Minutes of the May 20 Special Meeting

This Special Meeting of the Board of Directors was called to order at 6:13 p.m., May 20, at 54 Santana Road. Attending the meeting were President Wade Cornelius, Treasurer Jana Melvin, Secretary Beth Morgan, and board member Rob Campion.

No guests were present, so none were introduced. No reports were heard, as the meeting was called specifically to review the Local Government Planning Fund grant application, to sign it, and to pass a resolution called for as part of the application for funding to pursue a preliminary engineering review. Additionally, approval of minutes from the April 20 meeting was tabled.

Morgan asked that the board review the application, prior to signing it and considering the resolution required as part of the application. She explained that things that were vague or unspecified on the application are items that must be determined after the grant is awarded. For example, we cannot select an engineer to do the study until after we have received a grant award. She also noted that while the board was not given the entirety of the application—Jana Melvin had reviewed the financial portion of it and ascertained that it was the correct information to include, and the Bylaws, Articles of Incorporation, and Rules and Regulations are documents that the board already has or with which they should already be familiar. Additionally, Morgan noted that she identified herself as the main contact, at the suggestion of Karl Pennock of the Las Cruces Environment Department’s Drinking Water Bureau.

Campion asked whether the Environment Department has a format for putting out a Request for Proposal, when the time comes. Morgan indicated that the agency probably does, and that its representatives will help with that portion of the grant. Morgan noted that the complete drawings of the Vista del Rey Mutual Domestic Water Consumers’ Association system are included on a CD as part of the application. Asked whether the board members had had time from the time they arrived until the meeting was called to order to review the proposal, they indicated that they had.

The resolution, the third the board has considered since it began passing resolutions, was intended to authorize and approve submission of the completed grant application to the New Mexico Finance Authority. To make it as easy as possible for the board to grasp the content of the resolution, Morgan read it. She then noted that the president is to sign it and the secretary to attest to it and affix the association’s seal.

Rob Campion made the motion to approve the resolution as written. It was seconded by Ms. Melvin and approved unanimously. After the vote, Cornelius signed the resolution. He also signed the application. There was a question about a location on the form to identify the jurisdiction. Morgan indicated that she did not know what that referred to, adding that she would check with Pennock about that. She indicated that Ms. Melvin, as the association’s only financial officer, was to sign in the position for chief financial officer.

After the documents were signed, Morgan noted that applying online may be more common among other grant applicants. However, as we had so many drawings to submit, it made sense to her to submit a hard copy.

During open forum, complaints were made by everyone present about the water pressure being low and about the periods of time between high-pressure cycles seeming to have become longer.

Cornelius has a pressure pump, but it fluctuates between 40-60 pounds of pressure. His bedroom is on the far end of the house from the pressure pump. He indicated that he suffers from the lack of water pressure. Campion and Ms. Melvin both indicated they feel the lack of water pressure, as well. Someone will ask the water operator to check the water pressure at the well house and adjust, if possible.

The president noted that this was probably the fastest meeting on record, and that the board had dealt with the matter at hand quickly and completely. The meeting was adjourned at 6:33 p.m.