HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-04-16 BOWC MIN
Stillwater, Minnesota April 16, 2015
Regular Meeting:
The regular meeting of the Board of Water Commissioners was held on Thursday April
15, 2015 at 10:30 A.M.
All Commissioners were present, with President Speedling presiding. Also present was
Tom Corman, Council Member Menikheim.
On motion of President Speedling, duly seconded by Commissioner Vania, all voting
“Aye”, the Agenda was accepted as presented.
On motion of Commissioner Nyberg, duly seconded by Commissioner Vania, all voting
“Aye, the minutes of the March 9, 2015 regular meeting were read and approved as
written.
On motion of Commissioner Nyberg, duly seconded by Commissioner Vania, all voting
“Aye”, Resolution No.1475 was approved for payment.
Tom Corman reported to the Board that they will be working on the cleaning up of the
watermain breaks along with asphalt repairs that still need to be completed. John and
Andy attended a three day water school in Bloomington for their Water Certification,
Class “C” License, two hydrants were repaired and they have started to turn on irrigation
systems and locating valves for the GIS project.
Manager Benson provided the Board with a request from Abrahamson Nurseries at 2100
Tower Drive to waive the Water Availability Charge (WAC). They are building a small
moveable shed/office building. The building will have no plumbing so they will use no
water or sewer and will be used by a couple of people seasonally. After discussion, on
motion of Commissioner Nyberg, duly seconded by Commissioner Vania, all voting
“Aye”, the Board will waive the WAC fee as long as there is no water hooked up to the
building and the Metropolitan Council does not require the Board to charge a WAC fee.
Manager Benson provided the Board with two quotes for truck tires:
Stillwater Motors $774.00
Discount Tires $742.00
Manager Benson informed the Board that they have all their service work done at
Stillwater Motors, so when they have their oil changed they could also rotate the tires,
therefore on motion of Commissioner Nyberg, duly seconded by Commissioner Vania,
all voting “Aye” the truck tires may be purchased at Stillwater Motors, not to exceed a
total cost of $1,000.00
On motion of Commissioner Nyberg, duly seconded by Commissioner Vania, all voting
“Aye”, the Board approval for purchases will be raised from $750.00 to $1,000.00.
Manager Benson informed the Board that the City of Oak Park Heights will complete
their portion of work on Osman Ave N. in 2015 and the City of Stillwater will complete
their work in 2016. After discussion, on motion of Commissioner Vania, duly seconded
by President Speedling, all voting “Aye”, the hydrant and valve that lies within the Oak
Park Heights project may be completed in 2015, not to exceed a cost of $10,000.00.
Manager Benson provided the Board with information on upgrading his phone to a smart
phone therefore on motion of Commissioner Nyberg, duly seconded by Commissioner
Vania, all voting “Aye”, all three phones will be upgraded to smart phones, not to exceed
a cost of $1,500.00 including the necessary hardware; also Manager Benson will look
into some type of service plan.
Manager Benson updated the Board after talking with Ryan Benson, Vice President of
Retail Banking with First State Bank and Trust. He informed him that there would be a
small charge for setting up the ACH of $20.00 to $50.00 and as long as the Board would
keep a balance of $450,000.00, this would eliminate all fees. After discussion, on motion
of President Speedling, duly seconded by Commissioner Vania, all voting “Aye”,
Manager Benson was instructed to start the process of switching to First State Bank and
Trust.
The following items were discussed, with no action taken:
1. Accounts receivable balance as of March 31, 2015 was ($591.90) with the actual
amount being $80,847.64; this is $43,000.00 less than last years.
2. Christopher Knopik with CliftonLarsonAllen presented the Board with an
overview of the 2014 audit.
3. Commissioner Vania talked with Dr. David Kelley, Associate Professor and Chair
of the Department of Geography with the University of St. Thomas, and after
discussion, George felt that there may be an opportunity in the future for students
to work with the Water Department or the City of Stillwater on special projects.
4. Manager Benson informed the Board that Commissioner Vania’s term expires on
June 30, 2015. After discussion, Commissioner Vania informed the Board that he
is willing to serve another three year term.
5. Manager Benson informed the Board that there have been no complaints on the
rate increase.
6. Manager Benson informed the Board that after inspecting the tunnel between City
Hall and the Water Department all looked structurally sound and there is no
additional work needed.
There being no further business, on motion of President Speedling, duly seconded by
Commissioner Vania, the meeting was adjourned.
Attest: Secretary