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April 19, 2022 Minutes

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Upper Thompson Sanitation District
Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors
District Administrative Office Conference Room

Pursuant to C.R.S., §32-1-903, notice is hereby given to the members of the Upper Thompson Sanitation District Board of Directors and to the general public that the Board will hold its regular meeting, which is open to the public, at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, at the Upper Thompson Sanitation District Administrative Office, 2196 Mall Road, Estes Park, CO, 80517. Individuals who wish to address the Board via public participation may do so “in-person,” via telephone, or virtually through online participation, facilitated by the Microsoft Teams platform. Members of the public wishing to join the meeting via online or telephone participation, please email a request for the meeting link or telephone number to Ms. Gina Moore, Secretary to the Board, at gina@utsd.org by 2:00 p.m. on April 19, 2022.

Agenda

  1. Call to Order. 
  2. Pledge of Allegiance.  
  3. Roll Call, Absences Excused. 
  4. Next Meeting Date: Regular Board Meeting, Tuesday, May 17, 2022. 
  5. Agenda: Correction and Approval. 
  6. Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. 
  7. Public Forum: An opportunity for presentation by the public to provide information to the Board of Directors on any non-agenda item. Note: The Board cannot take any action on non-agenda items but may direct staff to include the item on a future agenda. Public Comment on Agenda Items: Public comments will be heard by the Board at the conclusion of the presentation of the agenda item. Persons addressing the Board shall first be recognized by the District Manager or Board Chairman and may speak only one time per agenda item. Speakers shall state their name and address for the official minutes, address comments to the Board as a Body, and shall be allotted three (3) minutes for public comment. 
  8. Minutes: Correction and Approval: Regular Board Meeting, March 15, 2022. 
  9. New Business and Special Orders:
    1. Update: Phase II - Design of the New Water Reclamation Facility, Lift Station, and Interceptor Improvements Project –presented by Mr. Ravel, P.E., Water/Wastewater Project Manager, Merrick & Company.
    2. Request for Approval: Funds Transfer from Colotrust SDF Account to Money Market Account for Merrick Invoice 211547 – presented by Ms. Moore.
    3. Petition for Inclusion: Ms. Jennifer Morrow and Ms. Kerri Reinsch, 2417 Long View Drive; Lot 30, Block 8, Carriage Hills 4th, Estes Park, CO 80517-7124 – presented by Ms. Ponzer.
    4. Request for Approval: Amendments to UTSD’s Personnel Manual – presented by Ms. Jurgens. e. Discussion: Board Director resignation and Board Director vacancy.
  10. Reports of Officers, Committees, and Staff: Questions, Comments, Correction and Approval: 
    1. Treasurer’s Report.
    2. Plant Report.
    3. System Development Fee Allocation and Connection Report.
    4. Collection System Report.
    5. Assistant District Manager’s Report.
    6. District Manager’s Report.
  11. Executive Session: §24-6-402(4)(a), C.R.S., Concerning the purchase, acquisition, lease, transfer, or sale of any real, personal, or other property interest; and §24-6-402(4)(e), C.R.S., Determining positions relative to matters that may be subject to negotiations, developing strategy for negotiations, and instructing negotiators related to property acquisition for a proposed new lift station. 
  12. Adjournment.

Upper Thompson Sanitation District (District) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, familial status, national origin, or ancestry, and in employment or in any program or activity conducted by the District. The District will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities. If any person has a disability and requires a reasonable accommodation to fully participate in this event, please contact District Manager, Mr. Chris Bieker, three days before the event via email at chris@utsd.org, or telephone at 970.586.4544, or dial 711 to connect with Relay Colorado.

