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SERTOMA honors Ted Bauman and Linda and Richard Pankratz

On December 29, the Monument Hill SERTOMA club named past president Ted Bauman its SERTOMAN of the Year for 2007/2008. The 2007/2008 Service to Mankind Award, the highest honor Sertoma can bestow on a non-member, was given to Richard and Linda Pankratz for their outstanding contributions to our community and their unselfish service to mankind.

Bauman joined the Monument Hill SERTOMA Club in 1994 and has been extremely active in supporting his club and its activities. The club previously selected Bauman for its G.E.M., Centurion, and Tribune awards along with recognition for three years of perfect attendance. He was appointed club president in 2005 and led the second largest SERTOMA Club to even higher membership numbers. Bauman’s accomplishments that were listed in the Dec. 1 letter nominating him for this award filled four full pages.

The club stated it was especially grateful for the role the Pankratz’s played in developing and supporting the annual Empty Bowl Dinner for the benefit of those less fortunate. For fifteen years since the event’s inception in 1992, they have donated at least 100 bowls each year, handmade at their own Pankratz Gallery – a total of more than 1,500 bowls.

"Linda and Richard Pankratz are outstanding examples of living lives representing the very best qualities of Christian principles and American values. As Americans, we value the determination to follow your own road, the ability to see opportunity where others see obstacles, the internal fortitude to keep faith with your beliefs in times of difficulty and uncertainty, and to stay with your dreams and obligations year after year."

Water for the future

Below: Donala board member Dennis Daugherty welcomes residents to the Dec. 5 meeting. Photo by John Heiser.

On December 4 and 5, the Donala Water and Sanitation District held community meetings to address current and future sources of water for the Tri-Lakes area. At each meeting Dana Duthie, Donala’s General Manager, made the same presentation and then answered residents’ questions. Below are highlights of Duthie’s presentation and the subsequent discussion:

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Below (seated at table L to R): Gary Barber, PPRWA manager; Rick Fendel, PPRWA attorney; Dick Brown, PPRWA lobbyist; Kip Peterson, Cherokee Metropolitan District; Larry Bishop, Triview Metropolitan District; Phil Steininger, Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District; Rich Landreth, Town of Monument; Dana Duthie, Donala Water and Sanitation District; Max Parker, Town of Palmer Lake; Jerry Jacobson, Academy Water and Sanitation District; Sue Wielgopolan, PPRWA recording secretary. Steve Price of Boyle Engineering (standing) presents a report on Boyle’s engineering study for the project proposed to transport water north to the Tri-Lakes area from fallowed fields on farms along the lower Arkansas River. Photo by John Heiser

At the December 13 monthly meeting of the Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority (PPRWA), Steve Price of Boyle Engineering presented a report on Boyle’s engineering study for the project proposed to transport water north to the Tri-Lakes area from fallowed fields on farms along the lower Arkansas River. In addition, Daniel Niemela of Bishop-Brogden Associates reported on the nearly completed Water Infrastructure Planning Study (WIPS) project, and Dick Brown, the PPRWA’s lobbyist, reported on the meeting held November 30 with Colorado legislators.

The members of the authority as of January 1:

Phil Steininger, manager of the Woodmoor district and president of the authority, presided at the meeting.

Price reviewed the assumptions to be used in conducting the engineering study. He noted that the study assumes 50,000 acre-feet will be supplied each year. The assumed timing of the availability of the water will be based on a similar project in the Arkansas Valley. The assumed timing of demand for the water will be based on data developed during the WIPS project.

According to Price, three supply/demand scenarios will be evaluated:

Water treatment will be assumed to be near the Arkansas River so treatment waste will not need to be pumped/piped. The study will look at ways to ensure that the final water quality will match the current best quality of the participating utilities. Various types of treatment will be evaluated. Reverse osmosis will be considered the least desirable treatment option due to the need for and difficulty of concentrate disposal.

Price said preliminary results of the study will be ready by the end of January or early February and will be presented at the PPRWA meeting February 20. The final report is scheduled for early to mid-March.

Neimela reported that the WIPS study of Tri-Lakes area water infrastructure and what improvements are needed is nearly complete. He said the last technical meeting will be held January 9 and final bound reports will be available January 25.

Dana Duthie, General Manager of the Donala Water and Sanitation District, raised concerns about some of the data and conclusions in the preliminary report.

Expenditures during 2007 for the WIPS study totaled $211,711.

