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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 07/07/1997UTILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE Port Angeles, Washington July 7, 1997 L Call to Order: Chairman Braun called the meeting to order at 3:07 p.m. II. Roll Call: Members Present: Councilmen Braun, Campbell, and Doyle, and Bill Myers. Members Absent: Joe Michalczik. Staff Present: C. Knutson, B. Titus, J. Pittis, B. Jones, R. Ellsworth, and S. McLain. III. Approval of Minutes: Bill Myers moved to approve the minutes of the June 9, 1997, meeting. Councilman Ca~npbell seconded the motion, which carried unanhnously. IV. Discussion Items: A. Solid Waste Survey Chairman Braun reviewed the information provided by the Public Works and Utilities Department and asked Public Works Director Pittis for further comment. Director Pittis felt the results of the survey favored the conversion to 90 gallon waste containers. In response to a question, Director Pittis stall that there is currently a handicap/senior route that provides individual service to those who cannot put their containers out for pick up. When the new containers are delivered, people can be polled as to whether or not they need special service. Staff has been concerned that the majority of citizens would favor conversion, but would desire to continue weekly pick up. This would necessitate additional equipment and manpower. The survey showed that 50% of those who responded wish to continue with weekly pick up, which makes biweekly service manageable for those who prefer it. Director Pittis then reviewed the possible changes to revenue if rates are reduced for biweekly collections. Director Pittis pointed out that switching to 90 gallon containers would give people the incentive to recycle. Discussion followed, and Councilman Doyle expressed concern over lost revenue. Bob Jones, Superintendent of Solid Waste, explained that the Finance Department will be asked to perform a cost of service analysis, as money is being saved by calling the landfill bonds and this will also have an impact on the revenue stream. Increased recycling will extend the life of the landfill, and this could potentially benefit the utility also. -1- Utility Advisory Committee July 7, 1997 Discussion ensued regarding the pros and cons of weekly vs. biweekly garbage pick up and 90 vs. 300 gallon containers. Councilman Doyle suggested that instead of decreasing rates for biweekly pick up, rates be increased for weekly pick up thereby eliminating revenue loss. Director Pittis pointed out that switching to 90 gallon containers would extend the life of the hydraulic equipment, which would also be a cost savings. Director Pittis reminded the Committee that this is just an update of information, and once a cost of service analysis has been completed, this item will be brought back to the UAC for further discussion. No action was taken. B. Approach to Deal with Lead/Copper Rule (Corrosion Control) Chairman Braun reviewed the information provided by the Public Works Department and invited Director Pittis to give further input. Director Pittis stated that part of the Clean Water Act was to test water systems for lead and copper content. The City's testing resulted in the determination that the water system did not meet State standards for copper by one test. A plan to gain compliance with the requirements must be developed. Director Pittis explained why the City is responsible for making the correction and how the tested homes were chosen. Discussion followed, and Director Pittis provided clarification on several of the issues. Director Pittis reviewed the possible scenarios for correcting the corrosiveness problem and the pros and cons of each. He stated staff would like to delay correction of the corrosiveness problem until all water reservoirs have been covered, as he believes this will help alleviate the problem and be a better expenditure of funds for water quality improvement. Reservoir covers are contained in the Capital Facility Plan, and staff hopes to qualify the Black Diamond and Peabody Heights reservoirs for assistance from the Public Works Trust Fund Loan program. CH2MHill has been approached to develop a cost proposal to develop the compliance plan and schedule. There was lengthy discussion of the issue, and Director Pittis responded to questions posed by the Committee. No action was taken. C. Landfill Status - FAA Letter Chairman Braun reviewed the information contained in the packet and invited Director Pittis to comment. Director Pittis cited from the second paragraph of the FAA's letter to the County and stated the City is in the process of preparing a wildlife management plan. This was the first time the FAA has put in writing that the City may operate the landfill until the year 2000. Director Pittis and Manager Pomeranz spoke to the gentleman preparing the wildlife plan, and he was looking for solutions, not problems. He is not discouraged by what he has found at the landfill site. The crows are a bigger problem than seagulls, but this may be manageable by moving the crows' nesting site. -2- Utility Advisory Committee July 7, 1997 Brief discussion followed. No action was taken. D. Information on Six-Year T1P/CFP (Utilities Only) Deputy Director Titus stated staff has been updating the Capital Facility Plan (CFP), and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is being rolled into the CFP. The State require that this be adopted in July. The public hearing for all the projects will be held on July 15, 1997. Brief discussion followed, and Director Pittis and Deputy Director Titus responded to questions posed by the Committee regarding project priorities. This was for information only. No action was taken. E. NWPPA Conferences and Seminars Deputy Director Titus stated that he thought the UAC may be interested in attending some of the conferences and seminars sponsored by the NWPPA. On July 28 and 29, 1997, in Tacoma, there is a session on telecommunications opportunities. The Cities of Tacoma, as well as three other utilities, are already moving in that direction. Even if Port Angeles chooses not to go in this direction, someone else will probably move into the area to provide these types of services as a package. This would be an opportunity to become more familiar with the issues, terminology, etc. This was for information only. F. BPA Meeting on July 28, 1997 Deputy Director Titus stated that the Bonneville representative would be available to meet with the UAC and/or Council members on the afternoon of July 28, 1997. It would also be an opportunity for staff to get first hand information also. The Committee directed Mr. Titus to schedule a special Council/UAC meeting with Chuck Forman of BPA at 2:00 p.m., Monday, July 28, 1997. V. Information Only A. Issue Paper on Utility Diversity - Background Only Deputy Director Titus again stated that more and more utilities are branching out and getting into other areas. He reviewed the information contained in his issue paper. Brief discussion followed. No action was needed or taken. B. Resolution of Welcome Inn Trailer Park Issue Deputy Director Titus stated that the major issues have been resolved. Mr. Hopper can participate -3- Utility Advisory Committee July 7, 1997 in the landlord notification program, which will alleviate the problem of him having to pay utility bills if a tenant does not. A conversion date will be rescheduled. No action was needed. VI. Late Items At Chairman Braun's request, Director Pittis provided an update of the negotiations with PUD for renewal of the water agreement. VII. Next Meeting: The next meeting of the Utility Advisory Committee will be held Monday, August 11, 1997, at 3:00 p.m. VIII. Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 4:50 p.m. Chtirma~ Deputy City Clerk -4-