UTILITY COMMITTEE
The Utility Committee Meeting was held on April 9, 2007 at 5:00 p.m. with Chairman Carey presiding. Members present were Mr. Ruane, Mr. Slavin, Mr. Cregar, and Mr. Snaman. Members of Council present were Mr. McGlumphy and Mr. Hogan (arrived at 5:11 p.m.).
AGENDA ADDITIONS/DELETIONS
Mr. Slavin moved for approval of the agenda, seconded by Mr. Snaman and unanimously carried.
Evaluation of Bids - System Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Maintenance Contract
Members were advised that the Public Utilities Department operates two (2) fixed System Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems to monitor and control 14 electric substations, two (2) power generation facilities, 23 water wells, one (1) water treatment plant, and 38 wastewater pumping stations. In addition, the Public Utilities Department operates the communication system for each location which communicates either through fiber optics or a radio system. In previous years, there was a SCADA Technician (City employee) that was assigned to this function; however, when that employee retired, it was decided to disperse the duties of this position to current employees and issue a “support” contract to minimize expenses. It has been determined that this practice should be continued and that expenses be monitored to ensure that there continues to be a cost savings; therefore, proposals were solicited for a SCADA maintenance contract to continue this practice.
Request for proposals were distributed to two (2) local, potential vendors as well as advertisement according to City policy. There was only one (1) response to the request received. Staff recommended awarding the contract to Donovans Contractual Services (DCS) at $50 per hour, not to exceed $57,500 in expenses in any fiscal year. The contract duration is for one year, with the City having the ability to extend the contract for an additional two (2) years. Mr. Lunt, Public Utilities Manager, explained that by structuring the contract in this form, the City can monitor the expenses and hire an employee if it is determined that it would be more economically prudent.
Mr. Lunt advised members that the services to be provided under this contract include support for the current staff that is responsible for the maintenance and repair of the SCADA components and assistance with the upgrade of obsolete equipment. In addition, the contractor will assist staff with the troubleshooting and repair of the radio/fiber communication system.
Responding to Mr. Ruane’s concerns regarding the two (2) engineering positions that are currently vacant, Mr. Lunt explained that these are critical positions; however, the market is such that qualified, experienced engineers are not willing to work for the wages the City offers. It was his opinion that the City may need to employ junior engineers and hire individuals that have just graduated from college. Mr. Lunt stated that the minimum salary requested by these engineers is more than any other City employee, including the City Manager. Based on the market conditions, Mr. Ruane suggested the possibility of combining the salaries for the two (2) vacant positions and the contractual monies to achieve the salary for one (1) engineer.
In response to Mr. McGlumphy, Mr. DePrima explained that the former Public Utilities Director felt that a full-time SCADA Technician was needed. It was subsequently decided that a full-time SCADA Technician was not needed. There are current staff members that can be trained, cross-trained, and backup-trained, to perform some of these duties. Also, having an engineer on board who understands the duties would provide assurance that these duties are being accomplished. Mr. DePrima explained that there is an overlap between conducting technical work and engineering. The feeling is that once the engineers are on board, employees can be cross-trained. Considering that the maximum cost to the City for this contract is $57,500, he stated that the City will be saving money since it would not be possible to hire an employee, including fringe benefits, etc. for less than $100,000.
Mr. Slavin moved to recommend approval of staff’s recommendation to award the SCADA Maintenance Contract to Donovans Contractual Services (DCS) at $50 per hour, not to exceed $57,500 in expenses in any fiscal year; and that the contract duration be for one year, with the City having the ability to extend the contract for an additional two years. The motion was seconded by Mr. Snaman and unanimously carried.
Brown Water Update
Mrs. Duca, Assistant City Engineer, reviewed the Brown Water Financial Update/Water Quality Expense Report, which represents a consolidation of expenses that have occurred during the past six (6) years, since water quality concerns and brown water problems began occurring. She stated that the next flushing is scheduled for the week after July 4, 2007.
Mr. Slavin requested that the spreadsheet provided to members be revised to include two (2) additional lines, as follows: 1) a correlation of the total number of complaints and expenses for each of the fiscal years; and 2) the percentage of the complaints that are received during the flushing periods. Responding, Mr. DePrima stated that he had requested this information from staff and had received a report just prior to this meeting. He stated that the report will be forwarded to Council, which will reflect a day-by-day report of the streets where the flushing operation occurred, what was discovered, and the number of complaints received.
At the request of Mr. DePrima, Mrs. Duca explained that the Bayard Avenue site includes a tank and well, and that the tank was not functioning properly due to the altitude valve. The valve would help control the release of the water in the tank so that if the pressure is low in the system, the tank would release and refill when they stabilized, which helps control the potential for stagnant water. It was also necessary for achieving the necessary contact time because they are both in the same location. Mrs. Duca explained that staff needs the ability to refill the pipe or the tank from the well for the contact time to work properly. That has been completed. The contact chamber for the well itself is what is out for bid now.
Mr. DePrima reminded members that it was decided that rather than replacing the pipe in Bayard Avenue, additional strategies would be developed, such as opening valves, installation of an additional hydrant, and repair of the well-head. Since complaints have not been received from the residents of Bayard Avenue, he questioned if the strategies have solved the problem. Responding, Mrs. Duca stated that although there were complaints received immediately following the tie-in of Bayard Avenue and Division Street, to her knowledge, there have not been any complaints received since then. However, she stated that there have been complaints received from the Greenhill Road area, which is actually a separate issue from the large main.
Mr. Carey felt that the City should determine a means to expedite this program. Responding, Mr. DePrima reminded members that the plan was to accomplish the contact time before streets are torn apart to replace water mains, since it was felt that the contact time could solve a majority of the problems. Staff’s strategy was to focus on the contact time to see what impact that has and then determine which pipe should be replaced. He noted that there are pipes that are over 100 years old that can be scheduled to be replaced. Mr. DePrima assured members that staff is aware of the sentiments of Council, as relayed during the Council Retreat, that the issue of replacing pipes should be accomplished concurrently with the contact time. As a result, the Public Services Director is working on this being accomplished in conjunction with the street program.
Responding to Mr. Ruane regarding the upcoming budget, Mrs. Duca stated that she has submitted staffing requests and a CIP for planned implementation for the replacement of the pipes, which has been presented to the City Manager for preliminary review. Mr. Ruane expressed his hope that the City Manager will complete this review in time for this project to be included in the City’s Annual Budget and will include a revenue source to address these expenses. Mr. Ruane commended Mrs. Duca and her staff for the sacrifices made due to the erratic schedule to conduct the flushing operations.
Mr. McGlumphy requested that the next update include details regarding the expenditures, such as details for the expense amount of $180,790.94 for water quality improvements (recommendation implementation).
Mr. Snaman moved for adjournment, seconded by Mr. Cregar and unanimously carried.
Meeting Adjourned at 5:47 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Carleton E. Carey, Sr.
Chairman
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