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Dance benefits Tri-Lakes Cares and Sertoma

The "Dance at the Plaza" held Aug. 27 drew 800-1000 people and raised about $3,000 each for Sertoma and Tri-Lakes Cares. Photos provided by Karen Evans, Kelly McGuire, George Wilkins (Publisher of TidBits).

Below: Miss Colorado 2005, Jessica Urban. Photo by Karen Evans

Below: The festivities. Photo by Kelly McGuire

Below: The festivities. Photo by Kelly McGuire

Below: Some of the dedicated Sertoma volunteers at their booth. Photo by George Wilkins (Publisher of TidBits)

Below: The organizers (L to R): Karen Evans of A Chick & A Windshield, Fay Vogel of Rosie’s Diner, Sandy Bauers of Bauers Massage, P.J. Harshman of Two Timers Fine Consignments, Genny Natvig of Classic Floors, and Lela Nemmers of Colorado National Bank. Photo provided by Karen Evans

Below: The "Promises" Septet. Photo by Kelly McGuire

Kevin Lonergan, vice president of the Forest View Acres Water District, resigned effective Aug. 24. His four-year term would have ended in May 2006.

Lonergan is the second board member to resign in recent months. Board President Tom Guenther resigned effective Aug. 1.

The resignations came in the wake of the alleged embezzlement of at least $315,000 by the district’s former contract manager, Patricia Unger.

A recall campaign targeting Lonergan collected enough signatures to force a recall election had Lonergan not resigned. The cost for such an election was estimated at $4,000 to $6,000.

Meanwhile, Barbara Reed-Polatty, board secretary, reported:

Mediation with Patricia and Dennis Unger concluded at the final mediation session on August 19, 2005. Initial mediation was held on July 8, 2005.

Patricia Unger is set to plead on Thursday, September 1, 2005 at 2:00 p.m. in Division 4 at the El Paso County Courthouse (Judge Shakes) - 4th floor. This is a public legal forum where Patricia Unger will plead to the charges and the judge will read and enter the judgment against her as agreed upon at the mediation. After the plea and judgment, a separate hearing for sentencing Patricia Unger will then be scheduled.

For additional coverage of the Forest View Acres Water District article.

During executive session at the Aug. 17 meeting, the Donala board decided to make an offer to buy Triview Metropolitan District’s share of the Upper Monument Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF). After Donala voted last month to amend its loan application to $10 million to cover the full cost of the plant expansion, the State of Colorado approved the site application, clearing the way for construction to begin. Uncertainty surrounding Triview’s ability to obtain funding for the $5 million needed for its share of the WWTF caused Donala to reconsider its options.

General manager Dana Duthie announced that Classic Homes closed Aug. 4 on the former Black Forest Camp and Conference Center property. Representatives for Classic have not contacted Duthie since initial inquiries regarding inclusion into Donala last spring. The approximately 430-acre parcel is presently zoned for 5-acre home sites. Rezoning will be required if the developer wants to reduce lot size.

Duthie briefed the board on the Aug. 3 meeting of the EPCWA. Gary Barber, executive agent for the EPCWA, president Larry Bishop, and District 1 El Paso County Commissioner Wayne Williams have been rescheduled to speak to the Interim Water Committee about El Paso County water issues on Oct. 5 instead of the original Sept. 7 date. The committee is composed of state senators and representatives selected by the state legislature, and was formed to study water issues between legislative sessions.

Duthie informed Donala directors that the Arkansas River Basin roundtable, one of three roundtables in which the authority will participate, currently consists of 54 appointees, with 10 more to be added in September. Nine river basin roundtables encompassing all regions of the state were formed as part of HB05-1177.

The legislation implemented Statewide Water Supply Initiative (SWSI) recommendations. The intent of the bill was to create forums where water users with conflicting interests could meet to resolve their differences and propose workable solutions to dividing and distributing Colorado’s limited water resources.

The roundtable is charged with the responsibility of appointing two representatives from among the group to sit on the Interbasin Compact Committee, which will ultimately recommend water legislation. Duthie told Donala board members he is not optimistic that such a large and diverse group could be effective and reach consensus in the allotted two-hour meeting period.

Colorado Springs again declined to join the EPCWA. The city has rebuffed previous invitations to participate in the organization, which seeks regional solutions for providing water to all of El Paso County, including unincorporated areas.

Duthie briefly discussed the status of the Southern Delivery System (SDS), a proposed pipeline that would bring water north from Pueblo Reservoir to serve Colorado Springs. In spite of overtures made to the city by the EPCWA and the Palmer Divide Water Group (PDWG), northern El Paso County is not presently included.

Phil Tollefson, who is currently head of Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU), has been a vocal critic of efforts to include northern El Paso County in the SDS. Once he retires, EPCWA members hope that the climate for negotiations on the issue will become more favorable.

Duthie remarked that plans for the SDS have not yet entered the process of acquiring pipeline right-of-ways. Success of the project depends upon mutual consent between the two municipalities. Pueblo or El Paso County could scuttle, or at the very least delay, the project by overriding the permit or stopping the purchase of land needed for the pipeline right-of-way.

Many details remain to be worked out, including whether the inlet will be located east of Pueblo or at the reservoir dam. Already strained relations between the two cities further deteriorated when Pueblo announced its plan to sue CSU over accidental releases of raw sewage into Fountain Creek.

The potential for acquisition of water rights or the establishment of mutually beneficial water trade agreements between Colorado farmers and water users has increased recently. With the signing of the Central American Free Trade Agreement, Duthie expects that farmers in the state will face stiffer competition from nations south of the border.

With 85 percent of the water in Colorado presently allocated for agricultural use, a shift away from farming or a reduction in the acreage used for crops could represent a significant opportunity for suppliers on the Front Range to obtain future water sources.

At the July 21 meeting, the PDWG general membership agreed to reduce its focus to northern El Paso County only. While endorsing lobbyist Dick Brown’s general idea of establishing a large regional group which could include all well water users between the Denver Metro area and Colorado Springs, members decided the PDWG does not have the resources to sponsor such a large effort.

Brown’s vision included creating a website and hiring a lobbyist and spokesperson. His intent is to consolidate the influence of smaller groups and establish a common agenda. PDWG members would commit to joining such a group if it were organized by another entity. Some members suggested that Jim McGrady, formerly of CSU but now employed by Castle Pines North, might be an excellent candidate to organize a larger association.

Gary Barber, who is also manager of the PDWG, is drafting proposals to counter the offer made to Donala by Brett Gracely, the water supply planning supervisor for CSU. Gracely and CSU staffer Cortney Brand had met with Duthie, and proposed tying into Donala’s line at Northgate and supplying the district with approximately 400 acre-feet per year to help offset summer peak demands. In exchange, Donala would provide supplemental well water to the city in the event of a drought. Duthie wrote a letter in reply suggesting that the district and its neighbors were hoping for a regional solution to the water shortage, not a short-term fix.

Though not yet formalized, Barber’s counterproposals will also involve connecting CSU’s and Donala’s lines at Northgate. Long-range plans in the Tri-Lakes area call for the eventual interconnection of water lines among area districts, which would allow the separate agencies to share surface water resources.

Other recommendations will probably involve recharge of the Upper Black Squirrel Aquifer for regional use, and possibly an arrangement for water storage in the proposed Jimmy Camp Creek Reservoir, which if built will be located on the Banning-Lewis Ranch property.

Duthie reported that due to the likely approval of Donala’s amended loan application for the full $10 million needed to fund the expansion, the state of Colorado approved the site application. Without funding confirmation for the entire cost, the project might have faced delays. Donala has given plant co-owner Triview Metro District until the end of 2005 to find a source of funding for its $5 million share.

Triview informed Donala that it intends to resubmit its loan application to Colorado Water and Power in October. However, the decision in executive session by Donala’s board to make an offer to Triview for their share of the WWTF could result in a change of plans.

