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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-SJC-2009-08-12 SJC MEETING August 12, 2009 SJC Members Staff Wade Wykstra, Chair Mayor Carolyn Peterson Supervisor MaryAnn Sumner Pat Leary Mary Tomlan Joel Zumoff Erik Whitney Scott Gibson Jeff Soule Dan Ramer Steve Thayer Bill Gray Absent Supervisor Herb Engman Rich DePaolo Guests Peter Cavagnaro, Johnson Controls Krisy Gashler, Ithaca Journal Jose Lozano, IAWWTF Roxanna Johnston, WRC Lynn Smith, IAWWTF Wade called the meeting to order at 12:34PM. Approval of July minutes – MaryAnn moved the minutes. Seconded by Joel, after discussion and corrections noted, the motion passed without dissent. Pat Leary abstained. Page 1, Verizon Monopole (2nd paragraph), Verizon indicated they would not do a visual rendering of the tower until we indicated our interest in moving forward with the project. Page 3, Headwork Loading Study was presented by Jimmie Joe Carl, of MRB Consultants. Carolyn asked for formal resolutions to be included in SJC minutes. WRC (Water Resources Council)/CU Monitoring Partnership – Roxy Johnston gave a presentation on the history of the lake monitoring plan which began with Cornell Lake Source Cooling (LSC) and subsequent upgrades to the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility. The plan focuses on only the southern basin of Cayuga Lake and is available on the City’s website. Staff is requesting the approval of the SJC to officially join the Monitoring Partnership. Jose Lozano gave a short presentation on why it would be advantageous for us to continue what we have been doing in an unofficial capacity. Jose said he feels that the WRC should not have endorsed Cornell’s permit for Lake Source Cooling without In Lake Monitoring. He stated that other entities have expressed the same opinions. 1 Dan said that he has been to WRC meetings and was concerned that we, as an entity, do not have a formal voice in what takes place. The WRC meetings take place on the 1st Wednesday of each month at 3:30PM at The Cooperative Extension building. The members agree that it is important for this facility to be a formal member of the WRC/CU Partnership. This discussion will continue at the September meeting of the SJC. Energy Reduction – Peter Cavagnaro, Johnson Controls Pete updated the committee on the financial and technical aspects of this project. A $6M Grant application (NYSEFC) has been submitted and we have not yet received a response. Another available grant is the $500,000 EPA Showcase Community Grant Program. The initial response from that grant is that it was not accepted citing cost-sharing issues. JCI will follow-up on that to get clarification. Carolyn asked if a NYSERDA Energy Grant due August 24th was a possibility for this project. Erik responded that as a wastewater facility, we are not eligible. Bill noted that the City would have to apply for that grant. Pete discussed the co-generation, gas production, and the digester cover. The digester mixer is out of date and new technology is being researched. Financial Report – Steve Thayer Steve distributed the current financial reports. Third Quarter payments have been received from all three owners. Septage Service revenue has made up a little ground. Unclassified revenue (debt service) will be billed to the entities in October. Expenses are on budget. Positive result is $703,000 to date. There have been no Capital expenses in the last month. Staff has submitted their 2010 Budget Proposal to the Mayor. We are still waiting for consumption numbers from the City and Town of Ithaca. We are also waiting for insurance costs, etc. This discussion should take place at the September meeting. Operators Report Summary– Dan Ramer We participated in a curtailment readiness test with Troy Power. Interviews for the Trainee/Instrumentation position have been completed. Staff conducted an inspection of the Carcass Digester at the Cornell Vet School on July 15th and July 17th. The Watertown facility reports that the material is working well in their digesters. The Sand Recirculation Pumps in the Actiflow System have had a major seal failure. A replacement seal is estimated to cost $8,000. Ed Smith, Operator/Mechanic, has recommended replacing the pump with a more appropriate pump designed to pump abrasives at a cost of $10,000. This pump is available from a sole supplier (Wifley). 2 3 A VFD (variable frequency drive) in the Actiflow System has failed. We are planning to purchase a new ABB drive. Staff is continuing to collect and analyze data from the Doppler Current Profiler deployed in the inlet to Cayuga Lake. Jose will be providing an update on the results of the data at a later date. The fully signed fire alarm contract has been sent to the vendor and we are waiting for them to respond. Erik noted that we are expecting a $4,000 invoice from Stearns & Wheler for their work on this project. Engineering Report Summary – Scott Gibson Staff is preparing a written notice to Crane-Hogan to officially discontinue further discussions on delay claims. Headworks Loading Study MRB will compile a list of pollutants of concern and locations for supplemental testing. Overall, the characteristics of the waste received by the plant represent typical, normal domestic waste with no immediate concern. Wade noted that Cornell hydrolysate was not discussed in this meeting. Carolyn noted that the September meeting will be dedicated to the 2010 budget. Scott noted that Headworks loading will be discussed at the October meeting. On a motion, the meeting was adjourned. The next meeting is scheduled for September 8, 2009 at 12:30PM.