Brown reported on the meeting they had with Colorado legislators November 30. The purpose of the meeting was to solicit the legislators’ support for legislation helpful in solving PPRWA member districts’ water supply issues. Brown noted that many pieces of water legislation are expected this year.

Larry Bishop, manager of the Triview Metropolitan District announced that he is resigning. His last day is January 11.

In his parting remarks, Bishop said, "I have watched this group come together through a lot of meetings and become a cohesive group, which still respects a variety of viewpoints. The future of the Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority is bright and because of that the future of northern El Paso County is also bright."

The PPRWA approved its 2008 budget totaling $384,000. Some of the expenditures were $148,000 for consultant fees, $180,000 for projects, and $30,000 for public relations. Membership dues of $25,000 per member organization provide $175,000 in revenue. Most of the other revenue comes from grants and members’ share of project costs.

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The next meeting of the Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority will be on January 16 at 8:30 a.m. at Monument Town Hall, 166 Second Street. The meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month at 8:30 a.m. Most of the meetings will be held at Monument Town Hall; however, the meetings on March 19 and October 15 will be held at the Cherokee Metropolitan District office, 6250 Palmer Park Boulevard in Colorado Springs, and the meeting June 18 will held at the City of Fountain office, 116 S. Main in Fountain.

Merging with Donala Water and Sanitation District is looking like more of a reality after the Dec. 5 Academy board meeting. Donala had given Academy a "Bullet Paper," detailing the advantages and conditions of an inclusion. Board members considered it more acceptable than previous correspondences.

Discussion focused on a possible counter proposal that would deal with points of contention, the main ones being acceptable compensation for Academy’s assets and up-front money Donala is asking for. The original amount Donala wanted, $800,000, has increased because of inflation, since the offer was first made in the late spring, and because of more realistic numbers received from the engineers. The figure is now closer to $1.16 million.

Because of changing state regulations regarding the monitoring of ammonia in the wastewater, the district is faced with two options: build a new wastewater treatment facility or merge with Donala, which would link its wastewater system to Academy’s. A new facility would run Academy at least $800,000 and likely more, considering ongoing increases in construction material and the cost of hiring experienced facility operators. In addition, state and federal regulations are likely to increase over the years, costing more in upgrades.

The board acknowledged that an expected increase in wastewater regulations and growing regional concerns over water sources make it a difficult time to be a small, independent district. Academy’s water supplies are very strong, making water one of the district’s biggest assets.

But water concerns have heightened the importance of membership in the Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority, a group of area water providers that addresses water supply issues. But Academy can’t afford the increased membership fees of $25,000. Board members seemed painfully aware of the difficulties of "going it alone" and said their first concern is doing what’s best for the district’s residents in the long run.

Board members and the district’s lawyer, Paul Murphy, objected to the lack of consideration Donala has given to the value of the Academy district’s assets. Assets include water and sewer pipe in the ground, water tanks, the pumping station, the lift station, the water plant, the sewer lagoon, three wells, the property, money in the bank, and other more minor equipment.

Treasurer Walter Reiss said he felt the district was being asked to pay for everything and insisted there be more in this for Academy than is currently being offered.

"From our current audit report, our net capital assets are $2,310,600," he said, which would include assets that can be depreciated such as land, easements, and facilities. It is "what we own and our people have paid for." Reiss suggested that Donala buy Academy’s capital assets, and Academy would take care of its current outstanding liabilities, keeping all cash assets. Once the bond was paid off (in 2014), "then whatever’s left will be equally distributed among the total district (residents)…. To me this is more equitable," he said.

Though this view wasn’t shared by all, a counterproposal was deemed a good idea.

President Richard DuPont quoted from an article written by Donala’s general manager Dana Duthie in the recent Donala Times, in which Duthie talks about the benefits of the merger, including access to Academy’s water supply. DuPont noted it was the first time Donala had admitted that water is a benefit, "even though they’ve never talked to the Academy board about it." In fact, Donala’s "Bullet Paper" plays down the importance of Academy’s water.

Although the immediate issue is wastewater treatment, DuPont feels that the bigger issue in the long run is water. "Everything I’m reading and (Operator Jerry Jacobsen) is being exposed to … (is that) in 10 years, this little district will be in trouble," he said.

At the time talk of a merger first began in the spring, the Academy board preferred to explore outside options, and DuPont said he took responsibility for delaying direct action toward a merger. Now, he said, it was time to make a decision about what avenue to pursue: "We have enough information to do that."

