Agenda 8-a - Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 10 to connect to the water and sewer system. Under the revised rates, the same new connection would be charged a System Development Fee of $2,472. 40th Anniversary Celebrations We held an open house on October 21st at the Cane Creek Reservoir and an open house on Saturday, November 4th at our 400 Jones Ferry Road facilities in Carrboro. These events were well received by the public. OWASA Water Wagon In 2017, OWASA built and debuted a Water Wagon to serve chilled drinking water from our water treatment plant at public events. The Water Wagon is powered by solar panels and provides the opportunity for community members to fill their water bottles, drink directly from the fountains, and even give water to their dogs. We are excited about this new platform for engaging with the community. Commissioner Rich asked if there are plans to use solar panels. Todd Taylor said OWASA owns a lot of land, and solar farming is being considered. He said the initial obstacle is that the Duke solar substation, on this land, is at capacity. Commissioner Rich said she is not talking about having solar panels on the land, but rather on property. Todd Taylor said he would take this suggestion back to OWASA. Commissioner Price referred to the Rogers Road project, and asked if the completion date of summer 2018 includes hook ups to all homes. Todd Taylor said it is his understanding that individual hooks ups will be done by the homeowners, and the timeline is for the infrastructure. Commissioner Price referred to working with the Health Department about fluoridation, and asked if this is inclusive of the whole County. Todd Taylor said this is still in the works, but OWASA would like to have the conversation about fluoridation with the entire community, and is seeking the assistance of the Health Department in this endeavor. Commissioner Price offered kudos for OWASA's efforts towards energy management. Commissioner Marcoplos asked if there is a status update on the re -use system. Todd Taylor said this system is working well, and UNC added the reclaimed water system to the wastewater plant. He said last year OWASA sold the largest amount of reclaimed water in its history. He said the growth of this system is at the maximum now. Commissioner Marcoplos asked if the record number is known. Todd Taylor said he thinks it was 2.6 MGD, and most of the hospital and campus chillers are on this system, as well as some irrigation. Commissioner McKee complimented OWASA staff on their professionalism around the greenway bridge project. Chair Dorosin referred to a point in the report about considering a reduction in the service availability fee /connection fee for homes that are 800 square feet or less, and asked if there could be some clarification on this topic, as it was his understanding for years that OWASA could not do anything about this fee. He also asked if the number of homes, that are 800 square feet or less, is known, and why the size of 800 square feet was chosen. Robert Morgan said nothing has changed on how the costs are calculated, but the State directed utilities to calculate the cost in a certain way, which OWASA has done. He said during this process, it was determined that the costs for smaller structures were less, and this is being recognized. He said he does not know how many homes of this size are in existence, but he can find out.