Minutes of November 9, 2021
1. Chairman Robert Hughey called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at the Makanda Baptist Church Fellowship Hall in Makanda. A roll call was taken and Board Members present were: Chairman Robert Hughey, Vice Chairman Kim Cole, and Trustees Joseph Burrow, John Dickson, and Paul Heern. Also present was the District Secretary/Office Manager Karen Dunn. Trustees Grace Brewer and Pat Brierton and Treasurer Mike Williamsen were absent.
2. The professionals at the meeting were Mr. Mike Twomey and Mr. Joe Boyke. Also present were Ms. Lucille Burrow and Mr. Greg Dunn as visitors.
At this time, Mr. Boyke opened with a discussion pertaining to the current IEPA project status. Items discussed were tower painting and bowl curing, safety cable, coax cable replacement, and clean up. It was noted that the cathodic protection system was removed and no longer required. Mr. Boyke noted the longevity of the coating to be approximately 20 years and recommended three- to five-year inspections for wash out and touch up to extend the life of the tank. Mr. Boyke continued by presenting the IEPA Request for Loan Disbursement #6, Invoice #21165 from Clarida & Ziegler Engineering, and Estimate #2 for Maxcor, Inc. A motion was made by Mr. Dickson to pay Estimate #2 to Maxcor, Inc., the amount of $137,137.27. The motion was seconded by Mr. Heern. A roll call vote was taken with (5) yes votes and (2) absent and the motion carried. A 2nd motion was made by Mr. Dickson to pay Invoice #21165 from Clarida & Ziegler Engineering the amount of $3,623.20. The motion was seconded by Mr. Heern. A roll call vote was taken with (5) yes votes and (2) absent; the motion was approved. A motion was made by Mr. Heern to approve the IEPA Request for Loan Disbursement #6 as presented the amount of $140,760.47. The motion was seconded by Mr. Dickson. A roll call vote was taken with (5) yes votes and (2) absent; the motion carried. A final motion was made by Mr. Heern to move forward with the purchase of coax and schedule installation. The motion was seconded by Mr. Burrow. With a roll call vote of (5) yes votes and (2) absent; the motion was approved.
3. The Board reviewed the minutes of the October 12, 2021, regular meeting and the October 26, 2021, special meeting. A motion was made by Mr. Dickson to accept the minutes from both meetings as presented; seconded by Mr. Heern and with a roll call vote of (5) yes votes and (0) absent, the minutes were approved.
4. No visitor or customer requests were presented.
5.        Correspondence was received and presented pertaining to the contract renewal request from CORRPRO for cathodic protection service. As the system is not necessary, the Office Manager will notify the supplier that the service is no longer required.
6. Under the order of new business, the service of the Greater Egypt Regional Planning & Development Commission was discussed briefly. No action was required or taken at this time.
Specifications pertaining to the TW-82 Digital Line Tracer, as recommended by Vice Chairman Cole, were made available for review and discussion. It was recommended that a demonstration of the device be scheduled during a future work group special meeting.
7. Pertaining to District insurance carrier alternatives, Mr. Heern presented a document comparing quotes from multiple insurance companies. Discussion followed pertaining to benefits and cost. Based on the information presented, a motion was made by Mr. Heern to renew the District’s insurance coverage with IL Counties Risk Management Trust for the period Dec 2021 to Dec 2022. The motion was seconded by Mr. Dickson and with a roll call vote of (5) yes votes and (0) absent, the motion was approved. The Office Manager was assigned to follow through with the insurance carrier.
An annual service agreement from Engineered Solutions Midwest was presented for review and discussion. A motion was made by Mr. Dickson to enter into agreement with Engineering Solutions for annual maintenance as outlined in the contract. The motion was seconded by Vice Chairman Cole and with a roll call vote of (5) yes votes and (2) absent, the contract was approved.
Vice Chairman Cole opened with conversation related to activities of the special work group. Discussed was the employee handbook and continued review of ordinances under the guidance of legal counsel. Discussion followed related to the legal requirement of all individuals affiliated with this Water District to complete the 2021 Annual Sexual Harassment Prevention Training by reading the material provided by the State of Illinois Department of Human Rights and that each person submit to the District Office a signed Certificate of Participation. Target completion date for Certificate submissions is December 14, 2021.
8. No new information related to the Carbondale Water District was presented for discussion.
9. Financials for September 2021 were reviewed with brief discussion.
10.      The District Secretary’s Report and the Accounts Payable Report for November 2021 were presented by the District Secretary. Conversation followed pertaining to a reimbursement for monthly cellular telephone costs. A motion was made by Mr. Heern to reimburse the Office Manager for monthly cellular telephone service as discussed. The motion was seconded by Vice Chairman Cole, and with a roll call vote of (5) yes votes and (2) absent, the monthly reimbursement was approved. A motion was made by Mr. Burrow to accept the reports as presented and to pay the bills, which was seconded by Mr. Heern and with roll call vote of (5) yes votes and (0) absent, the motion carried.            Next presented was a preliminary 2022 Operating Budget for the Board’s review. Brief discussion followed; no action was taken at this time.
11. Leak detector meter reports were reviewed and discussed with continued concern related to water loss. Conversation followed regarding an advertisement for a new employee to assume District maintenance responsibilities with the potential for advancement to a Class D Certified Water Supply Operator.
12. No additional public comments or questions were presented at this time. Brief discussion followed pertaining to specific language within the insurance quote from ICRMT. The Office Manager was advised to follow through for clarification and report to legal counsel.
There being no further business, a motion was made by Mr. Burrow to adjourn, which was seconded by Vice Chairman Cole. With a roll call vote of (5) yes votes and (2) absent, the meeting closed.