Each board member in turn offered his thoughts. The majority were inclined to present a counterproposal to Donala that would make a merger more "financially agreeable."

Director Ron Curry, who said he has been leaning toward consolidation from the start, said he was appreciative of the expertise of Academy’s board members and pointed out that going it alone would be especially difficult as the years go by and the board membership changes. "If we pursue our own path, it will cost us a tremendous amount of money, and we won’t have the people here to run it," he said.

Director Jim Weilbrenner is solidly for consolidation, saying the expenses of running a wastewater facility and all the other anticipated costs "just scares me. And we lose out because we can’t (afford to) be a member of the Pikes Peak Water Authority, and that’s the future." He added that once the current bond is paid off in 2014, there may be more bonds needed.

Jacobsen said, "I think the issues facing Academy are increasing regulations, increasing energy costs, and increasing operation and management costs." Another issue is the shrinking labor pool for state-certified operators, so "the competition is steep." He said, "I see these as major hurdles."

He added that "our main asset would be our water, but that isn’t included" in the Donala point list.

Three board members will be working on a counterproposal over the next month, focusing on how the district’s assets are to be treated. Murphy said, "We need to tell them our assets do have some value, some of which don’t show up on (the ‘Bullet Paper’)." Reiss said, "I’m just looking for a level playing field."

Resident Sue Wielgopolan thanked the board for its hard work in this matter. She said she believes a merger with Donala is the only solution. She also said the board did the right thing in raising rates, noting Academy’s rates had been very low.

The board will be putting liens on three properties currently in foreclosure. Those properties owe several hundred dollars each, and payment has been repeatedly requested.

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The Academy Water and Sanitation District board meets at 7 p.m. the first Wednesday of every month at the fire station on Sun Hills Drive. The next meeting is Jan. 2.

After meeting with a few members of the Donala Water and Sanitation District board, Academy’s board president Richard DuPont said, "We’ve opened the door" to merging operations with Donala.

DuPont said he told them that his board has decided to proceed with a merger but that there are several items of concern. He said to them, "We’re trying to figure out with you how we can adjust the cost because the cost to us is prohibitive and a burden to our people."

He said Donala asked when Academy might be ready to get this under way. DuPont said because of complicated election requirements — involving voter approval of the merger and approval to release money in reserves, which are bound by TABOR laws — it would probably not be until January, following a November election. If the merger was approved, Donala would start water hookup "almost immediately," he said.

Discussion at Academy’s board meeting turned to determining value for its assets. DuPont said the augmentation plan shows the district has 600 acre-feet of water per year available from four aquifers. The district uses only 70 acre-feet per year, so the value of that excess water needs to be determined for negotiations. DuPont said he would talk with a water engineer the following day about determining an estimate as well as a cost for that estimate.

Academy also has its alluvial wells, which aren’t included in the acre-feet numbers, and the 5½ acres that the district’s operations sit on, some of which could potentially be sold.

Because Academy would continue to collect money from residents to pay down the current bond, the board would have to remain intact until 2014, the year the bond would be paid off. During that time, the district would need money to pay for things like audits, insurance, and board elections (Academy would need to maintain a five-member board), requiring a revenue source.

Curry and Weilbrenner will work out a proposal to address the district’s assets, mainly the water.

Meanwhile, board members plan on attending Donala’s next meeting in January.

Unrelated to the merger, Academy will hold an election in May for three board positions, currently held by DuPont, Ronald Curry, and James Weilbrenner. Board secretary Gordon Rodden was designated the election official.

Operator Jerry Jacobson said that the wastewater test results are not in compliance for the 30-day average. The CBOD, which is the oxygen demand of the effluent, was 34 mg/L; the 30-day average limit is 25 mg/L. In addition, the total suspended solids (TSS) were 48 mg/L, which is higher than the average, normally "in the 30s." He didn’t consider these to be a serious violation and said, "We’ll see how it works out this month."

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The Academy Water and Sanitation District board meets at 7 p.m. the first Wednesday of every month at the fire station on Sun Hills Drive. The next meeting is Feb. 6.

At the Donala Water and Sanitation District Board of Directors meeting November 29, the board unanimously approved the rates and fees proposed by Dana Duthie, general manager of the district. Included were increases in the water rates and creation of a new higher rate category for residential customers using more than 50,000 gallons per month. As reported in the October issue of OCN, the residential water rate changes are:

Duthie noted that in June 2008, more than 600 customers used in excess of 40,000 gallons.

