The Combined Lake Delhi Recreational Facility and Water Quality District

Board of Trustees Meeting

Thursday, September 19, 2013 – 6:30 p.m.

Maquoketa Valley Middle School Conference Room

Delhi, IA

The meeting of the Combined Lake Delhi Recreational Facility and Water Quality District Board of Trustees was called to order by President Steve Leonard at 6:30 PM at the Maquoketa Valley Middle School Conference Room.

Trustees present: Leonard,  Kramer, Burger, Davidson, Kray, Schneider and Gifford by phone

Trustees absent:  N/A

Visitors: Greg Bandfield, Larry Peter, Clark Gochenour, Nancy Gochenour, Jerry Ries, Tom Cook, Marilyn Cook, Barb DeKlotz, David Larson, Diane Bauers, Lou Christiansen, Sue Christiansen, Marcheta Cooey Lux, Bill Lux, Bill Hughes, Bonnie Hughes, Bob Galiher, Lola Galiher, Doug Ricklefs, Nancy Ricklefs, Jim Willey, Pat Colgan, Chloe Colgan, Carol Stachura, John Hess

Agenda reviewed by Leonard. Motion made by Kray to approve agenda, Davidson second.   All ayes, motion passed.

Kray requested approval of minutes for the 8/15/13, 8/28/13 and 9/5/13 meetings.   Burger made motion to approve, Kramer second. All ayes, motion passed.

Kramer covered billings requiring approval for payment.  Payments for the General Fund are Alliant Energy – $19.07; ICAP (Insurance Liability Coverage) – $3,657.00; L&L Consulting (Lobbyist) – $2,000.00; Simmons Perrine Moyer Bergman (Attorney) – $4,802.14 for a total of $10,478.21.  Payments for the Bond Fund are Simmons Perrine Moyer Bergman (Attorney) – $149.86; Delaware County Abstract – $388.00; Stanley Engineering – $93,817.33; Stanley Enginnering (FEMA) – $12,765.90 for a total of $107,121.09.  Burger  made motion to approve  all payments as presented, Schneider second.  Individual roll call requested, all ayes, motion passed. 

Kramer indicated the beginning balance of the General fund as of August 31, 2013 is $20,018.85 and an ending balance of $113,351.04.  The transfer of monies from the bond fund took place this month.  That transfer is due to the attorney fees paid from the general fund that should have been paid from the bond fund.  The Dam Spillway fund had a beginning balance of $5,702,101.03 with an ending balance of $5,719,137.73 as we received some DNR reimbursement monies this month.  Burger made motion to receive and file the financial report, Davidson second.  All ayes, motion passed.

Leonard said in a previous meeting the board approved the agreement with the LDRA, DCCI and the District based on mediation concerning the lien by DCCI.  The agreement stated that the payment to DCCI would be for a total of $30,000, the District paying $25,000 and the LDRA paying $5,000.  In addition, upon completion of the property transfer to the district, the district will pay $2,500 back to the LDRA. Burger made motion  to make a payment of $25,000 to DCCI now and $2,500 to the LDRA when the transfer of property is complete, Kramer second. Individual roll call requested, all ayes, motion passed. 

Burger discussed the insurance levels for the construction bids and advised Stanley will no longer recommend levels for the contracts due to legal reasons.  Burger did research with insurance companies, ICAP and other sources and the majority of the recommendations were for the District to carry an insurance level at $1,000,000 and a $5,000,000 umbrella policy.  He does have the question with a liability carrier right now and they will give recommendations. Burger asked Bill Holman to give him the information on the last dam that Stanley worked on.  We will also name the county and state as additionally insured on the policies. Once all of the information is accumulated, Burger will email  the details out to the board for email approval.  Colgan  said we have to complement what we already have and whatever levels we come up with, the contractor will cover in his bid.  Burger said that builder’s risk insurance is in the specs that Bill Holman sent out and it asks the contractor to provide builder’s risk insurance, however, Burger is also asking ICAP for a quote on this type of insurance.  Kray asked Colgan if it was his opinion that the district should pay for builder’s risk insurance. Colgan said a contract is a risk and that risk should be assigned to the best party that can take it.    Burger said Cardinal Construction in Waterloo usually does the builder’s risk insurance.  Colgan said we need to make sure the risk is covered and it is only for one year. Burger made a motion to table the insurance issue for this evening and take action on the insurance amounts via email before Thursday, September 26^th, but authorize the action at the next board meeting   Davidson second, all ayes, motion passed.

