July 11, 2007

 

Minutes of the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the North Shore Sanitary District held on Wednesday,

July 11, 2007 at 9:30 A.M. at the District Office of the Raymond E. Anderson Complex located in Gurnee, IL.

 

The meeting was opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

On roll call, the following Trustees were present:

 

                                Daniel M. Pierce, President

                                Stephen J. Drew, Vice President

                                John R. Paxton, Treasurer

                                James E. Swarthout

 

Trustee Wroten was absent.

 

Staff members present were General Manager Brian Dorn, Assistant General Manager Dave Miller, Attorney Jay Ukena, Director of Engineering Services Jai Gupta, Director of Laboratory Services Joe Robinson, Director of Operations Gary Sowma and Director of Technology Services Pete Russo.

 

There were no comments from the public.

 

President Pierce presented the Consent Agenda as follows:

 

A.            Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting held on June 13, 2007.

B.            Consideration of Bills.

                Wastewater Treatment Fund.                                            $2,173,826.59

Check Nos. 137336 through 137339, Check Nos. 137427 through 137429,

Check Nos. 137431 through 137609, Check Nos. 137615 through 137725.

C.            Financial Report, May 2007.

D.            Hearing Summary, June 11, 2007.

E.             Current Status of Significant Industrial Wastewater Violation(s) in the Service Area of the NSSD.

F.             City of Zion Ordinance 07-O-27, Authorizing the Third Amendment to the Real Estate Contract by and between the City of Zion and the North Shore Sanitary District.

G.            Correspondence.

                1.     06/22/07 letter to Governor Blagojevich from President Pierce requesting approval of SB 684.

                2.     06/28/07 letter of thanks to all legislators supporting SB 684 from President Pierce.

H.            Press Articles.

                1.     Lake County News Sun.

                        i.      Zion landfill keeps tighter lid on odors’, 06/11/07.

                        ii.     ‘Blagojevich move may doom region’s planning group’, 06/13/07.

                        iii.    ‘Affluent effluent’, Our View, 06/19/07.

                        iv.    ‘NSSD user fees won’t increase’, 06/27/07.

I.              Thank You Card.

                1.     John Paxton and Family.

J.             Authorize Payroll and Finance Department to issue District checks to meet expenses

                where necessary for payroll and to avoid interest and/or penalties before the next Board

                Meeting.

 

It was moved by Trustee Swarthout and seconded by Trustee Drew that the items under the Consent Agenda be approved.

 

On roll call, all Trustees present voted “Aye”.  Motion declared carried.

 

President Pierce presented the President Report as follows:

 

President Pierce reported that Senate Bill number 684 had passed both Houses of the General Assembly and was now awaiting Governor Blagojevich’s signature.  President Pierce stated that the Governor has 60 days to sign Senate Bill 684.

 

General Manager Dorn presented the Management Report as follows:

 

A.                  Presented CMAP Presentation to Request for 2007 Contribution of $8,656.20.

 

General Manager Dorn reported that a letter was sent to the Executive Director of The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) on June 13, 2007 extending an invitation to make a presentation to the Board explaining the purpose of the requested contribution and its benefit to the North Shore Sanitary District.  General Manager Dorn stated he spoke to one of their staff and that they wanted to address the Board at the July Board meeting.   Since no one was present at the Board meeting, their decision to give a presentation must have changed.

 

                B.            Presented the Dedication of Right of Way at Washington and O’Plaine Road.

 

General Manager Dorn reported that at the March 21, 2007 Board Meeting the Board approved an intergovernmental agreement with the County of Lake that provided for the dedication of a sliver of the District’s property at the southwest corner of Washington Street and O’Plaine Road as Right of Way for public road purposes.  In accordance with the agreement, it is requested to approve the Dedication of Right of Way to the County of Lake.

 

 

It was moved by Trustee Paxton and seconded by Trustee Swarthout to approve the Dedication of Right of Way to the County of Lake for public road purposes at Washington Street and O’Plaine Road.

 

On roll call, all Trustees present voted “Aye”.  Motion declared carried.

 

C.                   Presented Engineering Agreement.

1.     Donohue & Associates, Inc., Phosphorus/Nutrient Removal Study, $81,025.00.

 

General Manager Dorn stated that the IEPA has adopted an interim phosphorus limit of 1 ppm total phosphorus for plant expansions greater than 1 MGD, and is in the process of reviewing water quality based nutrient standards which may impose more stringent effluent phosphorus limits and/or effluent total nitrogen limits in the near future.  Currently there are no phosphorus limits in our NPDES permits.  General Manager Dorn stated that proposed nutrient limits have been discussed by IEPA for several years and that the District must look at nutrient removal alternatives before the limits are implemented.  The purpose of the Phosphorus/Nutrient Removal Study would be to evaluate our current process and alternatives for nutrient removal so that we are ready when the IEPA does impose new effluent nutrient limits in the near future.

