WANAQUE BOROUGH
SEWERAGE AUTHORITY
MINUTES
Regular Meeting
November 13, 2006
The regular
meeting of the Wanaque Borough Sewerage Authority was held on November 13, 2006
at
Chairman DiMeglio presided and read the following Sunshine
Statement:
“Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by
mailing notice of this meeting to the Trends and Herald & News newspapers
on November 1, 2006 stating therein that this meeting would be held at
ROLL CALL:
On roll call, the
following commissioners responded:
Bolduc
Covelli
DiMeglio
Professionals Present:
Jeffrey M. Kassover,
Esq.
William J. Kelly,
Penny Schlagel,
Office Mgr.
MINUTES:
The regular
meeting minutes of October 10, 2006 were presented. No corrections or deletions.
Cmsr. Bolduc moved for the approval of the above-mentioned
minutes, seconded by Cmsr. DiMeglio.
On roll call, all voted yes except for Cmsr. Covelli who
abstained, and then the chairman declared this set of minutes adopted.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION:
Since no one from
the public entered any discussion, the chairman closed this portion of the
meeting.
6. COMMUNICATIONS:
1. Ltr. from Elias Sayad
Re: 8 106
Sewer
Smell
Chrm. DiMeglio stated that this letter should be forwarded
to the regional authority.
Cmsr. Bolduc replied that he agreed. There was meeting with Pulte residents and
the borough a few weeks ago.
Chrm. DiMeglio stated that he would have liked to been able
to attend this meeting. Not as a
spokesman, but just to listen. Mr.
Carroll stated that if I went, it would be breaking the Sunshine Law, since
Cmsr. Covelli and Bolduc were attending.
However, they were attending as regional commissioners.
Cmsr. Bolduc replied that he agreed. However, it is his personal feeling that no
one from the local should have sat at the table. Mr. Sayad should be notified that his letter
should be addressed to the regional.
Cmsr. Covelli stated that he agrees. We should tell the owner that we thank him
his correspondence, and it has been appropriately forwarded to the regional
sewerage authority as they run the sewerage treatment plant. The local authority is only responsible for
the sewer lines and the collection of sewer rents. By copy of this letter, we are sending Greg
White, Facilities Manager for the Wanaque Valley Regional Sewerage Authority.
All commissioners agreed.
7. NEW BUSINESS:
a. Christmas Party
The annual Christmas Party will be held on December 12,
2006 after our regular meeting at Momento’s Restaurant.
b. Plaque for Cmsr.
Joseph Longo
Discussion with regard to getting a plaque for Cmsr. Longo
for all his years of service on this authority, as well as inviting his family to
the annual Christmas party for the presentation of same. It was then agreed that Chairman DiMeglio and
Mrs. Schlagel would handle same.
8. UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
a. Copy Machine:
Mrs. Schlagel stated that at our last meeting the authority
approved a resolution to purchase a new copy machine from Copy Cat in the
amount $7,725.00. Since our last meeting
after speaking with C’man Mahler, he has informed me about getting a
refurbished copy machine. C’man Mahler
uses refurbished machines in his office, and recommends them highly. The authority can purchase a Sharp AR-M205 at
a cost of $1,250.00. It does come with a six-month warranty. After that, the authority can purchase a
maintenance contract for $351.00. As
such, we will need a Resolution to withdrawal our initial resolution for the
previous machine in order to purchase this machine.
Cmsr. Covelli asked what type of printer does our computer
have?
Mrs. Schlagel replied a Hewlet Packard Laser, and it only
prints what comes out of the printer.
Cmsr. Covelli asked if we have a lot of confidence in
purchasing a refurbished copy machine?
Cmsr. Bolduc replied that C’man Mahler recommends this
company highly and has been using refurbished machines for years.
Cmsr. Covelli asked if we are getting a bang for our
buck. We only make bulk copies when we
do our meeting packages. We could get a
multi task machine that connects right to the computer for $600.00. However, for bulk copying we would have to go
to the regional.
Mrs. Schlagel stated that Mr. Carroll informed her of these
printers. However, on Dell’s site, they
go for $600.00. It is my opinion that
they are not worth the money when we can get a copy machine for $1,250.00 and
is more beneficial for the work that it is performed.
Chairman DiMeglio stated that for Mrs. Schlagel to go to
the regional office may not be beneficial because if the offices are locked,
she can’t get in to make copies.