A request for proposal (RFP) will be released this month to the eight contractors who qualified to bid on the wastewater treatment plant expansion. A selection committee composed of the general managers and contract engineers for the three owning districts– Donala, Triview Metro, and Forest Lakes Metro–will hold a pre-proposal meeting in mid-October. The committee intends to select the winning bid soon after, so that the contractor can have input in the last part of the design phase.

Contract engineer Roger Sams of GMS Engineering will also release a separate RFP for the ultraviolet (UV) disinfection process. The committee must choose among several processes, including a closed or open, vertical or horizontal channel, and high or low intensity UV lamps. The owners will use the contractors’ proposals to determine which system will best address the WWTF’s needs. The selected vendor’s proposal will be included as part of the contract for the expansion.

Forest Lakes has agreed to share engineering and design expenses for reinforcement of the small access road bridge over Jackson Creek just west of I-25, but has not yet committed to helping pay for the construction work. Independent engineer Mike Gaines determined that the 30-ton capacity of the bridge can safely bear the weight of the sludge trucks presently using it, but not the consistent flow of heavier earth movers and cement trucks that will cross during expansion construction.

Since Forest Lakes wants to eventually annex to Monument, it would like to make sure that any bridge alterations conform to Town of Monument specifications before committing to co-funding the changes.

Sams proposed sinking two cement pylons between the existing supports, and reinforcing the span with two additional beams. Because the bridge crosses Preble’s meadow jumping mouse habitat, extensive repairs or replacement might have resulted in lengthy delays while the facility waited for a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

However, Duthie said as long as the construction site is less than 400 square feet in size, the FWS considers it a "minor habitat disruption" and only requires a visual inspection and letter of approval for the repairs to proceed. The WWTF will also need permits from the Army Corps of Engineers and the county’s flood plain management section.

Duthie informed the board that on Sunday, July 31, wastewater flows at the WWTF hit a total flow peak rate of 1.2 million gallons per day for a short period. He emphasized the need to expedite construction of the equalization basin to mitigate peak flows.

Another RFP for the construction of the railroad crossing will be released shortly. Though Mountain View Electric Association received payment several months ago, the districts are still waiting for it to move its lines from under the new crossing site.

The tentative timeline calls for the completion of the new railroad crossing by the end of November, with work on the bridge to be finished shortly after. The pipelines that presently run between the WWTF buildings will have to be moved before the basin is built, but that work can be done concurrently with work on the access. As soon as the crossing and bridge are complete, contractors can start building the equalization basin.

Duthie told the board that the sale of Forest Lakes Estates by the Schuck Corporation had fallen through. The developer is presently equipping a well, and tentative plans call for $1 million homes on 1-acre lots. An industrial user may purchase a site at the southern end of Forest Lakes. Originally, Transit Mix had shown interest. Forest Lakes has not disclosed whether Transit Mix or another buyer intends to make an offer.

Donala pumped 74 million gallons of water in July, which is a record for the district.

Well 9A is finished and is still waiting to be equipped. The district expects the well to be operational by the end of the year.

Donala is in the process of lowering two Arapaho well pumps in an attempt to recover yield.

Before a well is drilled, the state engineer issues a permit specifying the aquifer from which the district may pull water. Geology is used to determine the minimum and maximum depths at which the aquifer lies at that site. (Aquifers vary in depth and thickness with location).A hydrologic engineer then uses test drill information to determine the range of depths where the well will give the greatest yield, and places screens, as opposed to a solid casing, at those depths. The screens allow the water, which is trapped in rock, to move into the well cavity.

Arapaho well pumps are usually installed at depths from 800 to 950 feet, even though the drilled cavity typically has a depth over 1,100 feet. Placement of the pump is a trade-off between head pressure and pumping costs. The lower the pump, the higher the head pressure, which helps raise the water to the top of the well. However, the farther down the pump is placed, the more power is needed to bring the water to the surface. As the amount of water in the aquifer drops over time, head pressure and yield from the well decline. In order to improve the yield, technicians can lower the pump deeper into the well cavity.

While attempting to lower the pump in Well 3A, which is located near the cul-de-sac at the end of Jessie Drive, drilling contractor AmWest hit a snag. To find out what caused the pump to get caught, the company will video the pipes.

The pump in Well 12A, located in Fox Run, will also be lowered next year. District staff is not sure that the pump will be powerful enough, and may need to replace it.

Donala is trying to determine whether Well 3D is worth rehabilitating. The well is in the Denver aquifer on the west side of the district; the wells in this location have recently exhibited decreasing pumping capacity. Samples and test data have been sent to an expert in the Midwest who will help the district determine whether acid cleaning or redrilling will help.

For three days in July, the golf course used water from Jake’s Lake. Though the state engineer claims "hundreds of gallons per minute" flowed through the pipeline connecting Jakes’ Lake to the Upper Lake of the golf course, Duthie estimates the number to be between 70 and 90 gallons per minute, possibly as high as 160 gallons per minute during rainstorms.

In order to accurately monitor flows from Jake’s Lake to the golf course’s upper lake and avoid future disputes, the district has installed a solar-powered radio. Since the existing flume is insufficient to handle flows into the lake, the district intends to replace it also.

Duthie reported that he had walked the golf course pipeline and discovered many of the flow control valves in disrepair. The valves were full of sand, as were many of the cement vaults. Several of the valves had also been damaged by mowers. Some are being repaired by the district, but the ultimate responsibility falls on the golf course.

The board went into executive session at 2:15 p.m. to discuss the purchase, acquisition, sale, or transfer of property, negotiation strategies, and personnel matters. The next meeting of the Donala Board of Directors will be on Tuesday, Sept.13, (not the usual 3rd Wednesday) at 1:30 p.m. at the district office, 15850 Holbein Drive. At that meeting water and sewer rates for next year will be determined.

About 20 people attended the Aug. 10 meeting of the Forest View Acres Water District (FVAWD) board of directors.

Tom Guenther, former president of the district, resigned effective Aug. 1. The district has 60 days to appoint someone to fill the vacancy. The board is urging interested district residents to submit a letter of interest. The deadline is Sept. 15.

Of the remaining four directors, only Treasurer Brian Cross and Secretary Barbara Reed-Polatty were present at the beginning of the meeting. Due to a family emergency, John Anderson arrived toward the end of the meeting. Vice President Kevin Lonergan was traveling on family business.

For those portions of the meeting where a quorum was not present, only discussion items were addressed. No votes were taken until Anderson arrived at 8:20 p.m.

The late Hugh Nevins established the FVAWD in 1957 to provide water to 27 homes. Currently, FVAWD provides water service to 280 residences in the Red Rocks Ranch, Clovenhoof, Villas, Sundance Estates, and Shiloh Pines neighborhoods in unincorporated El Paso County. A five-member board of directors governs the FVAWD. The district has a contract water operations manager, Dan LaFontaine, who is responsible for maintaining the equipment and infrastructure and for managing all aspects of water delivery.

In February, a warrant was issued for the arrest of former contract office manager Patricia Unger on charges of embezzling more than $212,000 in district funds. That amount was subsequently increased to $315,000. Unger surrendered to authorities Feb. 16 and was released on bail awaiting a preliminary hearing, which was initially scheduled for April 18 and then postponed to May 19. The May 19 hearing was continued to allow time for mediation and completion of the audit by Sheri Betzer, a forensic auditor hired by the district’s attorneys. A mediation session was held July 8. Another one was scheduled for August 19. On July 12, the court hearing was continued to Aug. 22 to review the results of the second mediation session. That hearing was subsequently rescheduled to Sept. 1. (See related article on page 1)

The district has filed a civil suit against Unger to recover the missing funds and associated costs. The non-binding mediation is intended to address the civil and criminal aspects of the case.

Some highlights of LaFontaine’s report:

In response to questions regarding the loss of 25.9 percent of the water produced, LaFontaine noted that larger districts typically lose 5 to10 percent. He said, "26 percent is on the high side but not atypical. The number one reason is that there are leaks in the PVC and poly pipe." He added that the pipe is buried 6 feet underground so it would very expensive to dig it up and replace it. He suggested that meters be put in at the forks in the system to "pinpoint areas with the greatest loss."

