 All right. Well, welcome everyone. Are we good to go? Yeah, Emma. We're good. All right. Well, welcome to the Sokka Creek Water District meeting for July 16th The first order of business is roll call and you I think Michelle is here. Everybody's here There is no public hearing tonight. And so the first item would be the consent agenda. I Have nothing to pull It's oh, no the consent agenda. Never mind. I don't have anything to pull Anything to pull off consent? No. Okay. We're done. I'll move approving. Oh, I'll suck it. You moved approval of the consent agenda Oh, we forgot to ask Bruce No, he already did. He's on it All in favor Opposed all right great oral and written communications It's anybody that wishes to Address the board on an item not on tonight's agenda Seeing none. No written communications. I don't think tonight Any board comments? That was my question Consent agenda it was did our did we already approved that going to the meeting and the water reuse meeting the national meeting That's being held in San Diego this summer I do that in September meeting pretty I think we did. Oh, okay. Well, I just got a An email about that and it sounded actually like some people should go to that the national meeting In San Diego in early September. We did approve that. Yes. Yeah. Okay. So that was all but I sounds like it is Would be worth while we need to go to so you're thinking of potentially going I didn't say that but I just said It'd be a good meeting to go to anyone else thinking of going I'm busy then you're not What's the week? The aqua meeting is in December the water reuse meeting is in September It's like nine nine through the 11th or so. Yeah, nine through the 11th. So I could probably go to that So you're a potential Okay, no one else necessarily if you are thinking of okay. Yeah, September is a Crazy month. So I don't think there's any staff going to that But if you want to confirm so we can get your hotel room and flight and all that it'd be great Sooner the better. Yeah And let me know let me know carla. I might Okay, it's a it's a good meeting as carla said there's a lot of good information. We just Got multiple things going on. So we had anyone that was in monorail It's that's the Yeah, and and melanie's gone to a national one you want to talk about that for so Yeah, we went last year to the one in austin to receive our outreach award It's a little bit more on the technical side But but very very good information good sessions Okay, I was just thinking, you know, so as we embark on our reuse project that's a lot to know good to Reach out to some people from other states Yes, yeah, I encourage you to attend. All right, the next item is the management update Yeah, so we'll jump into that That went quick So I just wanted to report out there's a lot of information about our AMI project launch in the conservation report and We're up to about 1,000 registers that have been upgraded by our consultant and Last week we installed the first base station and repeater And flip the switch on that and we're getting we have about 750 Registers that are in that primary zone for being picked up by that location And the reception has been really good so far. It's about 99 percent We only have four that haven't been picked up that should have been and so we're working to see what's going on with those And I think it's mostly programming so We're working on that And then today we had training on the harmony AMI software setting the leak alerts Trying to develop our process for how we're going to respond to leak alerts and How we're going to make sure the information gets from The field crew into the billing system and and coordinating those efforts. So things are going pretty well There's a lot of a lot of stuff to figure out and And how did it seem like the software? Was this the interface with that the client that the this is the reading software And then we did get another tutorial on the my water advisor And how that works and we're thinking we need to probably at least a couple months before we start rolling that out to get everything straight and make sure that our interface with our billing system is good and We know who's doing what and and start to kind of adjust our our workflow and our work processes. So Yeah, and I was I was happy to see that you mentioned that you found ways to reduce and reuse and recycle the materials Yeah, what are you doing? Yeah, so we have to replace all of the meter box lids that are not already composite And so that includes concrete With some steel in in their reinforcement and also cast iron And both of those materials can be recycled through a company in Watsonville So we've set that up. We have bins for those two material streams The old amr registers that we're replacing are being shipped back to the manufacturer They want to reclaim those and possibly reuse them. So that's going pretty well And then we're and we're shipping those back in Foam trays that they provide So You know everything is is staying out of the landfill, which is really good. That's awesome. Thank you for doing that All right. Yes, sir So I assume or at least I said I hope that for a while we'll continue to do the drive-by reads and then the reads of the Ami actual and then compare them to make sure that they're all correct Yeah, the same when do you see that we would actually transition over to using just the ami thing and not do the drive-by Um, I would think that would be pretty quick I mean billing does a lot of review of of reads too and looking for things that are outside of the norm Um, you can set up within the reading software Some parameters for high usage, um, not just leaks, but also high usage outside of certain threshold So we'll have