For townhome developments, a new special rate was approved of $6.50 per 1,000 gallons for all usage over 40,000 gallons per month. Since townhome developments provide water to multiple residences, their usage would otherwise put them into the new highest rate category. A top rate of $5.50 per 1,000 gallons applies to townhome developments that have eliminated at least 25 percent of their water-intensive landscaping

The availability of service fee for undeveloped lots was increased from $250 to $300 per year. This fee has not been increased in 10 years.

The board unanimously approved no changes to the property tax mill levies of 16.296 mills for those customers receiving water and sewer service and 8.148 mills for those customers who receive only water service. Duthie noted that the latter category currently includes only properties in Chaparral Hills but will also include the Brown Ranch on Roller Coaster Road near Higby if it is developed as 2.5-acre parcels.

Duthie presented the proposed 2008 budget for the district. Total projected annual revenue is $11.5 million including $1.5 million from water sales, $790,000 from sewer service, $1.2 million from property taxes, and $7 million from Colorado Water and Power Authority loans to fund the ongoing wastewater plant construction project.

Donala’s 2008 expenses for operations and administration are projected at $3.6 million.

Capital project expenses are projected at $7.75 million of which $7 million are for the continuing wastewater treatment plant expansion. Duthie noted that in the next few years, some of the district’s wells will have to be redrilled. He said although the wells have an expected life of about 20 years, "We have been getting more than that."

With the required $113,577 TABOR reserve and an additional $100,000 in contingency, the ending total fund balance at the end of 2008 is projected at $10.4 million, about the same as in prior years.

Duthie noted that a board action to appropriate the funds will be requested in January after the final figures for 2007 are known.

Duthie reported on a presentation by the City of Aurora about their $755 million indirect potable reuse project that will add about 50 million gallons per day to Aurora’s water supply. He noted that the project will pump water from a point 30 miles downstream from the Denver Metropolitan Wastewater treatment plant and deliver it to an alluvial aquifer system. The water will subsequently be treated and pumped 30 miles to the Aurora reservoir. The water will be treated to meet regulations and match the taste of Aurora’s water from other sources. Property taxes and water fees fund the project. Duthie observed that the Aurora project has set a high standard for such projects. He added, "We don’t have the geography" to create a similar project and that the estimated $46.5 million cost for a much smaller Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority (PPRWA) indirect potable reuse project "may not be enough."

Following the public meeting, the board went into an executive session to discuss personnel, negotiations, and water purchase issues.

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The Donala board will hold its next regular meeting on Tuesday, January 22 at 2 p.m. at the Donala office, 15850 Holbein Drive. Meetings are normally held at 1:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month. The district’s Web site is at www.donalawater.org. 

On Dec. 11, the Joint Use Committee, which serves as the board of directors for the Tri-Lakes Wastewater Facility, approved the final draft of the 2008 budget. The final payments for the Monument Creek bank stabilization project were also approved. The biannual sludge removal operation performed by contractor Parker AG was terminated earlier than planned due to freezing weather. Only half of the sludge was removed. The remainder will be removed in 2009.

The three-member Tri-Lakes Wastewater Treatment Facility Joint Use Committee consists of one director each from the boards of the three special districts that own the facility in equal one-third shares: the Monument and Palmer Lake Sanitation Districts, and the Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District.

However, operations costs are divided proportionally between the three districts based on the amount of total wastewater flow each district delivers to the plant each month. Woodmoor’s operational costs are currently about three times those of Monument and Palmer Lake.

The Woodmoor district was represented by Director Jim Whitelaw, the alternate for Woodmoor Director Benny Nasser, who could not attend this meeting. Palmer Lake Sanitation District’s JUC member, Director Todd Bell, participated in the meeting via speakerphone. Bell’s alternate, Palmer Lake Director Dale Platt, attended the meeting in person to ensure district representation in case there were phone problems.

Monument District Manager Mike Wicklund noted that Tri-Lakes Facility Manager Bill Burks had left the $39,965 line item for sandblasting and recoating the facility’s three clarifiers as a repairs and maintenance item instead of changing it to a capital item as Monument had requested at the previous JUC meetings. Monument believes the cost should be split in thirds, which would mean a higher cost for Monument and Palmer Lake and a lower cost for Woodmoor.