Record of Proceedings 

Minutes of a Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors of 
Upper Thompson Sanitation District
Held: April 19, 2022, at 4:00 p.m., at the 
District Office, 2196 Mall Road, Estes Park, Colorado

Call to Order

A regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Upper Thompson Sanitation District, Estes Park, Colorado, was called to order at 4:01 p.m. and held as shown above and in accordance with the applicable statutes of the State of Colorado with the following Directors present and acting:

Pledge of Allegiance

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

Attendance

Board of Directors: 
Jack Reed, Chairman 
Susan Doylen, Secretary 
Kent Bosch, Vice-Chairman/ Assistant Secretary /Treasurer* 

Absent: 
It was moved by Ms. Doylen and seconded by Mr. Bosch to excuse the absence of Director Duell. Motion carried unanimously. 

The absence of Director Cenac was not excused by the Board. 

Staff: 
Chris Bieker, District Manager 
Suzanne Jurgens, Assistant District Manager 
Gina Moore, Financial Officer 
Matt Allen, Operations Manager 
Nathanael Romig, Collection Superintendent 
She1yl Panzer, Customer Accounts Manager* 
Henry Newhouse, Plant Superintendent* 
Naomi McCracken, Secretary* 

Merrick & Company: 
Steve Ravel, P.E., Water/Wastewater Project Manager 

* Joined via web conference call

Next Meeting

The next regular meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on May 17, 2022.

Approval of Agenda

The Board Considered the Agenda. 

It was moved by Ms. Doylen and seconded by Mr. Bosch to approve the Agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously.

Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is a topic of discussion at every Board meeting to address potential conflicts of interest that may arise as new agenda items are introduced. District Directors who have disclosed potential conflicts of interest can vote as issues arise.

Public Forum

Mr. Reed opened the meeting for public comment. 

Mr. Reed explained the Public Forum is an oppo1iunity for presentation by the public to provide information to the Board of Directors on any non-agenda item. He further explained the Board cannot take action on non-agenda items but may direct staff to include the item on a future agenda. 

Regarding public comment on Agenda Items, Mr. Reed provided the following statement: 

Public comments will be heard by the Board at the conclusion of the presentation of the agenda item. Persons addressing the Board shall first be recognized by the District Manager or Board Chairman and may speak only one time per agenda item. Speakers shall state their name and address for the official minutes, address comments to the Board as a Body, and shall be allotted three (3) minutes for public comment. 

No members of the public joined the meeting via web conference call.

Approve Minutes from Prior Meeting

The Board reviewed and discussed the Minutes of the March 15, 2022, Regular Board Meeting. 

It was moved by Ms. Doylen and seconded by Mr. Bosch to approve the Minutes of the March 15, 2022, Regular Board Meeting as presented. Motion carried unanimously.

New Business and Special Orders

Update: Phase II - Design of the New Water Reclamation Facility, Lift Station, and Interceptor Improvements Project - presented by Mr. Ravel, PE, Water/Wastewater Project Manager, Merrick & Company:

Regarding the design of the New Water Reclamation Facility, Lift Station, and Interceptor Improvements Project (Project), Mr. Ravel noted the following updates following the March 15, 2022, Regular Board Meeting:

