CRANE LAKE WATER & SANITARY DISTRICT (CLWSD)
BOARD OF MANAGERS’ REGULAR MEETING
Crane Lake Chapel Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, November 6, 2024 – 1:00 PM
Members present: Mark Anderson, Bonnie Caughey, Deena Congdon and Rob Scott. Also present: Clerk/Treasurer Jo Ann Pohlman and pumper truck driver Craig Campbell.
Members absent: Darrell Scott.
The meeting was called to order at 1:10PM.
Opening Comments: Craig Campbell’s report on the pumper truck sludge issue and pumper truck options was moved to the beginning of the meeting.
Craig reported that VHB was aware of gasoline being introduced into the houseboat grinder tank since July but did not report to the District. The District was infusing extra chemical into the system from July on, but could not determine why it was needed. The District team became aware of the situation while pumping out the VHB houseboat tank last week. The proper authorities were contacted immediately and steps were taken to remedy the incident. The Board discussed ways to avoid the situation in the future. A motion was made by R. Scott, supported by B. Caughey, to have Rob Scott, Jr. and Craig Campbell procure a detection device for the VHB houseboat tank, to be installed before operations begin in the spring, that would shut down the system when gasoline is detected. All voted in favor and the motion carried. VHB is responsible for the clean-up.
The District’s pumper truck is 30 years old, the transmission is bad and the engine is missing. The Board is discussing their options, which include – purchasing a new truck, purchasing a used truck, or repairing the current truck.
Minutes: A motion was made by B. Caughey, supported by M. Anderson, to approve the minutes of the 10/2/24 Regular Meeting. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
Correspondence: The correspondence list was reviewed by the Board. A motion was made by M. Anderson, supported by R. Scott, that the correspondence be placed on file and acted upon as required. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
Treasurer’s Report: Clerk/Treasurer J. Pohlman presented the September 2024 Financial Statements, which were Previous Year Comparisons and had been reviewed with Jennifer of Glorvigen, to the Board. October payroll: Admin – $2,179.00 & Operating – $10,676.50. Payroll Taxes: PERA – $1,542.96, Fed Dep. – $2,665.30 & MN – $375.00. A motion was made by M. Anderson, supported by R. Scott, to accept the Treasurer’s Report as presented and to approve the October bills as follows: Admin – $1,856.94 & Operating – $36,302.82. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
Funding Balances: The balances were reviewed with the Board. The MPCA-CWP Loan was unchanged.
Projections: The Board reviewed the Revenue & Expense Projections spreadsheet showing past actual data, as well as, projections through 2026.
Levy Considerations (Admin/Operations): The Board is reviewing their account distribution within the District funds with the advice of their accountants.
Administration
- Rate Study: D. Congdon & Bonnie Caughey will provide a report at the December meeting.
- Delinquent Accounts: The District is working to resolve issues with customers that have past due balances and will not need to certify any accounts to St. Louis County at this time.
- Board Appointment: Rob Scott’s and Mark Anderson’s positions on the Board are up for appointment by the Town Board in December.
- Board Requirement – Reduce from 5 to 3 Managers. Legislative action would be needed to do this. The Board will continue to research this.
- Berling Land Use Permit Approval. A motion was made by M. Anderson, supported by R. Scott, that the Berling land use permit application proposal may be issued as proposed by St. Louis County. All voted in favor and the motion carried.
CLWSD Meeting Minutes –November 6, 2024
Joint Powers Board
- State and Federal Grant Funding: 1.2Million has been approved by the Clean Water Council, per the JPB request. The amount that Crane Lake will receive to continue ISTS installations is yet to be determined.
- WWTP Testing: The expense of required testing at the plant is extremely high. R. Scott requested that the JPB help in the search for a remedy. Jason Chopp stated that others in St. Louis County are also complaining about the excessive expense.
S.E.H. Engineering Update
- District Update: There was no update needed.
O & M. (Decentralized)
- Management Program Update: A report of current ISTS activity was presented to the Board. Installations are complete for the season.
- Yearly O&M Review: Pumping & inspection of ISTSs is nearly complete.
O & M Update (Centralized)
- Operations Report: Rob Scott Jr. provided the following report: We met all the MPCA effluent limits for the month of September. The plant is operating well. The influent volume has been decreasing which is typical for this time of year. Mn Pump came up last week and replaced those leaky sludge valves in the plant. We will be starting to cover the grinder stations and turn on the water infusions this week to be ready for winter weather operations.
- Maintenance Facility: There was no action.
- Maintenance Vehicle: There was no action.
- Winterization: Winterization of grinder stations and the plant will begin as stated in Rob Scott Jr.’s report above.
Public Comments: There were none.
The meeting was adjourned at 2:30PM
Jo Ann Pohlman, Clerk
NEXT MEETING: Board of Manager’s Meeting – December 4, 2024 – 1:00PM, Fellowship Hall
This draft of the CLWSD minutes has been posted solely for preliminary informational purposes. Minutes are unofficial and subject to change until they have been approved by the CLWSD Board of Managers.
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