.

1. Rental House Report

2. Back Flow Report

3. Hiring a District Manager

           Tom made a motion to add the items to the agenda, seconded by Jim, Roll Call - All in favor.

Dan asked Ami to clarify that she was hired as an office manager with authority to hire for the office. He also asked the board if they wanted to hire a District Manager either internally, or externally to oversee the entire function of Harbor Water.  Ami stated she was under the impression, she was hired as District Manager.  Dan asked her to double check and report back next meeting.  Herman stated to Ami, she needs to check the job description and responsibilities, and know who to answer too.  Ami stated she reports to the board, and has never received job a description.  Herman explained that Ami could be fired on a whim by the board, without cause, that is the Oregon Law.  Dan stated she has rights under Public Utility rules, Herman said no, she has no rights as a District Manager.  Ami asked if she was being fired, Tom stated no, just telling you so you don’t.

            Ami reported that the office running smoothly.  She will be stopping at McCourt’s Flooring to get an additional bid for the office carpet on Friday.  The only item of concern is Mr. Wilson. 

            Superintendent Ken Burshem reported the following; Ken has been working with Siskiyou pumps.  They have determined the pump shafts are a different size than the other two pumps at the intake.  Siskiyou pumps will be using a crane to remove the pumps. They will have to block one lane of traffic on the South Bank, but it will go a lot quicker then without it.  During the last power outage, one of the pumps shut down while running.  Stadelman Electric is coming to install a safety switch, that will shut down the pumps when the electricity flickers.  Ken received a bid on one new Gen X generator for backup power, but is waiting for more bids from other electricians.  Ken received a couple bids from local companies to remove trees at Hallway and Crown Terrance.  The lowest bid was $1,800.00 for Hallway and $2,300 for Crown Terrance.   Herman made a motion to accept the bid for $4,100.00 for both tank sites.  Seconded by Tom – Roll call - All in favor.  City of Brookings is taking down one of their tanks and re epoxying it.  The cost is $850,000.00 because it was found to contain lead paint.  Our tank is not as big, and Ken was unsure if it contained lead paint.  He just wanted the board to be aware, that this is a big expense and needs to be done.

            Matt Robart reported that he had been notified by FEMA, they have looked over the Harbor Water grant application.  One thing they suggested was that because this is a critical infrastructure, that is should be evaluated for the 500 year flood, not the 100 year flood.  Matt contacted Mc Millian engineering, whom had done the design.  They have already re-done the hydraulic model and determined that the riprap sizing is sufficient to withstand the 500-year flood.  It is Matt’s expectation that the Harbor Water Board will be able to officially adopt the Districts Natural Hazard Mitigation plan at the April 13, 2023 board meeting.  The last thing Matt addressed was Ken’s concern for driving the pilings towards the lateral, potentially introducing surface water from the river that may have contaminates.  Matt reached out to the engineering team that engineered the plan in the first place.  Their consensus was that since the pilings are only being driven down a few feet, they are still well above the laterals. Matt also mentioned that this Ranney collector project was not a complete fix, He explained that in 20+ years the Ranney collector would most likely need to be rebuilt and moved further upstream.

            Dan and Jim reported on the rental house inspection.  They found the following issues:

1. Moss on the roof

2. Large bush in front of kitchen window

3. Shed siding needs patched

4. House gable siding

5. Gable vent east end

The renter had not installed the carbon monoxide supplied to them last March.  They also said the sprinkler system is not working.  Ken will go over and show them how to use it.  Ken also reported that the large bush has already been removed.  

            Mr. JR Wilson, has been sending the office letters, voicing his concerns regarding his bill.  The board reviewed the documentation sent by Mr. Wilson and account history.  The billing history showed Mr. Wilson had received a leak adjustment in December 2022.  Mr. JR Wilson was invited to attend the March 9, 2023 board meeting.  He did not attend, nor was on the zoom meeting.   The boards decision was to send Mr. Wilson a certified letter expressing their decision, to issue no more water adjustments this calendar year, and he is to be treated like all Harbor Water customers.   

             

Revenue Fund $525,47.7

Money Market $2,255,026.49

Security $97,517.74

 

            Meeting adjourned at 8:00 PM