Some highlights of the billing report for July:

In response to a question, Reed-Polatty said availability of service charges of $240 per year will be billed to those in the district who are not currently connected to the system. Those charges were apparently last billed in 2003.

Cross’ financial report showed an operating account balance of $47,772, a debt service account balance of $3,602, and a contingency account balance of $1,501.

The board unanimously approved checks totaling $47,670 for a variety of bills including $24,395 for maintenance of the Arapahoe well, $5,828 for debt service, $4,431 for LaFontaine’s services, $2,500 to Henkle Drilling, leaving an outstanding balance due them of $16,346; $2,275 to forensic auditor Betzer, leaving an outstanding balance due her of $7,500; $1,923 for electricity; $1,280 for part-time contract bookkeeper Anne Bevis’ services; and $500 to law firm Petrock & Fendel, leaving an outstanding balance due them of $47,522.

Cross noted that the district submitted to the state the bill for Arapahoe well maintenance for coverage under the district’s grant.

Reed-Polatty reported that the district must submit audit exemption forms for 2002, 2003, and 2004. An audit for 2005 will be required.

LaFontaine reported that he delivered the agreement to LeRoy Schmidt for inclusion of Schmidt’s 40-acre parcel. Further work on the originally proposed temporary connection has been postponed pending discussions with the Raspberry Ridge developer.

District resident Micheale Duncan reported that the recall committee gathered 288 signatures on the petition to recall Lonergan. She added that the committee would submit the petitions to the county the week of Aug. 15. A minimum of 241 valid signatures are required to force a recall election.

District resident Susan Gates asked Reed-Polatty to apologize for a remark Reed-Polatty was reported in the Gazette as having made disparaging the behavior of recall committee members.

Gates asked who the boy is that is reading meters.

LaFontaine replied that the boy is his son who, as a summer job, is reading about 30 of the 280 meters in the district.

District resident and former board member Jeff Walker said the water leak problem has been discussed many years.

Reed-Polatty added that 10 years ago the loss rate was 22 percent.

District resident Ketch Nowacki asked for clarification of Lonergan’s statement at last month’s meeting that if Guenther had resigned in December 2004, the water would have stopped flowing.

Reed-Polatty replied that Guenther created a billing system so revenue could be collected to keep the water system operating.

The board unanimously voted to go into executive session to discuss confidential matters regarding individual billing issues.

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The Forest View Acres Water District normally meets the second Wednesday each month at 7 p.m. The next regular board meeting would normally be held Sept. 14. Those wishing to attend are encouraged to obtain the date, time, and location by calling the district at 488-2110.

The Tri-Lakes Wastewater Treatment Facility (TLWWTF) Joint Use Committee (JUC) noted that construction had begun on the new laboratory and administration building. Copper concentrations in the facility’s discharge, which were occasionally elevated a year ago, remain below the temporary and permanent limits of the new state permit. The JUC’s consultant engineering firm reported significant progress in studies regarding copper and nitrogen concentrations in treated wastewater.

Woodmoor Water and Sewer District (WWSD), Palmer Lake Sanitation District (PLSD), and Monument Sanitation District (MSD) are the co-owners of the facility. Each district owns a third of the facility’s capital assets. Ownership of the plant’s water treatment capacity is roughly proportional to the amount of wastewater they deliver to the plant, with WWSD owning approximately three times the treatment capacity of PLSD and MSD. The JUC consists of one voting board member from each district, though the primary and alternate members of each district as well as the district managers usually attend every meeting.

Committee member Todd Bell of PLSD asked for confirmation that AT&T had refunded all the sales tax they had billed in error after they became the district’s phone company earlier this year. The district is exempt from several kinds of taxes. Committee Secretary Hope Winkler said AT&T would issue a credit. The payment of all bills was also approved.

July test results of wastewater entering the facility were all normal. Copper and nitrogen levels in the facility’s effluent were well below permitted maximum concentrations. The copper concentration in the discharged water entering Monument Creek was 8 parts per billion (PPB), barely above the minimum measurable amount and well below the peak acceptable level of 36.4 PPB and the average acceptable level of 24.8 PPB under the temporary permit.

However, the state has proposed to drop these levels to 1.0 and 8.7 PPB in 2008 for the last two years of the new permit. The districts are conducting research to support a permit review to have the peak and average copper limits increased to two to three times the levels permitted under the previous permit (which expired at the end of 2004). The previous peak and average copper limits were 17.6 PPB and 12.0 PPB.

Burks also reported that WWSD water operator Toby Ormandy would take over the facility’s new plant operator position on Aug. 15. During budget development at the end of 2004, the JUC approved increasing the facility’s staff to three employees.

Burks noted that sludge removal would begin in mid-August. In the past, liquid sludge has been removed in tank trucks after 27 months of treatment. This time, the liquid sludge will be compressed and dehydrated with equipment called a filter press, then hauled away to farms, to be used as fertilizer. Cost-sharing for sludge removal is based on the amount of treatment required by each district during the period. Burks said the shares would be 66 percent for Woodmoor, 20 percent for Monument, and 14 percent for Palmer Lake.

Phil Steininger, WWSD manager and JUC executive agent, reported that construction had begun on the new WWTF building. He added that Access Construction planned to complete the building a month before the November 22 deadline, despite the construction permit delays experienced with Regional Building.

Engineering consultant Mike Rothberg of Rothberg Tamburini Winsor gave a "mid-study progress report" on his "year-long study to evaluate the appropriateness of new discharge limits for two components in their permit renewal: copper and nitrogen." Results to date support the JUC’s request for higher limits than the state had proposed for the new five-year permit. While doubling the amount of copper allowed would be enough to avoid plant expansion costs of a million dollars or more, tests support raising the standard to at least three times the limit proposed by the state.

Copper testing: Rothberg’s goal is "primarily to establish a scientifically defensible water effects ratio multiplier for the in-stream copper standard in Monument Creek below the outfall for the TLWWTF." This requires toxicity testing to determine the level of dissolved copper that the facility can discharge safely without harming downstream aquatic life. Rothberg noted that 30 measurements for two different types of tests have been conducted to ensure that study results are consistent. Preliminary indications are that raising the state’s proposed long-term copper standards can be justified scientifically.

Nitrogen testing: Rothberg also reported, "The most recent permit includes seasonal effluent limits both for ammonia and total inorganic nitrogen (TIN)." The TIN limits were established under the assumption that nitrate is limited to 10 parts per million in drinking water. JUC consultant Bill Lewis, of the University of Colorado-Boulder, is the state’s nitrogen expert and developer of the state’s standard tests. Lewis has advised Rothberg that tests performed to date in this study indicate that moderately increased nitrate limits could be safely proposed. Lewis has not completed his analysis on ammonia levels. These preliminary ammonia results should be available by the end of August.

Several board members praised Rothberg’s sampling and analysis plans and use of specialized technical and legal consultants. Rothberg said that the comprehensiveness of the test would demonstrate to the state that the JUC is strongly motivated to solve the facility’s temporary copper problem aggressively.

Two effluent copper measurements in early 2004 were higher than allowed under the expiring five-year permit. There have been no high copper testing results since then. A third violation in 2004 could have resulted in federal fines of up to $10,000 per day. Costs to modify the plant with equipment specifically designed to remove copper at the facility were estimated to cost no less than $1.5 million. This remains a concern because the monthly copper test result for June was 9.0 parts per billion, slightly above the average limit of 8.7 parts per billion that might apply after 2008.

The districts continue to ask their customers to avoid use of copper sulfate to remove tree roots from their sewer stubs because of the potential for heavy fines and sharp rate increases. There are much safer copper-free products that are far more effective in controlling tree root intrusions in underground sewer pipes.

There was also a lengthy discussion about the other types of dissolved metals that now have to be reported to the state. Though there are no treatment limits on them yet, Rothberg said if any reports routinely exceed 30 percent of the state’s maximum level, then the facility will have to conduct more extensive and costly testing.