that quality control going on as well Yeah And I've talked with members of the public who are very excited about this And hopefully they're in the area where that's first going to be installed but They were so excited. I'm sure that they would be willing And there's probably others like them be beta testers for when the software comes out. Yeah, the customer portal That's what we were thinking is um, yeah reaching out to Some people that you know live in that area that can kind of test the system out before we roll it out It's not going to be perfect, but they'll they'll find out how it's not perfect. Yeah, exactly So it it accelerates the The timeline time frame on when you could go out to the general public Yeah, I just I have same experience. I think it'll um Very positively received Yeah Just to clarify there will be an opportunity for public comment on the management update at at the end of the management update Okay Okay, anything else for Okay, then we go to engineering Good evening. Um, I don't have uh, I don't want to run through all the list But uh, we are actively working on the granite way. Well as you know, we awarded that project And so we're ramping up for that construction to start um I don't know if christine's going to mention it, but um city of santa cruises asr Belts 12 recovery is under way and it'll go through the rest of this month And um, of course, we'll Share with you their their data when that comes available Um, but we are of course monitoring the the drawdown around that area Um, other than that, I don't have anything else to add So cal drive cast iron main is actively in design. So we're ramping up for that Any questions questions? Okay, thank you tash All right, christine I did want to add that there was a main break on huntington drive last week um And also that carla james our water quality program court coordinator has moved on so Tracy's probably reporting on that. It says we're recruiting for that right now and that closes next week Questions for christine No already and then special projects melanie Well, actually one thing What's the status of the ammonia in our well? Because I think there's something about it cropping up again or so. Yeah, so we were uh running the well, uh to try and Uh get to the point where the ammonia stabilized And we didn't we weren't able to get to that point it had stopped it's pretty much steep increase and was Still slowly increasing But we were limited by the level of chlorate in the water. Um, chlorate is a It's a byproduct of Disinfection it's formed in the actual this the sodium hypochlorite solution um So we've pretty much stopped that and uh, uh, I guess tosh hasn't mentioned it, but we're looking at, uh, getting some proposals from some firms to to do a feasibility study on our other options with that well and we we did get, um Qualification packages about a year ago from uh, three consultants. So we're just asking them to renew those Um, so we're basically So a treatment plant basically treatment plan. Um, there's other things that we might be able to try by um Diluting the bleach when it's first brought to the site. However, you need to Um use basically distilled water for that and you have to adjust the pH. So it's getting a lot more complicated um There's other disinfectants that we might want to I mean there's chlorine gas. I don't think we want to go there Um, and then besides that there's there's ammonia treatment, which Um, you know, there are a couple of options out there, but none of them are great No great as far as cost or affected cost. Um, probably well, there's um Uh ro of course and then there's anion exchange which we're uh Doing for chromium sex, but it takes a big footprint. There's a lot of chemical Addition there's waste products. Um, and then there's also a biological Um method which is probably the most promising. Um the Uh as I hear at the division of drinking water would consider that basically surface water treatment because we would be Introducing um bacteria that would actually break down the Ammonia so we would be have to operate under the surface water treatment rule, which means we would need contact time After disinfection before it's distributed, which means probably a big tank Which so It's like it could be a mini-fifth of eventually with all the different treatment Yeah, yeah, I I mean none of our other wells act like this. It's it's pretty much a mystery why The levels just aren't stable because the ammonia is in all of the pure purists in the wells to some level But they're they're stable Also kind of a mystery why belts 12 isn't showing any of this and they're so close to each other Exactly And the well is constructed very similarly. Yes No We'll keep us posted if you will. Okay. I will thank you So melanie you're next. Yeah, I don't have much. I have a couple items later on in the agenda just wanted to focus The image on the screen is the postcard that got sent out to residents in the santa cruz mid county groundwater basin I received one of those postcards and just wanted to highlight that the draft groundwater sustainability plan Was put out on friday. It will be presented to the mga on on thursday I think this is another milestone lots lots of milestones this month This one in particular since the basin is in critical overdraft. It's a nice regional collaboration to be Getting to this milestone In addition just wanted to state that several of us went out to washington dc last month and met with many representatives to talk about Again the dire situation of our groundwater basin the community water plan and the pure water so cal project And I'll just say about that trip that I thought you know, we Learned a lot and I think it was really helpful and