The Combined Lake Delhi Recreational Facility and Water Quality District
Regular Meeting
March 17, 2016
6:30 PM
Lake Delhi Trustees Building
Delhi, IA
The regular meeting of the Combined Lake Delhi Recreational Facility and Water Quality District was called to order by President Steve Leonard at 6:32 PM.
Trustees present: Leonard, Kramer, Colgan, Gifford, Burger
Trustees absent: Davidson, Herman
Visitors: Marilyn Cook, Tom Cook, Larry Peter, Eve Peter, Pat Dede, Don Dede, Gordon Anderson, Pat Anderson, Chloe Colgan, Nancy Hurt, Dan Recker, Wayne Garvin, Jenny Garvin, Marcheta Cooey-Lux, Bill Lux
Motion to approve the agenda as posted made by Colgan, seconded by Gifford. Motion carried.
Motion to approve the minutes from February 18, 2016 and March 3, 2016 was made by Colgan, seconded by Burger. Motion carried.
Kramer presented payments for approval. Payments in the amount of $2,436.79 for electricity, printer usage, lobbyist, publication expense, and internet were presented from the General Fund. Payments in the amount of $280,551.06 for dam operations, Phase 2 payment, and engineering services were presented from the Dam/Spillway Project Fund. Motion to approve payments as read was made by Colgan, seconded by Burger. Motion carried.
Kramer read the financial reports through February 29, 2016. The General Fund had revenues of $5,969.54 from the county and interest, and expenditures of $2,577.20. Ending balance for the General Fund was $259,061.52. The Debt Service Fund had revenues of $13,615.98 from the county and interest, and no expenditures, ending February at $193,909.22. The Dam/Spillway Project Fund had revenues of $302,018.95 from county and interest, and expenditures of $423,728.79 for Phase 2, engineering, and contracted services, ending December at
$3,348,961.00. Motion to receive and file the financial reports made by Burger, seconded by Colgan. Motion carried.
Motion to request reimbursement in the amount of $88,111.23 from Delaware County made by Colgan, seconded by Gifford. Kramer noted that this is the final request for reimbursement from the county for the $2,999,999 that was approved for the dam spillway project. Motion carried.
Colgan shared with the Trustees that Burrington’s proposed contract amendment defines the needs we will have based on the water flows of the lake. By working with Burrington Group we avoid expenses like payroll tax and workmans’ compensation. Jason Wenger noted there had been discussions of what is classified as an “independent contractor”. Based on conversations with others, it was determined that an independent contractor probably would not apply to someone who is scheduled on a regular basis. Burrington Group is willing to take the administrator role which includes payroll and insurance for those employees that will be doing the observations during specific flow rates as outlined in the amended contract. He also noted that these employee positions will not require heavy maintenance. Any type of work beyond the scope of the checklist for these employees would go to an experienced contract such as Lunda. Wenger explained that in all probability a high percentage of the work on the dam will be done by volunteers who will be trained to do the daily visits. Burrington Group, under the terms of the original agreement, will be keeping a calendar to make sure there are people to cover the daily needs. If a volunteer in not available, the backup would be one of the paid employees. Colgan noted that he has a least a dozen individuals who have interest in volunteering their time with the daily inspections. He noted that this contract is for a two year period in which time the District will learn more of what their needs are and can make changes accordingly. Burger asked if the list of volunteers will be expanded in the future. Wenger said that is correct and that the expectation is that every volunteer go through a safety inspection training program. Colgan mentioned that the DNR has programs for training. Burger asked if the Board would be kept aware of any additional volunteers that are added. Wenger replied that any new volunteers would have to be approved by Burrington Group and the Trustees.
A motion to approve the proposed contract amendment with Burrington Group was made by Gifford, second by Burger. The motion was to approve Burrington hiring dam operators, adding their costs and submitting invoices to cover paid operators costs. Motion carried.
A request from the Turtle Creek Road Association for lakebed improvements was read by Kramer. The work was done in August, 2015 after their proposal was approved by the Trustees. The pay request was delayed until this time per a request from the contractor that did the work. Kramer read the request form the Turtle Creek Road Association. The amount of the request was $19,321.00 which was the amount charged by the contractor to do the work. She noted that that an additional item was added to the original proposal and that was for a culvert that was determined to be necessary during the course of the project. The request is for 80% of the completed project. Gifford asked what the amount of the original project was. Kramer said she thought around $18,700 but wasn’t sure as she didn’t have a copy of that proposal. After reviewing the minutes from that board meeting where the original proposal was approved, it was determined that the original proposal was for $18,680. Colgan expressed an interest in seeing the exact area and knowing the amount of what was taken out. Gifford said Bill Havertape has that information and that the area is documented. A motion was made by Kramer, second by Colgan to pay Turtle Creek Road Association request for reimbursement. After some discussion there was a request to revise the motion by Gifford, second by Burger to approve 80% of the original contract or $14,944. Motion carried.
