OWUI Meeting Minutes, April 11, 2024

Thursday, Apr. 11th, 2024 6:00 pm — Olga Community Center 

1. Call to Order:  6:04 PM 

1. OWUI Board Members, present: 

                                               i.     Geoff Cunard, President

                                              ii.     Pat Boehm, Director of Operations

                                            iii.     Guy Woods, Treasurer

                                            iv.     Paul Groeninger, Secretary, appeared telephonically and in-person

1. OWUI Board Members, absent:

                                               i.     Dave Noneman, Vice President

1. Sue Min on behalf of Administration, present.

2. Sam Prado on behalf of Operator Eastsound Water Users Association (EWUA), absent.

1. Approval of minutes for March 2024:

1. Geoff moved to approve the March 2024 meeting minutes; Pat seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. March meeting minutes were approved.

2. Operator EWUA’s March Report as relayed by Geoff and Pat:

1. March 12th: The main-to meter service line at 73 Olga Park Ln was replaced with a new poly line. The exposed main was confirmed to be 4" C900.
   
   Geoff further noted for the OWUI Board that OWUI has asked Operator EWUA to identify the type of main pipe exposed whenever excavation occurs, as this will facilitate creation of a OWUI water facilities inventory, confirming waterline assets and map accuracy.
   
   Guy offered to create the initial reference documentation, which will serve as a repository for the OWUI water facilities inventory, identifying
   --OWUI Member address
   --Type of Main Pipe Identified
   --Date of Identification
   Geoff agreed this documentation would be helpful.
   
   

                                               i.     Operator EWUA highly recommends that the 73 Olga Park Ln homeowner replace their service line from meter-to-home. Operator EWUA left the meter box unfinished to provide 73 Olga Park Ln homeowner with access. Operator EWUA can close up 73 Olga Park Ln homeowner’s meter box if they do not wish to upgrade their service line at this time.

Geoff further noted for the OWUI Board that Geoff spoke with 73 Olga Park Ln homeowner; 73 Olga Park Ln homeowner does not want the service line replaced.

1. March 27th: The main valving to isolate the "Sofaer Hydrant" was exercised and found to be ineffective at isolating the hydrant or even the broader surrounding area.

                                               i.     Operator EWUA recommends excavating the Point Lawrence/ EJ Young valve cluster to verify the map and assess for valve replacement and/or additions.

                                              ii.     Currently Operator EWUA’s plan, as confirmed by Pat, is to backfill around the hydrant and leave it in service for the time being.

1. Average production at the treatment plant for March was 9 gallons per minute. Geoff noted for the Board that the water use, as reported, was really low in March.

1. OWUI Administrator’s Report
   Sue presented the following on behalf of Administration:

1. Member Billing / Receivables

                                               i.     As of April 11, 2024, after sending out billing reminders and 2nd notices, Sue has only received two of the outstanding payments owed by Members. Also, expected receivables were adjusted after performing some billing reconciliation in April.

1.     2024 Receivables to date: $170,855.70

2.     Outstanding billing to collect: $79,350

                                              ii.     Sue to send more billing reminders and notices to Members and will process the outstanding payments as they are received.

                                            iii.     For 2025 billing, OWUI Board advised to, after sending 1st notice bills in December, auto-send 2nd notices to Members in January 2025.

1. General Administration

                                               i.     Sue proposed increasing Administration’s annual expenses to upgrade systems from Google to Microsoft for increased security, connectivity, and capacity. Sue relayed current pricing packages and features for OWUI Board to consider.

1.     Prior to creating any new official OWUI email accounts and other major public-facing features, Sue to present such modifications to the OWUI Board for approval.

2.     Geoff moved for OWUI to proceed with upgrading to Microsoft 365 with two official OWUI users; Guy seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. Administration upgrade to Microsoft was approved.

a.     Once Sue receives OWUI official credit card from Guy who will obtain one from the bank, Sue will proceed with the upgrades.

                                              ii.     Sue proposed using upgraded accounting software, such as QuickBooks Online, for more efficient billing and potential for online payments for members, which would also increase Administration’s annual expenses.

