12/12/18

Plenty of activity happening at the moment. The fire station, LeMay, the Armory, Highway 12 meters, Highway 12 cast iron pipe replacement, and the new billing software.

Budget Position Report

Receipts for November were $59,793.37. Expenditures were $54,934.76 plus the semi-annual USDA payment of $25,197.00. So total cash out was $80,131.76.

So far this year we have contributed $96,929.92 to reserves.

The really good news is that actual November receipts were over $90,000. We will have to write a partial check to the Treasurer until we build up more cash in the checking account.

Treasurer’s Report:

The Treasurer’s Report is where all the numbers come together. If everything balances and agrees in the Treasurer’s Report, then all the transactions have been entered and are correct.

That is the case for November.

The money we can spend is in the Regular Maintenance Fund, at $425,125, and the General Facilities Fund at $93,348. So total funds available to operate the District are $518,473.

I notice that the 402 Revenue Bond Reserve fund and the 404 Debt Service Fund are mixed up. The 402 fund should have a fixed balance of $50,394. The 404 fund should show the ins and outs of making the USDA payment. I will need to get that fixed. I will probably enlist Bias’s aid in the endeavor.

Operational Issues

I have moved Operational Issues to a separate sheet. There is no need to wander through these at every meeting.

When new ones come up I will introduce them in the Manager’s Report. Once introduced they will get moved to the Operational Issues sheet.

New Issue:

Highway 12 cast iron pipe.

Highway 12 Cast Iron Pipe Replacement

I have an estimate of $3,400 + recording fees from Berglund-Schmidt for the surveying. I have urged Mike to get rolling.

Billing System

The new billing system is in place and initial training has occurred. As of this writing we have just dealt with our first deposit.

The first go-around was an adventure, but we are getting the hang of it. As with all new software applications, the processes of getting the information into the application and the appropriate reports out requires some study and experimentation.

My initial assessment is that the Cash Receipting module will greatly streamline that function while maintaining the checks and balances favored by the State Auditor.

We were able to cut out two off-line tasks. The first was the daily receipt log. That function now takes place inside the application when the receipts are recorded. The second is recording the deposit in the Accounting module. That now happens automatically when the deposit is posted in the Cash Receipting module.

The reconciliation between the receipts, the stubs and the deposit now happens in a much more efficient fashion.

Another area that has been of concern is the time gap between the time we receive a credit card payment and the time it actually is deposited in the bank. There has been a gap in the accounting between those two events. The new Cash Receipting module tracks the credit card payments. Bias records the credit receipts in the General Ledger, which is going to complicate my balancing the checkbook at the end of the month. The key will be taking a daily report from Point-n-Pay.

Water Usage

Please see the Production Summary included in your packets. For the 12 months ended 12/31/17 we averaged 11,054,100 gallons per month. For the 11 months ended 11/30/18 we averaged 12,098,077 gallons per month.

The averages have been skewed by the leak.

921 Garden Road

I neglected to make a note on our conversation at the November meeting. What did we decide?

Big Leak

Found. The leak ended up being in the water main on the north side of Highway 12 about 0.10 miles west of the Bryrwood intersection. This water main begins on the south side of the highway at Bryrwood, crosses the highway, proceeds west to Schrader Lane.

There was an isolation valve across the highway from Bryrwood, where the 6” north side main tees off the 8” south side main, and another just east of the Deer Park intersection, also on the north side. There are only two homes on the north side in that stretch.

We had some difficulty in isolating at the east end because the water main is five feet deep and our longest valve key is only four feet long. We were able to borrow a longer valve key from the City of Aberdeen. I will be ordering a six-foot valve key some time today, as this is not the first time we have run into this problem. Between the east and west shutoffs there are only two connections.

Not only is the main down five feet, at the point of the failure there is a 24” culvert laid above and parallel to the water main. There is about 5” of separation between the top of the water main and the bottom of the culvert. Because of the presence of the culvert and the depth of the water main we had to excavate down to about seven feet. That resulted in a larger than anticipated excavation because we had to have room to install the shoring, have an access slope, and still maneuver the cutoff saws.

We found the leak to be a radial crack almost completely around the pipe. I will have the section of pipe at the meeting.

The as-built information we have lists this pipe as asbestos-cement. It is not. It is iron. We have as-builts from the 1960’s showing this pipe as AC. However, those as-builts appear to have been derived from earlier information (which I have been unable to locate). If the iron pipe was installed prior to 1960, then it is surely cast iron. Ductile iron was not generally available until into the 1960’s and was not common until into the 1970’s.

