The Board of Directors of the Timber Creek River Water District (TCWD), Summit County, Colorado, met via online Zoom conference on May 31, 2023, for their regular quarterly meeting. The meeting was called to order by President Mark Petty at 5:00 p.m.
ROLL CALL
The following members of the Board of Directors were present, constituting a quorum: Mark Petty – President; Larry Nelson – Vice President & Treasurer; Stephen Schiell – Vice President & Assistant Secretary/Treasurer; Nick Konz – Director. Also present: Michele Tonti – Water District Board Advisor; Eric Hann – Water District Board Advisor; Kristin Ward – Water District Secretary; Scott Price – Executive Director.
DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
Mr. Price asked everyone if there were any known conflicts of interest on the Timber Creek Water District Board. He acknowledged that none were expressed.
CONSENT AGENDA
Mr. Price asked if anyone had questions or comments regarding the minutes or the Transaction Detail reports given to the Board. Mr. Schiell and Mr. Petty stated that they read them and had no changes.
Mr. Schiell made a motion to approve all items on the Consent Agenda. Mr. Petty seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
BOND REDEMPTION/PAYOFF
Mr. Price stated that the packet contains information from DJ (Donald Jones) regarding the remaining balance of the District’s bond. There was a discussion about the bond reserve account having more than enough to pay off the bond and the payoff is in the approved budget. Mr. Petty provided some historical context regarding the accelerated payments on the bond because almost no investments were made in system upgrades or repairs. He made a motion to pay off the debt using the special bond reserve funds.
Mr. Schiell seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S DISCUSSION ITEMS
Mr. Price provided a summary of water quality in the annual CCR, upcoming lead/copper testing, and normal weekly testing for disinfection and bacteria. He reviewed the production and data concerning the water plant and distribution system. He noted that the amount of water processed in April and May was significantly higher compared to previous years. He explained that the booster pumps were not shutting off as much as in the past, so he theorized that someone’s house probably had a toilet stuck open which was wasting approximately 6,000 gallons of water daily. Without having meters at each customer, there is no way to determine where the excess water is going, so there is no way to call someone to stop it. He stated that his team is working to get quotes from three vendors to supply a metering system where each customer will be charged for their measured water consumption, and he expects to present the information at the August meeting.
Mr. Price asked the Board if they would provide some budgetary guidance on the cost of a new metering system. Mr. Schiell asked if customers would be paying for the system. Mr. Price stated that this would be a Board decision. Other districts make the homeowner pay a fee and install the meter provided by the District, but the cost of the software and data collection technology is paid by the district. Mr. Schiell requested more breakdown of the costs of a system before deciding what part would be paid by the customers and what part would be paid for by the District. Mr. Petty stated that the Board has deferred a decision on meters because it was not viewed as necessary, but if the cost is not prohibitive, then the budget may allow it next year. The board members agreed that they need to understand the technology and costs before they debate who pays for it.
Mr. Price reviewed the planned projects for the upcoming months. He explained that Rob Theobald is repairing the driveway to the pump house and creating access to Well #1 and the Well Meter Vault. Mr. Price stated that he is working on metering the wells as the highest priority. He expects the project to cost about $20,000 this summer.
Mr. Price explained the fire flow testing by Red, White, and Blue fire department. He shared that the existing fire pumps are currently manually operated, but he is making improvements to the system that will turn on a fire pump automatically based on software setpoints. The improvements are in the budget and will be significant upgrades. He expects to pass the fire flow tests before the August meeting, and the anticipated costs for the project will be about $10,000.
Mr. Price introduced the discussion regarding homeowner curb stops. He reviewed the February situation with a leak inside a customer’s house. The key problems were that the leak was upstream of the house’s indoor shutoff valve, and the curb stop was inoperable. He reiterated that the District’s Rules and Regulations stipulate that the ownership and responsibility of the curb stop is the homeowner’s because the valve is on their property.
He then asked the Board for guidance on the scope of work for a special project to locate, inspect, and test all of the curb stops in the District. Ms. Tonti recommended an extensive project on a one-time basis for the District to find all of the curb stops, if possible, and testing them with the homeowners. Mr. Petty suggested putting forth the effort and cost to find as many as possible, as well as determine if they are operable with a key. However, he expressed a reluctance to test the water flow inside the house to confirm the valve was shut. Mr. Konz asked Mr. Price if experience would lead us to believe most valves will work. Mr. Price answered that his understanding from other water operators is that most curb stop valves will work in a district, but that many are bent or have rocks and dirt that prevent the key from reaching the valve and turning the water off.