 

It was moved by Trustee Drew and seconded by Trustee Swarthout to approve the Engineering Agreement with Donohue & Associates, Inc. for the Phosphorus/Nutrient Removal Study in the amount of $81,025.00.

 

On roll call, all Trustees present voted “Aye”.  Motion declared carried.

 

D.                  Presented Engineering Agreement Amendment.

1.     STS Consultants Ltd., Melter Air Compliance Support, Contract Amendment No. 4, $5,000.00.

 

General Manager Dorn reported that Contract Amendment No. 4 is for STS Consultants, Ltd. to continue to provide air permit and regulatory compliance support consulting services associated with the Sludge Recycling Facility.

 

It was moved by Trustee Paxton and seconded by Trustee Swarthout to approve Engineering Agreement Amendment No. 4 with STS Consultants, Ltd., for Melter Air Compliance Support in the amount of $5,000.00.

 

On roll call, all Trustees present voted “Aye”.  Motion declared carried.

 

E.       Presented Zion Township Landfill Sludge Recycling Facility Monthly Status Report.

 

General Manager Dorn reported that in accordance with the terms of the settlement agreement with J.J. Henderson that 55% of the total settlement amount, or approximately $1.7 million has been paid to date.  General Manager Dorn expects that the remaining balance will be paid out within the next month. 

 

General Manager Dorn reported that the 1 year construction warranty period with J.J. Henderson ended on June 30, 2007 and that a list of equipment and material malfunctions was generated and submitted to J.J. Henderson. Director of Engineering Services Jai Gupta reported that there are approximately 20 outstanding malfunctions to correct and that the deadline to complete these is at the end of August.  General Manager Dorn reported that J.J. Henderson has been responsive to date and has complied with their obligations.

 

General Manager Dorn reported that follow-up testing of the auxiliary heater NOx emissions and continuous emissions monitoring (CEM) of the melter exhaust carbon monoxide analyzer was conducted the first week of July and is completed with results to be submitted by the end of July to the IEPA.

 

General Manager Dorn reported that a thorough cleaning and inspection of the dryer by VA Tech personnel was conducted in mid-May.  The dryer has been operating near its rated capacity on a consistent basis.  Inventories in the sludge silos have been kept at manageable levels, and no sludge has been disposed of offsite following the completion of this work.  Dryer run time between May 28 and June 24 has exceeded 93%.  Engineers from VATECH will be on site from July 10th to July 19th to resolve the following items:

 

  • Bridging of particulate matter in fines bin.
  • Optimization of fines and sludge mixing system.
  • Resolution of internal building odor issues in the dryer portion of the facility.

 

General Manager Dorn reported that Minergy is operating the melter consistently at 75-80% of capacity.  Run time for the melter during the period from May 28 to June 24 was more than 62%.  Downtime was mainly because of a ‘pancake’ problem with the feed granulate that caused blockages within the melter system from time to time.  The District is working with Minergy on the following issues in order to achieve sustained operation at 100% capacity:

 

  • Elimination of small pancakes entering melter causing carryover and plugging of the melter system; possible installation of water-cooled divider wall in zone 1 of the melter.
  • Commission operation of the baghouse and fines feed system to the melter.

 

General Manager Dorn stated that a thorough cleaning of the facility is being initiated – upon completion of this work and elimination of the internal building odor sources associated with the dryer, it is recommend that the Board conduct a formal public opening of the facility possibly mid to late August.

 

Assistant General Manager Miller gave the Administration Division report as follows:

 

A.                  Presented the following Bid Summaries.

1.     Bid No. 1278, (1) 2007 or 2008 ¾ Ton Window Van and (2) 2007 or 2008 Cargo Min-Vans.

 

Assistant General Manager Miller stated that no bids were received for Bid No. 1278.  The vendors that were contacted after the bid opening said that they did not have any 2007 models available and that pricing for 2008 models would not be available until approximately the third week of July.  The Purchasing Department will schedule the next bid publication to coincide with the time frame when 2008 model prices are available.

 

2.        Bid No. 1279, (1) Confined Space Bumper Crane with Retractable Life Line – Monroe Truck Equipment, $9,359.00; and (1) Truck Style Bumper Crane – Sauber Mfg. Co., $8,107.00.

 

On July 2, 2007 at 10:00 A.M. bids were publicly opened and read aloud.  Following is a summary of the bids that were opened and the results.

                                                                Confined Space Bumper Crane w/Manual            Truck Style Bumper Crane

                                                                                Retractable Life Line

 

RA Adams Enterprises, Inc.               Western Mule A-1350         $6,978.46                Western Mule S-2000   $4,937.00

                                                                  (Did not meet bid specifications)                    (Did not meet bid specifications)

 

Monroe Truck Equipment                  Sto-Away CSR 515 A          $9,359.00                Sto-Away CSR 615 A   $9,654.00

                                                                  (Meets bid specifications)                                (Did not meet bid specifications)

 

Sauber Manufacturing Company      Sto-Away CSR 515-A          $11,333.00              Sto-Away SR6T             $8,107.00

                                                                  (Did not meet bid specifications)                      (Meets bid specifications)

 

Sto-Away Power Cranes, Inc.                            No Bid                                                                    No Bid

 

It was moved by Trustee Paxton and seconded by Trustee Swarthout to award Bid No. 1279, (1) Confined Space Bumper Crane with Retractable Life Line to Monroe Truck Equipment in the amount of $9,359.00 and (1) Truck Style Bumper Crane to Sauber Mfg., Co. in the amount of $8,107.00.

 

On roll call, all Trustees present voted “Aye”.  Motion declared carried.

 

B.                   Presented On-Line Internet Service Agreement with Lake County Recorder’s Office.

 

Assistant General Manager Miller reported that the Lake County Recorder’s Office has recently developed an on-line internet system enabling users to search for Lake County records.  The service is subscription based and the subscriber must sign an agreement with the Lake County Recorder’s Office.  The fee for this service is $150.00 per quarter.

 

Presently, the District’s collection department must travel to the Lake County Recorder’s Office in Waukegan when a county record needs to be viewed or copied.  These documents are necessary for researching and processing sewer service terminations, foreclosures and liens.  The collection clerk travels to the Recorder’s Office on average once a month.  The current approximate costs including time, mileage, etc. is $200 per quarter verses the $150 per quarter.  Also, the collection clerk is away from the office and is unable to help customers during that period.  Accessing property transfers, warranty deeds, quit claim deeds, lending documents and deeds of trust would expedite the termination and lien process.   It is recommended that the District subscribe to this service.

 

It was moved by Trustee Drew and seconded by Trustee Swarthout to approve the On-Line Internet Service Agreement with Lake County Recorder’s Office.

 

On roll call, all Trustees present voted “Aye”.  Motion declared carried.

 

Director of Engineering Services Jai Gupta gave the Engineering Division report as follows:

 

A.                  Presented the following Construction Change Orders.

1.        C.O. No. 1, 7th Street Pump Station (PS10) Replacement, Keno & Sons Construction Co., Increase of $11,538.00 and 113 Calendar Days for Final Completion.

 

It was moved by Trustee Drew and seconded by Trustee Paxton to approve C.O. No.1, 7th Street Pump Station (PS10) Replacement, to Keno & Sons Construction Co., an increase of $11,538.00 and 113 Calendar Days for Final Completion.

 

On roll call, all Trustees present voted “Aye”.  Motion declared carried.

 

2.        C.O. No. 3, Lake Forest Pump Station – Sewage Storage Basin, Keno & Sons Construction Co., Increase of $27,453.00.

 

It was moved by Trustee Swarthout and seconded by Trustee Paxton to approve C.O. No 3, Lake Forest Pump Station – Sewage Storage Basin to Keno & Sons Construction Co., an increase of $27,453.00.

 

On roll call, all Trustees present voted “Aye”.  Motion declared carried.

 

3.        C.O. No. 4, Lake Forest Pump Station – Sewage Storage Basin, Keno & Sons Construction Co., Increase of $9,351.00.

 

It was moved by Trustee Swarthout and seconded by Trustee Drew to approve C.O. No. 4, Lake Forest Pump Station – Sewage Storage Basin to Keno & Sons Construction Co., an increase of $9,351.00.

 

On roll call, all Trustees present voted “Aye”.  Motion declared carried.

 

4.        C.O. No. 1, Sludge Recycling Facility at Zion Township Landfill, Platt Environmental Services, Inc., Increase of $6,703.00.

 

It was moved by Trustee Paxton and seconded by Trustee Swarthout to approve C.O. No. 1, Sludge Recycling Facility at Zion Township Landfill to Platt Environmental Services, Inc., an increase of $6,703.00.

 

On roll call, all Trustees present voted “Aye”.  Motion declared carried.

 

B.                   Presented the following Bid Summary.

1.        Valve and Actuator Replacement at the Clavey Road and Waukegan STPs, Action Automation, Inc. of Willowbrook, IL in the amount of $71,988.00.

 

On June 20, 2007 at 11:00 A.M., bids were publicly opened and read aloud.  The following is a summary of the bids that were opened.

 

                                        Contractor                                                                     Total Bid Price

 

                                        Martin Petersen Company                                               $81,671.00

                                        Action Automation                                                          $71,988.00

                                        Rawson Contractors                                                         $75,500.00

                                                Budget Amount                                                        $86,600.00

 

It was moved by Trustee Swarthout and seconded by Trustee Drew to award the Valve and Actuator Replacement at the Clavey Road and Waukegan STPs to Action Automation, Inc. of Willowbrook, IL in the amount of $71,988.00.

 

On roll call, all Trustees