WWSD committee member Benny Nasser noted that the JUC should discuss how to handle apportioning of capital costs for equipment that may be required for eliminating various types of metals and other chemicals, if the source of the contaminants was primarily one or perhaps two districts. The only factors used now for billing are the proportions of total water and total solids that each district delivers.

The meeting adjourned at 7:10 p.m.

All board members and attorneys for the Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District (WWSD), Palmer Lake Sanitation District (PLSD), and Monument Sanitation District (MSD) met on Aug. 22 for an annual session in which all the participants meet and discuss policy matters. The three districts equally own the Tri-Lakes Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF). Three issues were discussed, but no action was taken.

JUC member Todd Bell of PLSD proposed that the $30,000 cash reserve—used to ensure the committee’s checking account is not overdrawn—be increased by $15,000, by assessing $5,000 to each district. The proposal allowed for the increase to occur within the next 12 months.

The purpose of the proposed increase was to better ensure that there would be no chance of having to incur a late payment fee if there were delays in receiving, depositing, or clearing individual district payments for various invoices from the JUC. In the seven years since the cash flow agreement was approved, the costs for environmental testing and operational expenses have increased due to higher flows through the plant and inflation. Winkler said she couldn’t pay all the JUC’s bills on time in two of the past three months. Phil Steininger, District Manager for WWSD and Executive Support Agent for the JUC, manages the WWTF. He noted that he now delays issuing the monthly JUC reimbursement checks for Woodmoor’s executive agent services because of delays in payments from the owning districts.

Benny Nasser, WWSD member of the JUC, asked Steininger if the proposed increase was high enough. Steininger said it would cover all routine billing requirements for the long term except those near-term payments for the new WWTF laboratory and office building construction that had just been started.

Mike Wicklund, manager of MSD, noted that he has been authorized to pay all JUC invoices without prior approval of his board and that the MSD checks are delivered to JUC Secretary Hope Winkler within a day or two. He suggested that PLSD could consider revising its policy of having its board approve each payment and then having the district’s accountant issue the checks. Woodmoor’s board meeting is typically the day after the JUC meeting and prompt payment has not been a problem.

After a lengthy discussion, the members of the PLSD board agreed to alter its current approval and payment policy as suggested, to expedite payments to the JUC. The PLSD board has just upgraded Duane Hanson’s part-time operations and maintenance duties to a newly created full-time district manager position; he will now be authorized to make these payments to the JUC under the new policy.

Although the boards declined to increase the amount of the cash flow agreement at this time, they all agreed that growth and inflation would require an increase in the future.

Bell proposed that each district contribute $5,000 per month to a separate JUC capital fund that would be used for repair or replacement of JUC facility components in the future. He proposed that this capital fund be invested for more rapid growth. The amount deposited plus interest would be roughly equal to the current straight-line WWTF depreciation of $194,404 per year. Should a district wish to borrow back some of its contribution for an emergency, that district would be charged the prevailing Colorado Trust interest rate plus 1 percent for administrative costs of the loan.

Bell also proposed increasing the minimum amount for capital item amortization from $2,500 to $5,000. The purpose of the fund would be to avoid having to submit an emergency bond or tax increase issue to the voters of the districts in the event of a catastrophic failure of a major WWTF system.

During a wide-ranging discussion, members of all three boards said they felt that each district should retain control of their cash reserves and investments. They also noted that the districts had always handled cash flow issues for emergencies. Several also noted that the state would assist them with short-term emergency loans in a crisis, should a ballot issue be needed. They thanked Bell for his research and proposal.

Bell distributed copies of the voluminous risk assessment that he had prepared. Bill Burks, WWTF manager, will be attending a federal training program on risk assessment that is part of the federal Homeland Security program. Each district also agreed to review its insurance coverage for equipment and natural disasters, since the assessment said districts might be underinsured. The districts agreed to review the document for discussion at the September JUC meeting.

Nasser presented his memo on potential costs that may arise in the future as regulations become more stringent for a variety of metals and chemicals released by the WWTF. Nasser suggested that possible future phosphorous removal problems be discussed. He noted that operational costs for treating total flow and solid waste removal are proportional to the amounts delivered to the WWTF by each of the districts. However there is no similar agreement for apportioning costs for removal of copper, nitrogen, zinc, or other regulated materials.

While phosphorous is not a problem for the facility, there were two incidents in 2004 of elevated copper concentrations in discharged effluent.

In the discussion that followed Nasser’s presentation, it was noted that the costs of monitoring each district’s amounts of the approximately 20 different effluent components that must be reported to the state health department might exceed any potential savings for a district. There was consensus that the boards needed to stay on top of the issue and that the JUC should continue to deal with permit limit negotiations in a fair and responsible manner.

The meeting adjourned at 7:23 p.m.

The Monument Sanitation District (MSD) Board denied property owner Frank Puckett’s request to rescind the $1,000 fine he received for unauthorized opening of a district manhole. District Manager Mike Wicklund also reported that there might be a potential problem with concrete cracking in the new lift station that is being installed in the Trails End subdivision.

All four board members were present. The vacancy created by Jeremy Diggins’ resignation on July 18, following the sale of his rental property within the district, had not yet been filled.

The financial report for July was unanimously accepted. Four tap fees totaling $33,400 had been collected since the last board meeting. The total for 2005 is $234,963. Board members noted the successful repair of Beacon Lite Road by Avery Asphalt, Inc. Wicklund noted the cost of $5,140. He also pointed out that monthly revenue from commercial water use fees was down $4,791 in July from the budgeted amount of $12,500. Projected revenues within the budget are based on prior year usage.

Wicklund reported on preliminary studies by Joint Use Committee (JUC) engineering consultant Mike Rothberg at the Aug. 8 meeting. Rothberg had indicated there was sufficient evidence to justify tripling the permanent peak and average copper levels permitted in effluent samples from the Tri-Lakes Wastewater Treatment Facility during 2008 and 2009, the final two years of the new five-year permit. During the first three years, the allowed levels are three times the final peak value of 11.7 and average value of 8.0 parts per billion.

Wicklund noted that the ongoing copper testing is costly, over $100,000 so far, but the committee is investigating the copper problem. Board member Chuck Robinove observed that the state shouldn’t require or expect the district to conduct basic research on the toxicity of dissolved copper on fish and plant life in Monument Creek. "We’re operators, not scientists." He also said the state and the Environmental Protection Agency had not provided any advice on how to deal with excess copper to meet their standards and had instead offered only potential fines of up to $10,000 per day. Studies by the committee’s consultants on using electro-plating to remove copper showed that the iron that would be produced as a by-product would create an equally troublesome problem.

Treasurer Ed Delaney said the district still needed to take a "proactive step forward" to deal with the copper that is delivered to the treatment facility by each of the three districts and needed to plan ahead to resolve the issues in a way that would be least costly to their constituents. Wicklund added that incurred research costs would be deducted from any potential fines.

Wicklund said that sludge would be removed from the facility and treated using a filter press to convert it to a solid product similar to compost that is hauled away in dump trucks. In the past, sludge had always been removed as a liquid pumped into tank trucks. The new process was to start on Aug. 15. He also reported that construction of the new laboratory and administration building had begun a week after the groundbreaking ceremony last month.

Frank Puckett asked the board to rescind the $1,000 illegal manhole entry fine charged to his property on Washington Street in June. He said his building contractor Kurt Erhardt had opened the manhole. The open manhole was discovered by Wicklund during a dispute with Erhardt over whether to tap into existing sewer collection lines at the front or rear of the property, after tearing down the existing house on the property to build a new one. Erhardt had already paid the fine before Puckett’s presentation at this meeting.

Puckett said Erhardt had only inspected the depth of the manhole and had not done anything malicious. Erhardt had acknowledged opening the manhole at a previous MSD board meeting as well.