you know The main goal is just to to try and save our customers money So we're we're hopeful that we'll it'll improve our chances for grants and loan and low interest loans So I think it's worth the effort To add to that I'm going to um, I think we got a lot of sympathy I mean our story is pretty compelling The difficulty is that a lot of these programs have very rigid qualifications and ratings and Point schemes that they can't just you know turn around and say okay. Well, we'll make an exception for you So it's still difficult Oh, yeah, yep, just because we're small. We're small, but we have a big problem I Want to thank everyone who went Director Daniels and the who and the staff because that that was a whirlwind trip That's a burnout type trip So thanks for doing that All right, and so yes, leslie So I just wanted to let remind everyone that our fiscal year began july 1st. So happy fiscal new year Um our final audit fieldwork has been scheduled for october 16th through 18th And we are working now to open up the socrata open finance portal Which will be a portal on our that our customer can access from our website that will allow them to see the warrants Some graphs and charts how we're performing against our budget how much we've spent how much we brought in that type of thing So it's kind of a financial transparency website that will be available to our customers Um, and we're hoping to roll that out here this summer Um, and then we do have a finance and administrative services committee meeting on july 22nd Which is monday And then I also want to point out a kind of piggybacking on on melanie's comment about our critical groundwater basin that We have entered our summer Watering season So we are getting a lot of calls from customers regarding their bills And just a reminder that that rate structure was predicated on the Critical groundwater situation that we have We can supply each account with about six units of water That's tier one anything in excess of that is not sustainable and that's what's causing that higher tier for tier two Thank you no questions for us Okay And I don't have anything to add to my report unless anyone has any questions No, you're getting some getting busy again getting people applying for the position. Yeah, we're moving forward. So Okay, no, thanks questions for jayce Okay and yeah Yeah, so I'll I'll just comment on one item it caught my eye salt water intrusion In san jose, you don't think of that But it also seeps in from the bay and they've been fighting this for years They they pushed it back, but in the last couple years it made a big leap for it almost back to where it was originally and Probably because of that the current mayor Has this quote up here and I'll just read it the combination of droughts and floods has given rise to a process known as saltwater intrusion And he can refer to it as the city's greatest climate threat And it goes on to say a sound in the alarm about a drinking water crisis That no one knows how to fix But they're going to try and I think we're on that same path to to fight it and combat it too. So we're not alone obviously Okay, great any questions from anyone so so this would be the time if anyone from the public has question comments public comment on the management update Yeah, and we have two customers here that wanted to specifically comment about Leslie's portion of the thing regarding rates finance finance. So you can come on up now. This would be your time You have three minutes. They just want to let you know Thank you Can you hear me you can go like this uh, I want to uh commend you on the on your Your work and getting us, you know drinkable grant um water and sorry And um, you know all your efforts to improve our water system, but I do um have an issue with the pricing There's a lot of people who are getting huge bills on our water and um The problem is you're charging each house the same rates the six units go to each house And houses don't use water people use water And the people are not being counted I know it's it's going to be difficult to get people counted, but I've actually brought this issue up before and We haven't had any anything done about it. There's You know, I have a number of people living in our house and I've inquired before about my bill They've said oh, you're really conservative for the amount of people you have in your house But but yet I'm still charged over because it goes into the tier Until the tier process that charges an exorbitant amount of money for for the next tier. It's it's ridiculous And so I I'm really I'm hoping you guys will do something about that because I I can't do anything about it And there's a lot of people are very concerned about getting 200 and some odd dollars water bills And if it's it's not the groundwater either the the salt water intrusion When I was an apt, uh, I mean, uh, los osos we had the same problem and Our bills never went up this high So I don't know what's going on, but I would really like this to be addressed Thank you Is there anyone else on this item? Okay, anyone else on the management update? Thank you. Becky Steinbrenner. I will just say that the rate increases Are based nine percent increase per year for the next five years Solely to pay for pure water soquel project That's what's driving this And it's because the grants if you get them if the project does go through our reimbursement grants So that's what this is all about make it clear Um, I would like on the management report. I would like to Just respond to miss shoemakers report that several of you went to washington dc This is not the first trip And I feel it's a great disservice to your rate payers because You're not only making trips that are expensive