ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT

November 2010

 

As I said at last month’s meeting, there was a leak in the water line that leads to the new tank, so we still have not chlorinated and filled the new tank with water.  We’ll see how the weather is and may work on the leak.  If it gets fixed and we have some moderate weather, the tank will be filled with water to test for leaks.  It will then be drained, cleaned and refilled, ready for use.  Currently the backfilling of the hole has been completed and we are working with the Ski Valley Corporation to sculpt the area for the return trail. We’ll keep working on the PRVs as weather permits, but in all likelihood we’ll stop for the winter.  We have built 4 vaults, one on Zaps Road, one on Chipmunk, one on Phoenix Switchback and one on Upper Twining.  All have the necessary valves and pipe work in them.  The Upper Twining vault was connected to a new pressure reducing valve and incorporated into the existing line.  When it was backfilled, the adjacent sewer line was moved, so Parker’s crew is resetting the sewer line.  We have put a notice into the newspapers that we will be bidding the Kachina tank, the chlorination station and the lift station in the spring.  This will give potential bidders the opportunity, if needed, to view the sites before snow falls.  We still have not determined the exact final site for these improvements, but hope to have that accomplished by next month.

The work on the office continues.  Access may be limited, but we will stay open as much as we can.  The parking area has been expanded and we should be using it as the snow season starts. The Public Works staff is preparing for winter, getting the machinery in good operating condition, but a couple of new leaks have occurred.  The staff is busy fixing them. In the office we have begun preliminary work on the billing system for our new rates, attempting to make the system understandable and user friendly.  We are also working on getting reimbursed for our expenditures on the water tank and the vaults, so we’ll have money to hold us over in the slow season until January.

            After we sent the check to the IRS for $800.00, the auditor sent it to his supervisors in Utah with his report.  They agreed with our position that we did not owe this money and sent us a check for $801.40, which includes the interest on the $800.00.  After attending the International Municipal Lawyers Association meeting in New Orleans, I brought back some good personnel ideas and some concerns.  I was especially concerned about the way we were handling the health insurance, but since we no longer reimbursed the employees, we weren’t a Health Administrator under HIPPA, which would have required some reporting that we were not doing.  I attended a lecture by the Mayors of Baton Rouge and Nashville about preparing for catastrophes.  It was extremely interesting, but I thought they made a good point about having many of your documents that the Federal Government requires for payment drawn up before hand so that you don’t have to make sure they are legal in the middle of the crises.  So, I’ll be working on those.  There were also a few sessions on construction contracts where I learned everything we were doing wrong.  This next time around we’ll get it straight.  I did, however, learn about some of the tricks sureties use to try to avoid payment on their bonds.  I expect they will try them if we have to sue them.