See “Operational Issues” included in your packet. This is the only new item, though the dump trailer has been removed to the Manager’s Report as a 2019 budget item.

Reynvaan Reservoir

Repairs are awaiting dryer weather.

Maintenance Activity:

Usual daily/weekly/monthly maintenance activity. See attached report.

Contractor Repairs

The big leak, though detected in November, was not repaired until the first week of December. We have not seen the bill yet.

Hill Road Water Main

I am putting this project on hold. I just don’t see where we can squeeze out the money. It will remain in the report as a place holder.

Well Site Fence

I will solicit for estimates after the first of the year.

Highway 12 Meters

Installation is underway. As of this writing 37 meters have been installed. There was a slow down as we searched for the leak.

Night Drop

I have acquired a suitable night drop. I had been looking at the suppliers who provide the hardware for banks. Very expensive.

I accidentally ran across hardware that is quite suitable, less secure than bank equipment, and reasonably priced.

I have two estimates coming for installation. Basically, whoever gets me their estimate first gets the job, provided it is within reason.

Shop Organization

Will revisit next month.

Training/Certifications.

I need to get Mick signed up for flagger training.

Safety

We have a mini safety meeting every morning. We will be focusing on cold weather issues.

In view of Kenny’s knee injury (which seems to be healing well) I was instructed to acquire the dump trailer as soon as possible. I haven’t had the chance to run down to Chehalis.

Vehicles

Service Truck: No issues.

F-150: No Issues

S-10: No issues. Have not followed up on searching for a used seat.

Pickup Truck: No Issues

New Connections

A person has purchased all of the vacant lots on Hunley Road with the intention of building a single family residence.

We have agreed to run an extended service lateral (I know, I know) along Hunley Road (about 75 feet) to serve that single family residence.

He has been informed that should he (or a subsequent property owner) elect to build additional residences on any of the properties, a Developer Extension Agreement will be required and the District will require a 6” looped main with fire hydrant(s).

Old Shop Building Gutters & Downspouts

I have an $1,100 estimate. Gave the go ahead. No action as of this writing.

Shop Site South Fence

No progress in November.

Alder Glen & Etc.

No news in November. Work orders are still out for the dead end lines that have not been examined.

Carl Way/Ridgeview: Not an issue

Hemlock Park

Lois Lane Not an issue

Waverly Court Not an issue

Garden Road: Not an issue

Walthom Lane: Not an issue

Greenbriar Court

Reynvaan Court

Madow Court

Reed Lane Not an issue

Blaine Road (End) Not an issue

Larson Lane Not an issue

Fremont Drive

Silkey Court

Lake Road

Hemlock Park

Fairway Park

River Road: Replaced

Alder Glen: Will need replacement.

Fairway Terrace: Will need replacement.

Filing System

No action in November.

Web Page

I am moving the web page item from “On Hold Projects” to its own section. I have been using a Face Book page to get word out to the community on a more regular basis than just the newsletters.

This has proven to be generally quite successful.

However, it has some serious flaws. The first being the evolution of Face Book. They are really driving hard to develop revenue, and the result is both annoying and inconvenient. The second is that not everybody has, or even wants, a Face Book account.

So I will start examining the best approach to developing a web page.

Armory

This project is complete with the exception of some paperwork. The owner needs to provide the easement assignment, as-built drawings, and the bill of sale.

LeMay Project

The project is underway. The pump house foundation has been staked out and the pipe runs to the pump house are installed.

I expect by the time you read this the foundation for the pump house will have been poured.

Fire Station

No apparent action in November

Big Ridge Lodge

No actions in November.

Disaster Management Planning

No action on the plan outline in November.

Isolation Valve Exercise Program

This is another Sanitary Survey item. It has been on my to-do list since 2012.

Nothing new in November

Future and/or On-Hold Programs

Email Bills

Online Bill Pay

Unfunded “Dream” Projects

Include Reynvaan Pump Station in SCADA

Probably will require new controls, which are getting due anyway

Include Hirschbeck Pump Station in SCADA

Convert SCADA Communications to Cellular, or whatever.

Replace Office Carpet DEFERRED

Remove carpet and paint concrete?

Long Distance Service Laterals

Any thoughts would be welcome.

Respectfully Submitted:

Reg Hearn

General Manager