back to washington dc to basically glad hand people Hoping to get a 20 million dollar grant But you're also now you've paid 90 thousand dollars For the two years to pay a lobbyist back there to do that very work for you 90 thousand dollars. So, um, I think that needs to be clear to your rate payers I would also like to point out that mr. Duncan's extensive report about Saltwater intrusion in the bay and mayor lucardos comments really have nothing to do with what's here Your sky tem report in the memo said by and large the groundwater levels in the project area have recovered and your Monitoring well levels also show that by and large. There are some problematic areas But the recent monitoring the modeling done By migraine associates have shown that if pure water soquel injection goes in And the city of santa cruz at aquifer storage recharge programs also occur Groundwater You would basically be competing with each other for groundwater recharge capacity And in fact, their hydrologist said that Groundwater recharge levels could reach ground surface levels of the two projects go on concurrently. That's not responsible Your costing your rate payers huge amounts of money And this project is not needed I want to um address, um Mr. Defours Report about Private well monitoring nothing in the eir for the pure water soquel project discusses the two privately Owned mutual companies Not far away just on the other side of the freeway from the twin lakes church project Injection well, and I want to know if you are monitoring those two wells for the impacts of the recent Uh Injection well to test the trend transpired at twin lakes church Thank you President lehu, I'll just note that I think go ahead and address some of the misinformation I just gotta say simply there's much miss incorrect and misinformation just reporting out. So I'll leave it at that Excuse me. There is I would like to know there's a lot them So I mean if people just want to get the real report they should look at the actual hydrologist report Yeah, and the predictions of Where we would be without having a project so It's absolutely essential. This is why all the entities the city And the county and the mga have all worked together to say that we need this So anyway, I've just you know, I I want to make sure for anyone who's listening on tv or something That they know that there's a lot of incorrect information in those statements In fact, I'd like to go a little further and say that the mga is testing including the city's own tests have shown that The city's aquifer storage and retrieval by itself will damage the basin And it's required to have the pure water to come along with it to allow things to be sustainable Otherwise, it's not sustainable at all So without that it's going to fail the state will come and take over this entire basin So anyway, we'll move on to the mga and gsp advisory committee meetings oral reports Hasn't been an mga meeting. Uh, there will be one this thursday At simkins at six, but um, do you want to report anything from gsp? well the the groundless groundwater sustained mobility plan advisory committee had its final meeting I think it was actually last month and There were 20 meetings and all and at the end There was there was agreement that the the plan would lead to sustainability and and the recommendations were unanimous with You know with people supporting it who were on the committee. So it was quite a journey And I learned a lot from it and I'm sure everyone on the on the committee did as well and We started off not You know not Not being real efficient, but at the end I think we we got to where well we did get to where we needed to get to so I'm looking forward to The meeting on thursday at simkins at seven o'clock where that's going to be presented to the mga And there will be a public comment period for 60 days starting last friday, I think And then correct. Yeah, I don't know if this is the time or not, but there's also Two opportunities for the public to To engage in the two additional opportunities for public to engage in this That's um Saturday and monday. Is that correct? I think it's this saturday melanie I'm gonna pull it up right now. It's uh Saturday from 10 to noon at the community foundation and then monday Evening at simkins center Okay, right Okay So great All right, any public comment on that item? Well, one thing is to mention that the plan itself is now online. So people can really start looking at it So that's where The comments written comments are going to be the most effective probably to make it as good a plan as possible All right district council I don't have anything to report an open session most of most of my time has been spent on the items that are coming up in closed session Okay And so we'll go to administrative business. There's uh item 6.1 Which is conditional and unconditional willserves Right, so both these projects exceed one acre foot of demand. That's why you're seeing them um, they're both little Minor land divisions with main extensions and fire hydrants. They're both very similar actually in nature We all know that the unconditional 6.1.2 is getting ready to start construction in the next month The other one. I'm not sure when that's going to ever Happen but they're basically coming back for a conditional You've seen, um, I think both of these projects before they're long-standing projects that have just not gotten traction Any questions? Okay, I thought I recognized the addresses. Yeah Okay, thank you, um Any public comment on this item? Okay seeing none Any motions Okay, I'll second moved in second all in favor I'm opposed Okay Thank you We moved to item 6.2. Um, this is something that I actually meant to thank you for your