Colgan began discussion regarding the bid documents by saying the construction is routine but there is always risk and if things go well we will be done by November of next year.  Our risk is weather and the contractor.  Colgan would like to get as many as possible involved and for the next 12 months lets just focus on getting the lake back because it will take all of our collective efforts to get it done.  The good news is the cost estimate is $4.4 million for phase 1.  There are 6 good capable contractors that are interested in this work.  We will have open bidding which allows the bid documents to hit national exchanges and newspapers so other contractors besides these 6 can place a proposal.  The documents are pretty strict as the contractor and superintendent has to have experience in this kind of work.  The contractor will pick the vendors but he will be the overall responsible party for the work.  Our Stanley engineer will be our field representative and full time field support to make sure of quality and that things get done according to design.   The engineer will verify quantity and quality and will recommend to us how to pay. The Dam Construction committee is diverse and has a lot of ideas and we will use their expertise.  The contractor will read through the first 7 pages of the ‘instructions to bidders’ document and decide if they are interested in the project which for Phase I is focused on mechanical and electrical.  Davidson asked if we will make our decision on price?  Colgan said will evaluate based on low bid, but evaluated bid.  If all the bids are equal, we will go with the low bid.  Colgan further explained how the bid process will work.  We will decide what day and time the bids need to be returned.  The District will then take the sealed bids from the court house to the conference room at the bank and as soon as we get there, we will open the bids.  We will note the name of the contractor’s name, the amount bid and then Stanley will immediately go into the evaluation phase which will take one week.  After Stanley’s evaluation, the board will vote to accept a bid.  The clock starts with the contractor on the ‘notice to proceed’ date which we are currently looking at possibly November 4^th. If we have issues with the permits and/or construction easements and we are not ready, there could be an owner caused delay.  Colgan would prefer to avoid that so the District can’t be accused of the contractor falling behind on his schedule.  Colgan feels good about the permits and the easements, however we just need to be cautious. After awarding the contract, we will have an all day administrative meeting with the successful contractor.  Each month we will have a progress meeting and we expect the contractor to be organized because he is the main contact for us.  Stanley Engineering will act as a consultant for us on the build and make sure the work is done. 

Leonard indicated we need the insurance numbers and the bid dates to move forward.  The first type of work that will be done on the bid is to order the gates and other equipment needed, however, we could say the field work won’t start until December 4^th for example.  We can also do addendums to the contract during the bid period up to the last week before the letting date (for example we could change the start date).    Colgan said most of the work this year is removal of debris and forming up, etc.  Colgan said Larry Peter will help a lot because he is here and will be his eyes and ears.  

Colgan also said the Army Corp of Engineers and SHPO might be changing to a programmatic  agreement and may have more items for us to work out. There is a new director at SHPO and we are having a conference call with them on Monday and will know more then and see if there are further delays.  

Burger made motion to accept the complete bid package, Kramer second.  All ayes, motion passed.

Burger made motion to authorize the board to send out the bid on Phase I to rebuild the Lake Delhi Dam with Colgan being the lead on establishing the dates, Davidson second.  Davidson said we are relying heavily on Colgan’s opinion and his help is greatly appreciated.  Colgan said stepping into unknown and is exciting.  All ayes, motion passed.

Kramer discussed the possibility of purchasing a fire proof filing cabinet because of the need to file abstracts just received.  Kramer went to the old LDRA office and there is a fire proof cabinet so she indicated we can table this for now.  Burger said we received the equipment in the property transfer but they maintain old records and we may need to purchase some new filing cabinets.  Colgan said will be important to keep records.  Kramer made motion to table, Burger second.  All ayes, motion passed.

Leonard reviewed committee assignments and the majority of the committees will stay the same.  Colgan said there is a pre-construction meeting within 2 weeks of notice to proceed with the contractor and the Finance Committee should come to that meeting and possibly Carla Becker, the County Auditor.  This meeting will discuss how the money is to flow and then there will be progress meetings bi-weekly. 

