STOKES COUNTY WATER SEWER AUTHORITY
MINUTES
SEPTEMBER 9, 2004
The Stokes County Water Sewer Authority met in a regular
meeting on September 9, 2004, in the Commissioners Chambers of the
Administration Building, (the Ronald Wilson Reagan Memorial) in Danbury with
the following members present:
Wayne Smart, Chairman
John Hawkins, Vice Chairman
Ron Clifford, Member
Arzell Montgomery, Member
Jay Kinney, Public Works Director
Julia Edwards, Finance Director
Brenda Carter, Secretary
Absent: Worth
Hampton, Member
Also present:
Steve Cavanaugh, Cavanaugh and Associates
Tory Wagoner, Cavanaugh and Associates
Jane Priddy Charleville, Mayor, Town of Danbury
Thomas Sutton, Town of Danbury
Mr. Smart brought the meeting to order and asked for
approval of the minutes for August 12, 2004.
Mr. Hawkins made a motion to approve the minutes, seconded by Mr.
Clifford, and the motion was approved.
Mr. Smart noted that he was not in favor of this high
increase presented by Ms. Edwards at the August meeting. Mr. Smart informed the
Board that the Town of Walnut Cove was interested in purchasing water and asked
if Cavanaugh and Associates had numbers stating if this was feasible or not.
Mr. Tory Wagoner, Cavanaugh and Associates, stated that he
was waiting to hear from the Town of Walnut Cove that they were interested in
purchasing this water and would get in touch with Mr. Kinney concerning this
matter.
Mr. Smart noted that he thought that it would be a benefit
to the Town of Walnut Cove to purchase this water that was being flushed and
they would see a reduction in their fire tax.
Mr. Steve Cavanaugh, Cavanaugh and Associates, noted that
citizens of Walnut Cove were showing interest in the fire districts by checking
with the Mapping Office for fire districts and the rate decrease by being in
these fire districts.
The Board discussed the rate increase ($43.00) and their
reluctance for this high increase. Mr. Clifford noted that a letter should be
sent to the residents advising of this increase and the amount that would be
needed, and also that the Board was holding down this cost. It was noted that the Board wanted the costs
to the customers to be held around an average of $30.00 per month.
Mr. Montgomery made a motion to increase the $25.00 per
three thousand gallons that the residents are now paying by 15%. Mr. Clifford
noted that the minimum should increase from $16.00 to $20.00 and cost above
that should remain the same.
After discussion, Mr. Montgomery amended his motion to
keep the basic rate of $16 per three thousand gallons, and to increase the
charge of $2.40 per one thousand gallons over the minimum usage by 15%. Mr. Clifford seconded the motion and the
Board approved with the following vote:
For: Mr. Montgomery,
Mr. Clifford, Mr. Hawkins, and Mr. Smart
Mrs. Jane Charleville, Mayor of the Town of Danbury,
thanked the Board for having the Town of Danbury back and gave an update on the
Danbury Water Project. She informed the
Board that she had the $5,000.00 check that the Board had requested be returned
to them for the SCWSA’s matching grant amount.
She also requested that the Board reconsider the returning of this check
amount and to help with the Capital Water Improvement Study and Preliminary
Engineers Report. She noted that this
should help with future grant requests.
Mrs. Charleville noted that she, Mr. Cavanaugh and Mr.
Rick Morris, the County Manager, traveled to the Rural Center and met with Ms.
Haigler. The Town of Danbury has
decided to continue with these projects for a supplemental grant. She noted that it was needed to get the
system in a stable condition and this would require replacing pipes, meters,
and hydrants. If they received the
$400,000 grant and the county and the town matching 10%, this would mean
$25,000 for each.
She noted that it was important to the Rural Center that
the Town and the County show that they are working together. After a meeting with Mr. Morris, Mr. Kinney,
Mr. Cavanaugh and herself, she advised that they are working on an Interlocal
Agreement to have in place by September 27th, there is a deadline of
September 30th for the proposal for the grant. She noted that the contract is to be signed
on Friday evening, September 10, 2004.
Mr. Cavanaugh noted that Mrs. Charleville had given a very
good presentation of this request of funding from the SCWS Authority for
matching the costs for the study. He
noted that he had briefed the Board of Commissioners and there was an excellent
sense of cooperation from everyone. He stated that he informed the Board not
expect to receive this grant, but to expect it to be turned down one time and
that gives good information to reapply and move forward.
Mr. Clifford asked if the study would look at the existing
system and make recommendations about improvements, would have a preliminary
cost to be used in the future for this, and does it look at the source of
supply and the tank. Mr. Cavanaugh
assured Mr. Clifford of these questions.
After Mr. Clifford’s questions were answered in the
positive, he made a motion to return the FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($5,000.00) to
the Town of Danbury for this study and report. Mr. Montgomery seconded the
motion and the Board approved with the following vote:
For: Mr. Clifford, Mr. Montgomery, Mr. Hawkins, Mr. Smart
Absent: Mr. Hampton
Mrs. Charleville requested that the Board keep this check
and reissue the Town of Danbury another check for better records for the
auditors. Mr. Smart informed her that
this would be done.
Mrs. Charleville thanked the Board for hearing her
requests.
Mr. Smart informed the Board of Mr. Barry West’s request
for extension of the water line to the Brookhaven Development. This area is across from the Baux Mountain
Road/Hwy. #65 intersection and consists
of eleven homes.
Mr. Wagoner noted that this request (Brookhaven) had been
made in the past and the Board noted that they would run the lines but would
not fund this project and the residents were not interested in this. He noted that he would pull the figures for
the costs of running these lines and update the information and would present
them to the Board. Mr. Smart asked if
there were grants for small projects as this and Mr. Wagoner stated that he did
not think there was.
SAURATOWN PROJECT
Mr. Wagoner noted that at the
last meeting they were going back to the City of King to inform them that there
were local match problems and were to look at tap on fees and other things.
Mr. Tory Wagoner noted that Cavanaugh and Associates had
asked Mr. Billy Ray Hall, Head of the Rural Center, the status of this project.
He informed Mr. Hall that it was their understanding that they would waive the
local match. They received information
from the Rural Center that they would not waive the local match, but would cut
the grant funding by the amount of the local match.
Mr. Hall informed Mr. Wagoner that the Rural Center is
still committed to this as in the beginning.
A letter was to be sent to him asking that the local match be waived and
he would issue a formal response. Mr.
Wagoner informed the Board that he had drafted a letter to Mr. Smart and he had
signed the same and the letter had been sent to the Rural Center. Mr. Wagoner was waiting to hear from the
Rural Center concerning this letter.
Mr. Wagoner noted there was no local match required of the SCWS
Authority. He also noted that the
project can move forward with, hopefully, the Town of King’s involvement. After
hearing back from the Rural Center then the grant can get under contract.
Mr. Clifford asked if the Town of King was willing to take
over the maintenance of the system and Mr. Wagoner noted that they had not
formally taken this above staff level, but they had let the Town officials know
that Cavanaugh and Associates would be back with a formal request.
Mr. Smart asked about the pumping station being in the
grant and Mr. Wagoner noted that they were not going back and opening the grant
application for this, that there was a fixed set of funds and would try to get
the project to fit within this set of funds and maybe the Town of King would
make up the difference.