FAIRFIELD WASHINGTON
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
JANUARY 8, 2013
7:00 P.M.
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
JANUARY 8, 2013
7:00 P.M.
Note to persons reviewing this document: This is not a
verbatim transcript. While an attempt has been made to document pertinent points,
these minutes contain only a summary of the discussion and voting.
Mayor Ed Huber called the regular council meeting to
order on January 8, 2013 at 7:00 pm.
Council members present: Harry Gibbons, Mary Branon,
George Davidson, Valerie Spurrell and Brian Kauffman.
Others present: KJ Hanley and Dennis Fuller from
Century West, Karl Felgenhauer and Thomas Foster, Maintenance Director of Fairfield Care, Tom Smith, and Cheryl
Loeffler.
Harry Gibbons motioned to excuse Valerie Spurrell from
the December 18, 2012 council meeting due to a family emergency; seconded by
Mary Branon. The motion carried.
Engineer’s Report
KJ Hanley and Dennis Fuller were here tonight to
answer questions about the Town’s water pressures. They have been working with
the readings that public works took in November. Dennis explained that the
biggest influence to water pressure is elevation. The higher you are, the lower
the pressure. For instance, the homes close to the water tower in the Wernz
addition need an additional pump to maintain good water pressure. KJ stated
that the numbers that Derek provided were very similar to the numbers that he
could get when put into the model of the Town’s system.
The question was presented about the varying pressure
in the area around Fairweather and Governor Moore. The homes there are quite a
bit lower than the tower so the elevation should not be an issue. A 4” line
services that area so the system should easily support them. It was suggested
to make sure that there is not a valve that could be partially closed.
Dennis recommended that the town check valves for
partial closure also.
Fairfield Care
Karl Felgenhauer and Thomas Foster from Fairfield Care
questioned the ability to provide enough water pressure for fire suppression.
Dennis and KJ suggested a possible fix might be to place a booster pump at well
#5, which could provide
enough gallons per minute. This will be continued to
be looked into. Repeat testing during high volume usage for comparison was also
suggested.
Since Karl was here, Ed asked him to give an update on
Fairfield Care. Plans have been submitted to the Department of Health for
updating the independent apartments to meet ADA standards. At the completion of
the project, the apartments will be both independent and assisted living. So far,
$158,000 in donations has been received for the project.
If a new water connection is requested by someone, by
law; the town must supply water but if that connection causes a significant
impact to the system, that new connection should pay for to upgrade the system.
Sewer issue on New Year’s Day
With Karl and Thomas being here, this item was moved
to here on the agenda.
On New Year’s Eve, it was noticed that a manhole was
overflowing. Derek was notified and Roto-Rooter was called in but nothing could
be done that evening. New Year’s Day, Big Sky Industrial and public works spent
all day trying to clear the obstruction but was unable to break through. Roto
Rooter was then called and after about two hours, they were able to dislodge
the large obstruction. Derek has pictures of the obstruction which documents
that there was foreign material in the manhole It was discovered that this
manhole is in poor condition and will be placed on the immediate repair list.
The cost of this emergency is approximately $5000. KJ
discussed a few different solutions involving relocation of the line to move
away from the railroad. He will have the area surveyed when Century West is in
town for the sewer project to locate a possible area for relocation.
2012 Sewer Improvement Project
Cheryl and KJ have been working on revising the agreement
for encroachment with UPRR. He has recently found out that the requirement of a
$1055 application fee must be submitted with the paperwork plus additional fees
associated with additional processing and reviewing fees but those are unknown
at this time. The application should be completed this week.
ACTION
Mary motioned to approve the expenditure of the $1,055
application fee for the encroachment agreement with UPRR; seconded by Brian.
The motion carried.
SEPA (State
Environmental Protection Act) environmental checklist
The checklist was reviewed by council. There is no
environmental impact with this project.
ACTION
Mary motioned to approve the environmental checklist;
seconded by Brian. Motion carried.
E Main Street to Fairweather Rehabilitation Project -
Transportation Improvement Board (TIB)
Fairfield has TIB approval to execute the Consultant
Agreements AFTER we receive the Design Phase Approval from TIB, which we are
still waiting on.
ACTION
Mary motioned to approve the Consultant Agreement,
contingent upon receiving final approval from TIB; seconded by Harry. The
motion carried.
Update to Spokane River Keepers (SRK)
Dennis and KJ have put together a letter updating the
SRK on the progress in reducing the inflow and infiltration.
TD&H
Randy Noble was not present at tonight’s meeting but
the council reinforced their stand on the relocation of the light pole.
OLD BUSINESS
Approval of communications package for shop
Cheryl presented a quote to bundle the phone service
and internet at the Town Shop with Frontier. Mary will check into getting a
free booster from Sprint so the cell phones can be used in the shop. She also
suggested verifying if the telemetry system could be ran through the internet,
then the landline could be disposed of and only internet service would be needed.
New employee review process
The council discussed how the review process works
with new employees.
NEW BUSINESS
Mayor Pro-Tem
ACTION
Mary nominated Brian Kauffman for the six-month mayor
pro-tem position; seconded by George Davidson. The nomination passed.
Ed then stated that he would be absent the first
meeting in February.
Hardship request snow removal
The council received a hardship request for snow
removal from Ann Moore. They want it noted that these requests are not a
guarantee that the snow will be removed and that it is contingent on having
volunteers available to perform the snow removal. These requests were never
intended to be fulfilled by public works.
ACTION
Mary motioned to approve the hardship request for Ann
Moore and to look for volunteers for this and additional requests; seconded by
Brian. The motion carried.
Volunteer appreciation dinner
The council discussed the Volunteer Appreciation
Dinner, which will be held on Sunday, Jan 27. It was decided to do a brunch
this year with a pre-function beginning at 11:30 a.m. Invitations to people
that have volunteered in 2012 will be sent out next week.
Liquor License Renewal
Brian motioned to approve the annual liquor license
renewal for Kelley’s Thrift; seconded by Mary. The motion passed.
Public Works Report
WATER
- Testing is on schedule and in parameters of chlorination.
- Water leak at City hall was repaired due to missing outside water valve. Turned off until spring.
- State WQMR’s should be coming for this year by February.
WWTF
- Treatment plant has been getting a workout but is holding up very well.
- New float gauges are working wonderful.
- Testing and flows are within State limits.
- Sewer Drainage issue on Hilltop LN. and Rattlers Run has been resolved for now. Remedies to a permanent solution are being discussed.
PARKS
- Parking lots are being cleared of snow when possible.
- No facilities until spring.
ROADS
- Major snowfall and ice. Equipment has had some problems due to heavy use.
- Sanding is being done in needed areas, stop signs, hills, bus stops etc.
- Special request hardship snow removal is being done on a time available schedule.
OTHER: All
year-end reports are being generated, waiting on final test results for the
WWTF.
Other
The homeowner of 402 W Portland has sent an email
stating that she is seeking legal advice on her overage charges.
The owner of
303 S First Street has not paid utilities stating that there are no services
provided.
Resolution 2012-1 was provided to council to review for next meeting
adoption.
Complaints/Compliments
Thank you to the guys for the GREAT plowing job.
Adjourn:
The regular meeting adjourned 9:20 pm.
Mayor Ed Huber
Clerk/Treasurer Cheryl Loeffler
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