Cmsr. Garland moved a Resolution to with drawl the previous
resolution from October, 2006 with regard to purchasing a copy machine from
Copy Cat for the amount $7,725.00, and then authorized the purchase of a
refurbished Sharp AR-M205 at a cost of $1,250.00, plus a maintenance agreement
for the amount of $351.00, seconded by Cmsr. Bolduc.
On roll call, all voted yes, and the chairman declared this
resolution adopted.
9. PROFESSIONAL/COMMITTEE
REPORTS:
1. Jeffrey M. Kassover, Esq.
a. Pulte
Committee Meeting:
Mr. Kassover stated he attended this meeting along with the
council and the Pulte Community, since the chairman was asked not to attend as
there was a question as to whether his attendance would create a majority of
commissioners, which was not the case, the chairman did not attend. The outcome of the meeting was that the
regional is really trying hard to work with the residents of Pulte. However, Pulte feels that the rest of the
residents in Wanaque do not exist. The
odor problem is the big issue.
b.
Mr. Kassover stated that the judgment has been sent to
c.
Mr. Kassover stated that he still must contact the owner to
advise them that they should seek there own legal advice with regard to the
meaning of the Release the authority
sent.
Mr. Kelly stated that apparently the owner’s brother in law
is an attorney, so there is no reason why he could not tell the Payne’s what
the Release is for.
d. 2007 WBSA Budget:
Mr. Kassover asked Mrs. Schlagel to obtain the 2007
Connection Fee Calculations from Mr. Ferraioli so that at the December meeting
he can be authorized to publish same.
Cmsr. Bolduc stated that we have always increased our
connection fee to the maximum amount, as all new connections are mainly new
developments.
Cmsr. Covelli replied that he has no problem with the
rationality of the connection fee.
However, things that worked in the past do not always keep working. What about new businesses that come into
town. We have set a rate that makes it
very difficult for them. Then engineers
have to come in and prove what their estimated flow will be because they are
not a chain restaurant like (Burger King).
Our town is starving for restaurants, especially now since the Pulte
project.
Cmsr. Bolduc replied that it has never failed us, nor have
we driven out any businesses. The
Laundromat for example had a payment plan on their connection fee. We are willing to work with new
businesses.
Hopefully, this would not
change in the future. Mrs. Schlagel is
very cooperative with all new connections.
Cmsr. Covelli replied that he just wanted to let his
colleagues hear his viewpoint. The
150-seat restaurant that was going to be in
new development on
Mr. Kelly replied that we base our restaurant flows based
upon the state guidelines and that is 35 gallons per seat. If we took say, Berta‘s and IlPalazzo’s
readings, we could probably come up with a more accurate account of water usage
per seat. However, we are not bound to
use state regulations. If we really want
to attract businesses, the authority should look into flows at the restaurants
that are currently in town and use them as a guideline. For our domestic and industrial we are using
our own calculations. Industrial are .1
gallons per day for square foot of building area.
All commissioners agreed to have Mrs. Schlagel obtain the
water readings for IlPalazzo, Berta’s and Burger King for Mr. Kelly’s review.
Mr. Kassover stated that the connection must be
re-calculated every year. The purpose of
the connection fee is for new connections that are coming into a system that’s
been in place for years as the people who came in before them have contributed
to the system.
Cmsr. Covelli stated that he felt that a separate rate
should be charged for restaurants for next year.
Cmsr. Bolduc stated that we did for the hotel. When there is a basis that we can
differentiate, we most certainly will.
2. William J. Kelly,
a.
Re: Meter
Mr. Kelly stated that the meter for the leach aid field was
installed on October 19th. We initially
were going to monitor it for two months.
However, with all the rain that we have had, a month of readings should
be sufficient.
b. Union Court Pumping Station:
Mr. Kelly stated that since monies will be left in the
infiltration fund, he recommends that an electronic device be installed that
would meter the actual flow from the pumping station.
Cmsr. Covelli moved a resolution authorizing Mr. Kelly to
install an electronic device which would record the actual flow at the Union
Court Pumping Station, seconded by Cmsr. Garland.
On roll call, all voted yes, and the chairman declared this
resolution adopted.
Mr. Kelly stated that he had advised Greg White that these
charges should be paid for out of the infiltration funds.
Cmsr. Covelli asked if we hold the funds.