After he discovered the open manhole, while accompanied by board President Skip Morgan, Wicklund said they found a lot of debris and 2 feet of standing water caused by this blockage. He also said that the source of the debris and blockage could not be determined. Wicklund had the debris and blockage removed the same day. Puckett noted that the previous occupants of the abandoned house on the property had a lot of sewer pipe vent backup problems. Wicklund concurred, noting that there had been chronic root intrusion problems in the drain line between the old house and the sewer collection line.

Wicklund reminded Puckett that Erhardt had illegally disconnected the sewer tap for the house on the lot that had been torn down and left the stub to the collector open. He said that the district could have charged Puckett with an additional $2,000 fine for this as well, but had not done so because Erhardt immediately admitted he had opened the manhole. Wicklund observed that the unplugged service line was dangerous because it left the district’s collection line vulnerable to blockage through vandalism or animals entering the open pipe, which could have damaged many homes connected to that collection line.

During the inspection visit, he and Morgan had inserted an inflatable rubber plug in the open stub to the district’s collection line, which was subsequently buried by Erhardt. Wicklund added that Puckett and Erhardt had never done anything to properly seal the stub before burying the district’s temporary plug.

Morgan asked the board for comments. Delaney suggested the board could refund the $1,000 fine after Puckett dug up the unauthorized disconnect, returned the district’s temporary plug undamaged, and properly sealed the abandoned service line. Robinove said Delaney’s proposal would set a bad precedent and be unfair to those who had been fined in the past, since Erhardt and Puckett had known and followed the rules for all previous construction they had done within the district.

Morgan said there was more to the incident than just opening a manhole which "couldn’t be ignored" and Erhardt "knows what he should be doing." Secretary Glenda Smith agreed, saying "why ignore for one and not for all?" The board voted 3-1 to reject Puckett’s request, with Delaney opposed.

In the friendly discussion after the vote, Puckett agreed to excavate the stub and seal it properly. Wicklund and the board thanked Puckett for his MSD easement on another of his properties, which is used daily by JUC trucks to measure flows to the wastewater facility at its main metering vault. All agreed with Wicklund that Puckett remained "a good friend of the district."

Trail’s End: Wicklund reported that there had been some cracking in one of the barrel sections of the two multi-segment wells that were installed in the new subdivision lift station in July. The wells consist of several cylindrical sections stacked on top of each other. Each well is designed to hold a day’s worth of wastewater if all the primary and auxiliary pumps and the auxiliary electrical generator in the lift station fail. This storage provides time to arrange to have the wells pumped out into tank trucks until repairs can be made.

The vendor and construction contractor are analyzing options for sealing the cracks or installing a 140-inch diameter internal liner to prevent leaks in the future. Wicklund said that grout is vulnerable to deterioration by the hydrogen sulfide gas within the well. He added that the board would have to evaluate whether to require an extended warranty for a repair or demand removal and replacement of the affected storage well, a choice that would be very costly to the vendor, who is responsible for fixing the problem.

Wakonda Hills: Engineering consultant GMS, Inc. is surveying Draco Drive and Spring Valley Road for the second phase of sewer line construction. The district’s new 8-inch gravity collection lines will be installed under the center of these streets. The district’s cost for paving the disturbed roadways will be about $100,000 for 2 inches of asphalt on top of the existing chip seal material. The trenches will be about 12 feet wide within the 24-foot roadway. This phase of construction could be completed before the end of 2006.

The district will also install 4-inch sewer stubs, at no cost to the homeowner, that extend roughly 10 feet inside the residential property line. Once a lot has been included and the sewer tap fee has been paid, the homeowner will install the rest of the 4-inch service line that connects the house to the stub. Upon completion and approval by the district, the homeowner will own and be responsible for the entire 4-inch line, while the district is responsible only for the 8-inch collection line, which is a standard industry policy.

Wicklund said that these district regulations will avoid street cut permit costs for each homeowner and the policy also ensures that the quality and security of the lateral stub installation meets district standards. After a lengthy discussion about the legal and procedural issues of the Wakonda Hills conversion, Wicklund said the district would send all residents a checklist and specifications to assist them in arranging for the installation of their service lines. The district will provide a credit of up to $1,000 for the cost of their installation against the tap fee.

Zonta Properties, developer of the 99-acre agricultural parcel to the south of Wakonda Hills, has agreed to have the connecting main sewer collectors installed through their property. Wicklund said that Zonta will seek to have the unincorporated 85-acre portion of the parcel annexed by Monument. The southern 14 acres are already within town limits. There are no plans for any of the lots within Wakonda Hills to be annexed by the town.

Raspberry Point: Wicklund said the $25,000 bid he had received for construction of six manholes along the private sewer lines that are being taken over by the district was too high. He will seek other bids. Easement documentation is being completed for each residential lot.

In new business, the board unanimously appointed Ray Russell, the district’s new accountant, to the vacant position of budget officer.

Wicklund asked if the board wanted to consider moving the district office by purchasing one or two 1,200-square-foot units in the new office condominium building that will be built on Beacon Lite Road behind the Air Force Academy Credit Union. He said the unit would range from $170,000 to $185,000. The board could then consider selling the district’s large building on Second Street to "get out of the rental business." The consensus of the board was to maintain the district’s central location in the business area of downtown.

The board then unanimously agreed to install a new 1,500-gallon grease interceptor to handle the additional load that may occur if the new operator of the Pure Delights Café expands the restaurant into the district’s office space. The district office would be moved to another space within the building.

The meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m. The next meeting will be held on Sept. 20 at 6:30 p.m. in the district office at 132 Second St. Meetings are normally held on the third Tuesday of the month.

The pictures of the lifting station well in Trails End on page 10 of the July 2 edition were taken by Jake Morgan, not Jim Kendrick.

Monument is proposing a permitting system that would charge Triview a fee for inspecting their water and sewer lines. Triview contends that this would be charging builders twice for inspection. Currently, Monument and Triview inspection standards are different.

Monument Town Manager Cathy Greene brought cookies for the Triview board to the Aug. 24 meeting as a peace offering and presented two letters, one from the town’s trustees and one from Mayor Byron Glenn. She requested a delay until next month before any action is taken, as the town needed more time to consider its proposed permitting system.

The district’s attorney, Pete Susemihl, noted that he needed more time to discuss the legal ramifications with Monument’s attorney, Gary Shupp.

District Manager Ron Simpson suggested that he would respond to Glenn’s letter. Glenn, who was sitting in the audience, requested that the Triview board of directors respond to his letter, rather than Simpson.

Susemihl responded that that a fee for inspection may be a tax. He further noted that Triview benefits the town by collecting property taxes for the town.

Board President Steve Stephenson noted that the town and Triview needed to standardize their codes and that if there were a single set of inspection standards, there would be no need for double inspections.

The matter was tabled until the Sept. 28 board meeting.

Consultant Engineer Chuck Ritter, of Nolte Associates, said that they now had permits from the railroad and for the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse, so they can start construction on the access road to the Upper Monument Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF). They are advertising for bids from contractors.

The drawings for the WWTF expansion are approximately 35 percent complete; the selected contractor could have input into the final design. Eight contractors have qualified to bid on the project. Bids will be taken on Sept. 9 and the winner announced in October. The cost will be divided between Donala, Forest Lakes, and Triview Water and Sanitation Districts. Construction should be completed in 2006.

Drip Irrigation: The drip irrigation for the 30 trees along Homestead Pond on Saber Creek Drive is complete.

Weeds: Board member Julie Glenn asked if the weeds behind Children’s World would be cut. Simpson replied that areas like that are taken care of on an "on call" basis. He noted that he would send a crew out to take care of it.

Concrete stains from irrigation: The water from well A4 used for irrigating hasn’t been treated to prevent the water from oxidizing the concrete. The problem is being addressed, and the concrete can be bleached clean.

Playground: The playground equipment for Homestead Park located on Kitchner Way—which was purchased with a combination of funding from GOCO, the residents, and the developer—is now installed. The sod and park sign still must be completed. The board anticipated an October dedication that will coincide with a neighborhood block party.

