Minutes of the Special Meeting, 6 p.m., May 27, 2015

The

Vista del Rey

Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association

Minutes of the Special Meeting, 6 p.m., May 27, 2015

At The Lord’s Ranch, Vado, NM 88072

This special meeting of the Vista del Rey Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association board of directors was called to order by Wade Cornelius at 6:04 p.m. Attending were Henry Torres, Bobby Lujan, Jana Melvin, Wade Cornelius, Glenn Merrill, Ken Henrie, Rob Campion, Mary Lucero, Patrick Stafford, Mark Sechrist, and Beth Morgan.

Minutes of the previous special meeting, April 29, were approved with no corrections requested. Jana Melvin gave the treasurer’s report, noting that at the end of April, we had $7, 446.45. We took in $1,475 in income during the past month, and paid out $271.88 in expenses, leaving us with a balance of $8, 649.57. The treasurer’s report was unanimously approved.

Rob Campion, who has taken on the role of “well checker,” reported that an old water tank has been hauled away, thanks to member Grover Heard. Also, we now have a blue pressure tank that needs to be removed. For board members benefit, Rob noted where we can find keys to the well house, if needed.

Henry Torres was welcomed and informed that we invited him in order to get an estimate for services we require. Torres is a water specialist III, and a resident of and water operator for the High Valley Farms water association. We made it known that we don’t check meters. We need someone to take monthly and annual water samples, and to maintain our chlorination system. Torres asked who did our reports to the state and was told our president will do that. At this point, Bobby Lujan noted that metering individuals’ water usage can be helpful in identifying leaks that require attention. He also noted that in applying for government funding, if an association has savings, what they are to be used for must be designated. Otherwise, it could be argued that the system could use its savings for the purpose for which they are seeking funds.

Torres noted that he charges High Valley Farms for his services by the meter. He noted that it may be required that we begin having meters read to make sure we don’t have leaks in our system. Torres said that he samples water monthly and that we must report to the EPA if bacteria levels exceed allowed amounts. He usually checks at the wellhead and elsewhere in the system to ensure that chlorination is being distributed appropriately. We are intended to keep records of the readings and must notify members of any problems, as well as correcting them and notifying members of same. Torres also mentioned that he does a Sanitary Survey for the EPA every three years. Additionally, he does the plumbing for High Valley Farms’ water asociation.

He requested a chance to look at the well, which has a three-phase electrical system and a five-gallon chlorinator tank, before giving an estimate. Campion agreed to meet with Torres to show him the well on Friday, May 29, after work. Jana Melvin stated that our current operator, Raymond Morales, has never provided monthly records. He receives our annual reports. It was noted that we need to keep records in the event that bacteria levels over that allowed are found.

Bobby Lujan also noted that water associations must be audited and that they had had an audit and sent it to the state by certified mail. He said that Oscar Butler, a member of the Colonias Infrastructure Board, had the report in hand before the state acknowledged its receipt. This is significant, as the hearing for the Colonias Infrastructure Board will be considering High Valley Farm’s grant application June 4.

Lujan encouraged us to attend this meeting. He also touted trainings that are available for board members and water specialists, one being offered by someone in Anthony. It was agreed that Wade or Patrick needs to meet with our operator to learn how to read the meters. Upon completion of this discussion, Torres and Lujan left the meeting.

The next item of old business was review of the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. It was noted that in order to avoid liability, we need to review, amend, and refile them. Patrick noted that we are registered with the Secretary of State as a non-profit (501 (c) 12), by virtue of what we are. Because the review and revision is needed for our grant application, it was decided that a committee of Wade, Beth, and Ken will oversee the review of the documents and present our findings to the rest of the board. The committee will meet at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, June10, at Beth’s house.

Developing a website, in part as a place to post meeting notices and to provide links to various documents, was discussed next. Wade said one phone number or email address for contacting the board should be adequate. Items mentioned as desirable on the website include linking to our Facebook page, and providing copies of our Articles, Bylaws, and 40-year plan. Rob offered a transcriptionist to translate hardcopy documents into Word files, making work for the website and the Articles and Bylaws committee easier. We took him up on it. We need a logo, and Mary said she would talk to a graphic artist about that. She also suggested putting in a sign-up link for newsletters, which Wade agreed to oversee. Determining which email address we use remains to be decided; Patrick noted that we have a Google email address for the association he could provide.

We had asked member David Lucero and son James for an estimate on a wellhead cover, barrier to the water tank ladder, and a cover for the overflow pipe. They asked for $150 for labor plus the cost of the parts, which are expected to cost another $150, more or less. Patrick noted that he and Glenn could probably pour the concrete pad needed prior to the cover being constructed, for which a workday can be scheduled. Patrick made a motion to begin work on the wellhead security fabrication, which was seconded by Jana. Rob called for discussion. The motion passed unanimously.

The board reviewed Jana’s proposed budget for the grant application, which follows the High Valley Farms template we were given by Olga Morales. It requires use of a different program than Jana had used historically, thus, the same type of information provided by HVF is only available for three months. Beth agreed to seek clarification from the New Mexico Finance Administration on what they expect. She had already contacted Karl Pennock of EPA’s Drinking Water Bureau for assistance with the budget for the grant, but had yet to receive word and will pursue that further. Wade suggested that something very basic may be all we need to meet their criteria.

We next discussed bonding of board members and other insurance concerns. Jana noted that the bonding premium would be separate from our liability policy, which is up for renewal in October. Patrick made a motion that we table the bonding issue, which Beth seconded. The motion passed.

We briefly discussed the need for a master calendar to assist with the various reporting schedules we need to keep track of, as well as having a convenient way to post meeting dates and the like. Wade suggested that any pertinent dates be provided to Mary for the calendar, which can be a feature of our planned website.

Kenneth mentioned that he would attend the Colonias Infrastructure Board meeting, if we can find out when and where it is taking place.

Beth made a motion to recognize Jana and Patrick with $100 gift cards for their years of service. We signed a card for Michael Schmickle, outgoing president, who is receiving a $300 gift card, earlier in the meeting. Rob seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.

The date for the next meeting was set at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 8, to accommodate board members schedules.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:19 p.m.