service on on the mga The planning committee. So really appreciate that. Um, but now a lot of effort went into this item. So I don't know is that Yeah, uh director christensen and Director jaffee and director lather were all three attending the santa cruz city council meeting on june 25th regarding the agreement with Between so kehl creek water district and the city regarding obtaining the fluent and building the tertiary plan down there to facilitate pure water the pure water so kehl project before I dive into it though. I was struck by The california 2000 and plan update when she's just sent out today and the secretary Uh of the state there of natural resources He opens up his letter and says water management in california is a grand exercise in partnerships and I just thought that rung true with this partnership and I believe In those partnerships we can solve these bigger issues whether it's Homelessness or water or whatnot and we have to you know work together to do that and The you know the city of santa cruz. I don't think they maybe they had one or two Other votes that were more than four three, but this was unanimous not just by the city of uh council seven zero in favor of the agreement to provide us Treated affluent so we can uh Treat it further and purify it but also to build our facility down there At no cost on the on the property at the wastewater treatment facility the Not only did the city council approve it seven zero, but the water commission approved it five zero Or whatever their numbers are I forget how many they got seven and then so did the public works and transportation committee So all the way through the city We had unanimous votes and supported this partnership and it's through these partnerships that we do You know bring greater value for our customers on top of that as it's outlined in the memo There were 29 letters sent to the City council and some of them I think were copied to this board also. They're in the packet 27 of those letters or emails were in support of the agreement urging the city council And and this board to to move forward with it, which they did You know i'm a believer in process and I think what makes agreements like this successful We didn't go in through it with a positional thing like how much can we get from santa cruz? And neither did they take that approach with us. It was like, what are your interests? What do you need what it what's what's a value to to you over there? And so by doing that you can get a greater greater piece of the pie so to speak um You know, I will note that it's in compliance with all the uh, uh, california Environmental quality act uh requirements and that sort of thing and that's part of the resolution um So yeah, it was um, I think a A special moment recognizing how where these agencies have been and and how far we've come together and It's not just the three directors that were there that night But you know community members staffs and everybody working together to get this and um, You know, we're on to the next phase already and I got a call from their water director. All right. Let's not bask in this Let's move forward. I mean literally that quick. It's like all right. Let's do it. Let's go And I want to thank you and all the staff that met over and over again with With the people with the staff of the city and bob and also all of all of us Work talking to the city council people and trying to educate when we could so it was real If there's that if this was the in this together Yeah idea. I feel like that was really a team approach and so really thank you very much Thank you. And you know, and I'll I'll echo that out to the city of Santa Cruz. I mean they You know They were like, well, can we should we push us off to august and and whatnot? This is you know, and we said it's important and they go we recognize it's important Let's let's do the work we need to do and we came together I think on a really good agreement because it does you know You know Accomplish a lot of the the needs of each agency and therefore our customers So what we're asking the board tonight is by motion and roll call to approve resolution 1914 authorizing the district's board president to execute the agreement between Soquel Creek water district In the city of Santa Cruz for source water design and Construction and startup of the tertiary treatment facility component of the pure water Soquel project Okay, thank you Any public comment on this item? Thank you. Becky Steinbrunner resident of aptas Let's be clear about what happened in this process to say that this document this agreement was unanimously Approved by the city water commission and the city public works and transportation commission is not quite true Because the version of this document that both of those commissions saw Was a 13 page vague and poorly worded document and those are the words of Some of the legal officials on who are part of the city water commission so because Mr. Duncan came to that water commission meeting and impressed upon them the importance of shoving it through very quickly before The city council went on one month break because every month Delay was going to cost the ratepayers 400 thousand dollars for the project They felt that it was incumbent upon them to cooperate And to try to work with the district to save the money It was not the document that that commission saw That was approved by the city council. It's a much better document And that was not My issue for asking the city council to pull it from the consent agenda, which is supposed to be reserved for Non-controversial issues. This certainly is not that and Thankfully councilman crone did pull it from the consent agenda and So it did receive some public discussion