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Commission Minutes
GREENWOOD METROPOLITAN DISTRICT
MINUTES OF THE
February 13, 2008
Regular meeting
The regular meeting of the
Greenwood Metropolitan District Commission was held
Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 3:00 p.m., in the Training
Room of Greenwood Metropolitan District Technical Service
Facility, 110 Metro Drive.
In attendance:
Commissioner Bob Haynie,
Chairman George Martin Marsha Meyer
Commissioner Byron Smith,
Vice Chairman Marion Boone Bill
Moore
Commissioner Gene Hancock,
Secretary Daniel Clark Jamie Peeler
Commissioner Michael G.
Monaghan
Wayne Daniel Jimmy Pinson
Commissioner Henry
Watts Ken Davis
Steve Pohlman
Commissioner Tim Burke
Gayle Grogan Brian
Waldrep
Roy Hemphill Mark Warner
Paige
Holley Jay West
Dickson
Lee
I.
Vice Chairman Smith called the meeting to order and
Mr. Martin gave the invocation.
II.
Vice Chairman Smith gave the statement of compliance
with the notification provision of the
Freedom of
Information Act.
III.
Request from Mr. Dickson Lee to address the Board
Mr. Dickson Lee lives at 950
Eagles Harbor Drive in Eagles Harbor Subdivision. Mr. Lee
stated he was here to address the Board on the method that
is being used by the Eagles Harbor Homeowners Association to
annex Eagles Harbor into the Metro District. Mr. Lee said
there is an estimated 214 lots and 62 of the lots were
denied a septic tank permit by DHEC. He said “denied” does
not mean they cannot have a septic system; it just means
they are very costly to install. For example a gravity
septic system might cost $5,000 where as an engineered
septic system runs between $15,000 to $20,000. Mr. Lee said
there are a number of lawsuits pending (lot owners against
the developer, the developer against DHEC, lot owners
against DHEC). Eagles Harbor Homeowner Association sent out
a simple ballot out to every lot owner regardless of where
they live. Mr. Lee said of the 214 lots, 25 lots are
occupied. He said there are houses there, but only 2/3 of
those are occupied. The rest are summer homes. Roughly 15
to 20 lots are occupied during the full year. The ballot
that was sent out had a two part question. The first
question wanted to know if the homeowner wanted to be
annexed into the Metro District. The second question was
does the homeowner want to be part of a special tax district
which would be responsible for some of the funding of the
purple (trunk line) and green lines (collection line). Mr.
Lee said according to code 1976-4-9-3 there are three ways
to set up a special tax district. Mr. Lee stated he would
not discuss the third way because it regards bringing in an
entire county. He said the first way is to have 75% of the
freeholders voting that have 75% of the property by asset
value will have to agree to be brought into the special tax
district. He said the other way is 50% plus 1 of the
electors would have to bring it in. Mr. Lee said the
problem is the Homeowners Association has confused those two
ways. He said they have said the results of the total
number of ballots they received back if 50% plus 1 would
constitute a majority and the subdivision would be annexed
into the Metro District. Mr. Lee said that is incorrect.
He said that would only apply if there is an election held
by the election board in Greenwood after being petitioned.
Mr. Lee said with only having so few people living there
full time it would mean around 40 residents voting because
an elector is one who lives within the district and is a
registered voter. A freeholder is somebody who owns
property within the proposed district. Mr. Lee said a
freeholder can be outside the State, but someone has to take
the responsibility to make sure the ballots represent over
75% of the asset value for the yes votes and that 75% of
that number has voted. Mr. Lee said because of the mix up
of the two ways to join the District and the special tax
district he suggested the results from the election be
rejected. Mr. Lee gave Mr. Martin several copies of
documents he had received on this particular matter.
Commissioner Monaghan inquired if Mr. Lee was in favor of
annexing into the Metro District. Mr. Lee replied he was
not in favor. He said he would not benefit from it and it
would put a lien on his property. Mr. Lee said the letter
that tells how the election will be judged came from Mr.
Andy Popoli. Mr. Popoli is the spokesperson for the
Homeowners Association regarding annexation into the Metro
District. Commissioner Monaghan inquired as to why a lien
would be placed on the property. Mr. Lee replied because it
would cost each property owner $7,500 (before interest) to
install the sewer system. Commissioner Hancock said he is
talking about the special tax district. Commissioner
Monaghan said getting annexed into the Metro District is not
the problem. He said the problem is getting the funding to
get the sewer to Eagles Harbor. Commissioner Watts wanted
to know the position of the 62 lots that were denied. Mr.