Mr. Petty stated that he would like to inform the homeowners of the status after Mr. Price’s team conducts the project. Mr. Schiell agreed to let the owners know that it is their responsibility to repair and maintain the valves. He noted that it is important for the District to know where they are located. Mr. Petty stated that we may need to get legal advice on how to inform owners about their curb stop status. Ms. Tonti suggested that Mr. Price is embarking on an educational process and a PR opportunity. She recommended that the project invest an adequate amount of time and effort into communication which will increase the project costs. Mr. Price said he will plan to attend the HOA meeting, talk to the condo property management, and share the findings with homeowners. He acknowledged that this is a particularly important, yet sensitive project for the customers. He pledged to communicate as much as possible with the customers.
Mr. Konz asked what it would cost to rent the equipment to find the hard-to-locate curb stops. Mr. Price said that his understanding the cost of rental would be about $3,500 per day, but if the house has a PVC/plastic service line without a tracer wire, then the equipment would not be productive. Mr. Price confirmed that he will work on the project this summer to locate and evaluate the operability of the curb stops, without actually testing that the valve turns off the water. He will attempt to hire a subcontractor with skilled employees and equipment to locate the hidden curb stops.
Mr. Nelson stated that he looked for the curb stops for the condo buildings several times in years past, but he never found them. Mr. Price said he had discussed those curb stops with Rob Theobald, and they exist on the west side of the buildings, but no one currently knows the locations.
There was more discussion among the board members regarding the legal ramifications if the curb stops are not found, if a curb stop is inoperable, or if a homeowner chooses not to comply with the regulations for PRV installation. Mr. Petty directed Mr. Price to contact the attorneys about how best to protect the District if homeowners do not spend the money to get their water system working properly.
Mr. Price restated the regulations about PRV. Legally, if pressure problems inside a house cause a leak or damage, then the District is not responsible. It is common for a water district’s distribution system to provide a pressure such as 90 to 110 PSI, and the PRV inside a house can be set to reduce the pressure to 60-75 PSI. He will communicate to the homeowners that they are taking a large risk if they do not have a properly functioning PRV, and the District will not enforce the regulation with inspections. Mr. Hann recommended that the communication include an approximate cost of the damage from not having water shutoffs working correctly or quoting the TCE homeowner that had a leak.
Mr. Price introduced the idea of a new website for TCWD. There is a state agency called Statewide Internet Portal Authority that provides a free hosting platform for special districts, and the current website hosting platform is difficult to manage and update. He is converting the website at another district to the SIPA platform, and if it goes well, he would like the authority to move TCWD’s site to the SIPA technology. Even though the SIPA platform is hosted for free, the website content will be a separate project to convert what is useful and create new content for customers. Mr. Petty made a motion to give Mr. Price approval to change the hosting technology if he deems it an improvement to the current website. Mr. Konz seconded the motion. It passed unanimously.
Mr. Price stated that he will research options for a billing system that would provide the ability for customers to log into a portal and manage their water account. No decision is needed because he will provide more information when it is available. This new technology will be useful if a meter system is installed.
REVIEW AND ACCEPTANCE OF FIRST QUARTER FINANCIALS
Mr. Jones was not in the Zoom conference, but he texted Mr. Price to indicate that he had technology problems preventing his attending via Zoom. Mr. Price provided a brief summary of the financial statements and asked if anyone had any questions. Mr. Price described the estimated costs of capital projects that are upcoming such as the well meter installation, pump house repainting inside and outside, and fire pumps improvements. Mr. Schiell thanked Mr. Nelson for his excellent services as Treasurer.
Mr. Schiell made a motion to accept the first quarter financials. Mr. Petty seconded. It passed unanimously.
OTHER COMMENTS
Mr. Petty recommended that the Board consider a project to amend TCWD Rules and Regulations to update the water rates and cleanup any issues such as clarifying the curb stop ownership. There was no discussion, but Mr. Price said that he would draft items that he thinks should be changed. He expected to begin such a review later in the year after completing the high priority projects in the task list. Mr. Petty stated that the attorneys will need to approve all language, and the Board will need to approve any changes.
Mr. Schiell shared that the HOA board is concerned about the fire hydrants being covered in snow in the winter. Ms. Tonti noted that the town’s snow plows will sometimes bury a hydrant, and one of her neighbors was upset because she felt the hidden hydrant would be a safety problem. Mr. Price stated that his team has documented the location of each hydrant, and the fire department would be able to access the hydrants in an emergency. Mr. Petty stated that he uses his equipment to periodically clean up the snow around the hydrants. Ms. Tonti thanked Mr. Petty for going above and beyond to help the community. Mr. Price stated that his team will periodically shovel out hydrants to operate them and take water samples during the winter.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the Board, Mr. Schiell motioned to adjourn the meeting at 6:23pm. Mr. Konz seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.