  • Wapiti Lift Station (WLS): 
    • Discussions and workshops occurred with the design team and District regarding the proposed WLS site and WLS force main layouts. 
    • The proposed layouts will be further developed for use with a site location application for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and for use with Larimer County Planning and Building Department review and approval. 
  • Water Reclamation Facility (WRF): 
    • Discussions and workshops occurred with the design team and District regarding the proposed WRF site layout and process equipment. 
    • Site Location Application The site location application is under review by the CDPHE. The District received a letter on April 7, 2022, from CDPHE, outlining a request for information (RFI) regarding additional water quality information. Response to the RFI will require that the CDPHE provide modified preliminary effluent limits (PEL) to include parameters they had not originally included. A response to the CDPHE RFI will be prepared by Merrick & Company and then they will coordinate with the District. Preliminary and final design may proceed without prior site location application approval. 
    • WRF Site Layout Alternative WRF site layouts including structures and roadways have been developed and are under review by the District and design team. A review workshop was held to review the final layout. 
    • Architectural alternatives for the WRF site and administration building have been developed and reviewed with the District. 
    • A solids handling review workshop was held to review equipment preferences, layout, and facility sizing. 
  • WRF Membrane Procurement: 
    • Membrane equipment information requests have been provided by membrane suppliers including preliminary budget, equipment, and membrane design information. A membrane procurement review workshop was held on March 22, 2022, with the District. Membrane procurement documents are under development for review by the District in late April. The membrane procurement package will be advertised for receipt of proposals following review and approval by the District.
    • Electrical, Instrumentation, and Control - A second review workshop was held on March 23, 2022, to review the sites and discuss electrical, instrumentation, and control items.
  • Fish Creek Lift Station (FCLS) Site Acquisition and Layout: 
    • Discussions and workshops occurred with the design team and District to discuss the proposed FCLS layout and site location alternatives. 
    • The proposed layouts were further developed for use with a site location application for the CDPHE and for use with Larimer County Planning and Building Department review and approval. 
    • Final FCLS site decisions will be completed over the next three weeks following review of alternative site layouts and alternatives. 
  • Specifications for Construction A draft version of the overall project Contract Forms (Division 00) and General Requirements (Division 01) of the specification have been developed and will be submitted to the District for preliminary review in the next few weeks. Technical specifications (equipment, trenching, structural, mechanical, electrical, etc.) will be developed as the project proceeds. 
  • Drawings for Construction - General (G) sheets, detail (D) sheets, and other miscellaneous sheets have been developed. Additional sheets (equipment, trenching, structural, mechanical, electrical, etc.) will be developed as the project proceeds. 
  • United States Bureau of Reclamation (USER) - Merrick & Company and the District are awaiting comments from the USBR regarding coordination requirements for the environmental assessment (EA). A coordination call was held with the USBR on March 17, 2022. The location of the WLS, WLS Force Main, and modifications at the existing wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) will continue to be coordinated. A meeting with the USBR is scheduled for March 21, 2022. A special use application will be submitted following finalization of the preliminary design and site location of the WLS and WLS force main. 
  • Western Area Power Authority (WAPA) - A coordination call with W AP A is scheduled for June 2, 2022. Merrick & Company will continue to work with W AP A regarding the status of the power line removal project. The power lines are expected to be removed by December 31, 2023. 
  • Town of Estes Park- The WRF site will require a water main extension along Highway 34 (approximately from the newly construction Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) maintenance facility to the WRF). The WLS and FCLS will require new water services to replace the existing water services. 
  • Larimer County Meetings were held with Larimer County to 1) review the WRF and lift station planning and permit requirements including: 1041 permitting; location and extents permitting; zoning; plam1ing department permits; and 2) the floodplain permits. A letter was sent to Larimer County to confirm the Planning and Building Department requirements.
  • Estes Park Sanitation District (EPSD) - EPSD's engineer, Diamondback Engineering, is reviewing the treatment requirements for EPSD and will provide a summary to the District for use with sh01i- and long-term planning. A presentation by the District to the EPSD Board is tentatively planned for May 10, 2022. 
  • Financial Planning-
    • The project needs assessment (PNA) and preliminary engineering report (PER) will be submitted the week of April 11, 2022, to initiate the CDPHE / Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority (CWRPDA) State Revolving Fund (SRF) funding process. The Environmental Assessment (EA) was submitted in April.
    • The application and preliminary engineering report (PER) will be submitted to initiate the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding process. Access to the online application form was received. 
    • A letter of interest will be submitted to Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) to initiate the WIFIA funding process once the application period opens.
  • Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) 
    • The District provided draft CMAR RFP review comments on April 11, 2022. The draft CMAR RFP was submitted to the District's legal counsel on April 11, 2022, for review of the documents and agreement. 
    • The CMAR RFP will be advertised for receipt of proposals following review and approval by the District and District legal counsel. 
  • 30% Design Submittal - Documents are being developed that will be submitted with the 30% design submittal (drawings, specifications, cost opinion, and schedule update) and Merrick & Company will finalize the date of the submittal shortly.