The Board considered the donation request from the LDRA for the dredge debt. The LDRA requested $48,553.50 for the principal interest for the Bank Iowa loan due June 1st. Burger motioned to approve the donation to the LDRA, Colgan seconded. Motion carried.
Consideration for action on the final agreement with the Rocky Nook Association for septic/water lines was presented by Leonard. He explained that in order to rebuild the dam and spillway it was necessary for the District to negotiate an agreement with the Rocky Nook Association to purchase the necessary property needed for the spillway. The agreement included payment for the land plus a new water/septic system. Jason Wenger from Burrington Group, who supervised the water/septic project said that the area had historically had problems but now that the work is complete he had Dennis Lyons from the County Sanitation Department inspect and he was satisfied with the work that was done. Leonard reminded the trustees that we have already paid Roger Groth for part of the work that was completed. The District is now being presented with his final two pay requests in the amount of $24,038.38. Wenger advised that the completed project by Groth came in under bid by $13,500. An additional component of the project was the electrical work needed for the pumps to operate. That work was done by Pfeiler and included a new service panel. The work is complete and they are asking for payment of $1,655. Leonard stated that there is still a couple of areas yet to be completed. The first is a reimbursable invoice from Groth for the remaining hookups in the amount of $22,760 that will be paid once the Rocky Nook Association meets code. The second is that there are still 3-5 tanks that need to be pumped and filled in. The Rocky Nook Association will also be required to sign off on the project before that final payment is made. Motion by Gifford, second by Kramer to pay Groth and Pfeiler for the invoices presented. Motion carried.
Gifford gave an update on the Lake Bed Cleanup. He noted that no projects have been planned at this time but because we will not be filling the lake in the next 30 days or so there’s work that could be done at North beach. Leonard reminded those in attendance that if they know of areas where there’s hazardous debris they should notify the trustees so we can address the issue.
Leonard gave an update on dredging. He said a lot of work has been done evaluating siltation traps. He has asked Bill Holman from Stanley Engineering to quantify the recommended siltation trap located near the Cedars. Some of the questions raised are: How much siltation can we stop? What information can we gather to understand our return on investment? What’s the cost if we do nothing? Will it cost more if we wait? Would the siltation trap help with water quality initiatives? Burger asked if there are companies that provide services to answer these questions. Leonard said he believes so and with Stanley’s help we will be able to locate them. Alternatives such as Iowa State University could assist. Leonard informed the board that the District should endorse a future plan in order to get any type of funding from the state, federal or other funding sources.
A dam construction update was presented by Colgan. He told those in attendance that the D1 slab which is one of the two major horizontal concrete slabs supporting the labyrinth spillway was completed today. He estimated there were about 75 truckloads of concrete that was poured in a six hour time span. He noted the biggest frustration of getting to this point was that the dam was built on a glacial tilt and get the correct compaction of material during the months of January and February was very difficult. Now that the weather is starting to cooperate, General Constructors has been very active. Iron workers worked over the weekend to get all of the rebar in place so the pour could be done. Several other major pours will be done next week which will allow the spillway to be poured around the 2nd or 3rd week in April. Once the spillway is completed there will still be work to do including removing the cofferdam, backfill work, removing the sheet pile and the earthen dike. He noted that the average flow for this time of year is 400 cfs. Right now it’s 700 cfs. At the flow rate, the lake could be full in two days. A question was raised about debris coming down river once the lake fills. Colgan said debris in the river is a concern due to the lake being empty for almost six years and is somewhat on an unknown at this time but should be manageable. He noted that Lunda was down last week and set up the stop logs. Steve Gehl, who was the Phase 1 construction superintendent from Lunda, said this stop log system is the smoothest he’s ever seen in his experience.
Leonard gave an update regarding water quality. He said he’s been proactively working with the Maquoketa River Watershed Authority, the state legislature and our lobbyists to get a law approved by the Iowa House and Senate that would allow Lake Delhi to be voting member and give us opportunities in the future for state and federal funding. Our lobbyists play an important role in this endeavor and will continue to assist with funding for water quality and siltation programs. There are currently only seven watersheds in the state and by taking the lead now we are years ahead of others before formed. Gifford said this is a hot topic in the State and watersheds will carry a lot of weight to get in getting funding dollars. Gifford also mentioned that he submitted a grant from the Green Community through Rockwell Collins that could potentially cover water-testing expenses.
Leonard informed those in attendance that the next Lake Delhi Voice will be coming out this weekend. He reminded everyone that the next month or so will be your last opportunity to do shore wall work and debris removal. All lake residents need to get their permits for docks and lifts along with making sure their septic systems have been permitted.
Leonard expressed thanks to the board for the plant that was sent to his family at the time of his mother-in-law’s death. He said it was greatly appreciated.
There being no public comments, a motion was made by Burger, second by Gifford to adjourn.