Board Meeting Minutes – September 14, 2015 – 3:00 pm
McKilligan’s Residence 4705 Highway 31
Trustees present: Gillian Froese, Lance McLaren, Ron McKilligan, Laurie Hartland (4:45 pm)
Secretary Treasurer: Tammy Horick
- Meeting called to order at 3:15 pm.
- Approval of agenda
a) MOTION to approve agenda. Moved by Ron McKilligan, seconded by Gillian Froese. All in favour. Passed.
- Approval of last Trustee minutes (August)
a) MOTION to approve August meeting minutes. Moved by Lance McLaren, seconded by Gillian Froese. All in favour. Passed.
- Approval of Financial Report (Tammy Horick)
a) As of August 31, 2015, FCID has
– $141,897.32 in Cash plus $1,919.84 still expected in 2015 tax revenues, including late payment penalties.
– $235,373.22 in Total Liabilities and Equity, which includes capital assets.
b) Income Statement to August 31, 2015. Changes in August:
– Late payment penalties added to revenue
– Payroll expenses of $683.11 for 32 hours of Secretary Treasurer
– Payroll expenses for 2015 likely to be higher than budgeted ($9,500 instead of $7,900).
c) Balance Statement to August 31, 2015
– ING account closed, $57,285.82 transferred to KSCU
d) Two GICs created on Sept 2, 2015 at 1.03% (rate dropped on Sept 1, 2015), redeemable after 90 days:
– Capital Expenditure Charge per Bylaw 2: $19,823.38
– Renewal Reserve per Bylaw 60: $37,528.06
e) Term deposit of $40,000 matures in 2017
ACTION: Tammy to find out if and when the term deposit can be broken.
f) Cash availability:
– about $43,000 in cash is available immediately,
– about $57,000 will be available December 2, and
– $40,000 to be determined
g) MOTION to accept August financials as circulated. Moved by Gillian Froese, seconded by Ron McKilligan. All in favour. Passed.
- Maintenance Report (Ron McKilligan)
a) Water continues to be clear, the level was fine at its lowest and frequent rains started shortly after it was last checked.
b) Discussed:
– if there was any value to checking the level and condition of Fletcher Lake, and
– holding an open house/field trip for members to see the water intake and learn about the water system.
c) MOTION to accept August maintenance report. Moved by Gillian Froese, seconded by Lance McLaren. All in favour.
OLD BUSINESS
- Action items from last Trustee minutes
a) ACTION: Tammy to send reminders to members with outstanding taxes.
b) Funds from ING closure put in GIC’s. See Financial Report.
c) ACTION: Ask Pat Gibbings if she can help convert bylaws to soft copy, either scanned or typed, as appropriate.
ACTION: Tammy to get missing bylaw 43 from Local Government Branch.
d) Members notified of new water restriction dates in August 2015 Newsletter.
e) Revised welcome package emailed to trustees and mailed out to new members, Josef and Gudrun Riegler.
f) Graham Gilbert sent turbidity results to fletchercreekwater@gmail.com, and asked about the value of collecting these.
– There is no IHA requirement. FCID now has over 3 years of bi-weekly turbidity data, and spring runoff is the time when this is most likely to be a concern.
ACTION: Lance to notify Graham and Robert Cunliffe that turbidity testing will be suspended until March 15, at which time the need for it will be reviewed.
ACTION: Tammy to thank Graham and Robert for their volunteer time in the next Newsletter or on the website.
g) Hagensborg Waterworks District letter revised and sent out per Co-Chair Laurie Hartland.
h) Pennywise web package downgraded to web hosting only as of September 1, 2015. Now $22/month (was $30/month including weekly ad). Last BWA notice ad was placed in August.
ACTION: Tammy to place BWA notice ads quarterly, next ad in November.
i) Laurie shared a 2010 letter from IHA detailing water license requirements. FCID is moving forward on all of the items and IHA hasn’t expressed any concerns.
j) ACTION: POE information letter from 2011 FCID package to be reviewed by trustees.
k) 2015 AGM minutes and financials sent to members.
l) August 2015 Newsletter sent to members and posted to website.
m) Laurie and Lance didn’t have to email AquaClean because:
– Ron realized the reason for AquaClean’s higher quote. AquaClean includes a prefilter and The Water Guy only said that a prefilter would be extra. In particular, AquaClean’s 12 gallons per minute (gpm) unit includes a relatively expensive next Sand prefilter, accounting for the unit difference of about $1,000.