Adding to the above noted Project activity, Mr. Ravel highlighted the project needs assessment has been submitted to the CDPHE for the State Revolving Fund (SRF). The USDA application is being finalized and the WIFIA application process, including a letter of intent, is being developed and anticipated to be submitted by July 2022. 

Mr. Ravel stated he will be planning an upcoming meeting with the District to discuss the administration building and headworks layouts.

Mr. Ravel explained the Meffick & Company team is working with Glacier Construction to produce an updated Project construction cost model to discuss with the District. 

The Board of Directors asked questions of Mr. Ravel regarding further clarification on 1041 permitting, progress on 30% design submission, and a status update on a meeting between EPSD and UTSD. Mr. Bieker offered to reach out to the District Manager of EPSD to initiate a meeting to discuss the future goals of each district's infrastructure. The Board discussed and agreed to a meeting with EPSD. 

The Board thanked Mr. Ravel for the Project update. 

Request for Approval: Funds Transfer from Colotrust System Development Account to Money Market Account for Merrick & Company Invoice 211547 - presented by Ms. Moore: 

Ms. Moore stated the District received invoice number 211547 from Merrick & Company on April 13, 2022, in the amount of $426,608.79, for contracted services performed from January 29, 2022, through March 25, 2022, for the New Water Reclamation Facility and Lift Station Improvements Project. In order to remit payment for this invoice, it is necessary to transfer funds from Colotrust to Bank of Colorado. 

Ms. Moore then requested approval from the Board to initiate a funds transfer from the District's Colotrust System Development account to the Bank of Colorado Money Market account in the amount of $426,608.79. Ms. Moore provided the current balance in the Colotrust System Development account and the remaining balance in the Colotrust System Development account after the transfer. Once the funds are posted to the Bank of Colorado Money Market, Ms. Moore explained she would then create an internal transfer to the Bank of Colorado Checking account. 

The Board asked questions of Ms. Moore and discussed the funds transfer. 

It was moved by Ms. Doylen and seconded by Mr. Reed to approve a funds transfer from the Colotrust System Development account in the amount of $426,608.79 to the Bank of Colorado Money Market account for purposes of remitting payment to Merrick & Company for invoice number 21154 7 for contracted services performed for the New Water Reclamation Facility and Lift Station Improvements Project. Motion carried unanimously.

Hearing on Petition for Inclusion: Ms. Jennifer Morrow and Ms. Kerri Reinsch, 2417 Long View Drive; Lot 30, Block 8, Carriage Hills 4t11, Estes Park, CO 80517-7124 - presented by Ms. Ponzer: 

At 4:32 p.m., Mr. Reed opened the Public Hearing on the Petition for Inclusion. Ms. Ponzer reported to the Board that Ms. Jennifer Morrow and Ms. Kerri Reinsch have filed a Petition for Inclusion of their property, described as 2417 Long View Drive: Lot 30, Block 8, Carriage Hills 4th, in Estes Park, Colorado. Ms. Ponzer explained Ms. Morrow and Ms. Reinsch recently petitioned for this prope1iy to be included into the Upper Thompson Sanitation District boundary because they have a single-family dwelling with a failing septic system and intend to connect to the UTSD system. 

Ms. Ponzer stated the inclusion fees have been paid and all necessary documents have been executed by Ms. Morrow and Ms. Reinsch. 

Ms. Ponzer further explained a site inspection by UTSD Collection's Department confirms the UTSD sewer main is accessible from Ms. Mo1TOw's and Ms. Reinsch's property. 

Ms. Ponzer said a "Notice of Open Meeting for Hearing on Petition for Inclusion" was published, in accordance with statutory requirements, in the Estes Park News on Friday, April 8, 2022. 

Ms. Ponzer informed the Board that this parcel of land does not have a UTSD tap and will require the purchase of a new System Development Fee prior to connecting the residence to the UTSD collection system. 