1.     Guy to connect with OWUI Bookkeeper Jazmin about potential QuickBooks applications for OWUI.

2.     Guy to also connect with Sue from an administrative perspective about QuickBooks and related potential for improvements for OWUI.

1. Treasurer/Financial Report
   As Treasurer, Guy reported the following:

1. Financials, Bank Accounts

                                               i.     Total amounts in OWUI bank accounts, as of March 31, 2024: $315K

                                              ii.     Total March 2024 Expenses: $14K

1.     Out of these expenses, about $4K were in engineering expenses and $3K in repairs, which are typical operating expenses.

1. Fee and rate schedule ideas

1. OWUI Board continued robust discussion of potential fee and rate schedule updates that OWUI Board would need to present at the annual meeting in July 2024. OWUI Board to have an Executive Session for OWUI Board only, set for Tuesday, May 14, 4:30 p.m., and kick off an in-depth rate review and drafting session.

2. Operations and Maintenance Report
   As reported by Director of Operations Pat:

1. Meters

                                               i.     Pat reported to not have any major news on the meters, but that this was an ongoing project for Operations.

1. Sofaer Hydrant update

                                               i.     Pat reported that Operator EWUA was unable to drain the pipe for the hydrant that they needed to work on, so instead, Operator EWUA tightened the valve as much as possible, which resulted positively in a working valve, working hydrant, and a very minimal drip. That being said, Sofaer Hydrant will need additional operational and maintenance procedures. Pat to follow up with Operator EWUA and receive their proposed process in continuing efforts to fully resolve the situation.

8.     OLD Business: 

a.     Intertie Update 

                                               i.     Geoff and Guy met with Doe Bay Water Users Association (DBWUA) Steve Schaefer prior to the OWUI Board Meeting on April 11, 2024, discussing various topics with DBWUA including operations, planning, and budgeting for the intertie.

                                             ii.     Geoff noted for the OWUI Board that the overall takeaways from the DBWUA meeting were that discussions went well and project status was good.

                                           iii.     DBWUA’s attorney, Bill Bender, sent OWUI a draft revised intertie agreement for OWUI Board review. During the April 11, 2024 OWUI Board Meeting, Geoff distributed the draft agreement to the rest of the OWUI Board for review and OWUI Board generally discussed various provisions.

1.     After the April 11, 2024 Board Meeting, all OWUI Board Members to review DBWUA’s draft agreement.

2.     Subsequently, Geoff, with attorney guidance, to prioritize preparing OWUI Board’s response to DBWUA’s draft revised intertie agreement.

                                            iv.     To keep moving the intertie project forward, Geoff reported that Operator EWUA, Island Excavating, and Consultant Barry Buchanan will hold bi-weekly intertie meetings with OWUI Board, commencing April 17, 2024. When Geoff receives the invite from Operator EWUA, Geoff to forward invite to the OWUI Board.

9.     New business – no new business.

10.  Public Access – no members present.

11.  Next meeting time: Tuesday, May 14, 2024  6:00PM 

12.  Adjournment: 7:44 PM

OWUI Meeting Minutes, March 21, 2024

Thursday, March 21, 2024, 5:00 pm — Olga Community Center

1. Call to Order: 5:06 PM

a. Attendees:

OWUI Board Members, present:

i. Geoff Cunard, President

ii. Pat Boehm, Director of Operations

iii. Paul Groeninger, Secretary

iv. Guy Woods, Treasurer

v. Dave Noneman, Vice President, appeared telephonically

b. Sue Min on behalf of Administration, present.

c. Sam Prado on behalf of Operator Eastsound Water Users Association (EWUA), absent.

2. Approval of Minutes:

a. Geoff moved to approve February 2024 meeting minutes. Guy seconded. All members voted in favor. February meeting minutes were approved.

