BWD Board Of Trustees

The BWD Board of Trustees held their regular monthly meeting this past Thursday at Wellsville Village Hall. Present at the meeting was Board President Mike Ryan, Board members Bob Wines, Rick Williams, Cal Carney, Jack Call, Gene McGaffick and Tim O'Hara. Also in attendance was District Manager Al DeAngelis, Office Manager Tracy Allen, Legal Advisor Fred Emmerling and Fiscal Officer Tony D'Angelo.

Following approval of the minutes from the October meeting the Board went into Executive Session for 32 minutes to discuss pending litigation with Legal Advisor Emmerling. There was no action taken or comment made on what was discussed when they returned.

McGaffick reported the Finance Committee met the day before and noted the Fiscal Officer is working on moving as much as possible to the SSI accounting system to eliminate some of the duplicate accounting practices. The Committee found everything balances and he recommended the Treasurer's Report be accepted. For the month of October the district sold 943,069 gallons of water. There was a profit of $81,156 for the month of October.

For the Insurance Committee, Jack Call reported that he & Mr. Carney met recently with County officials about next years health insurance costs. Call reported that the cost will increase 9% which was negotiated down from 15%. BWD employees are insured through the County's mutual, self funded, financial group and are part of over 400 people covered. In a recent newspaper article it was noted that at least one-third of the increased premium cost is a result of the new federal health care bill.

For the Computer Study & Purchasing Committee, Bob Wines confirmed they are working with SSI to determine which program level would be the best fit for the district. Fiscal Officer D'Angelo advised the system update will take effect after the first of the year. D'Angelo remarked that he is on the phone with IT personnel two or three times a day familiarizing himself with the SSI system. Office Manager Allen reported that the lease contract with Zerox for a new copier will result in a $40 per month savings.

For the Records Retention Committee, Rick Williams reported the District is waiting for the State's approval on the document disposal/retention schedule. DeAngelis advised the Ohio Historical Society has already given their approval.

For the District Manager's Report, DeAngelis advised RCAP presented information on their Energy Audit for the District and the final report will be sent within the month. The audit was done looking for possible savings in the cost of energy, such as electricity.

DeAngelis reported that Software Solutions (SSI) has three different packages of upgrades for the District's billing and finance system. Additionally the Fiscal Officer is awaiting a response from inquiries made about the Uniform Accounting Network.

The environmental impact study for expansion into Frederick Heights has been approved by the USDA. A public hearing on the project will be scheduled for a later date.

The Oakmont water storage tank is back on line. That tank provides an additional 200,000 gallons of water storage for the Calcutta area. The new road for the Salineville tank is awaiting approval to use left over funds from Part B of that new water line project. The EPA demanded that a new access road to that tank be constructed before the final inspection. DeAngelis also reported that the old Salineville Water Treatment Plant is no longer tied into the village's system.

Under Old Business, Jack Call inquired on the status of returning the Wellsville reservoir back to the village. Attorney Emmerling advised a meeting has to be scheduled with Wellsville officials to finalize all the details. DeAngelis remarked that the electricity has been shut off and insurance on the property will not be renewed. Insurance coverage will expire in a month. Wellsville's reservoir and water treatment plant was handed over to BWD when the district was first formed. The District retained control of it as a back-up until the new system was felt to be entirely reliable. Wellsville still owned the property.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:40 A.M. Next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 16 at 9:A.M at Wellsville Village Hall.

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