– Laurie found a 2011 quote from AquaClean that states a POU unit is about the same cost as a POE unit:
“POU costs are almost the same as that of a 8 GPM unit and therefore we feel that it would be self-defeating (i.e. cold-water in bathrooms and other points of use would be unsafe for consumption) to not treat the whole house. However if it is absolutely desired, a 2.5 gpm unit meeting NSF55 can be provided”
The Water Guy said a POU unit wasn’t available. While AquaClean’s position may have changed since 2011, the above advice regarding POU is still relevant.
n) Pam Ellsay requested a quote from AquaClean for an individual POE unit. FCID did appear to get a bulk discount of a few hundred dollars per unit (Action item from June).
- POE/POU treatment plan
a) Aqua Clean (Trail):
– has references (Gar Creek and other jobs known informally to trustees),
– is closer and done a lot of work in this area,
– can provide a list of installers,
– provides a little bit better information, more specific.
b) The Water Guy (Cranbrook)
– is more attentive and quicker to respond,
– appears competent but hasn’t provided specific references and trustees don’t know any local examples of their work,
– is much further away and concerns were again raised about implementation and maintenance from Cranbrook. Travel costs ARE included in their quote.
c) Cost comparison
– 8 gpm unit prices are comparable because AquaClean’s spindown prefilter is relatively inexpensive.
– 12 gpm unit is more expensive with AquaClean because of the next Sand prefilter
– Next Sand prefilter may extend the life of the unit, be easier to maintain, and be more convenient for members.
d) Maintenance comparison
– Both vendors have offered to do maintenance if several units are done at once.
e) Discussion of how best to treat members equitably:
– FCID could provide the same unit for all residences (e.g. 12 gpm) even if it means overbuilding. e.g. a small cabin would receive a unit adequate for a large house. All members receive the same direct benefit, but this would result in a greater overall expense to FCID.
– FCID could use a standard water system planning table that recommends the minimum unit size to install according to # bedrooms and # bathrooms. Larger houses would receive a larger unit, and a larger direct benefit, but this implementation is cheaper to FCID overall.
– FCID may set a maximum amount to be paid for by FCID per connection (e.g. value of a 12 gpm unit).
f) Homeowners could be asked to pay for:
– upgrading to an extra large unit (e.g. greater than 12 gpm),
– upgrading to a next Sand pre-filter (added cost of about $1,000, but likely easier maintenance and extended life),
– additional electrical and renovation costs if necessary to install unit.
g) The unit will be a permanent fixture of the water system and belong to the FCID.
ACTION: Tammy to email IHA Water Supply System Approval application to trustees.
ACTION: Tammy to email Gar Creek Water Users Association contract to trustees.
h) Questions:
– What’s required to upgrade (i.e. 12 gpm to 16 gpm) if the homeowner later expands their home, or starts a B&B? How much does it cost (e.g. full unit replacement or just a bigger UV bulb)?
– Do standpipes on vacant lots need treatment?
– How to evaluate/upgrade/compensate existing treatment systems?
– Is the cheaper spindown prefilter available with AquaClean’s 12 gpm unit? This would then make the quotes comparable for this size of unit.
– Is the next Sand filter worth the added cost to include in the FCID standard unit. (e.g. extended life, easier maintenance)?
ACTION: Lance and Ron to contact AquaClean find out if spindown available for 12 gpm. Also, is there a recommended solution for temporary residences, including standpipes, without electrical?
i) It was suggested that Renee Ansell of IHA be invited to meet with the trustees.
NEW BUSINESS
- Correspondence
a) Water conservation request from Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Operations.
ACTION: Ask Pat Gibbings to put all or some on website.
b) Accept correspondence from IHA regarding water treatment training courses.
9. Announcements
Next meeting is Wednesday, October 28 at 11:00 am at Ron McKilligan’s, 4705 Highway 31.
- Adjournment at 5:45 pm
FINANCIALS: