September 12, 2007

 

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

September 12, 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

                                Effie Wroten

 

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 August 8, 2007.

B.            Consideration of Bills.

                Wastewater Treatment Fund.                                            $2,482,983.57

Check Nos. 137893 through 137894, Check Nos. 138065 through 138140,

Check Nos. 138141 through 138440, Check Nos. 138442 through 138454,

Check No. 138461.

Void Check No. 138116.

C.            Financial Report, July 2007.

D.            Hearing Summary, August 7, 2007.

E.             User Charge Fee Waiver.

                1.     Michael Pinsel – Fee Waiver of $44.71.

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

G.            NACWA Peak Performance Awards.

H.            08/10/07 letter to Village of Lake Bluff from NSSD regarding assistance provided by Village in repair of air release structure.

I.              Press Articles.

1.     Lake County News Sun.

        i.              ‘A safe beach’, Our View, 08/11-12/07.

ii.             Lake carriers punished by city’s harbor grab’, 08/11-12/07.

iii.                  ‘NSSD trustees give ‘little guy’ a break’, 08/14/07.

iv.                  ‘Sewers ‘a political issue’’, 08/16/07

v.                   ‘EPA pulls support for harbor cleanup’, 08/22/07.

vi.                  ‘Cloudy thinking in the Up North’, 08/22/07.

vii.                ‘EPA withdraws support for $36M harbor project’, 08/23/07.

viii.               ‘City of Waukegan awards dredging disposal contract’, 08/23/07.

ix.                   ‘Judge Candidate’, Political Briefs, 08/24/07.

x.                    ‘Pair of lawmakers hope to save harbor industries’, 08/27/07.

xi.                   Waukegan holds fast to harbor plan’, 08/29/07.

xii.                 ‘Window of opportunity’, 09/06/07.

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 684 had been signed by the Governor on September 11, 2007.  President Pierce stated that approval of SB 684 gives flexibility on several issues such as publications, emergency authorization limits and bonding issues.  President Pierce said that copies of the Bill are available if anyone was interested in reviewing it.  President Pierce stated that discussion concerning the bill and its details could be addressed at the next Board meeting.

 

General Manager Dorn presented the Management Report as follows:

 

A.                  Presented Engineering Agreement Amendment.

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

 

General Manager Dorn reported that this Agreement Amendment was for continued assistance in complying with the IEPA Air permit.

 

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

 

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

 

                B.            Presented the 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 the majority of the $2.7 million total settlement amount has been paid.  General Manager Dorn reported that approximately $20,000.00 was being held until all work which JJ Henderson is responsible for is fully completed.

 

General Manager Dorn reported the dryer continues to operate near its rated capacity on a consistent basis.  Dryer run time between July 30 and September 2 has averaged 96%.  Downtimes has been limited to replacement of the stators on four dry feed pumps, loss of ComEd power, or shutdown due to running out of feedstock at week’s end.

 

Run time for the Melter during the period from July 30 to September 2 has averaged 16%. Constant plugging of Zone 1 with slag required that the Melter be taken out of service to replace a substantial portion of the refractory and installation of a refractory divider wall between Zones 1 and 2.  Tom Card of Environmental Management Consulting and Brian Chapman of V&A Consulting were on site on August 15th to inspect the corrosion associated with the Melter scrubber condenser system.  A report will be prepared discussing the findings of this inspection

 

General Manager Dorn reported that a draft list of invitees was dispersed to the Board for the formal public opening of the facility and wondered if the Board had any other suggestions of guests to invite.  General Manager Dorn also reported that an invitation flyer was being drafted and that a date was needed for the formal opening.   General Manager Dorn reported that the League of Woman Voters is scheduled for a tour on October 5, 2007.

 

After a brief discussion, Wednesday, October 3, 2007 at 10:00 A.M. was chosen for the date and time of the formal public opening.  It was also decided to have a separate tour prior to this date for the City of Zion Officials and General Manager Dorn would contact Delaine Rogers to set up a time based on their availability.  General Manger Dorn stated that the invitations would go out by next week.

 

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

 

A.                  Presented the following Bid Summaries.

1.     Bid No. 1281, Annual Hoist and Crane Inspections – Sievert Electric Services & Sales Co.,         $17,380.00.

 

The Notice to Bidders was published in the paper and mailed to ten (10) potential vendors.  Bids were opened Tuesday, August 28, 2007 at 11:00 a.m.   Following is a summary of the bids that were opened and the results.

 

                Vendor                                   FY08                       FY09                       FY10                       Total 3-Year Cost

                                                          Total Cost              Total Cost             Total Cost

Sievert Electric Service

 & Sales Co.                                      $5,469.00                $5,787.00                $6,124.00                        $17,380.00

Illinois Crane, Inc.                            $6,480.00                $6,480.00                $6,480.00                        $19,440.00

Dearborn Crane                                $8,200.00                $8,698.00                $9,220.00                        $26,118.00

Abel-Howe Crane                        $  13,900.00            $  15,445.00            $  16,895.00                        $46,240.00

Kresl Power, Inc.*                        Non-responsive   Non-responsive   Non-responsive               Non-responsive

 

(*)  Kresl Power, Inc. submitted a bid without the proper Bid Offer Acceptance Form or firm pricing.  Therefore, the Purchasing Department recommends the Board deem this bid as “non-responsive.”

 

It was moved by Trustee Swarthout and seconded by Trustee Drew to award Bid No. 1281, Annual Hoist and Crane Inspections to Sievert Electric Services & Sales Co., for a three year term in the amount of $17,380.00.

 

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

 

2.        Bid No. 1282, (1) 2007 or 2008 ¾ Ton Window Van and (2) 2007 or 2008 Cargo Mini-Vans, Highland Park Ford Lincoln Mercury ((1) 2008 ¾ Ton Window Van), $20,799.00; Solicit New Bids, ((2) 2007 or 2008 Cargo Mini-Vans).

 

Bid No. 1282 was advertised in the paper and mailed to twenty-five (25) potential vendors.  The bids were opened Thursday, August 23, 2007 at 10:00 a.m.  Following is a summary of the bids that were opened and the results.

 

                Vendor                                                     Model                                                    Base Bid Price

Highland Park Ford Lincoln Mercury          2008 Ford E250                                                $20,799.00

Anthony Pontiac GMC                                 2008 GMC TG23405                        $20,847.00

 

The District did not receive any bids for the Cargo Mini-Vans as specified in the bidding documents.

 

It was moved by Trustee Paxton and seconded by Trustee Wroten to award Bid No. 1282, (1) 2008 ¾ Ton Window Van to Highland Park Ford Lincoln Mercury in the amount of $20,799.00 and to Solicit new Bids for (2) 2007 or 2008 Cargo Mini-Vans.

 

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

 

B.                   Presented Engineering Agreement.

                1.     Baxter & Woodman, Inc., Respirator Protection Policy, $5,500.00.

 

Assistant General Manager Miller reported that Baxter & Woodman, Inc. proposes to provide services to establish a Respirator Protection Policy for the North Shore Sanitary District.  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations define specific steps and requirements that must be followed in the implementation of any Respiratory Protection Policy.  The policy provided by Baxter and Woodman will meet the current OSHA requirements.

 

It was moved by Trustee Paxton and seconded by Trustee Swarthout to approve the Respirator Protection Policy with Baxter & Woodman, Inc., in the amount of $5,500.00.

 

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

 

C.                   Presented James Woloshyn Request for User Charge Bill Reduction for 12 S. Genesee Street, Waukegan.

 

Assistant General Manager Miller reported that the District is in receipt of letters from Mr. James Woloshyn dated July 19, 2007 and August 7, 2007 regarding the service address of 12 S. Genesee Street, Waukegan.  Mr. Woloshyn states his property which was vacant had a cracked inlet pipe at the meter in the basement.  The City of Waukegan discovered the leak and shut off the water supply at the street valve.  Mr. Woloshyn indicated that the water leaked out of the building and into the Waukegan River and Lake Michigan.

 

City of Waukegan records indicate water consumption from February 7, 2007 through May 4, 2007 was 705,000 gallons.  Mr. Woloshyn received an invoice from NSSD dated June 1, 2007 in the amount of $806.20 for 695 units which was billed at the residential rate of $1.16 per 1,000 gallons.

 

Mr. Woloshyn is requesting NSSD to remove the sewer bill fees from his account.  Pursuant to Section 4.3 of North Shore Sanitary District Policy on Water Usage Credits, in order to receive a credit, a customer must supply a copy of a purchase or work order from a licensed plumber indicating the leak was repaired.  In this case, there was no repair.  However, evidence indicates that the wastewater did not return to District sewers for treatment.  It is recommended that Mr. Woloshyn’s sewer bill be lowered to his average quarterly bill amount which is approximately $5.80 per quarter.

 

It was moved by Trustee Drew and seconded by Trustee Swarthout to approve James Woloshyn Request for User Charge Bill reduction for 12 S. Genesee Street in Waukegan.

 

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

 

D.                  Presented Neldra Hankins Request for User Charge Bill Reduction for 2558 Berkshire Court, Waukegan.

 

Assistant General Manager Miller stated the District is in receipt of letters from Mrs. Neldra Hankins dated August 20, 2007 and August 27, 2007 regarding the service address of 2558 Berkshire Court, Waukegan.  The District is also in receipt of a letter from Mrs. Hankins’ nephew, Devon Hankins, dated September 4, 2007.  Mrs. Hankins states that her NSSD invoice dated June 2, 2007 was substantially higher than usual due to a running toilet.  She indicates that her nephew repaired the toilet and she does not have the receipts.  Mr. Devon Hankins states in his letter that he did repair the toilet but did not keep the receipt.