Woodmoor District Manager Phil Steininger, Palmer Lake District Manager Duane Hanson, and Wicklund will meet in January to discuss wording to further amend the joint-use agreement for operating the Tri-Lakes facility to try to reach a compromise on creating new wording regarding allocation of large maintenance costs above $2,500 among the three districts. Currently the agreement includes no policy regarding maintenance costs. Repair costs above $2,500 are automatically designated as capital costs.

Wicklund said that Monument would vote in favor of the proposed budget, with the recoating cost divided as an operational cost, while asking Woodmoor and Palmer Lake to "pass resolutions saying that they’ll basically hold Monument harmless against any future lawsuits that could result if there is ever a dispute over that particular line item, or any particular line item that should have been billed in thirds but was billed by flow." Wicklund noted, as he had done at previous JUC meetings, that Monument’s accountant, Ray Russell of Haynie and company, PC, advised the Monument board that any maintenance that significantly extends the life of a capital item for an extended period, 11 years in this case, then it is a capital item and should be billed as a capital item. Recorder Sue Wielgopolan said that Monument’s condition would be noted in the minutes for this meeting. (Note: The Palmer Lake and Woodmoor boards did not pass the requested resolutions at their subsequent December board meetings.)

There were no citizen comments during the public hearing. The JUC unanimously approved resolutions for the 2008 budget and appropriation.

The committee unanimously approved a resolution for a revision to the 2007 budget for sludge removal. The actual cost for services by sludge removal contractor Parker AG was $49,500 rather than the full contract price of $100,815. The unspent funds will be added back to the 2007 budget to pay for the cost overrun on the bank stabilization project as part of a final 2007 budget amendment.

The amount of sludge to be removed in 2009 will be much higher than normal. Burks will start the removal process much earlier in the year to complete it before the sludge lagoon freezes over.

Tri-Lakes Facility Manager Bill Burks reported that each district had to pay $28,668, a total of $86,004, to make an interim payment to contractor High Country Pipeline for the Monument Creek bank stabilization project for work completed to date.

Two other payments will have to be made on the project in 2008. A final payment on the project of $9,500 will have to be made to High Country Pipeline as well as a separate payment of $2,300 for reseeding the stabilized bank when the weather gets warmer.

Burks noted that all test results were good, though the copper concentration in the plant’s discharged effluent listed in the facility’s November Discharge Monitoring Report was up slightly to 11 parts per billion (PPB). Whitelaw asked, "Are there any more guesses on why" the reading went up slightly from the previous month. Burks said, "No." Burks noted that one Monument wastewater test sample from the district’s south vault had a concentration of 335 PPB. Burks had the sample retested and the result was the same.

Wicklund said he would advise Rick Koplitz of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment of this high copper reading. Koplitz is Monument’s pretreatment coordinator and would help investigate dumping violations if required. Wicklund said that all the homes that feed Monument’s south vault are less than 3 years old, with relatively new copper water pipes.

Burks noted that Synthes Corp. can legally dump up to 2,070 micrograms of copper into its Monument sewer tap per month. Synthes cannot dump harmful liquids such as the solvents used for manufacturing stainless steel instruments and must haul these wastes away in 55 gallon drums to be treated elsewhere.

Burks noted that Home Depot was again selling root-killing chemicals that include copper sulfate. Wicklund noted that the Home Depot store is not in the Monument Sanitation District.

All three JUC districts have passed resolutions prohibiting the use of products containing copper sulfate to kill tree roots in sewer pipes.

Burks said the Colorado Attorney General’s Office was giving facility attorney Mike Cuculla "the runaround" on participation in Colorado’s Public Employee Retirement Association for the facility’s three employees’ retirement. The JUC authorized Burks to find and engage a lawyer that specializes in PERA matters. The Attorney General’s position is that the three employees should be part of the Social Security System.

The JUC unanimously approved a motion to allow the Town of Monument to make automatic electronic fund withdrawals to pay the facility’s water bill of about $20 per month.

The meeting adjourned at 11 a.m.

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The next meeting of the Joint Use Committee will be at 10 a.m. Jan. 8 at the facility conference room, 16510 Mitchell Ave. Meetings are normally held on the second Tuesday of the month. Information: 481-4053.