3. Operator EWUA’s February Report as relayed by Geoff and Pat:

a. The average production from the treatment plant during February was 9 gallons per minute.

b. Operator EWUA still has a few distribution projects on radar. These projects primarily include (1) the replacement of the service line and setter at 73 Olga Park Ln and (2) the Sofaer hydrant removal/meter relocation.

i. Regarding Sofaer, Pat met with Operator EWUA, Kirk from Island Excavating, and David earlier in the day, Thursday, March 21. According to Pat, Operator EWUA will return the meter out back where it was before, and it will be more protected and insulated than before. Geoff noted that the process would also be less expensive than a complete relocation.

ii. Operator EWUA was able to get Island Excavating to unearth the Olga Park Ln main. Operator EWUA replaced the service line and backfilled the road. They also installed a temporary setter and will need to return to complete the job.

iii. Operator EWUA continued to work with Consultant Barry Buchanan on the SWSMP and intertie project. Ideally, the production data that Operator EWUA is providing will allow for the Maximum Daily Demand calculation to be adjusted down, helping the intertie project move forward. Consultant Barry Buchanan to send OWUI his flow expectations from intertie project.

iv. Operator EWUA is also working with Consultant Barry Buchanan and Island Excavating to complete the next steps on completing the physical infrastructure work on the intertie project.

v. Geoff delivered additional updates from Operator EWUA that Island Excavating would cap off the old hydrant at Sofaer’s on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, which could involve temporary water outage and temporary depressurization for some OWUI members. Earlier on March 21, 2024, Operator EWUA told Geoff that EJ Young Rd members would not need to be shut off during the hydrant work, but that the temporary shut off could occur from 9a to 12p, and that the hydrant work itself would take about an hour. However, Geoff will receive additional information from Operator EWUA to determine which members would be affected, and Geoff will notify the affected members via email of the outage and Boil Advisory. Boil Advisory would only be issued as a precautionary measure for any temporary depressurization (not caused by contaminants).

4. OWUI Administrator’s Report

a. Sue presented the following on behalf of Administration:

i. Member Billing / Receivables

1. 2024 Receivables to date: $166,662.03

2. Outstanding Member Accounts: 54 Member IDs still owe OWUI payment, based on current billing and deposit records, amounting to roughly $84,791 outstanding billing to collect, pending reconciliation.

3. Sue to send out 2nd Notices via email and regular mail.

ii. General Administration

1. Sue to send Board the proposed OWUI office updates for Board review prior to next scheduled meeting, which will include proposed monthly/annual expenses if known, such as shifting from the current Gmail/Google apps to using the existing OWUI domain for official OWUI emails and Microsoft-based apps.

2. OWUI President Geoff noted that the Chart of Accounts needs to be reviewed by the Board/Treasurer for updates.

3. Sue to schedule a monthly or bi-weekly check-in with Bookkeeper with OWUI Treasurer Guy on copy to address any questions.

4. Sue to start indexing and scanning existing archived OWUI filing, which will be a multi-step process as part of the overall office update.

5. Treasurer/Financial Report

a. As Treasurer, Guy presented the following regarding OWUI’s finances:

i. Financial Reporting

1. Bookkeeper Jazmin has not yet provided the up-to-date financial reports to Guy.

2. Guy will follow up with Jazmin.

ii. Payroll

1. Guy reported that scheduled payroll by Jazmin should run automatically starting in April.

iii. Bank Accounts

1. Overall, OWUI currently has about $322,000 in total across its bank accounts.

2. In reviewing expected upcoming expenditures, Guy reported that OWUI will need to start rebuilding its reserves in order to proceed with necessary capital expenses such as a tank replacement.

iv. Budget, Rate/Fee Schedule

1. Guy noted for the OWUI Board that Guy met with Geoff prior to the Board Meeting to discuss the OWUI budget and rate and fee schedule.

2. Guy continued to present and discuss potential updates to the OWUI future rate and fee schedule with OWUI Board. As part of Guy’s proposed rate and fee schedule plans, Guy proposed raising $111,000 over the next three years for OWUI member meter replacements. In response, OWUI Board generally discussed upcoming income and expenses, including Operator expenses in relation to the intertie project.

3. As part of potential expenses discussion, OWUI Board also generally discussed recent requests OWUI made to Operator EWUA that Operator EWUA had not yet completed or responded to, such as performing repairs and receiving written standard operating procedures.