Lee responded that nobody currently knows. Mr. Lee said
there are two people that have had problems with their
system. One of the problems was from an improperly
installed system and the other was from drainage.
Commissioner Hancock asked if Mr. Lee lived right on the
water. Mr. Lee replied yes he does. Commissioner Hancock
wanted to know if Mr. Lee had a regular septic system. Mr.
Lee said he has a regular septic system. Commissioner
Hancock asked if Mr. Lee thought the tank might leak into
the lake. Mr. Lee responded no, not at all. He said he has
read some reports that say up to 70% of the liquid that goes
into a septic fields goes up not down. Mr. Lee said he
believed that all tanks by code have to be 100 feet from the
edge of the lake. Vice Chairman Smith thanked Mr. Lee for
coming and stated the Board will take his request as
information.
IV.
Bids for three service trucks
Bidder Bid Amount 1 Bid
Amount 2 (2 vehicles)
Ballentine Ford
$34,884 $37,556 (unit) $75,112 (total)
Burns Automotive
$33,890 $35,290 (unit) $70,580 (total)
Burns Automotive has the
State Contract.
Commissioner Monaghan wanted
to know what type of vehicle is for Bid 1. Mrs. Meyer said
all vehicles are Ford F350 or equal, but the service body
style is different for Maintenance and Collections.
Commissioner Monaghan asked Mrs. Meyer to describe the
vehicle for Bid 2. Mrs. Meyer said the vehicles are service
trucks that will be used by the Collections System
Department. Commissioner Monaghan asked if the vehicles
will have tool boxes on both sides. Mrs. Meyers said they
are service trucks with cab and chassis and then a special
utility body on the back which will have storage areas and
an open center. Commissioner Monaghan inquired about the
vehicle for Maintenance. Mrs. Meyer said it is the same
except they will also have ladder racks.
V.
Bids for an Amphibious off-road vehicle
Bidder Bid Amount
AL Walker
Industries $17,062.44
Bost Argo ATV
Sales $17,181.55
Eastcoast Powersports
$17,433.48
Mr. Martin said this is an
off-road, all-terrain vehicle which will allow Metro to
carry men and equipment to manholes that are not presently
assessable because of flooded rights-of-way. Commissioner
Monaghan wanted to know the difference between the numbers
given by Eastcoast Powersports. Mrs. Meyer said she
believes it is the base unit price and the other price is
with all of the options Metro specified.
VI.
Bid for a sewer pipe inspection push camera
Bidder Bid Amount
Electric
Eel $7,999
VCam
$7,190
Vice Chairman Smith stated
staff will review all bids to insure they are in
compliance. A recommendation will be made at the next
meeting.
VII.
Commissioner Monaghan made a motion to approve the
January 9, 2008, minutes as mailed;
Commissioner Hancock
seconded, and the motion was unanimously approved.
VIII.
Service Reports
a.
Collections Systems
Commissioner Monaghan noted
it appears Metro is having some problems with the LMI
grinder pumps. Mr. Daniel said the contractor had a problem
with the tanks that they installed. He said one of the
problems was a switch was turned to the “off” position;
another problem was due to the float being stuck. He said
the last problem was a service line problem. Commissioner
Monaghan said according to the Low Pressure System
Maintenance Chart on page 44, the $12 grinder pump rate is
aligned with the grinder pump charges. Chairman Haynie
reminded the Board that the start-up expenses were removed
from the total expense reported. He said the rate is
keeping up with the existing on-going maintenance.
Commissioner Hancock noted that Metro would be reviewing the
rate once a three year history was established.
b.
I/I Abatement
Commissioner Monaghan wanted
to know some of the details of the sewer work for
Tech-Wood. Mr. Martin explained there is an 8 inch sewer
line that Chandler Construction is installing for
Tech-Wood. Commissioner Monaghan asked if Metro was having
a problem with Meetze Plumbing. Mr. Martin said Metro was
having problems with them but believes the problems have
been resolved. Commissioner Monaghan commented that a
resident from that area reported to him that Meetze had a
pipe in the middle of the road that was higher than the
road. This resident said instead of cutting the pipe level
they were using a backhoe to drive the pipe into the
ground. Mr. Boone said the resident could be referring to
the installation of a gate post. Commissioner Monaghan
inquired if the person could be referring to the post for
the alarms. Mr. Boone said the posts are cemented in the
ground. Chairman Haynie wanted to know how much longer it
will be before Metro can close the project. Mr. Martin said
Metro hopes to close the project on Friday, February 15,
2008. Chairman Haynie asked if Metro will be penalized if
the grant is not closed within a specific timeframe. Mr.
