CHADDS FORD TOWNSHIP SEWER AUTHORITY
MINUTES
September 20, 2006
The 203rd meeting of the Chadds Ford Township Sewer Authority was held on this date in the Chadds Ford Township building.
Present: Chairman Vincent Del Rossi, Vice Chairman Paul G. Linsen, Secretary Marc Altman, Treasurer Keith C. Klaver, and Anthony J. Cutrona.
Absent: None
Also in attendance were J. Michael Sheridan, Esquire; Thomas R. Smith, PE; and Sabina J. Taylor, Secretary pro tem.
The meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m. by Chairman Del Rossi.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1. The required 90 day written notice for non-renewal of the Operations and Maintenance contract with Applied Water Management has been sent. The current contract expires December 31, 2006.
2. Chairman Del Rossi and Mr. Klaver met with residents of the RRE Phase II area to discuss tapping fee payment and possible methods of financing this cost.
MINUTES:
The minutes of the July 18, 2006 meeting of the Chadds Ford Township Sewer Authority meeting were unanimously approved as presented, on a motion duly made and seconded (Klaver/Linsen).
The meeting for August was canceled.
TREASURER’S REPORT:
Treasurer Keith Klaver distributed copies of the Balance Sheet as of August 31, 2006. In reviewing the Balance Sheet, Mr. Klaver noted:
§ The $60,000 short term loan from Chadds Ford Township is due for payment in September of this year.
§ Receivables are up, due to RRE Phase II tapping fee invoices.
§ Payables due to CFT are down somewhat because some of the historic interest due to the township has been reduced following discussions with CFT Solicitor Hugh Donohue and members of the CFT Board of Supervisors.
Mr. Klaver then reviewed the Profit and Loss Statement for January through August of this year.
With the exception of the items noted, everything is generally in line with the 2006 budget.
Plant expenses to date were discussed. Mr. Klaver explained that repair and maintenance expenses for 2006 to date are considerably higher than for the same period last year. In response to a question from Mr. Linsen, Mr. Klaver reviewed a brief history of plant expenses in recent years.
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE:
To date, 5 tapping fees for the RRE Phase II have been received.
ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:
The accounts payable report includes ACH payments for the Verizon and PECO accounts totaling $1,874.00 and bill payment list submitted for approval in the amount of $71,503.99 for a total disbursement amount of $73,377.99. The bills as submitted were approved for payment by unanimous vote, on a motion duly made and seconded (Altman/Linsen).
By a motion made and seconded, approval of expenses submitted for the canceled August meeting was formalized, by unanimous vote (Altman/Linsen).
SOLICITOR’S REPORT:
Mr. Sheridan reviewed for the members:
1. Proposed CFTSA Resolution No. 20 – Mr. Sheridan explained the purpose of the resolution. By a unanimous vote, CFTSA Resolution No. 20 to establish a ten percent (10%) interest rate on municipal claims for sewer rates was adopted (Klaver/Altman).
2. Property Lien – A lien has been filed on a property for long term nonpayment of sewer usage fees. Mr. Sheridan was authorized to act on the lien by a motion duly made, seconded and passed by unanimous vote(Klaver/Del Rossi).
ENGINEER’S REPORT:
Mr. Smith reviewed his written reports.
1. Sanitary Sewer Construction Projects
§ Ridge Road Extension Phase II – Construction is complete. Substantial Completion issued June 8, 2006. Maintenance period continues until June 8, 2007. No pay request received from Wexcon for this month.
§ Chadds Ford Village WWTP (Turner’s Mill WWTP) – Construction is continuing.
§ Pump Station and Force Main to Route 1 – Contractor anticipates starting this project in early October.
§ The Estates at Chadds Ford (Toll Brothers/Camp Sunset Hill) – Construction is complete. All sanitary sewer mains have passed a low-pressure air test. Some runs require deflection testing and manholes require vacuum testing.
§ Tremonte Development – Construction is complete. No response received after several requests to the Developer to submit record plan for review. SSM will review field drawings and work with the Design Engineer to have a set of record plans developed.
2. Progress Report
§ Turner’s Mill WWTP O&M – Dutchland, Inc., the manufacturer of the Turner’s Mill WWTP has contacted Mr. Smith about continuing plant operations at the plant. Mr. Smith understands from the Toll Brothers Agreement that Toll Brothers is responsible for operating the plant for the first six months after flows begin entering the plant. Kirk Merges, Operations Department Manager, for Dutchland, Inc. attended tonight’s meeting. Chairman Del Rossi said he and Gary Paul, CFT BOS liaison, will be discussing construction discounts with Dutchland, Inc.