The Board discussed the Petition for Inclusion. 

No members of the public were present and there were no public comments, objections, or agreements; therefore, at 4:34 p.m. Mr. Reed closed the Public Hearing. 

It was moved by Ms. Doylen and seconded by Mr. Bosch to approve the Petition for Inclusion for 2417 Long View Drive, Estes Park, owned by Ms. Jennifer Morrow and Ms. Kerri Reinsch. Motion carried unanimously. 

Request for Approval: Amendments to UTSD's Personnel Manual - presented by Ms. Jurgens: 

Ms. Jurgens stated Upper Thompson Sanitation District's Personnel Manual is a valuable communication resource for both management and the employees. It provides a consistent set of policies and procedures, and offers guidance and information related to the District's mission, values, policies, procedures, and benefits. It is an easily accessible guide to the company's policies and practices as well as an overview of the expectations of management. 

Ms. Jurgens explained over the course of managing the District's business and employees, it becomes apparent for the need to update the Personnel Manual. The updates also keep the Personnel Manual relevant to the changing workplace. (i.e., employment laws and digital aspects and applications). 

Ms. Jurgens reminded the Board that the most recent revisions to the District's Personnel Manual were approved by the Board of Directors in March 2021, in which edits were made to comply with Colorado's Healthy Family and Workplaces Act (HFWA) and revise the District's paid time off and public health emergency leave; and in September 2021, in which additional edits were made to address unpaid leave and further delineate leave time for full-time and part-time employees. 

Ms. Jurgens stated proposed revisions to the Personnel Manual were provided in the board packet for review and consideration for approval. 

Ms. Jurgens explained that the District has consulted with legal counsel, Ms. Linda Glesne, of Cockrel, Ela, Glesne, Greher & Ruhland regarding these rev1s1ons. Ms. Glesne provided oversight and guidance on these issues according to employment law and based on her current experience with other public agencies. 

Ms. Jurgens then reviewed the following recommended changes to the Personnel Manual:

  • Original Section VII - Employee Conduct has been divided into two new sections - Section VII - District Property, and Section III - Employee Conduct. 
  • All content in original Section VII has been retained and is in either new Section VII -District Property or Section VIII - Employee Conduct. 
  • All the revisions, new or revised content, are highlighted in yellow. 
  • New Section VII -District Property edits are as follows: 
    • Item 7.10-Use of District Property and Services: the definition of District property includes facilities, vehicles, services, equipment, tools, and grounds. 
    • Item 7.10 - Use of District Property and Services: Added the sentence, "Employees shall be onsite at District facilities for the sole purpose of conducting District business, and during scheduled work hours with the exception of on-call emergency work."
    • Item 7.20 - New Item: Visitors to the District: The District strives to provide a secure, safe, and healthy work environment for employees and ensure the safety and health of visitors and guests to the facilities. Visitors, family members, and guests are welcome in the workplace to participate in District programs or events. Family members of employees are allowed brief, infrequent visits provided they are planned in a fashion that limits disruption to the workplace. Children should not be brought to the workplace as a substitution for other appropriate daycare or after school care. If children are in the workplace for any authorized reason, they must be directly supervised by the parent at all times.
  • Item 7.30 -New Item: Pets: Pets are prohibited from all District facilities and premises with the exception of approved service animals as a reasonable accommodation to an individual with a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and/or similar state law. 
  • Item 7. 70 - Edited Item: Computer Systems, Digital Devices, and Internet Usage: added the term "Digital Devices" to the title. 
    All the following items are included under Item 7. 70 - Computer Systems, Digital Devices, and Internet Usage: 
    • Item 7. 70a -Added the sentence, "Employees are expected to follow the communications policies of the District when using any District systems." 
    • Item 7. 70e - Added "digital devices" to the sentence, "District computers and other electronic/digital devices, including any associated internet access therefrom, are primarily for District use to assist employees in the performance of their jobs." 
    • Item 7. 70f- Added the sentence: "Therefore, employees may not alter, purge, or otherwise remove stored digital information, except as is permitted by the usage policies of the District." 
  • Item 7. 80c - Electronic Mail: Added "delete, purge or destroy" to the sentence, "Unauthorized passwords or other personal methods to lock, delete, purge or destroy District electronic media are not permitted." And added "and that certain records of the District are required by law to be maintained for this purpose." to the sentence, "Employees are reminded that any message could be and become a public record under applicable law and that certain records of the District are required by law to be maintained for this purpose." 
  • Item 7.90 - Social Media: Added "can reflect" to the sentence, "Comments made by District personnel on social media reflect on the person as an individual and can reflect on the District as a whole."
  • New Section VIII - Employee Conduct (revised Section VII) 
    • Item 8.10 - General Rules of Conduct: Added the word "objectively" to the sentence, "Employees should refrain from exhibiting behavior or using language and expressions that can be objectively offensive or have negative connotations." 
    • Item 8. 60 - Violence Prohibited: Procedure for Reporting - Revised the last sentence of the last paragraph to read, "Threats or physical dangers that require immediate attention by security or police should be reported immediately to police at 911, and to the supervisor or District Manager as soon as possible." This removes the word "assaults" and adds "physical dangers" and changes the end of the last sentence which read, "reported immediately to your supervisor and/or to police at 911."