Dam Construction Committee roles and responsibilities were put in writing by Colgan to explain what will be done what the committee won’t do. Colgan read his member’s names and their expertise and said he was very happy with the variety of background we have. 

Colgan said once the concrete is done in Phase I, the coffer dam will be installed and the river will rise about 20 feet down by the dam. This means all debris and tree removal is the most critical thing to be done this fall.  Kramer said ATI is going to volunteer to assist by allowing us the use of equipment they would like to test.

The timing and number of meetings was discussed as there is a a lot of work to be done and it may be beneficial for us to meet on a more frequent basis.  Kramer said another  issue is with our approval of payments and when we get that approval to the County to pay the bills.   We would need to have our meeting on the first Tuesday of the month to approve the claims.  Burger said maybe the Finance Committee should approve in their meetings and then send them to Carla earlier and then the full board would approve the payments. Kramer said her concern is when the construction bills come in it will be important to be timely.  Burger said he has an issue with meeting 2 nights a month and would rather have special meetings when we need to meet.  Kramer said to table this issue and she will speak with the County Auditor again. 

Committee update – FEMA – there is a meeting set up with FEMA and Homeland Security on October 1^st to go over the 2008 issues.  Legislative committee – met with the County Supervisors at their regular meeting and gave an update of our withdrawal from FEMA.  The MOA with the LDRA has been signed and the deed is prepared and in the hands of the LDRA attorney.  Property Management Committee has nothing to update.

Public comment – Bob Galiher advised the Water Quality committee is going to meet on September 28^th at 9am at the Heritage Bank in Delhi. 

Jack Hess said there were old records at  the old LDRA building and he feels it is important to keep those records for historical reasons.  Hess also said he is anxious for the lake bed management information as they are waiting to be told what to do.

Nancy Gochenour asked where does the different monies come from and Leonard explained they are from the state, our bond and general fund (which is the 4% tax).  The debt service fund is to pay down the bond so it shows the tax collected and is more of a monies in and monies out account. 

Bill Lux asked Colgan what will be the interaction between Stanley and the contractor if the work being done is subpar.  Colgan advised he will have a say in that and to enforce the contract.  He will be depending on the construction committee to go out and see those things. That is one reason it is imperative that we get a good contractor.

Burger made motion to adjourn, Davidson second.  All ayes, motion passed.

The Combined Lake Delhi Recreational Facility and Water Quality District

Board of Trustees Meeting

Thursday, September 12, 2013 – 1:15 pm.

UNI Business and Community Services Building

8120 Jennings Drive

Cedar Falls, IA

The meeting of the Combined Lake Delhi Recreational Facility and Water Quality District Board of Trustees was called to order by President Steve Leonard at 1:15 pm at the UNI Business and Community Services Building in Cedar Falls, IA.

Trustees present: Leonard,  Kramer, Gifford, Davidson, Burger, Kray, and Schneider  

Trustees absent: 

Visitors: Larry Peter, Pat Colgan

Agenda reviewed by Leonard.  Burger made motion to approve agenda, Kramer second.  All ayes, motion passed.

Supplemental Agreement #20 was reviewed by Leonard.  One criteria between District and Army Corp of Engineers is to give documentation of the powerhouse.  This agreement outlines the level of service required by the Corp.  Gifford  said we have to get this done in order to get our federal permit.   Appendix B of the agreement gives details of what is required.   The biggest item is at the end and the second to last bullet point which requires1200 copies of the publication that will be produced for the documentation.  Gifford said it is a ‘not to exceed’ contract so he thinks it is a little high but we should be okay.  Gifford asked for a second quote and another firm was a little lower in price couldn’t get the work done in our time frame.  Louis Berger has committed to a 9/25/13 date.  Motion to approve Supplemental Agreement #20 by Kramer, second by Burger.   Davidson said there is some work already out on the Internet but this work has to be done by an approved company by the United States of America and the Historical Society so we can’t do this ourselves.   Individual roll call requested, all ayes, motion passed. 

