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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Works Committee Minutes 02.10.2014 MINUTES PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE FEBRUARY 10, 2014 5:30 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBERS MEMBERS PRESENT: Emelie Eaton Bill Mountsier Chuck Dickerson Dan Koch OTHERS PRESENT: Kurt Markegard, Public Works Director Ray Cotter Bob Frank Emelie Eaton led the meeting. Public Input There was none. Elections of Chairman and Co- Chairman Emelie asked for nominations for chairman of the Public Works Committee. Motion by Chuck Dickerson to nominate Emelie Eaton as the Chairman of the Public Works Committee, seconded by Bill Mountsier. Motion carried 4 -0. Motion by Chuck Dickerson to appoint Emelie Eaton as the Chairman of the Public Works Committee, seconded by Dan Koch. Motion carried 4 -0. Emelie asked for nominations for Co- Chairman of the Public Works Committee. Motion by Chuck Dickerson to nominate Bill Mountsier as the Co- Chairman of the Public Works Committee, seconded by Dan Koch. Motion by Chuck Dickerson to appoint Bill Mountsier as the Co- Chairman of the Public Works Committee, seconded by Dan Koch. Motion carried 3 -1, with Bill Mountsier voting nay. Water break Kurt stated that a water break caused about 40 homes to be shut off at 2:30 a.m. on Thursday, February 6 A police officer was patrolling when the water break happened, so Kurt was called and was there within 20 minutes. Kurt did a callout to the crew. Since the valves to shut the lines down were underneath the snow, they got a metal detector to find the valves. The lines were closed down about 2:30 a.m. in -24 degree weather. They did not know where the break was located, so Kurt decided to continue work on the break the next morning. Locate companies were called at 3:00 a.m. but did not arrive until 9:30 a.m. At about 6:30 p.m., the crew found the location of the break, which was an 8 -inch valve that had come apart. The water did not come up because of the frost but went up into 10 Avenue West, which is a right -of -way. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday night, Kurt stopped operations until morning, as five to six hours of digging were still needed. The city notified 45 to 50 homes that they would be without water for the night. On Friday morning, the crew worked until the water was turned back on at 12:05 p.m. The valve that failed was located about 60 feet east of Solid Foundations Avenue and was an isolation valve that was installed in 2006. Kurt stated that he was proud of the crew, as no one complained about the cold weather. The homes without water were in Solid Foundations Subdivision and from 8 Avenue to the east on West 4 Street. Sewer Plant dump station Kurt stated that he has received numerous requests for a dump station over the last ten years from Bob Frank and Ray Cotter. Bob has asked the city for a dump station for septic haulers since 1985. There was a lengthy discussion regarding the new subdivisions surrounding Laurel, the current sewer plant upgrade, the possibility of adding a dump station for septic haulers to the current biological nutrient upgrade project at the sewer plant, the need to do so prior to paving the road, RV dump stations, the RV dump station at Cedar Ridge Casino, costs and funding for a dump station, the City of Billings charges of $40 per 1,000 gallons, and a bulk water station. Ray Cotter, owner of Cotter's Sewer Service, stated that the installation of a system would be very beneficial to him and Bob Frank. Regardless of whether the city charged the same amount or more than they pay in Billings, it would save them money in fuel, labor and maintenance costs and would allow them to get more work done in a day. Ray pays an average of $25,000 to $30,000 per year to the City of Billings just for dumping fees. He stated that Cotter's Sewer Service would use the facility. There was discussion regarding other septic haulers in the area that would use the facility and the minimal costs to treat the disposed material. Kurt stated the hours would be 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and the manhole, tank, line and valve system would be located right in front of the headworks. There was further discussion regarding the possible effects of the weight of the trucks on the road, the potential revenue source, the need for continued input from Ray Cotter and Bob Frank, and the proposed date to go online in the spring of 2015. There was a question regarding anticipated costs and anticipated revenues for the first five years. There was further discussion regarding septic systems, other haulers, maintenance of septic systems, and the increase in septic systems that need to be pumped. Motion by Chuck Dickerson that the committee present the request to the city council of the possibility of installing a septic hauling dump system at the wastewater treatment plant this year prior to completion and if accepted that the committee give Kurt permission to go forward to find out information that is needed through the DEQ, possibility of knowing what kind of revenue is going to be generated, and what kind of timeframe, seconded by Bill Mountsier. Motion carried. Bob Frank spoke regarding his attempts to approach the city in 1985, the response from DEQ in 1985, expenses versus revenues, the 370,000 gallons that he took to Billings last year, and the convenience that his company would realize with a dump site in Laurel. Bob stated that, from a common sense view, if the sewer plant can treat the waste and not have a violation in the DEQ discharge permit, he cannot see where this would be a bad investment for the city. Ray Cotter provided information of his costs to dump in Billings from 2012 -2013. He suggested that RV waste would not have to be dumped at the wastewater treatment plant. It could be put into a very large holding and the city could hire Mr. Frank and Cotter's Sewer Service to pump it out and take it to the dump site. Ray thinks advertising the dump site would encourage people to come off the interstate and spend money, which would be a benefit to the City of Laurel. Ray stated that it was great to see the guys working on the water break the other night and to know that people will wake up in the middle of the night and go out and take care of the problem. Water PER update Kurt stated that last Thursday's scheduled meeting with the refinery was delayed because of the water break. He plans to schedule another meeting soon to discuss the refinery's water consumption and water needs. A meeting with Great West Engineering is scheduled next Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. to talk about the water intake, which is directly tied to the PER. Kurt mentioned that the city will start picking up snow in the downtown area on Wednesday morning at 5:00 a.m. With warmer weather and the amount of snow received, Kurt is concerned about storm drains if there is a big melt. The snow will be dumped between the tracks so it drains into the Laurel Drain when it melts. Discussion for future agenda items Emelie asked for items for next month's agenda. Chuck suggested the water PER update for the next agenda. There was discussion regarding the process to place items on the agenda and the need to submit agenda items to the chairman by the Tuesday before the meeting on Monday, The meeting adjourned at 6:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted, } Q� Cindy Allen Council Secretary