Mrs. Schlagel replied no.
There is about $9,000. left, and Pulte would reimburse the authority for
this expenditure.
Mr. Kelly then stated that both stations have a lot of soap
scum on the bottom. If we could get
National Watermain to bring in their vacuum and clean the bottoms, it would
give each station more capacity. Mr.
White is asking that this be done, and the cost would be around $1,000. for both
stations.
Cmsr. Covelli moved a resolution authorizing William J.
Kelly to hire National Watermain to
clean both pumping stations at a cost not to exceed $1,500.00, seconded by
Cmsr. Garland.
On roll call, all voted yes, and the chairman declared this
resolution adopted.
c.
Mr. Kelly stated that a car ran into the Roger Ave Pump
Station over the weekend and Mrs. Schlagel has filed a claim, and has obtained
a quote to repair the fence for the amount of $700.00.
Mrs. Schlagel then stated that the authority would be
receiving $3,300.00 for the damages.
Mr. Kelly stated that the electrical control panel needs to
be closed in to protect them from the weather.
Since it needs to be closed in, it is recommended that a traffic control
box be installed. The only thing is that
it’s rather large, and expensive. The
quote we received for this enclosure is for $2,600.00, and this is for delivery
only. It would then have to be put on a
concrete foundation, and someone would then have to come in and set in on the
slab. The total cost would be between
$4,000. to 5,000. for the total installation.
The men could use the backhoe to sit the enclosure on the foundation. This way we could save money.
Chairman DiMeglio stated that he had initially asked the
borough if they would take down the enclosure that was there after it was hit,
and Mayor Balinus then called Tom Carroll, and he said let the insurance
company pay for it, which cost us $330.00 to have it taken down. We do pay for two employees, and they could
have taken this down.
Cmsr. Covelli stated that surrounding towns just build
little buildings around pump stations that look like little houses. If we are going to spend $5,000. for a metal
enclosure, what would the cost be for a contractor to build a wooden structure.
Chairman DiMeglio stated that if we build anything, the
building inspector wants 3-foot footings.
Discussion with regard to the right that a building
inspector has when it is not a habitat ional dwelling.
Mr. Kassover stated that under the MUA law, the building
inspector does not have jurisdiction over water and sewer facilities for an
MUA.
Many years ago a building
inspector issued a stop work order on a well house. According to the statue, he did not have the
authority to do.
The commission then asked Mr. Kelly to obtain a quote from
a contractor to build a small structure around the electrical box. Mr. Kassover was also directed to research the
power that the building inspector has over a sewerage authority.
10. FINANCIAL REPORT:
Cmsr. Bolduc
moved a resolution to approve the following bills for
payment when the funds of the
authority are sufficient to meet them,
seconded by Cmsr. Garland:
Voucher: 151 through 161 $645,235.25
(Auto Debit-Health Benefits)
Payroll 6,555.28
___________
$651,811.53
RESOLUTION
REQUISITION REQUESTING FROM
THE REVENUE FUND TO THE OPERATING FUND BY THE WANAQUE BOROUGH SEWERAGE
AUTHORITY PURSUANT TO THE SECTION OF THE BOND RESOLUTION ENTITLED “RESOLUTION”
PROVIDES FOR THE ISSUANCE OF BONDS OF THE WANAQUE BOROUGH SEWERAGE AUTHORITY IN
OCTOBER, 1987 AS AMENDED OR SUPPLEMENTED THEREAFTER.
1. Requisition is
hereby made by the authority to the trustee for funds from the revenue fund
established under a resolution to be transferred to the credit of a special
account in the name of the authority to be paid to the persons, firms or
corporations in the amount of $651,811.53 and for the purposes setforth herein
on the attached “Exhibit A”.
a. The
authority has incurred the obligations in the stated amounts and that each item
thereof was properly incurred in the operating, maintaining or repairing the
system and has not been paid.
b. There
has not been filed with or served upon the corporation named in such
requisition, or if any such lien, attachment or claim has been released and
discharged by the authority.
On roll call, all voted yes, and the chairman declared this
resolution adopted.
11. ADJOURNMENT:
Cmsr. Garland
moved for the adjournment of this meeting, seconded by Cmsr. Bolduc.
On roll call, all voted yes, and the chairman declared this
meeting adjourned.
______________________________
John DiMeglio, Chairman