The Board of Directors of the Timber Creek River Water District (TCWD), Summit County, Colorado, met via online Zoom conference on November 13th, 2024, for their regular quarterly meeting. The meeting was called to order by Executive Director Scott Price 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; Jim Peif - Director; Nick Konz - Secretary; Also present: Michele Tonti - Water District Consultant; Eric Hann - Water District Consultant; Donald Jones - Breckenridge Bookkeeping; Scott Price – Executive Director and District Administrator; Jon Drees – Manager with Quality Water Management Inc.
DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
Mr. Drees asked everyone if there were any known conflicts of interest on the Timber Creek Water District Board. None were expressed.
CONSENT AGENDA
Mr. Drees reviewed the Consent Agenda, which included the following items:
Approval of Minutes – Regular Meeting August 15, 2024
Approval of Transaction Reports for August, September, and October
Mr. Petty made a motion to approve all items on the Consent Agenda. Mr. Nelson seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
PUBLIC HEARING FOR APPROVING TCWD 2025 BUDGET
Mr. Drees opened the public hearing for the approval of the TCWD 2025 Budget. Mr. Price summarized the proposed budget, highlighting key changes and adjustments; increases in insurance were particularly of note. There were no public comments. Mr. Petty made a motion to approve the TCWD 2025 Budget as presented. Mr. Nelson seconded the motion. The budget was approved unanimously.
APPROVAL OF RESOLUTION FOR 2025 ELECTION OFFICIAL
Mr. Drees presented the resolution for the 2025 election official, stating that Mr. Petty and Mr Peif’s positions are up for re-election. Mr. Petty made a motion to approve the resolution designating Sarah as the election official. Mr. Konz seconded the motion. The resolution was approved unanimously.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S DISCUSSION ITEMS
Mr. Drees directed the Board’s attention to the Operations Report in the packet. He summarized the water production, noting that it is within expectations. There was a brief discussion regarding water consumption, power outages, historical issues, and the stability of the system resulting from equipment updates.
Mr. Drees provided a summary of fire hydrant testing and maintenance conducted by an outside specialist company. There was a discussion about the booster pumps, SCADA controls, and anticipated improvements in the coming months.
Mr. Price explained the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) and its recent revisions (LCRR). Mr. Drees provided an overview of the requirements to survey all service lines in the district. He reported that the inventory results indicate there are no lead service lines within the Timber Creek Water District. This is positive news, as the upcoming regulations will require districts to mitigate any lead present in their distribution systems. The data for the inventory was gathered with assistance from Sunshine Engineering, confirming the district's compliance with the new standards.
Mr. Nelson asked about microplastics in the water and whether the district should test for them. Mr. Price responded that there are currently no regulations for microplastics, but there is significant concern from the EPA regarding PFAS (also known as forever chemicals). He explained that while there is no immediate health risk, the accumulation of these chemicals in the body has led to regulations setting a very low threshold of four parts per trillion. Mr. Petty suggested waiting for CDPHE to request testing. Mr. Price committed to presenting more information about microplastics and PFAS at the next meeting.
Mr. Petty made a motion to authorize Quality Water Management to test for PFAS. Mr. Peif seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Mr. Price discussed the current property insurance situation, noting the increase in costs and the need to ensure adequate coverage for district assets.
Mr. Drees informed the board about the update to the website domain, transitioning to the state’s hosting service. The board decided that it is no longer necessary to pay to keep the previous domain active.
A review of this year’s sanitary survey was conducted. The only issue noted was the inability to provide a copy of the fire station’s backflow prevention device testing results from 2022. The CDPHE representative suggested conducting a survey of cross connections in all homes with fire suppression systems. An outside third-party company was hired to lead the survey and document the findings. Three homes were found to have cross connections, each equipped with a testable backflow prevention device. One device was replaced, and the other two homes will be scheduled for testing.
REVIEW AND ACCEPTANCE OF THIRD QUARTER FINANCIALS
Mr. Jones guided the board in reviewing the third quarter financial reports. There was discussion about utilizing a new feature in QuickBooks to allow customers to cover the fee for paying invoices. The board showed interest in utilizing this feature when available. Mr. Konz made a motion to approve the financials. Mr. Nelson seconded the motion. The financials were approved unanimously.
UPDATE REGARDING CASH INVESTMENT ACCOUNT
Mr. Drees discussed options for cash investment accounts, recommending Colo Trust for its interest-bearing savings options. Mr. Petty moved to park 250,000 in Colo Trust, keeping 50,000 in the operating account for liquidity. Mr. Konz seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr. Petty made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 6:15pm. Mr. Nelson seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.