Promontory Point: The preliminary sketch plan did not indicate much detail as far as land use and lot sizes, but will come back at a later time with more information. Currently within the proposed development, 40 acres are located in the Town of Monument and 79 within unincorporated El Paso County. Simpson expressed concern that the 79 acres located in the county should be annexed into the town.

Simpson also noted initial concerns about steep grades and the lack of north collector streets interfacing with Home Place Ranch and east collector streets into the Baptist Camp development. He added that the plan respects Triview’s water and sanitation easements and also indicates a trail connection.

Stephenson asked if LandCo., the developer, had given any more thought to dedicating a 50-foot easement; Simpson responded that he was not inclined to dedicate an easement at this time.

Homeplace Ranch: This subdivision is being proposed on Sally Beck’s property, south of Higby Road, by developer Colorado Commercial Builders of Colorado Springs.

Simpson noted that more consideration should be given to collector streets. Jim Taylor, a homeowner in the Homestead Ranch subdivision, noted that the homeowner’s association was concerned about the small lots proposed in Home Place Ranch that would abut the expensive 5-acre lots of their subdivision. Simpson responded that lot size was a land use issue and that the town addresses land use issues if and when this county parcel is annexed, while Triview addresses water issues.

Baptist Camp: Simpson noted that the developer is talking to Triview and Donala for water and sewer service. Again he recommended coordination between the different developments on large land holdings to promote efficient interface in east-west and north-south collector streets.

The Timbers: Simpson noted that the primary concern was drainage. The developer needed to address how the drainage was going to flow off site.

Car wash: Simpson noted that he had some initial inquiries for car washes for two locations in the Marketplace. Simpson and the board noted that while car washes may be needed in the community, after two years there would be more revenue generated from residential water usage. Even though a car wash would serve a need within the community, the board declined to consider a car wash because of the limited water resources and the need to generate as much revenue as possible from the water resources they now have. But they also noted that it might be a possibility in the future as the community develops.

Fire hydrants: The Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Rescue Authority has requested that the various entities within the authority conform to the State of Colorado color codes for fire hydrants. This would allow firefighters to identify the amount of water pressure in a hydrant. Simpson questioned who would bear the cost of testing each hydrant. The board suggested that this should be done the next time the hydrants are flushed or flow tested in the spring.

Valerie Remington, a new resident of Jackson Creek, addressed the board to say she didn’t feel very welcomed after receiving a sizable water bill that was the responsibility of the home’s previous owner only 22 days after she moved into her new home. She asked if it was the district’s standard practice to send a notice threatening to cut off the water supply and turn the account over to a collection agency. The board replied that the title company is responsible to determine if there are any outstanding bills or liens against the property and apparently they didn’t discover this outstanding bill. Simpson apologized but said that the bill goes with the property and had to be collected by the district.

At 5:36 p.m., the board went into executive session to discuss property acquisition and sale. No action was taken. The next meeting of the Triview board is Sept. 28, 4:30 p.m., at the district office, 174 N. Washington St. in Monument. For information, phone 488-6868.

After learning that the cost of the planned water station south of Highway 105 could run as high as $250,000, Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District board members opted to drop the idea at their Aug. 9 meeting. The district intended to provide a location for contractors working in the area to obtain construction water, and had planned to build the fill station off Knollwood Drive across from the Lutheran Church.

Member Ron Turner was absent. Visitors included Michaele Duncan and Ketch Nowacki, who reside in the Forest View Acres Water District.

Board treasurer Jim Wyss summarized July’s financial statements for the board and stated that income was below expectations. Though excess water sales were up, water use, sewer fees, and tap fees were all below budgeting estimates.

However, with the exception of higher than expected expenditures on repairs and maintenance—primarily due to problems with Wells 8 and 17—expenses are also below budget. Wyss said that Woodmoor’s cash position is comparable to 2004.

Member Benny Nasser, Woodmoor’s representative on the JUC, reported on the previous evening’s meeting. The JUC is composed of representatives from the Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District, Monument Sanitation District, and Palmer Lake Sanitation District, which jointly own the Tri-Lakes Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF)

Mike Rothberg, contract engineer with the firm RTW, reported to the JUC that ongoing studies indicate that copper levels in wastewater facility effluent two to three times the current limits probably have no adverse affect on aquatic life. The state of Colorado presently allows a maximum of 12 micrograms per liter (µg/l) on a monthly average (known as chronic) and a high reading not to exceed 18 µg/l (known as acute) of copper in plant effluent.

After two violations in 2004, the WWTF requested and received temporary relaxation of those limits in early 2005 pending further investigations into copper’s affects on stream life. The temporary copper limits for the WWTF are 24.8 µg/l chronic and 36.4 µg/l acute, which is double the permanent maximum. JUC members hope the relaxed standards will become permanent, as copper is difficult and expensive to remove.

The WWTF will begin the process of removing solid waste from the plant in the middle of August. Sludge-hauling expenses will be divided among the three plant owners based on the amount each entity produced. Woodmoor’s share is 66 percent of the total, Monument’s is 20 percent, and Palmer Lake’s is 14 percent. On Aug. 15, the plant will begin putting the sludge through a mobile filter press, which removes most of the liquid and leaves a solid "cake." The solids are then transported off-site to farms, where they are tilled into the soil as fertilizer.

At the Aug. 22 annual JUC meeting, President Jim Taylor said he wants to address the issue of whether all three partners should be obligated to equally share the cost of fixing water quality problems caused primarily by only one of the partners. Specifically, Taylor wants to discuss copper limits and whether districts with higher copper readings ought to foot a greater percentage of the bill for controlling the metal.

Phil Steininger, manager of the Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District, said he felt the topic was worthy of attention, because as long as the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the three agencies only dealt with biological oxygen demand and flow, the levels of metals and other measured effluent components have the potential to become a source of conflict. The state is tightening standards to ensure the health of downstream warm water fisheries, and consequently wastewater facilities will be forced to meet more stringent requirements for discharge into streams.

Steininger discussed the difficulty and expense of continuous testing, which would probably be the only way to pinpoint the source of the copper. He had obtained copies of other local IGAs, including the agreements for the Upper Monument Creek Regional Wastewater facility and the Denver Metro region, to see how other agencies handle similar problems.

Tri-Lakes facility manager Bill Burks will attend a three-day Water Environment Federation training session as the WWTF’s representative. The session, intended for plants that process between 2 ½ million and 5 million gallons of wastewater per day, will focus on avoiding terrorist attacks on facilities. All expenses associated with the seminar will be reimbursed by the Department of Homeland Security.

Nasser informed the board that the JUC has decided not to provide reuse water from the plant to builders for construction.

Last month Woodmoor chose Casselle to provide the new billing software package. Office manager Hope Winkler distributed preliminary copies of the new Woodmoor water and sewer bill format to the board for approval.

A sheet format will replace the old postcards, and return envelopes will be enclosed. Winkler said conversion to this format would double the total cost for each month’s billing—from roughly $650 per month for Woodmoor’s 2,900 customers to about $1,300 per month. The board discussed ways to reduce billing costs, and Steininger agreed to have staff further investigate possibilities for electronic transactions.

The board approved the layout and outsourcing of the billing to a contract company. Customers should see a complete changeover to the new billing format by November.

Paul Gilbert, consulting engineer with RTW, told the board that his firm would be meeting with Woodmoor staff on Aug. 24 to go over plans for the CWTF expansion. Addition of a third filter unit and expansion of the existing building to accommodate it will enable Woodmoor to treat a greater volume of water and keep up with pumping capacity. The increase in demand resulting from recent construction in the area made the expansion necessary.

The design phase is over 60 percent complete; Gilbert expects the rest "to come together quickly" after the meeting. The Trident filter unit is on order and should be delivered in October. The filter’s arrival will trigger the construction process.

Total cost for the project will be approximately $257,000. The filter unit is the single most expensive component at $107,000; the remaining $150,000 will cover building materials and labor. The new unit will be up and running before the summer of 2006.