Martin said he talked to Mrs. Ruth LaForge yesterday and the
plan is for the project to be closed on Friday and Metro
will pay their portion of the project by March 10th.
Chairman Haynie noted per the report the contract is over
120 days from the scheduled completion date. Mr. Martin
said Metro is over the grant period as well. Chairman
Haynie asked if there are liquidated damages on this
project. Mr. Martin responded yes, and the amount is $800
per day. Commissioner Monaghan said he did not think the
issue was resolved on charging the LMI residents $12 per
month for the grinder pumps and whether it would affect
Metro obtaining more grants. Mr. Martin said this was
discussed at the last meeting. Commissioner Monaghan said
the issue was not resolved. Commissioner Burke said Metro
cannot offer separate rates. Commissioner Monaghan said
sure Metro can. Chairman Haynie said he does not believe
that Metro has been legally advised that they can offer
separate rates. Commissioner Monaghan asked for Mr.
Hemphill to look into this issue and report back to the
Board at the next meeting. Commissioner Monaghan said he
thought when Metro made the presentation they informed the
LMI residents that it would not cost the $12 grinder pump
fee. Mr. Martin said when Metro made the presentation; they
did not have a $12 grinder pump fee. The rate at the time
of the presentation was from 2004. Metro informed the
residents at that time that these were the current rates.
Commissioner Monaghan wanted to know what Mrs. LaForge
position on this issue was. Mr. Martin said Mrs. LaForge
did not want to see a $12 grinder pump fee charged.
Commissioner Monaghan noted on the bottom of page 25 it says
“that GMD will pay for the cost of replacing the trunkline”.
He wanted to know who decides that GMD will pay to replace
the trunkline. Mr. Martin said this is the Spring Street
Project and the Board will decide. Commissioner Monaghan
asked if the Board decided to pay for the project. Mr.
Martin replied no, the Board has not decided. He noted the
project is in the design phase. Mr. Boone said it is the
Genetic Center Line that Metro has been discussing for a few
years. Commissioner Monaghan asked if it is the line that
Mr. Anderson is installing. Mr. Boone said this project has
nothing to do with the Anderson line. Mr. Waldrep said this
line is in the long range plans. Mr. Martin said it is
identified as the Spring Street Sewer Project in the Long
Range Plans. This project starts at the manhole on Spring
Street. Commissioner Monaghan asked if this is replacing an
existing line. Mr. Martin replied yes, it is. Commissioner
Monaghan referred to page 28 of the packet where Metro is
having a hard time getting As-Built from contractors. He
reiterated that correspondence should be in writing.
Commissioner Hancock asked if Metro charges to perform smoke
and dye tests. Mr. Martin responded Metro does not charge
for these test. Chairman Haynie asked if the people thought
they were not connected but were paying for sewer. Mr.
Boone said a lot of instances arise when the owner is
selling the house. The owner has to prove whether or not
they are connected to sewer.
c.
Wilson Creek
Commissioner Monaghan wanted
to know how serious the problem with filamentous bacteria
is. Mr. Pohlman responded he has ordered 10 more 150 pound
cylinders of chlorine and said the filamentous bacteria are
currently under control. Commissioner Monaghan inquired if
Metro will get into a situation where they could be fined.
Mr. Pohlman said the plant is currently maintaining its
permit limits.
IX.
Action Items
a.
Flow Monitoring
Staff recommends the overall
low bidder, Frazier Engineering, be awarded the contract.
Commissioner Monaghan made a
motion to award the flow monitoring bid to Frazier
Engineering; Commissioner Smith seconded, and the motion was
unanimously approved.
b.
