16 February 2006 Dearborn County Regional Sewer Board Meeting Notes

16 February 2006 Dearborn County Regional Sewer Board Meeting Notes

Present: Chairman- Hankins, Dennerline, Enzweiler, Pruss, Holland, and Fehrman.
ABSENT: John Maxwell
Also Present: Doug Baer, Lisa Lehner,Att’y, Tom Quinn, Engineer, and Bryan Messmore, County Adm.

Lehner informed the board that she had done research and doesn’t think anyone is required to submit a conflict of interest form at this time. She passes out the forms for members to review. [NOTE: Unbelievable!]

The board rec’d a letter from Lampert for Greendale asking how they propose to handle Tom Kent’s sewer request along SR1. Dennerline noted that some people on Salt Fork had approached him stating they’d like to have sewers. It was noted that LMH was too far from there to help. Greendale’s large gravity main was about 1 mile away. NO DECISION.

Quinn reported that Stewart St and Cole Lane were not going anywhere due to IDEM issues in Aurora still. Bureaucracy with review process also a problem. Contact was Matthew Floriczk. Turner’s memo indicated they would get 33gal/min for Stewart and Cole and there is concern that this is not enough capacity for all the DCRSD wants to do up there. Quinn thinks that once sewers go up there- demand will increase and wants 500 gal/min. Meet with GRW next week and Quinn thinks they are under the impression that DCRSD wants to build a treatment plant there. They need either a new line or treatment plant in town. 6-inch not big enough- want 8-inch line.

Hankins noted the need to get to IDEM to give relief to Aurora until this is solved. Noted it’s been going on for years- why so urgent now?
Lehner spoke to another IDEM official who supported the idea of talking to enforcement division and showing Woolpert study was under way.
Enzweiler noted by working together we could save Aurora a lot of money.
NO one has seen the IDEM order for Aurora. [NOTE: These orders are available on request to IDEM; other citizens have obtained them. Why County Health or officials are out of the loop is unclear. Why not just ASK Aurora to see it? It is public record.]
Lehner is trying to get a stay on the order- is meeting with Hastings and Att’y Schmaltz in Aurora in a week.
Quinn noted that Cochran plant is 350 gal/min and should be 1100- severely undersized.
Hankins wondered if they could segregate Aurora into the flood and non-flood areas. Didn’t understand GRW plans.
Fehrman talked to Tierney of GRW and noted the communications were poor with Moores Hill and Dillsboro and Aurora. He thought the synergy would be better if all the towns were working together. He thought it seemed like Aurora was not involving DCRSD at all. [NOTE: It may be that the partners in the SDRSD were working together and DCRSD’s previous desire to be a NON-VOTING member was viewed a being not helpful to the district needs.]
Lehner said Hastings seemed like he did want to work with us.
The board needs to use Aurora’s 10-mil treatment plant.
Holland asked if we should by-pass Aurora and go straight to the SDRSD.
Hankins said- we have to get permission to go thru their territory.
Lehner thought that if we get IDEM off Aurora’s back, that Aurora might talk to us then. [NOTE: Rather than get IEM off their back by allowing temporary illegal discharges why not actually spend that effort and find dollars to build( expand) and FIX THE PROBLEM? It beats adding more sewage to a deficient treatment facility.]
Hankins said they were working on seeking funding thru the federal wastewater bill (via earmarks) by working through Sodrel’s office. Messmore said that both reps and senators would get identical copies of our request.

Hankins noted SDRSD was not receptive to the non-voting member status but was very supportive of DCRSD becoming a full paying voting member. They are meeting with others to see what the membership will cost. Estimates show it will be under $5million. Holland asked about SDRSD debt. Debt to be assumed as our share is low as the district is run very well per Hankins.

Messmore stated that the Woolpert update was that they were sticking to the plan.

Baer has not found a clerk yet so he is still the note taker for the district.

Hankins said that we need a comp sewer plan and that we need to cultivate our relationships with other entities in order to consolidate sewers.

Hankins asked the board if they’d seen the Ch 9 report on Sunday night noting it was a view of local gov’t at its most embarrassing point. I informed the board that there was another report on Ch 9 on Wed the 15th as well.

Meeting adjourned at 7:45 PM

Christine Brauer Mueller
Lawrenceburg Township