Steve Diller, of S.J. Diller construction company, met with Steininger and district engineer Jessie Shaffer to begin design work on the new warehouse, which will be located next to the Woodmoor office. The building will house district vehicles and provide storage space for parts.

Steininger attended a recent meeting of the Architectural Control Board, a subcommittee of the Woodmoor Improvement Association (WIA), to inform members of the impending construction and to solicit input on the appearance of the building. WIA president John Ottino clarified to the committee that the district was not seeking permission, but wanted to get suggestions for making the warehouse’s exterior more attractive.

Walter Commons: The utilities for Filing 1 are in the ground; Woodmoor is waiting to receive construction documents before granting conditional acceptance. Filing 2 is in design preview; Shaffer expects to receive the plans for the east section within two weeks. Walters Commons is located north of Higby Road and east of Lewis-Palmer High School and will consist of multifamily homes.

Village Center at Woodmoor: The utilities for Filing 1 are complete and have been conditionally accepted. Filing 2 has been approved by the district for construction, and will consist of multifamily homes. Filing 3 presently consists of three large lots, and has been set aside for future residential redevelopment. The contractor, WED Construction, has only given the district a tentative plan for Filing 4, which will be a commercial development. The Village Center is located south of Highway 105.

Misty Acres: The district has approved the utility construction plan for the development (Filings 1 & 2), located south of County Line Road and east of the campground. Work has stopped, pending resolution of issues with the county.

The Crossroads at Monument: Kirk Weiss of CoReVet Investment Group, LLC has submitted a preliminary plat for the planned strip mall to be located east of the BP/Amoco station on Woodmoor Drive and north of Highway 105. The mall will contain offices, retail space, and possibly a fast-food restaurant.

Greenland Preserve: Utilities have been installed and tested. Masterbilt is waiting for the state to approve its left station permit before starting construction. The preserve is located south of County Line Road between High Pines Drive and Silverhorn Lane.

Hillsong Village: The development, located north of the Greater European Mission along Monument Hill Road, is in the preliminary plat stages, and will consist of 67 single-family homes.

Brookmoor: The eastern half of the development (Filing 3) is in the final planning stages. Shaffer told the board he is reviewing the final utility plans for the property, which is located across from the Woodmoor Center off Lake Woodmoor Drive, north of Highway 105 and east of Knollwood Drive.

Timberview: Located in the extreme southeast corner of the district, off Mingle Wood Trail and Higby, the subdivision is in its final planning stages. Each of the four lots will be 2½ acres in size and will be buying only water from the district.

Taylor pointed out that the district would not be receiving wastewater return flows from homes that provide their own septic. The district uses the effluent resulting from wastewater to trade for Monument Creek water that is stored in Lake Woodmoor, or sells the credits to other agencies. He asked whether their water rates should be higher as a result. Steininger answered that district staff could calculate the amount of effluent that would normally result from return flows, and decide whether the loss would be large enough to justify increased rates for those homes.

KAB Pankey LLC: Cheyenne Mountain Development Company LLC has expressed interest in purchasing the properties surrounding Lake Woodmoor. Steininger informed the board that when the district acquired the lake, Woodmoor granted Pankey a water allotment for the surrounding undeveloped property that would be sufficient to serve up to the equivalent of 400 multi-family housing units, which could include a combination of single and multi-family homes and commercial space.

After months of discussion and negotiations with WED Construction to build a bulk water fill station on property near the Village at Woodmoor, the board determined the cost of the project was too high and decided to canceled its agreement with WED. Initially, the district had anticipated a cost of approximately $80,000. But Shaffer said that with the board’s preferred features, it would probably run about $250,000. He distributed cost estimates for four designs of the station; the cheapest version would still have cost in excess of $127,000.

The decision to investigate the feasibility of building a bulk water fill station arose in response to numerous requests by contractors for construction water from Woodmoor. In the past, Woodmoor had allowed contractors to hook up to remote hydrants in the district to obtain water, but development has expanded into those formerly isolated areas, and use of hydrants is now prohibited.

Steininger told the board that contractors have other options for obtaining water. Several have purchased taps for construction purposes. Donala sells water to builders, allowing them to hook up to a hydrant near its office.

The board discussed contractual obligations and possible uses of the half-acre site, which Woodmoor has the option of acquiring as part of the inclusion agreement with WED. Because of its proximity to other Arapahoe aquifer wells, it would be unsuitable as a new well site. However, because the site is in prime residential territory, the district may wish to sell it and buy other property for a new well.

With the approval of the board, Steininger had contacted Integrity Bank, C Safe, People’s Bank, and Colorado Trust to discuss investment opportunities and strategies. He discussed his comparisons and recommendations. Because Wyss is president of Integrity Bank, he recused himself from the discussions and voting and left the room.

Woodmoor will start with investments totaling between $3.5 million and $4 million. Potential exists within the next two years to increase that amount to $6 million.

After considering proposals by all three institutions, Steininger recommended using Integrity Bank. He said the investments would be a mixture of money market accounts, certificates of deposit, and possibly agency and treasury bonds—and would have maturity dates of three months to two years. As the rates have probably fluctuated since the time of his inquiry, Steininger estimated a net gain for the district of between $30,000 and $50,000.

Nasser asked the district’s attorney Erin Smith if she was confident that any potential conflict of interest issues involving Wyss had been resolved. Smith replied that as long as Wyss did not influence or act on the vote and would not personally benefit from the board’s decision, she was satisfied that the board had fulfilled its legal obligations.

The board unanimously voted to invest the district’s funds with Integrity at Steininger’s discretion. Nasser asked Steininger to check rates every six months or so and report back to the board on his findings. Members also decided to keep accounts open at C-Safe and Colorado Trust so the option of changing institutions remained available. Wyss returned to the room after the vote and was informed of the decision.

Steininger informed the board that due to delays in construction on some of the larger projects within the district, expected income from water and sewer tap fees will be significantly lower than anticipated for this year. Though the number of units that will eventually be built has not changed, tap fees and other revenues will not catch up to projections by year’s end. Excess water sales to WED Construction and other contractors will not make up for the shortfall.

Consequently, Steininger revised the 2005 budget to reflect the changes. Approval by the board was not needed, as the state does not require districts to file mid-year adjustments. Due to the reduction in anticipated income, the district will transfer $367,000 into reserve instead of the previously projected $1,473,000.

Steininger added that builders are only locked in to the present tap rates for the remainder of the year. When the new water and sewer tap rates go into effect in 2006, contractors will have to pay the higher rates.

Taylor noted that in spite of the disappointing news, revenues for the district were up $300,000 over last year.

Board members unanimously voted to reduce the monthly fees Woodmoor charges District 38 to oversee Prairie Winds Elementary School’s chlorinator and bag filter system. The school installed the system to treat water being held in its storage tanks. Chlorine breaks down over time and loses its disinfectant properties; the chlorinator provides supplemental treatment as needed.

Because operation of the system requires a technician with water treatment certification, District 38 contracted with Woodmoor to monitor and adjust chlorine levels in the tanks at a cost of $500 per month. But operational costs were considerably smaller than originally estimated, and Steininger said that $100 per month was a more fair figure. The board approved the lower charge.

One of Woodmoor’s goals is to investigate ways to conserve and use the district’s water resources most efficiently. Since fecal coliform readings at the WWTF had been extremely low in past months, Nasser wanted to know whether the district could make use of the relatively bacteria-free effluent.

Nasser pointed out that the WWTF processes approximately 1 million gallons of wastewater per day. When flows in Monument Creek are sufficiently high, the district can trade excess effluent released into the creek for water that it pulls from the creek upstream of the plant and stores in Lake Woodmoor. During much of the year, however, the effluent credits are sold to downstream buyers. Nasser asked Gilbert whether it would be feasible to capture that excess effluent and store it in the lake, to be used for irrigation and possibly as drinking water sometime in the future.