Ms. Jurgens stated all other sections of the Personnel Manual remain unchanged and section numbering will be adjusted to numerically incorporate the additional section into the document. 

Ms. Jurgens thanked Ms. Shellie Tressell for her assistance on the revisions to the Personnel Manual. 

Ms. Jurgens then asked the Directors to consider approval of the amendments to the Personnel Manual, specifically revised Section VII - District Property and new Section VIII - Employee Conduct as presented. 

The Board discussed and asked questions of Ms. Jurgens regarding the proposed revisions to the UTSD personnel manual. 

It was moved  by Ms. Doylen and seconded by Mr. Bosch to approve the amendments to UTSD's Personnel Manual, Revised and Adopted December 17, 2019, Section VII District Property and Section VIII - Employee Conduct as presented. Motion carried unanimously. 

Discussion: Board Director Resignation and Board Director Vacancy: 

Mr. Reed announced Mr. Cenac has submitted a letter of resignation from the UTSD Board of Directors effective May 4, 2022. Consequently, there will be an upcoming vacancy on the UTSD Board of Directors. 

Ms. Jurgens expressed gratitude on behalf of District staff for Mr. Cenac's service, leadership, and efforts towards moving the District forward. Ms. Doylen also thanked Mr. Cenac for his service. 

Ms. Jurgens explained the UTSD Board of Directors will comprise four directors until a fifth director is appointed. Ms. Jurgens expressed the importance of having a quorum present at each board meeting.

Ms. Jurgens encouraged the Board to consider all of the District's customers for the open director position. Ms. Jurgens said although there is no deadline, it is required the Board demonstrate they are actively pursuing a candidate. Mr. Reed suggested the Board consider competencies of potential candidates including a background in plant operations and the candidate's recognition of the major and critical effo1is required for plant construction and completion.

Reports of Officers, Committees, Professional Consultants, & Staff

The Board considered the Reports of Officers, Committees, Professional Consultants, and District Staff. 

Adding to the Treasurer's Report, Ms. Moore invited the Board to attend the 2022 SDA Annual Regional Workshop on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Ms. Moore explained the workshop will be held at the Windsor Severance Fire Rescue, located on 100 7th Street, Windsor, CO 80550. The Special District Association and law firm, Collins Cole Flym1 Winn & Ulmer, are hosting this workshop. 

Ms. Moore said some of the topics covered will include conflicts of interests, TABOR, notice of meetings, district powers and current legislative changes applicable to special districts. The cost to attend this workshop is $30 per person. 