Monument Sanitation District board, December 20: District mill levy eliminated; all debt paid off

On Dec. 20, the Monument Sanitation District board unanimously approved a resolution re-setting its mill levy to 0 mills. All district debt has been paid off. District Manager Mike Wicklund noted that the district has never used mill levy revenue to pay for operational expenses. The district will not receive specific ownership taxes from motor vehicle sales in 2008 because it is debt free.

Director Bob Kuchek’s absence was excused.

The board also approved resolutions for the 2008 budget and appropriation after a public hearing. Total operating expenditures for 2008 are $425,285 and total capital improvement expenses are $171,198. Debt service is 0. The district will refund $40 to each customer with an active tap in 2008, a cost of $46,000. In the past few years, the district had refunded $60, but the source of unbudgeted revenue, specific ownership tax, will no longer be available now that the district has reset the mill levy to zero. Total expenditures are $645,483. Total operating revenues exceed total operating expenditures by $415.

Wicklund reported a surge in district tap fee revenues in early December of $51,000, increasing total tap fees for the year to date to $192,500.

The board approved a line item amendment to the district’s 2007 budget that increased the contingency fund $6,000, from $2,000 to $8,000. The amendment does not change the bottom line expenditures for 2007. However, Wicklund noted that there is no expectation of needing the additional $6,000 at this time and the change is a precaution in case some unforeseen operating expense occurs before the end of the year. The current estimate for the end of year fund balance has increased to $39,041.

The meeting adjourned at 7 p.m.

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The next meeting is at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 17 at the district office, 130 Second St. Meetings are normally held on the third Thursday of the month. Information: 481-4886.

Triview Metropolitan District Board meeting, December 11: 2008 budget approved, property taxes increased without an election

The board of the Triview Metropolitan District took steps at its meeting on Dec. 11 to ensure that it would have a balanced budget in 2008. The board also approved resolutions that authorized the 2008 budget and the 2008 appropriation as a resolution raising the property tax mill levy to 35 mills. All members of the board were present.

The motion to increase the mill levy followed a lengthy discussion by board members on its options to create a balanced budget. The motion was approved by a vote of 4-0-1, with Director Julie Glenn abstaining. The district does not plan to hold an election on the property tax increase.

After holding an open public hearing, the board unanimously approved resolutions that authorized the 2008 budget and the 2008 appropriation. The board also unanimously approved a resolution that amended the 2007 budget. During the discussion, District Manager Larry Bishop noted that the planned cleanup of stained sidewalks within Jackson Creek would be deferred until the completion of the water treatment plant expansion and termination of the use of raw water for irrigation.

The district’s engineering consultant, Tom Repp of Nolte Associates, gave the board an update on the project to connect the Triview and Donala Water and Sanitation District water systems. An interconnect will be installed that will allow for a temporary exchange of water if either of the districts has a drinking water emergency.

Before the meeting was adjourned at 6:15 p.m., Director Joe Belzer announced his resignation from the board, effective Jan. 22.

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The next meeting is at 5 p.m. on Jan. 22 at the district offices, 174 Washington St. Meetings are normally held the fourth Tuesday of the month. Information: 488-6868.

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The board is soliciting volunteers to formally submit a letter of intent for appointment to the vacant seat not later than January 18. State statutes require that the vacant seat be filled within 60 days after Jan. 22. The appointment would run through the end of April. If the appointee wishes to continue to be a member of the board, he or she must become a candidate for the May election. Any interested eligible Triview district elector can apply at 174 Washington St, in downtown Monument. Information: Dale Hill at 488-6868.

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On Dec. 13, the Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District board unanimously approved a resolution that authorized the district’s 2008 budget and appropriation, and also certified the 2008 district property tax of 7.25 mills. A public hearing on the budget was held at the previous board meeting on Nov. 8.

The board informed Tim Irish — developer of the proposed high-density Arbor Mountain senior citizen residence facility on Highway 105 — that the district had no excess water that it could sell to him, after he requested a purchase of 6.7 acre-feet per year. They advised Irish to obtain excess water rights from owners of nearby properties.

All board members were present.

Some of the items District Manager Phil Steininger noted were:

Irish, of Senior Living Solutions, and his consultant engineer, Dianne Phillips, discussed progress to date for the Arbor Mountain senior living residence proposal. Some of the things they noted about their project were:

District civil engineer Jessie Shaffer said that the standard Woodmoor water use tables showed that Arbor Mountain will require 15.39 to 20.28 acre-feet of allocated water pe