4. To improve clarity in forecasted expenses, Guy suggested OWUI Board reach out to EWUA Board with an updated operating service contract to address post-intertie operations.

5. Dave requested a copy of the proposed budget from Guy; Guy to send budget to OWUI Board for further review and discussion.

6. In discussing potential tank replacement as part of forecasted expenses, Guy noted for the OWUI Board that Guy spoke with Steve Schaefer of Doe Bay Water Users Association (DBWUA) earlier on March 21, 2024, and DBWUA wants to get intertie done first, assess weak points, then prioritize raw water line, potentially a tank on Pioneer Hill, which could be a joint tank.

7. In discussing future rate/fee schedule, OWUI Board expressed interest in reviewing late fee policies and consider applying flat-fee or enforce the current 1.5% penalty for failure to make any water membership payment.

8. After extensive Board discussion of potential budget and rate and fee schedule as well as potential policies for water usage across OWUI accounts, Pat suggested holding an executive session or committee for further evaluation of potential rate and fee schedule, which could include discussing whether the rate and fee should be modified to reflect usage-based tiered rates, like some other utility companies use to charge lower tiers as incentive for resource conservation. Geoff noted for OWUI Board that any such planning session or committee would need to materialize quickly as it would need to be ready for presentation at the July Annual Meeting.

6. Operations and Maintenance Report

a. Old Business

i. As reported by Director of Operations Pat:

1. Sofaer’s/Repairs

a. As discussed earlier in OWUI Board meeting, Operations is repairing line at Sofaer’s

2. Meters

a. On March 20, 2024, Pat spoke with Steve Schaefer for DBWUA, who is taking the lead on updating meters. Chris is also assisting DBWUA in creating a system for this effort, a system which is still in development. No pricing estimated yet.

b. DBWUA’s priority according to Steve Schaefer is the intertie project and will then focus on meters.

c. The meter project is still under discussion with Pat; Pat hopes to learn more in the next month.

ii. Intertie Update, as reported by OWUI President Geoff:

1. Geoff followed up with Operator EWUA on punchlist items from the intertie meeting last month and will continue to follow up.

2. Geoff spoke with Steve Schaefer regarding Island Excavating availability for intertie construction. Geoff to also follow up with Consultant Barry Buchanan to discuss potential flow rate and will relay update OWUI.

3. March 11, 2024 Department of Ecology Water Rights Meeting regarding Intertie Project

a. Geoff expressed appreciation for Attorney Tom Pors’ attendance of the water rights meeting. Geoff noted that Buck Smith also attended the meeting and that Buck questioned whether a different withdrawal point would affect the current stream or reduce the flow. Overall, Tom was optimistic about the relationship between OWUI and DBWUA and about OWUI water rights status. Tom also felt the discussion with the Dept. of Ecology was fruitful.

b. New Business

i. Chlorine complaint on EJ Young Road

1. OWUI received one member complaint of potential excess chlorine from OWUI water on EJ Young Rd.

2. Operator EWUA investigated and measured water inside and outside the home.

3. Despite multiple readings taken, Operator EWUA could not find any excess chlorine, as all readings were normal, and determined that the water was fine.

7. Public Access: none present

8. Next Meeting Time: April 11, 2024, 6:00 PM

9. Adjournment 6:25 PM

OWUI Meeting Minutes, February 15, 2024

Thursday, Feb. 15th, 2024, 5:00 pm — Olga Community Center

1. Call to Order: 5:02 PM

   • Attendees:

     • Board Members, present:

       • Geoff, President

       • Guy, Treasurer

       • Paul, Secretary

       • Dave, Vice President (appeared telephonically).

     • Board Member, absent:

       • Pat, Director of Operations.

     • Operator Representative Sam/EWUA was absent.

     • Sue was present on behalf of Administration.

2. Approval of Minutes:

   • Guy moved to approve Board Meeting Minutes for January 2024; Dave seconded.

   • All present Board Members voted on motion in approval. Motion was adopted and approved for Sue to publish January 2024 Meeting Minutes.

