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Home My WebLink AboutFYIJL,4� My OF 101 J()SKPH MEETING DATE: January 7, 2009 Council Agenda Item ,y f The following attachments are included in your packet as information only. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Nick & Sharon Froehle — Letter regarding the proposed improvements to 16u' Avenue SE. The City is still in the data collection stage when the data is collected the City Engineer will bring a report back to the City Council at which time the Council can decide whether or not the project will move forward and if it moves forward what the project will consist of. 2. St. Ben's Sewer Use — Letter to CSB Attorney regarding proposal. The staff has not had a formal response to this letter, although the City Attorney had discussed the proposal with their attorney at the time of submittal. We are hoping to schedule a meeting with CSB representatives to bring a formal response back to the Council. Letter from "Katie " - We received a letter requesting a street light on Jasmine and Iris, Terry is looking into this. REQUESTED COUNCIL ACTION: No action is required these are FYI only. �r . AI a4.jP 1 roll-" 4,0 AeI y� 119� - G 1P AI o7p 3 l - Rajkowski Hansmeier 11 7th Avenue North P.O. Box 1433 St. Cloud, MN 56302 320.251.1055 800.445.9617 toll -free 320251.5896 fax www.rajhan.com Thomas G. Jovanovich tiovanovichCcDraihan.com December 8, 2009 VIA FAX AND REGULAR MAIL (320) 251 -5781 Mr. John L. Greer Attorney at Law 110 Sixth Avenue South Suite 200 P.O. Box 548 St. Cloud, MN 56302 -0548 RE: College of Saint Benedict City of St. Joseph Sewer Charges Your File No. 103 -00040 Dear John: The City Committee designated to work on the CSB Sewer Charges has had an opportunity to meet and discuss the proposal outlined in your letter dated October 9, 2009. While the City still has a preference to measuring usage and billing CSB based on water meter readings, the City appreciates your movement towards metering by proposing the installation of flow meters to measure the wastewater discharge. However, before the Committee can recommend to the City Council approval of your proposal there are a number of questions that need to be addressed. These issues can be broken down into three areas: Design, Rate Structure, and existing Contract Provisions. DESIGN The City Engineer and Public Works staff will ultimately need to review any proposed design plans and specifications for the installation of the proposed sewer flow meters. However, in the mean time, the following items should be reviewed and addressed in more detail as we work towards a more thorough understanding of your metering proposal. 1. Meter Specifications — detailed information on the proposed meter must be provided. Rajkowski Hansmeier ;Div a Cecr direcVon December 8, 2009 Page 2 2. Manhole Access — CSB will need to verify that access is available to each of the manholes where the meter is proposed to be installed. Recent platting and building have created the need to review the level of access to the manholes at the measurement point. The City staff will have to work in the area, using all required confined space equipment. If reasonable access cannot be provided CSB may have to look at other alternatives. 3. Manhole reconstruction — As you are aware installation of meters will require reconstruction of the manholes. Please provide detailed plans as to the design. The City is of the position that CSB will be responsible for all costs to reconstruct the manholes and they must meet all applicable industry standards and regulations. 4. Flow Constriction — Anytime a pipe is constricted there is a potential for obstructions. In the matter at hand, the placement of the flume in the manhole could lead to backup of solids. Please identify, based on field experience, the likelihood of this occurring and what can be done to minimize the occurrence. Flow constriction was an issue when the meters were initially installed and subsequently discontinued. 5. Pipe Grade — For the metering to be effective the appropriate pipe grades on each side of the flume must be present. The City will need evidence on the grade of the existing pipes and evidence that the existing pipe grade and pipe condition is conducive to the proposed metering. RATE If it is determined that metering the sewer flow is an effective method for billing purposes, the City will continue to bill CSB the percent of wastewater metered based on the monthly wastewater transmitted to St. Cloud. The rate will include the same percentage of fixed costs as wastewater generated. Therefore, for example, if CSB generates 45% of the wastewater, then 45% of the monthly fixed costs will also be billed to CSB. The City will submit bills to CSB by the 20th of every odd numbered month and they will be due and payable within 30 days. CONTRACT If it is determined that metering the sewer is an effective method for billing and CSB desires to continue to operate under the existing contract, the following contract provision must be addressed: Section 8. User Fee Surcharge ".... St. Benedict's use of the system shall be limited to the total existing capacity (300, 000 gallons per day) multiplied by the percentage of the project cost ultimately paid by St. Benedict, pursuant to Section 3 of this agreement, (300, 000 gal. X [% of use] = daily discharge limitation). Rajkowski Hansmeier ^rovidinc c cl:_cr : ircclicn ' December 8, 2009 Page 3 In reviewing the CSB DNR Annual Water Report, and excluding the water appropriation permit for the irrigation well, it appears that CSB's daily discharge limits for sanitary sewer discharge may have been exceeded on several occasions. The current contract includes a formula for surcharging fees when the daily discharge is exceeded, and it includes a provision to review the usage and purchase of additional capacity if the discharge is exceeded for two consecutive years. FUTURE CSB will be responsible for paying a portion of the St. Cloud Wastewater Treatment Facility upgrade and rehabilitation costs as well as a portion of the Tri- City Lift Station rehabilitation and interceptor system repairs. These costs will be billed by the City of St. Cloud to St. Joseph as an expense, and CSB will be billed accordingly. In addition to the St. Cloud Wastewater Treatment Facility upgrade and rehabilitation, the City of St. Joseph will also eventually be rehabilitating St. Joseph's main lift station and the downstream forcemain/upstream collection system. CSB will be required to participate in these costs as well based on the same percentage billed for the St. Cloud WWTF upgrade and rehabilitation. During the past year the area Cities who are contract users of the St. Cloud Wastewater Facility entered into new sewer use and cooperative construction agreements. Expenses incurred to comply with the new agreements will be billed as an expense on the bi- monthly CSB utility bill. Please forward the additional design information so that the City Engineer and Public Works Director can analyze the proposal outlined in your letter. Once this information is received and reviewed we would like to schedule a meeting with anticipation of resolving the sewer billing/contract issue. Sincerely, RAJKOWS By Tho a G. TGJ/baw C. City Council Judy Weyrens Randy Sabart Terry Thene d.5 f,0 ; 79 f � lbI [ca 0 see � / llat�I oL ,�?h Id y t