Consideration of relocating a collection line at
Capsugel
Chairman Haynie asked why
should Metro pay to have this line relocated. Mr. Martin
said that Metro is not suggesting that GMD should, but we
are just informing the Board of the situation. He said the
question in the Management Letter was who will pay for the
relocation. Chairman Haynie asked if there is a reason why
staff should think that Metro should pay. Commissioner
Hancock said there are some grants that Capsugel could apply
for to offset the cost. Mr. Jay West of the Economic
Alliance of Greenwood said the distribution center for
Capsugel has to be located in a particular way due to the
configuration. Mr. Martin informed Mr. West that the Board
has a copy of the drawings. Mr. West said Capsugel is under
a time limit to get the distribution building built. He
said they (Economic Alliance) told Capsugel they would
follow up with Metro on moving this line. Mr. West has
spoken to Manager Coleman and was told by Manager Coleman
that he (Manager Coleman) would need to bring this to the
Board for their recommendation. Mr. West said this building
is the distribution facility and will maintain 25 – 40
employees. Capsugel could not understand why the current
sewer line was installed the way it was. Chairman Haynie
said the relocation of the line is not in the budget for
Metro. Commissioner Monaghan wanted to know the cost of
relocating the line. Mr. Martin responded the estimated
cost is $65,750. Commissioner Hancock asked if there were
any State monies for relocating the line. Mr. West said
there may be some Rural Infrastructure Money. Commissioner
Hancock asked if Metro was to relocate the line could they
get refunded for the cost. Mr. West said he will make no
promises without talking to his Board. Chairman Haynie
wanted to know the timeline for this relocation. Mr. West
said the contractor asked him to talk to Manager Coleman
about the possibility of the contractor going ahead and
moving the line if Metro would pay the cost. He said the
contractor is pouring footings in the back for the
building. Commissioner Monaghan wanted to know if Metro has
ever done anything like this before. Mr. Martin said to his
knowledge Metro has never done this before. Commissioner
Monaghan inquired if Mr. West has asked the County for the
money. Mr. West said no, it would be fruitless at this
point. Chairman Haynie asked Mr. Hemphill if Metro can
legally move the sewer line and not charge Capsugel. Mr.
Hemphill said legally he is not aware of any prohibition,
but he will research this issue. Chairman Haynie said he
believes Metro should first know the legality of this issue
before a decision is made. Commissioner Burke said Metro is
not servicing a new area; they have been asked to replace an
existing line to benefit a company. Chairman Haynie said it
is not like Metro is extending a line to get a return on
it. Commissioner Burke said Metro has been asked to
relocate a line that has already been paid for. He said the
line that was installed there was privately paid for. Mr.
Martin stated that it is a public sewer line not a private
sewer line. Commissioner Smith asked Mr. West for a
timeframe for when the footings will need to be poured. Mr.
West responded the contractor has already poured some of the
footings. Commissioner Watts said the contractor needs the
line to be moved. Chairman Haynie asked for Mr. Hemphill
and Mr. Martin to research the legality of this issue and
provide the Board with their information via email and
mail. Mr. West inquired if Capsugel was to receive money
for the line what would the timeframe be for moving it.
Commissioner Monaghan said for Mr. West to inform Mr. Martin
and the Board will act on this issue. Chairman Haynie said
the Board would have to receive bids for this project. Mr.
West inquired if this meant months. Mr. Martin said to get
everything ready and bid would take two to three months.
Chairman Haynie inquired on the size of the line. Mr.
Martin said it is an 8 inch line. Commissioner Burke said
it is 690 linear feet of 8 inch pipe. Chairman Haynie asked
if Metro approved this action tonight how quickly could
Metro start this potential project. Mr. Martin responded
Metro could start tomorrow but realistically it could take
90 days. Chairman Haynie wanted to know who planned the
Capsugel building project. He said Metro should not speed
up their process due to someone’s lack of planning and
foresight. Commissioner Smith asked Mr. West what was the
timeframe for Capsugel. Mr. West replied the contractor
asked Mr. West to ask Manager Coleman if they (the
contractor) could go ahead and move the line if it was
approved. The contractor would take the responsibility for
moving the line if they were awarded the cost of moving the
line. Chairman Haynie responded that would mean no
competitive bidding, no best price and Metro is paying the
premium for that line. Mr. West said the way Manager
Coleman articulated to him was it would be up to the
approved estimate or the actual cost for Metro. Mr. West
asked for some time to pursue the Rural Infrastructure Fund
money. Chairman Haynie said the Board will wait to hear
from Mr. West on the Rural Infrastructure Fund money.
c.