3. OWUI Operator’s Report

   • Geoff presented the Operator Report received from Operator Representative Sam and EWUA, as follows:

     • Raw Intake Freeze

       • The freezing of the raw water intake further exposed the vulnerability of the aboveground section of the raw water line.

     • Sanitary Survey

       • Dept of Health (DOH) conducted a sanitary survey on Jan. 31st, 2024.

       • Operator is still waiting for DOH official report. However, DOH’s verbal commentary immediately following the survey was very positive.

       • DOH noted several points that will require either action or comment by OWUI and are expected to be listed on their survey report.

         • Continuing our efforts to reduce distribution system leakage.

           • DOH would like to see a 3-year average of below 10%

           • Including an E. Coli response plan in OWUI's Coliform Monitoring Plan

             • Operator recommend the Board appointing a representative or committee to work with Operator EWUA to cooperatively draft a response plan.

           • Update the Operations and Maintenance Manual

             •  Last Updated 2018

             • Review and Update as needed:

               • Cross-connection Control Program

               • Valve & Main Flushing Program

               • PRV Maintenance

               • Instrumentation Settings and Alarms

           • Modify tank hatch

             • The access hatch on the water tank needs modifications to improve the seal.

             • Consider hydraulically disconnecting smaller tank and/or lower shed

     • Active Distribution Projects

       • Removal of 'Sofaer Hydrant'

         • Island Ex was tasked with deleting the hydrant at 448 Pt Lawrence Rd

         • A wider section of the distribution system will need to be depressurized to complete this removal. Operator would like to set a date for the work to be completed and have the OWUI admin send out customer notification of the upcoming outage.

         • While this section of main is depressurized, Operator would also like to relocate the water service meter at 448 Pt Lawrence Rd. The current location is susceptible to freezing.

       • Replace the setter at 73 Olga Park Ln

         • Working with Island Ex to dig back the main to replace the entire service line and setter.

       • Filter Scrape

         • Both filters at the treatment plant are due for scraping .

         • Operator plans to perform the scraping and ripening process over the next few weeks

   • Geoff noted to the Board the following follow-up items:

     • E. coli Response Plan

       • Geoff to look into E. coli data and response plan requested by DOH. Geoff received template from DOH, and Geoff to work on response plan with Operator Sam and EWUA.

     • Standard Operating Procedures

       • DOH asked OWUI regarding its standard operating procedures. Because OWUI’s operations are contracted out to EWUA as the Operator for OWUI, OWUI responded to DOH that EWUA is responsible for performing operations safely. Guy suggested to the Board to request a copy of EWUA’s official Standard Operating Procedures, as these procedures are not itemized in the Operations & Maintenance agreement with OWUI.

     • Tank Hatch

       • Geoff will reach out to Sam and let Paul know that Paul can handle sheet metal fabrication to save money.

4. OWUI Administrator’s Report

   • Sue presented the following on behalf of Administration:

     • Member Billing / Receivables

       • 2024 Receivables to date:

         • $139,092 deposited to date:

           • $47,800.36 in past 3 deposits

         • Outstanding Member Accounts:

           • Will need to follow up with over 40 members regarding payment; Sue to re-email outstanding members with bill reminder.

       • At next Board Meeting, Sue to present updated Member Billing summary.

   • General Administration

     • Proposed Upgrades

       • Overall, OWUI’s current operating systems and administrative processes need updates to increase standardization, efficiency, and security, as well as to provide clearer communication and collaboration methods between Administration and Board Members.

       • OWUI physical filing also needs assessment for archiving.

       • Prior to next Board meeting, Sue to submit detailed proposal for proposed Administration upgrades for Board to evaluate and discuss at next regular Board Meeting.

5. Treasurer/Financial Report

   • As Treasurer, Guy presented the following regarding OWUI’s finances:

     • Financial Reporting

       • Bookkeeper

         • OWUI has retained a new bookkeeper, Jazmin Cicotti of Avid Accounting

         • Jazmin received OWUI’s reports and other financial information from Jerry Noesen, and Jazmin will be issuing reports to Guy each month.

       • Bank Accounts

         • Overall, OWUI has about $319,000 in total across accounts at WaFd and Banner Bank.