Gilbert explained that making use of effluent was not simply a matter of piping the water over to the lake, then treating it for consumption as it would stream or well water. Nitrogen and phosphorous would have to be removed from the effluent. This would probably entail construction of a new treatment plant or addition of a new process to existing facilities, which could prove costly.

Ultimately, using effluent would only delay the need for surface water by 10 to 20 years. It would not satisfy future demand.

Additionally, although some communities in other parts of the country have been successful in mixing a low percentage of reuse water into their drinking water supply, it has never been done in Colorado. For the idea to gain acceptance, Woodmoor would have to conduct an extensive public relations campaign to inform and educate its customers.

Gilbert said that in the long term, surface water would probably be less expensive to obtain and would be a more cost-effective use of limited financial resources. Steininger agreed that looking at reuse water at this time would not be productive.

The public portion of the meeting ended at 3:50 p.m., and the board went into executive session to discuss matters related to acquisition of water rights.

No announcements were made before the meeting was officially adjourned.

The next meeting of the Woodmoor Water and Sanitation board of directors will take place on Sept. 13 at 1 p.m. at the Woodmoor office, 1845 Woodmoor Dr. Meetings are normally held the second Tuesday of the month.

The Palmer Lake Town Council held a combined Liquor Licensing Authority, Workshop, and Regular Meeting on Aug. 11. Mayor Nikki MacDonald’s and Trustee Trish Flake’s absences were excused. The vacancy created when former Trustee Brent Sumner moved out of town has not been filled.

The August Palmer Lake Planning Commission Workshop and Regular Meeting were cancelled.

The board unanimously approved a special event liquor license for the Tri-Lakes Women’s Club. The club will be hosting their fourth annual wine-tasting benefit called "Wine and Roses IV" on Oct. 20 at the Pinecrest Event Center. Club board member Judy Vliet said that last year’s event raised $12,000 for Lewis-Palmer School District 38.

The board also unanimously approved three special event liquor licenses for Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts events on Sept. 9, Oct. 1, and Oct. 7. Town Clerk Della Gray noted that the maximum number of licenses allowed for one year is ten special events and that the application erroneously listed that seven licenses had been approved previously, though the center had only used six. Town Attorney Larry Gaddis said the actual number of licenses issued is the deciding factor for approving future licenses and the typographical error would not matter.

The board unanimously approved two consent items, the minutes for the July 14 meeting, and payment of bills.

Committee Reports

Economic Development Trustee Gary Coleman noted that Monument was moving forward with an exploratory effort to obtain a station along the Union Pacific railroad in anticipation of the tracks being converted to commuter rail tracks when the freight trains are moved to the east. He asked if the board wanted to pay $10,000 per year to be eligible for consideration. Gray noted that paying the fee would not guarantee a station in Palmer Lake, only eligibility 10 years from now. She added that the town would have to perform a feasibility study as well.

Trustee Max Parker suggested that the town should investigate the opportunity but not expend any funds until more information is known. Coleman offered to form an exploratory citizen committee to see if there would be any interest in pursuing a commuter station, given the expenses that would be involved.

Coleman also suggested that the council send Western Enterprises CEO James Burnett a framed print of a photo by local artist Joe Bohler that shows a train under exploding fireworks along Palmer Lake. Gaddis and Coleman said that several out-of-state visitors had told them that this year’s fireworks and parade were the best they had ever seen.

Coleman also noted the success of the town staff barbeque held at the Living Word Church and the Ice Cream Social in front of Town Hall. He also announced the annual Tri-Lakes Railroad Festival that will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sept. 24. He said that the model train display would be in Town Hall while the swap meet would be moving to the Palmer Lake Elementary School at Glenway and High Street. He said he was coordinating special food offerings for the event at local restaurants and closed by saying, "This is a neat place to live."

Water trustee Chuck Cornell reported record town water usage averaging 350,000 gallons per day with a peak of 450,000 gallons. He said the water rate structure is designed to discourage very high usage and that the structure was based on a rate review and water study by the town’s citizen water committee. He also said this high usage had led to very large water bills for a number of residents, who were now saying that the quantities listed on their bills are not accurate. The staff has been busy repairing broken water pipes on South Valley Road that were 67 and 80 years old. Cornell commented, "We’re definitely pushing our system to its max" and that any new construction will likely require a return to water restrictions.

Police Trustee Trudy Finan reported 172 police calls for July, up from 145 last year. There were 5 custody arrests, 30 cases, 33 traffic citations, 15 traffic and dog warnings, and 3 dog citations, as well as 23 calls each to assist the Monument Police Department and 40 calls to assist other county police agencies. The town’s Smart Trailer, which shows and records actual speeds of passing cars, had been repaired and put back in service.

Cornell reported that there were 33 calls for the Palmer Lake Volunteer Fire Department in July, including 6 fire, 18 medical, 8 wildland, 3 traffic accident, 3 public contact, and 1 other. The department received a donation of $700 toward the truck from the Bowling Alley at Palmer Lake from their Poker Run fundraiser. The truck was displayed at the Estemere Estate open house and owners Kim and Roger Ward have donated $3,000 to the firefighter training fund. Part of that contribution paid for volunteer firefighter Nora Birt’s emergency medical technician-basic training

He added that residents of the Glen were again asked to please post their house numbers where they could be seen from the street by emergency vehicles. The apparent futility of these fire department requests remains an ironic running joke at each of the board’s meetings.

Roads Trustee Parker said that planned asphalting on High Street, Forest View Circle, and Forest View Way was going very well and that millings from Highway 105 had been laid on Shady Lane. He said it is "a good thick carpet" and that the millings will be sealed after some compaction.

Greg Cook of Awake the Lake reported that contributions had reached $26,318 and that their 501(3)(c) tax-exempt status had been approved. The committee is investigating available options for more water rights for "swaps and transfers." Gray asked Cook to review her report of the cost for the amount of drinking water the town actually pumped into the lake before the invoice is submitted to the county for reimbursement through its grant to the committee.

Cook suggested the town review its options for redirecting drainage runoff into the lake, particularly from the west side of the railroad tracks. He said the lake has dropped 1 foot due to evaporation. Cornell said that was less than the typical drop of 3 feet due to evaporation each summer. Cook would like to make a model for evaporation based on surface area and temperature for future management efforts.

He also suggested creating a map of the lake bottom contours. Cornell asked what the town would do with the map. Cook said it would be interesting to analyze changes over time. Cook also noted that fishing success normally tapers in August due to warmer water temperatures.

Gray reported that annual aerial photography of the lake would take place in late August and would cost $850. Gray suggested that the town might be able to auction or sell reproductions of the lake photos since it will own the copyright to these new photos.

The board unanimously approved an amendment that prohibits outside fires during a fire emergency. Gas, propane, and charcoal grills are not restricted by this amendment.

Cook noted that the annual fishing derby and Columbine Art and Music Festival would be held on the same day next summer, unlike in the past. He noted that there are no food vendors at the festival, which might cause a problem since there would be more people in town. Gray asked Cook to coordinate with Trustee Flake who organizes the festival.

The meeting adjourned at 7:48 p.m. There will be a combined Town Council Workshop and Regular Meeting on Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall, 28 Valley Crescent.

The Monument Board of Trustees (BOT) approved the first filing of the Remington Hills at Jackson Creek subdivision on Aug. 15. The board also approved a resolution of intent to begin negotiations regarding a lease or purchase of the Assembly of God Church at the corner of Second and Jefferson. Trustee Gail Drumm was absent.

A new trustee has not yet been appointed to fill the seat vacated by the resignation of former Trustee Scott Meszaros. Meszaros resigned so he could apply for the job of Town Clerk, a position that had been vacant for three years. New Town Manager Cathy Green has restructured the town staff and had asked the BOT to fill the clerk position in anticipation of the work required to add a ballot question to the November ballot.

The board unanimously approved rescheduling the date of the next regular BOT meeting to Tuesday, Sept. 6, due to the Labor Day holiday.