Consideration of TV Software Upgrade
Chairman Haynie inquired if
this was a budgeted item. Mr. Martin replied no, it was
not. He said this item is not working properly and Metro
will need to obtain the updates. Mr. Ken Davis of CPW IT
Department said Metro has been using this system for awhile
without doing any major upgrades. Metro is at the point now
where drastic changes are needed to the software. The
software provider is saying in a couple of months the
software Metro is currently using will be obsolete and will
not be supported by the software vendors. Mr. Davis said
the underlying database will be changed to a different
format. Metro is at the point where they will need to do
the upgrade. Mr. Davis said Metro will have to upgrade the
software and hardware. Metro has two systems in the offices
that are used for editing and data storage. The computers
in the TV trucks (hardware) will need to be replaced due to
their harsh environment. Mr. Davis has been in contact with
some of the references provided and they are very pleased
with the new software.
Commissioner Monaghan made
the motion to approve the TV software upgrade expense of
$10,000 (less shipping cost); Commissioner Hancock seconded,
and the motion was unanimously approved.
d.
Consideration of paving costs on Cambridge Avenue
Project
Mr. Martin said this is a
reduction from bid unit price. He said it is about a
$45,000 savings. Chairman Haynie said it is a savings but
the amount was included in the original unit price in the
contract. Mr. Martin said yes, that is correct.
Commissioner Hancock made a
motion to approve the paving cost for the Cambridge Avenue
Project; Commissioner Smith seconded, and the motion was
unanimously approved.
X.
Old Business
a.
Ratify Hunter’s Creek Pump Station Repair
Chairman Haynie said staff
was able to obtain two prices for the repair. Commissioner
Hancock asked if Metro could not have performed the repair.
Mr. Martin said Metro did not feel very comfortable doing
the repair. Commissioner Hancock asked if Metro has the
equipment to do this type of repair. Mr. Martin said yes
Metro has the equipment, but he is not sure if Metro had the
skills to do it. Commissioner Monaghan wanted to know what
the limitations were. Mr. Daniel said they would have to
demolish the pump station foundation. He said GMD has never
done this before. Commissioner Monaghan asked if Grace
Utilities was the firm that Metro had a problem with cutting
the gas lines. Mr. Martin replied Chandler Construction was
GMD contractor on that job and Grace Utilities was a
sub-contractor to Chandler. Commissioner Monaghan asked if
there was ligation involved. Mr. Martin responded he did
not know.
Commissioner Monaghan made a
motion to ratify the Hunter’s Creek pump station repair;
Commissioner Smith seconded, and the motion was unanimously
approved.
b.
Asset Management Policy
Commissioner Monaghan will
meet with Mr. Martin and Mrs. Meyers on his
recommendations. A revised Asset Management Policy will be
presented at the next meeting.
c.
Technical Service Facility (TSF) Expansion Update
Mr. Moore said the request
for bids was advertised Sunday, February 10, 2008, in the
Greenville News, The Index Journal and The State
newspapers. He handed out a revised schedule. The
mandatory pre-bid meeting is scheduled for Wednesday,
February 27, 2008 at 10:00 am at TSF. The bids will be
received on March 12, 2008 at 3:00 pm. There is an official
set of plans at TSF. Commissioner Monaghan asked if it is
customary to have a penalty for failure to finish the
project on time. Mr. Moore responded the penalty is $500 a
day.
XI.
Miscellaneous Administration Matters
a.
Partnership/Economic Alliance
Commissioner Monaghan asked
Mr. Jay West if the Tech-Wood Project was a definite. Mr.
West responded that machinery has been ordered. He said
they received a report saying Tech-Wood is submitting
invoices on the State grant for the machinery. Commissioner
Hancock asked Mr. West to give a report from the
Partnership. Mr. West said they are expecting three to four
announcements over the next several months. He said there
are five retail box stores going between Old Navy and the
Fairfield Inn. It should provide around 200 lower paying
jobs. They have received a verbal commitment for a project
estimated to be around a $14 million investment with 100 –
150 jobs. This particular project is asking to be annexed
into the City. There is an additional $20 -$25 million for
a second facility. Mr. West informed the Board of “Project
Phoenix” which is an $800 million investment plus two $40
million plants and a total of 300 jobs; the average starting
pay will be over $20 an hour. Mr. West said a study is
being conducted to see if it is economically cost effective
to four-lane Highway 25 toward Augusta.
XII.
Commissioner Hancock made a motion to go into
Executive Session to receive legal advice;
Commissioner
Watts seconded, and the motion was unanimously approved.
XIII.
The meeting returned to open session. No action was
taken during executive session.
XIV.
Arbitration Agreement
Commissioner Smith made a
motion to approve the arbitration agreement as presented;
Commissioner Hancock seconded, and the motion was
unanimously approved.
XV.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
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