Motion to go into closed session for the purpose of discussion regarding terms for acquisition of property and property rights for the purpose of restoring the lake and Dam per Iowa Code Section 21.5 (j) by Kray, Burger second.  Individual roll call request all ayes, motion passed.

Kray made a motion to adjourn, Burger second, all ayes, motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 1:45 pm.

There was a brief recess and then Burger made motion to go into a work session for planning purposes, Gifford second.  All ayes, motion passed.  Randy Pilkington joined the group as he is the leader of our session for planning purposes.

Lake Delhi Trustees

Short-term Plan for 2013-14

Communications, Public Relations and Education

Goal: Improve ongoing communications among Trustees and between committees and Trustees

Actions:

• Provide all documents needing board approval to Trustee at least 48 hours prior to vote.  If possible, allow more time or send as soon as available.
• Send regular updates via email of progress or actions and cc all board members (phone calls are a suitable substitute when more appropriate)
• Keep email updates brief, using bullet-point style reports of the high points. If uncertain the update needs to be sent, better to send.
• Share committee reports and actions – with an “alert” when critical or time sensitive information is included.  Committee chair or assignee is responsible for providing updates to Trustees.  Appoint someone on each committee to keep minutes.
• Include non-trustees in communications if they are performing key tasks for the Trustees.
• Assess committee membership and responsibilities and provide more details about the committee purpose if needed.
• Consider more frequent Trustees meetings if more timely decisions need to occur – twice monthly was suggested.

Goal: Increase public relations activities to inform and educate lake property owners of progress and timelines

Actions:

• Send out the Lake Delhi VOICE newsletter once each month
• Prepare and send mid-month updates as needed – shorter and news-focused updates
• Respond to public comments made at the Trustee meetings.  Review the request and provide a response if the question has a simple response.  If the inquiry takes some research or consideration, put on next month’s agenda (if action is needed).
• Use the Lake Delhi VOICE to recruit additional committee members.

Dam Reconstruction

Goal: Rebuild the Lake Delhi dam by fall of 2014 (extensive plan was detailed by Todd and can be shared with all Trustees).  Plan includes the following action items to be monitored by the Construction Committee

Actions:

• Property acquisition
• Operation of Dam
• Permitting- Stanley lead- work with Corp of Engineers and DNR
• Regulatory- legal (easement, flood rights, EMP)
• Phase I bid
• Phase I const.
• Phase II bid
• Phase II const.
• Misc.
• Water Quality
• Wording on construction contracts
• Regular communication of construction progress to all Trustees

Lake Bed Restoration

Goal: Complete lake bed restoration in conjunction with reconstruction of dam and construction of spillway

Actions:

• Establish formal committee to address lake bed restoration by spring of 2014
• Develop an approach to remediate weeds and tree growth by the summer of 2014
• Plan for debris removal in the summer of 2014
• Formalize dredge plan requirement within 30 days (by middle of October, 2013)

Finance and Operations (Finance Committee)

Goal: Formalize operations and payment criteria

Actions:

• Meet with DNR and Stanley consultants for updates and timelines (ongoing)
• Learn about reimbursement – are there special forms required by Delaware County?
• Determine the timing for processing payments
• Consider hiring a part-time recording secretary in the near term at approximately $300/month.  Person hired should have experience in public finance
• Work with FEMA on dredge debt
• Refocus lobbying activities

Goal: Develop a detailed master budget for the Trustees by November, 2014

Actions:  Budget should include:

• Operations of the Trustees
• Dam construction
• Public access plan
• Lake bed restoration
• Lobbying efforts

Public Access

Goal: Continue to work with Delaware County Board of Supervisors on the public access plan

Actions:

• Public access has been part of State and Local Government Committee – consider repurposing committee or forming a new committee
• Prepare a public access plan for approval by Trustees by the spring of 2014 to include:

• Turtle Creek access, beach, bridge, etc.
• Portage for kayaks and canoes at the dam

Water Quality Committee and District

Goal: Financially support the important role of the Water Quality Committee

Actions:

• Continue testing water quality
• Outline guideline and monitor shoreline protection during construction projects
• Provide mini-grants for septic system improvements

The Combined Lake Delhi Recreational Facility and Water Quality District

Board of Trustees Meeting

Thursday, September 5, 2013 – 7:00 pm.

