Colson thanked Steve Rosenthal, in the audience, for his eight years of service to the CKWSD.
PRELIMINARY INSURANCE SETTLEMENT
Commissioners approved a preliminary settlement of $279,308.54 from Egis Insurance to be used to replace the Water Treatment Plant generator and to reconstruct the administrative offices on Third Street. Negotiations for the remaining four categories of loss are ongoing.
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES
Discussion continued regarding the location of the administrative offices, currently located in the trailer to the immediate west of the Third Street headquarters. The lab, used by the technicians daily, remains in the Third Street wastewater plant building.
Commissioner Johnathan Ferguson has researched alternatives ranging from property acquisition to mobile offices at varying locations and has presented them to the commission in recent months.
Excerpted from University of Florida 2022 study “Resilient Cedar Key,” tonight, Commissioner Joe Hand presented a PowerPoint product focusing upon water levels around the island in category one, two, and three hurricanes. He included the Third Street offices and the water tower area.
Ultimately, commissioners agreed to refurbish the offices on Third Street and move the administrative operations there as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Ferguson will continue to research alternative housing for staff.
LIFT STATION REHABILITATION UPDATE
Phase One of the lift station rehabilitation included the commissioner tour of the Hawthorne and Gulf Boulevard station on Monday, April 14, at 4 pm. The station participants were recently-retired CKWSD Superintendent James McCain, General Manager John Rittenhouse, and Baskerville-Donavan subcontractor Cody Sutterfield.
While working on the Hawthorne and Gulf lift station, Sutterfield’s team worked on other stations in the Phase One group. Three are nearly ready to be placed online.
Phase Two of the Lift Station Rehabilitation Project is in the design phase.
WACCASASSA WATER AND WASTEWATER COOPERATIVE UPDATE
Commissioner Joe Hand, also the CKWSD representative to the W3C, reported:
that because of the recent municipal election results, W3C Chair Robert Partin must be replaced; newly elected CKWSD commissioner Sue Colson will replace Joe Hand, as representative to the W3C; Colson called for increased lobbying and educational efforts to promote the projected pipeline.
BUILDING RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITIES GRANT PROGRAM (BRIC) CANCELLED
The CKWSD received notice from the Florida Department of Emergency Management (FDEM)advising the district that the BRIC Program has been cancelled by FEMA.
The CKWSD had completed a BRIC application for replacement generators. The application had been accepted, approved, by the Florida Department of Emergency Management, the funding arm of FEMA.
Difficult to understand is the cancellation of the grant, already accepted, approved, and moved forward for funding, while the program (BRIC) was fully operative.
The cancellation of the BRIC Program is particularly important to communities such as Cedar Key, a small, rural municipality with limited resources to replace aging, but critical, infrastructure. The BRIC Program was designed for places such as this.
This BRIC grant application was for $760,000 to purchase a generator, as the backup generator to the Cedar Key water plant is a patchwork of many years of repair, aging, dilapidated.
The grant was $760,000 with the district having to pay a 25% match or $190,000. The district lost out on $570,000. Capital expenses such as this are huge and difficult for the CKWSD.
General Manager John Rittenhouse continues to work through Florida Rural Water for more information.
IN ATTENDANCE
Present were Chair Mike Borelli, Secretary Leslie Sturmer, and Commissioners Joe Hand, Johnathan Ferguson. and Sue Colson.
Staff in attendance included General Manager John Rittenhouse, General Counsel Evan Rosenthal, Consultant James McCain, Superintendent / Technician Gabe Doty, and Clerk Alicia Johns.
Among those in the audience were: Steve Rosenthal, Dottie Haldeman, Mac Cox, Doris Hellerman, Jan and Clay Childers, and the Cedar Key News’ Mandy and Frank Offerle.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 6:30 pm.
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