         • As approved earlier by the Board, Guy reported he created a high-yield account at Banner Bank to generate additional income for OWUI.

         • Guy was also previously approved to close WaFd account, and Guy reported he would proceed with the WaFd closure and then consolidate accounts at Banner Bank.

       • Accounts Payable/Bill Pay

         • Guy noted to the Board that bills were recently received by OWUI for T&M fees from Operator EWUA. Guy directed Sue to process bill payments via ACH.

     • Payroll

       • Due to the bookkeeper change, payroll was inadvertently no longer an automated process and temporarily lapsed at the end of January into early February.

       • Guy to connect with Jazmin and help ensure payroll processing occurs timely and on an automated schedule.

     • Upcoming Expenses

       • Guy asked the Board for any updates from Operator EWUA regarding potential T&M billing specific to the frost emergency.

       • To date, to Board Members had received any official estimates from Operator EWUA, and no such billing had been received.

       • Board members to evaluate Operator EWUA billing, if any such bill is received, and may take on further inquiries with Operator EWUA to have better visibility on costs.

     • Funding for meter replacement

       • Guy reported that funding for meter replacement may be available via Department of Health (DOH) or USDA, through a rural water low-interest revolving loan. Guy requested Geoff to contact DOH to look into whether “technical assistance” inquiries about the meter replacement need to be initiated online through DOH’s portal or can be otherwise communicated to DOH. Geoff agreed to contact DOH regarding OWUI’s assistance inquiry.

6. Operations and Maintenance Report

   • In Pat’s absence, Geoff relayed Operations report as noted above.

7.  Old Business:

   • Intertie Update

     • February 1, 2024, OWUI had a meeting with the Department of Health regarding the intertie project. Connecting to DOH was important for the intertie project, as DOH has previously and continued to encourage OWUI to engage in active communication with DOH and continued to welcome inquiries from OWUI. Overall, DOH expressed its need to receive additional data regarding the intertie. OWUI requested recordation of February 1 meeting, but DOH was unable to record the streaming video meeting due to a computer issue.

   • Next steps, smart meter effort with DBWUA

     • In reviewing smart meter upgrade plans, OWUI Board to shift to first prioritizing SWSMP and general “take care plan” for the intertie project, as DOH inquired about OWUI’s systems operations during DOH’s site visit on January 31, 2024 and DOH will need additional data for any next steps with intertie.

     • Geoff, Guy, and Dave agreed that meter updates are important to improve meter accuracy and leak detections.

     • Board to continue to keep smart meter/electronic meter upgrades in short-term goals for Board to accomplish.  

   • SWSMP status/strategy

     • In prioritizing SWSMP and intertie project, Board evaluated options for receiving guidance on current SWSMP and improvement plans.

     • Dave suggested that the Board contact Tom Walker and/or other parties for additional information on SWSMP implementation and best practices with inter-agency projects involving consultant(s) like Barry Buchanan, EWUA, DBWUA, Department of Ecology (ECY), and DOH.

     • Geoff agreed and is to contact Tom and DOH regarding SWSMP in support of getting SWSMP up and running.

8. New business

   • Frost emergency/ response plan

     • Geoff addressed the large frost emergency faced by OWUI members due to extreme weather conditions in Olga and across the island.

     • Dave suggested that OWUI contact Operator EWUA to professionally advise on any frost prevention processes to activate prior to the next near-to-below-freezing weather forecast. Guy and Paul agreed that OWUI should ask for prevention procedures or other specific steps to prevent severe frost in the future. Geoff to contact EWUA and ask.

     • Upon receiving response from EWUA, OWUI Board to review process to expedite frost response, as suggested by Dave, and consider standardizing such communication to OWUI members, as suggested by Guy.

   • Board public statement to acknowledge EWUA’s work during emergency

     • Prior to next Board Meeting and on behalf of OWUI Board, Geoff to draft acknowledgement statement and circulate to Board for review/approval before publishing.

9. Public Access: No other members of the public were present.

10. Next meeting time was scheduled for March 21, 2024, 5:00 PM

11. Adjournment: 6:28 PM