§ Downingtown National Bank – Peter Anderson of Bernardon, Haber and Holloway, has contacted Mr. Smith regarding the connection of a recently purchased facility at Route 202 and Oakland Road to the Knightsbridge WWTP. This may require an amendment to the CFT Act 537 Plan.
§ The annual inspection of the privately owned wastewater treatment plants in Chadds Ford Township was held on June 28, 2006.
RIDINGS WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT:
§ Chairman Del Rossi reported that a pump at the Eckman Pump Station has failed and a new one has been ordered. It is expected the cost will be approximately $4,800.
§ Chairman Del Rossi said that DELCORA will begin wiring the Ridings Wastewater Treatment plant for the SKADA system by October 1, 2006.
OLD BUSINESS:
None
NEW BUSINESS:
§ Debit Card – Assistant Secretary Treasurer Mary Walter has requested that the CFTSA apply for a debit card to be used for minor purchases. The request, with a $200 per month limit, was granted by unanimous vote on a motion made and duly seconded (Altman/Linsen).
§ Sewer Main Damage – A clean out vent at 24 Woodland Drive was damaged by a fallen tree during a recent storm. A letter has been sent to the property owner requesting that he contact his insurance company to see if the SA repair costs can be recouped from his homeowners’ insurance policy.
§ Project Funding – Representative Steven Barrar has arranged for Garry Paul and Keith Klaver to meet with representatives of Penn Vest to discuss long term financing to cover the costs of purchasing the Turner’s Mill plant from Toll Brothers, construction of the line from Chadds Ford Village and the pump station and force main from Painters Crossing. The loan would be paid over 20 years.
Applying for possible State Grants, such as Clean Water Act funds, to assist with the funding of this project was discussed. Mr. Linsen voiced objection to applying for state grants. He explained his position on using state taxpayers’ money to fund this type of project.
§ LAPA I – Pasquale Carlino, representing LAPA I, has indicated that the partnership plans to develop the property they own on Route 202 in 2007. When developed, this property is to be connected to the Ridings Wastewater Treatment Plant. To date, no formal plan submission has been made to Chadds Ford Township.
EXECUTIVE SESSION:
The regular CFTSA meeting was recessed at 8:10 p.m. An Executive Session was held to discuss employment issues. Following the discussion, the regular meeting was reconvened at 8:23 p.m.
TAPPING FEE PAYMENT TIME EXTENSION DUE TO HARDSHIP:
After discussion, the following two motions were made and seconded:
1. To qualify, those requesting an extension due to hardship must have applied for and have qualified for the Delaware County Housing Rehabilitation Program 0% loan. If funds from the loan remain after the contractor has been paid, those funds must be applied toward the tapping fee (Altman/Klaver).
2. The hardship payout process will include execution of an agreement, lien on the property, and payment of interest, at the most recent Sewer Authority long term loan rate, for a time period not to exceed 10 years as per Pennsylvania Municipal Claims and Tax Lien Act 53 P.S. §7143 et seq. (Altman/Klaver).
Both motions passed by unanimous vote.
Mr. Sheridan recommended that the cover letter, to be sent to those property owners seeking a tapping fee payment time extension due to hardship, state a time limit for filing the application for the extension.
CONNECTION DATE EXTENSION:
Chairman Del Rossi noted that several property owners have expressed difficulty in securing a contractor to install the necessary grinder pumps and make the connection to the public sewer. To adopt Sewer Authority policy regarding an extension of time to connect under these circumstances, the following motion was made and seconded (Altman/Linsen). Property owners who have difficulty contracting a plumber to install the required pump and connect the property to the public sewer system must document such and pay the tapping fee when due. Those qualifying will be granted a time extension of up to 90 days after the hookup date, as set by law, to make the connection. The tapping fee must be paid by the due date, but user fees need not be paid until the earlier of the actual connection date or January 1, 2007. This motion passed by a unanimous vote. It was agreed that residents would not receive notification in advance of this special circumstance under which they could have an extension. The extension would be granted when the circumstances occur.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
None
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Sabina J. Taylor, Secretary pro tem