Heritage Bank Conference Room

Delhi, IA

The meeting of the Combined Lake Delhi Recreational Facility and Water Quality District Board of Trustees was called to order by President Steve Leonard at 7:00 pm at the Heritage Bank Conference Room.

Trustees present: Leonard,  Kramer, Gifford, Davidson, Burger, Kray, and Schneider  

Trustees absent: 

Visitors: Bob Galiher, Lola Galiher, Bill Hughes, Bonnie Hughes, Don Dede, Diane Bauers, Maxine Schultz, John Carbaugh, Pauletta Carbaugh, Paulette Sands, Paul Sands, Nancy Koprucki Peterson, Jean Vance, Jo Ann Mottet, Marcheta Cooey Lux, Bill Lux, Bill Havertape, Larry Peter, Eve Peter, Ken Kray, Larry Sloan, Ed Schmidt, Pat Colgan, Larry Aschenbrenner, Tom McLaughlin, Lou Christiansen, Sue Christiansen, Dwayne Donels, Barb DeKlotz, Ken DeKlotz, Pat Dede, Dave McCarville, Bob Milne, Jean Milne, Dave Kretz

Agenda reviewed by Leonard.  Kramer made motion to approve agenda, Burger second.  All ayes, motion passed.

 Leonard asked for motion to approve the 3^rd Amendment to the Memorandum of Agreement between the District and the LDRA.  Schneider made motion to approve and Burger second.  Kramer said this document was not exactly what she had hoped for because it does not give the District enough flexibility.  However, she was happy to hear Rich Hughes, President of the LDRA, say they would move quickly on any of our requests.  Davidson said he got on the board for 2 reasons, one to get the lake back and two to make sure nothing happens to the assets of the lake.  He would just like to get this done.  Leonard said it has been a long road for all of us and both organizations have made mistakes along the way.  We all could have communicated better along the way.  He commended the LDRA for signing the document this evening.  Individual roll call taken, all ayes, motion passed.

 Leonard also wanted all to know that he just received a check from Lea Ann Smith at GNB Bank in Manchester.  The bank allows employees and patrons to contribute to community funds and over the last month, contributions amounted to $93.  We thank GNB for its contributions.

 Public Comment – the question was asked as to what was in the 3^rd Amendment to the MOA.  Leonard explained that the document contained the terms and conditions for all of the properties to be transferred except the dredge site because there were some further real estate issues that needed to be dealt with.  

 The next question was what is the status of the construction and Pat Colgan advised that our letter was received by FEMA and they have verbally told the Army Corps of Engineers that they are releasing their lead federal agency status and that the Corps should take over as lead agency.  Colgan, Gifford and Leonard had a meeting with the Army Corps of Engineers last week and the Corp is moving forward with next steps for our federal permit.  A draft memorandum of agreement between us and the Corp will be sent to SHPPO (State Historical and Preservation Group) and they have 30 days to respond. After that item is completed then the County will need to give us approval and they have said they can turn that around in about 1 day. We would then be issued our federal permit.  Gifford indicated that he is creating a time line of each task that needs to be completed and Bill Holman from Stanley Engineering is doing the same for all construction items.

 Colgan said that are plan is to award the contract in October.  There is a lot of work to do before then but that is the goal.  The coffer dam would then be built in April 2014.  If you have property below Hartwick Bridge you could have up to 15 to 20 ft. of water in April. Our 2 biggest risks in construction is weather and the contractor themselves.

 Gifford reminded folks that if they have not received the “Delhi Voice” in the last few days, they are not on the Trustee email list.  Please send an email to lakedelhitrustees@lakedelhi.org and request your email address to be put on the list if you are not receiving communication from us.

 Barb DeKlotz asked if we have enough money to build.  Leonard said we have $3 million from the County, $5 million from the State, $6 million in our bond and $1.7 million in pledges which is $14.7 million.  We will know more as the bids come back but we feel we have enough for the dam.  However, we have dredging and possible other obligations like public access that we need to address as well.  So we will be requesting that more folks that have not yet donated to consider doing so.