Ms. Moore then requested each Board Director let her know by May 2, 2022, if they plan to attend the 2022 SDA Annual Regional Workshop. Ms. Moore stated she will then register each attendee and send an email confirmation with the workshop details. 

The Board discussed the workshop and emphasized the value of attending workshops to develop fluency in special district law, board protocol, and legislative issues. 

In addition to the Plant Report, Mr. Newhouse congratulated Mr. Keith Bryk for achieving his Class D Wastewater Treatment License. 

Mr. Newhouse answered questions of the Board regarding the plants he and Mr. Byron recently toured in Montana and Idaho. 

Adding to the System Development Fee Allocation and Connection Report, Ms. Panzer informed the Board that over the last year the District has received requests from new development owners requesting extensions on their billing start date. Ms. Panzer said she, and Mr. Bieker review each request on a case­by-case basis and have granted a 90-day extension depending on the circumstance. 

Mr. Allen provided an update for the Board regarding the budgeted purchase of a new utility truck to replace the existing 2013 collection department utility truck. Mr. Allen stated due to supply chain issues, the 2023 model will not be available to be ordered until August 2022 at the earliest. Mr. Allen commented he will search for the vehicle in other states and investigate the used vehicle market in hopes to order this vehicle sooner. 

Mr. Allen then described the plant tours he and Mr. Bieker visited in Idaho and Montana. Mr. Allen and Mr. Bieker answered questions of the Board regarding conventionally operated plants verses plants using membrane filtration. Both Mr. Allen and Mr. Bieker expressed how valuable it was to tour the plants and thanked the Board for the opportunity to make the trip. 

Adding to the Assistant District Manager's Report, Ms. Jurgens informed the Board she connected with Mr. Dave Sonheim, of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), regarding scheduling penetration tests to evaluate the District's information technology security. These tests performed by the federal government will also send phishing emails to District staff to develop employee awareness of vulnerabilities in daily use of electronic communication. Ms. Jurgens encouraged staff to utilize the phishing icon in Microsoft Outlook when questioning the validity of an email received. 

For the District Manager's Report, Mr. Bieker noted that in addition to leading the WRF Project, he is actively involved in managing the day-to-day activities of each District department. 

The Board asked questions of the staff regarding the departmental reports. 

The Board did not have corrections to the departmental reports. 

The Board thanked District staff for preparing the reports. 

It was moved by Ms. Doylen and seconded by Mr. Bosch to accept the Treasurer's Report, Plant Report, System Development Fee Allocation and Connection Report, Collection System Report, Assistant District Manager's Report and District Manager's Report. Motion carried unanimously. 

At 5 :50 p.m. the Board took a twenty-two-minute recess.

Executive Session

At 6:12 p.m., it was moved Ms. Doylen and seconded by Mr. Bosch to go into Executive Session pursuant to §24-6-402(4)(a), C.R.S. "concerning the purchase, acquisition, lease, transfer, or sale of any real, personal, or other property interest"; and §24-6-402(4)(e), C.R.S. "determining positions relative to matters that may be subject to negotiations, developing strategy for negotiations, and instructing negotiators" related to property acquisition for a proposed new lift station.

The Executive Session was attended by Directors Reed, Doylen, and Bosch; Mr. Bieker; Ms. Jurgens; Ms. Moore; Mr. Allen; and Mr. Ravel. 

The Board did not engage in substantial discussion of any matter not enumerated in §24-6-402(4)(a) C.R.S., and §24-6-402(4)(e), C.R.S. nor did it adopt any proposed legislative policy, position, resolution, rule, regulation, or formal action. 

The Executive Session was adjourned at 7:36 p.m.

Return to Regular Session

At 7:37 p.m., the Board returned to regular session. 

It was moved by Ms. Doylen and seconded by Mr. Bosch to direct Mr. Bieker to prepare an offer to the owner of the property for the proposed new lift station for an amount not to exceed $200,000.

Adjournment

Having no further business, at 7:39 p.m. it was moved by Ms. Doylen and seconded by Mr. Bosch to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried unanimously.