Minutes of the Special Meeting Oct. 21, 2015

Vista del Rey Mutual Domestic Water Consumers’ Association

Board of Directors

Minutes of the Special Meeting, 6 p.m., Oct. 21, 2015

54 Santana Road, Vado, NM 88072

This Special Meeting of the Vista del Rey Mutual Domestic Water Consumers’ Association opened when called to order by Wade Cornelius, president, at 6:04 p.m. All board members except Rob Campion were present. In addition, Mark Sechrist, Grover Heard, and Glenn Merrill attended. (Please note: meetings have been recorded since July. However, the recorder was not turned on for this meeting until it was already in progress.)

Secretary Beth Morgan summarized the minutes of the September meeting. Patrick Stafford made a motion to approve the minutes, seconded by Jana Melvin. The motion passed unanimously.

The president welcomed our new well operator, Henry Torres, who came to us in a crisis situation: we had a pressure pump malfunction, thus water users had nothing but gravity flow water provided by the system, unless they had their own pressure pumps. Torres reported that a pinhole leak in the well house had been repaired, and an electrician was scheduled to come on the 22nd, to hook up a refurbished pressure pump. Torres estimated that the water would be turned off for four hours while the replacement pump was being wired.

Water users present were asked to turn on some taps to help bleed any air out of the line when the water was turned back on. Patrick Stafford asked if we could open some taps at former resident Mary Butkewich’s home, which is at the farthest extent of the water line on Vista del Rey. Torres requested copies of Bac-T sample forms, so that he would have addresses for Environment Depart test samples.

Torres also said he would like to begin using a different type of chlorine. To date, we have been using common bleach. Torres said what he is looking at has fewer salts and other unnecessary substances in it. He buys a seven-gallon supply for about $200, which lasts for a year. This met with board approval.

After inspecting the well, Torres reported that many of our PVC pipes are very dry, which makes them fragile. They need to be replaced. He also noted that some tanks need to be replaced, and a pressure gauge had fallen off, which he repaired. He noted that water drains under the walls of the well house, and rodents are getting in. (This is a concern because the wires on the spare, rebuilt pressure pump had been chewed by mice, necessitating repair.) Torres also noted that we might want to consider using one 1,000-gallon pressure pump, as High Valley Farms is looking at, although we would have difficulty fitting it into our building (as will High Valley Farms. Torres noted that they will have to take out a wall to fit it in.) Grover Heard noted that our well house is a former military tool shed, and one side of it lifts up.

(The pressure pump went out October 13 and was not back in service until Oct. 22, the day after this meeting. The spare had been rebuilt by Chuck’s Electric, according to our former president, about five years ago. However, when it was hooked up, it sparked, arced, and smoked: it was not good.) The company that rebuilt the spare pressure pump was said to have a poor reputation and is no longer in business. We had the pressure pump rebuilt by Turner Motor, and it was ready for installation around noon the day of this meeting, but the electrician was not available. Stafford also noted that we need to have the one that went out rebuilt, and we need to protect it from rodents so that it will be ready when we need it. He said that former president Michael Schmickle had told him he had another box of records that might contain the receipt for rebuilding the pressure pump. Schmickle is expected to be in the area soon and will check for it. This was news, as Stafford Schmickle had told him he had already turned over all VDR records to him.

Stafford and Cornelius both had contacted Schmickle recently and reported that he was not happy with us, because he swore that the pressure pump had been rebuilt, and as the NM Taxation and Revenue Department had notified us that we have missed several payments over the years and he is aware of that, he felt he was being criticized. Schmickle told Stafford that he had not missed any payments. Stafford explained that we are just trying to clear up the issue with Tax and Revenue Department, so that we can regain our good standing. Cornelius called Schmickle afterward, asking for help with a form we had to complete for our insurance, and noted that Schmickle was helpful but aggressive. Cornelius gave dates of the alleged missed payments as December 2012, June 2012, December 2012, and June 2014 to Treasurer Jana Melvin so that she could check for cancelled checks for those dates.

Secretary Morgan asked Torres if he carries insurance, as a water specialist, and if so, could he add us to his policy. He indicated that he did not: he was typically added to the insurance of whichever system he was working for.* We also discussed whether under our renewed policy board members are protected, in the event one of us makes an error that leads to litigation. Stafford said that while our policy is said to be a liability policy, he believes that board member errors are covered.

Stafford noted that the well house needs cleaning, organizing, and additional or new shelving. We have old equipment in the well house that may or may not be good. Once fencing is done, we need to go through some it and get rid of or store parts and equipment in such a way that it will not be damaged by rodents. He has purchased six new padlocks that can be opened with the same key. This concluded the business regarding the well.

Torres noted that he needs to provide us with a copy of his water operator’s license, as we may have to prove to the state that we have it. When it comes in, he will provide us with a copy. President Cornelius noted that Ramon Morales had returned his key, and he would give that to Henry.

Jana Melvin, treasurer, presented income and expense statements for August and September, as figures for September were not available at the time last month’s meeting took place. We began August with a balance of $9,582.50. We took in $1,175 during the month and spent $1,447.07, ending August with a balance of $9,300.43, she reported.

We began the month of September with August’s ending balance, took in $1,400 during the month, and had expenses of $1,711.63. We finished September with a balance on hand of $8,988.80. She also delivered profit and loss statements for those two months. We had a loss of approximately $400 for each of those two months, which is not exorbitant. Over the past year, we had a net income of $6,200.

As an item of interest, she noted that since the beginning of the year until the end of September, we had paid out $1,700 less for electricity than we had the previous year. She theorized that the savings might be the result of us having installed a more efficient pump when we underwent major repair of the well last November. She said in the past, our electric bill might reach $700 in the summer months. She said it never reached $400 a month this year. Morgan made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report, and Stafford seconded it. It passed unanimously.