 Bob Galiher suggested that we put the necessary information in the Voice so people will know what to do to get rid of the trees.  Leonard advised the DNR information is on the web site.  Davidson said now is the time to work on getting rid of the trees and help our neighbors to get the job done.    Brian Hughes said if we can get plans together he can coordinate as he did with the river bed cleanup. 

 Larry Peter asked Pat Colgan if the lead time for the gates will be an issue.  Colgan said they have the longest lead time and we will need 6-8 months for lead time.  Gifford said the spreadsheet will keep track of these kinds of items so we can keep them on our radar screen.  Leonard said he wanted to thank those who have volunteered for the dam construction committee in advance because they will have a lot of work to do. 

 Brian Hughes asked if we have taken a risk assessment as to whether the lake will come back.  Leonard said we have to bring the lake back, there is no alternative.  Hughes then asked if we should order the gates now and Colgan said no, we want to have the contractor order so they are responsible.  Leonard said we will be using mostly public money so it is essential that we follow correct procurement procedures.

Ken DeKlotz asked if we are working on augmentation of the Hartwick bridge.  Leonard advised at this time our priority is to get the water back.  Once we do that, we can start looking at our scientific information we have gathered to see what can be done about the bridge.  Colgan also said the water that we saw in May is just from the natural bends in the river.  There was no dam to impede the flow.

 Doc Hess said he believes we should sent out an email with instructions on how to get rid of the weeds and make sure everyone knows it is a top priority.

 Dwayne Donels said we are very fortunate to have Pat and he wants everyone to know that concrete was his business and he knows concrete can be worked with throughout the winter.

 Lola Galiher said would like to commend those who are creating the “Delhi Voice” as she feels it is very important to have a section about the good things people are doing on the lake.  There is a lot going on and it gives us the opportunity to thank people.

 Barb DeKlotz said she would still like to see the financial reports available to the public at each monthly Trustee meeting.

 Dave Kretz thanked the Trustees for all we are doing.

 Burger made a motion to adjourn, Davidson second, all ayes, motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 7:54 pm.

 The Combined Lake Delhi Recreational Facility and Water Quality District

Board of Trustees Meeting

Thursday, August 28, 2013 – 6:00 p.m.

Maquoketa Valley School Auditorium

Delhi, IA

The meeting of the Combined Lake Delhi Recreational Facility and Water Quality District Board of Trustees was called to order by President Steve Leonard at 6:02 PM at the Maquoketa Valley Middle School Conference Room.

Trustees present: Leonard,  Kramer, Gifford, Davidson, Kray, and Schneider

Trustees absent:  Burger

Visitors:  Sign in sheet provided

Agenda reviewed by Leonard.  Leonard asked the board that when a motion is made to approve the agenda he would like item 3 and 4 to be reversed and to allow public comment during #3 regarding the disengagement of FEMA.  Schneider made motion to approve agenda as Leonard requested, Davidson second.   All ayes, motion passed.

Leonard advised Burger was here but received emergency phone call as his mother is ill.

Leonard introduced FEMA team which consists of himself, Gary Grant, Larry Murphy, Pat Colgan, Dave Fry, Bob Hatala, Bill Holman, Bruce Schneider, Todd Gifford, and previously Laurie Kramer.  He gave thanks to all of them for all of their hard work.

The FEMA committee had a presentation that was then covered.  Leonard gave review of events that got us to where we are today with FEMA status and assistance.  Colgan then gave information regarding FEMA being the lead agency once they became involved.  He gave what the steps will be moving forward with FEMA which would include public hearings, environmental assessment which could take 1-2 years and then an environmental impact study which could be 3-5 years.  Gifford then covered the financial impacts to delaying rebuild.  He also explained costs could be higher with FEMA involvement and we wouldn’t know if or how much money would be offered by FEMA until the environmental assessment (explained by Colgan) is complete.

Colgan then explained if we disengage from FEMA, the Army Corps of Engineers would become the lead federal agency again and could then issue our federal permit.  Colgan believes we could go out for bids this fall and begin work on the powerhouse before the end of the year.  That would then allow us to begin work on the spillway in the spring of 2014.

Dave Fry spoke then regarding the 2008 monitoring report from FEMA and that we will need to continue that work to resolve those issues.

Leonard advised the public that he had discussions with the County Supervisors.  They wanted to share that they feel we should move forward and shouldn’t wait.  They also expressed they have been working with FEMA on some property demolitions and have been waiting 2 years for the funds and have now been told they won’t be reimbursed and have to appeal that decision.  They have confirmed their full support.

Gary Grant then advised he and Larry Murphy have spent quite a bit of time discussing the last conversation with FEMA with people in Des Moines and Washington, DC.  He indicated that the Governor, Senator Grassley, Representative Braley, our local state representative Lee Hein and our state senator Dan Zumbach, the majority leaders  were disappointed that we couldn’t reach an agreement with FEMA but not disappointed with us.  They all understand the decision we need to make as a community.  The involvement of all our political leaders has been astounding.    They are delighted that some progress will now be made.

Leonard then read the letter that will be sent to FEMA on Thursday if the board approves the action.    After reading, Leonard opened it up to Public Comment.

Rick Reysack was first to speak and gave comment at how river is about family.  He spoke with his family and they decided to do without Christmas if we have to go forward without FEMA money.  He donated a check this evening.

Dave Kretz asked if the letter will impact the LDRA debt.  There was a clarification and that he was asking about the 2008 issues with FEMA.  Dave Fry advised that what we do with FEMA on the 2010 event should not impact the 2008 issues with FEMA.

Bob Galiher asked if we still have a chance for the monies from 2008.  He also stated he was concerned that if still looking for 2008 help should we disengage from 2010.  Leonard advised we are not asking to get rid of our eligible status, we are just asking to disengage from our application for the 2010 event.  Gary Grant said the team spent quite a bit of time drafting the letter and making sure we were comfortable with the tone of the letter.  It was written and reworked but it was important to describe why this action took place to not only FEMA but a wider audience who will read the letter.

Donna Kunde who is the Board of Director of the Maquoketa Valley School Board spoke and advised we still have the support of the school system and it has not changed.  The lake coming back will benefit us all when they are able to reduce the levy to each property owner.

Ed Schmidt said pretty much in favor but asked if down the road something happens will FEMA be an issue an not willing to help.  Colgan said  all we are doing is withdrawing the application requesting assistance for the 2010 work.  He does not believe it will affect anything because we are being professional in our requests.

Doc Hess said he believes we should get on with bringing the water back.

Doug Herman works for the city of Monticello and worked with FEMA for quite some time.  They have encountered issues with reimbursement and understand our position and believes the right answer is to disengage from FEMA.  He also said that project costs will go up based on rules and regulations that FEMA has.

Jim Stepanek asked if by submitting the letter will they allow us to disengage.  Leonard said the question is what will FEMA do but the way the letter is written is that we are taking our application off the table.  Leonard said they have talked with Corp and they are ready to move forward with the federal permit.  Grant said FEMA can’t force you to apply for assistance.  FEMA cannot stop the taxing district from taking these steps.

Chris Stender said we elected these people to make these decisions and that he hopes we make the decision he wants us to which is to move forward.

No further public comment.  Leonard asked the board to accept the letter and Schneider made the motion and Davidson second.  Kray said the most important words she heard was ‘control our own destiny’.  She reflected back to the purchase of the dam and the when we needed to raise money and advised she would vote for disengaging from FEMA.  Individual roll call requested, all ayes, motion passed.  An electronic vote was taken after the meeting and Burger voted in favor of forwarding the letter to FEMA.

Colgan explained the drawings from Stanley Engineering for Phase I and Phase II.  It includes the operating model, the emergency action plan, etc.  Holman from Stanley and Colgan have reviewed them.  Kramer made motion to initiate process to forward drawings for permitting application to the DNR, Schneider second.  All ayes, motion passed.

Motion by Kray to go into closed session for the purpose of discussion regarding terms for acquisition of property and property rights for purposes fo restoring the lake and dam, second by Schneider.  Individual roll call requested, all ayes, motion passed.

Motion to adjourn by Schneider, second by Kramer.  All ayes, motion passed.