President Cornelius presented Jana with a $100 gift card purchased to recognize her for her years of service. She was the last to receive her gift. The Board had honored former president Michael Schmickle with a gift card of $300 and Patrick Stafford with a $100 gift card a couple of months ago. The treasurer had not been present to receive hers when Stafford’s was presented.

Under the topic of insurance, President Cornelius noted that we had finished a form that needed to be completed prior to renewal of our insurance coverage. Stafford reported that he had written an emergency response plan for it, asking for a description of the system. The emergency plan also asked for information including email contacts for emergency situations, order of responsibility, procedures to follow in case of water and electric outages and acts of God such as tornadoes and earthquakes. He also noted that we have installed a lightning rod to protect the water tank, should it be struck by lightning. He has posted the emergency plan to Dropbox for anyone who would like to review it.

He noted that a new pressure gauge and switch need to be installed and that it could be done the following day. The switches are supposed to be set so that pressure remains between 30 and 50 psi, but they generally kick on when it falls to 28 psi.

Henry Torres the pressure switch and pressure gauge had been plugged up. He also noted that pressure can be checked at various meters, but Grover Heard said that his could not be checked as others can, because when his had to be replaced, a solid state unit was installed. There was some additional discussion regarding what the pressure gauges dictate and what the pressure actually is. Torres noted that, in looking at the pressure tanks, it should be at a minimum of 32 psi, which is the minimum for fire protection standards. We will also have the pressure pump that went out rebuilt so that we have a spare.

Regarding security measures, Patrick said he thought fencing could be installed Saturday, except for gates. “Take it with a grain of salt,” he said, as he tends to underestimate how much time it takes to do things. We have cattle wire that can be snugged with a winch. This was donated by water user Wilson, who also gave us 19 posts, which cost about $18 each, as well as the many feet of fencing. The extensions for the barbed wire probably took the majority of the $500 that Stafford spent on supplies, and the barbed wire itself cost about $100. Glenn Merrill mentioned that he has some hinges to donate. Mark suggested using threaded hinge points, so that they could be adjusted when the earth shifts. They have nuts on the end of them. Stafford began to realize that the work would probably take longer than a day. We also briefly discussed rodent control measures. Stafford indicated that he had been putting out rat poison in the well house.

Glenn Merrill received his membership certificate during the meeting, and Morgan noted that she needs a mailing address for FXL, the company that currently is managing the property formerly owned by Mary Butkewich.

The board discussed communication issues during the meeting, which seemed to be problematic during recent efforts to prepare the information for the renewal of our insurance with Cincinnati, via Rob Campion’s contact at Hub International. The president said he wanted to set a standard for communication, in which we would agree to return emails or texts within 24 hours. Secretary Morgan agreed that board members should check their email everyday. She also said that emails and texts are a great convenience, but when we are in a serious crunch, an old-fashioned phone call may work best. She also noted that being clear, direct, and specific, as well as proactive, in terms of taking responsibility for getting something done, are important. When an undertaking that is a collective responsibility, then we all need to contribute, Cornelius noted. He agreed to attempt to be more timely himself.

The treasurer also brought up the need to have invoices and the check numbers with which they were paid in the same place. Wade agreed to email her, as well as putting them in Dropbox. The treasurer has been having trouble getting into Dropbox, so she asked to the president to either email or give her hard copies to file.

Wade said that there is a more secure version of Dropbox we could use for a price. A motion was made collectively to obtain the more secure version of Dropbox, and it was decided that since it was made collectively, it was automatically seconded and passed. We may have issues paying for the service with a check from our account because our checks have an incorrect routing number on them. This is because we have never ordered new checks since the association came into being, and the bank has since changed the routing number. We will order new checks.

Stafford noted that he had been making some executive decisions, regarding getting pressure pumps rebuilt and hiring electricians. He noted that he had decided to have the pressure pump rebuilt, as we did have water, although the pressure was greatly reduced. If we had no water, he noted, he would have bought a new pressure pump and had it installed.

The treasurer noted as several people have looked at the property formerly owned by Mary Butkewich, her water bills are paid up. If her former property sold, there would be no issues with having to reinstate the membership. The president noted that he knew where she was, as she had backed her expensive car into a telephone pole where he works. Her son goes to school there, so he sees her five days a week. Although the former resident made threats of lawsuits before she left,

she did send us a $500 check to pay for water usage at some point.

The president also noted for Stafford’s benefit that he doesn’t understand all the nuances of when the road needs grading. Stafford suggested that Cornelius refer the road grader operator to him. Once, he graded a day after Stafford had graded. Patrick noted that if it has not rained recently, we aren’t interested. He often drags the road with a beam, and if that has been done recently, grading is not needed. Whether the road is a dedicated county road is unclear. The county charged David Lucero for providing access to put in a driveway, for which he has a receipt. It says somewhere on our drawings that Santana Road is dedicated, however, when we looked for the information, we couldn’t find it. Getting it dedicated is a process, some of which Stafford has pursued, and some of which has never been completed. If we so desire, we could pursue it.

Stafford questioned when we might schedule a membership meeting. Morgan noted that by law, we are required minimally to hold quarterly membership meetings. We have not specified any meetings as membership meetings since we resumed having meetings in March, as we are in the process of gathering all the information we need for our preliminary engineering review grant proposal, and that has been our main focus. She suggested January as a potential time and rotating the locations for membership meetings. We are waiting for insurance and bonding to go through to complete preparation of the grant proposal.

The next special meeting was set for 6 p.m. November 18. The meeting adjourned at 7:53 p.m.

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*This practice is spelled out in a template contract for water system operators available through the Environment Department’s Drinking Water Bureau.