and I was happy for that I was pretty amazed to see all Of the staff that came from the district to be there that day That was a very expensive day for the district to be there But I'm glad that the district was well represented and the comments from rotary and those people I take exception to again having a letter in your packet For this this purpose from craig wilson Um it the copy I don't see it in the copy that I got in a hard copy I picked up today, but it is in the online copy. It isn't even addressed to the to the board But it's in your communication packet. So I don't quite understand that and again. I think you're using his public respected stature to try to sell your project so again, I'm You're moving through with it And I want to just say that after that city council meeting I talked with water commissioner dug engfrew who was one of the subcommittee of three That helped recraft that doc 13 page document that went to a 19 page document It was his understanding that if you didn't get that agreement you would have no project because you would have no grants I had to fill them in and let him know that your right structure is supporting the project Regardless of the grants and that's what you decided on november 16th. Thank you November 6th correction um Just briefly just wanted to mention that The city council members one of them mentioned that this kind of working together and it was a historic agreement, you know, so It was kind of really neat to see You know who proposed approving it and that they all put in their Appreciation for it and that and their approval of it. So Anyway, I'll make a motion. I will second All in favor and I roll call Yes, vice president daniel. Yes director jaffee. Yes director christensen. Yes and president lehue. Yes Well done everybody. Thank you um The next item is to consider consider scopes of work for um professional consulting services really related to pure water Thank you. I'm going to go ahead and introduce this item and um available for questions Item 6.3 is a continuance of some additional scopes of work That so-called creek water district would like to continue through fiscal year 2019-2020 for furthering the pure water soak health program for Just for a couple of our new audience members. Thank you for coming tonight I'm just a little preface the pure water soak health project is a project that would Combat sea water intrusion. It's our groundwater replenishment project It is estimated to cost about 90 million dollars and that is why we are actively seeking Low interest loans and grants to help Help with our ratepayers And with that this year for Us to stay on schedule to implement the project and be online by 2022 We do have about 15 million dollars in this approved budget that we are anticipating In spending to continue the design development And steps necessary so that we can Shoot for breaking ground in 2020 With that the two scopes of works that we have on this item tonight Is for legal legal support services for the sequel litigation. We do have Best Best and Krieger Their services are estimated to be about 111 thousand dollars. That is estimated due to Some of the extra effort that has been required To defend this litigation at this point there have been As you know several TROs which are the temporary restraining orders that we've had to go to court and of course, you know, those Those were successful. They didn't go anywhere. But as we go forward on this project We are looking to get through this part with with our district council and with bbk And then the second item is An extension of services for brown and Caldwell who are a program manager and our owner's advisor For this contract this year their works will primarily focus on Three primary tasks. The first one is continued program management services Ron and I and Tracy have just met with Another nearby agency to talk about their staffing and resources and how they are managing their program. I feel and Continue to feel that we do it on a very lean basis from a staff level Knowing that, you know, once this project is done, we may not need that that that amount of resources in house So we do look to Our program management team to assist with us as we continue to move forward with that They're also on board for the second bucket Which is continued technical advisor owner advisor as we're going forward with this district project And as we go into the next item, which is the procurement for Design build teams for the conveyance the treatment and then the future operations They are again providing a lot of owners advisors assistance on that as we go forward with developing that design Doing cost validations They'll be working side by side with district staff and the third item with this budget item is Data collection as we're going forward and advancing some of the preliminary design work We have identified that collection of data Not only will assist with some of the preliminary design efforts, but also with the permitting aspects that are Fully underway at this point with the project. So with that item for brown and caldwell And I do have a noob Shaw who is our program manager here if there's specific questions that item is presented in The attachment is having an optional task That optional task is to further the design In last fiscal year budget Brown and caldwell did develop a basis of design report which sets kind of the design criteria and It continues to build upon the project description as described in the eir We do have an optional task that we'll be working with ourselves staff BC and the design build firm to see if there's some additional design work That we may want to do to help further that effort to stay on our Our schedule. So the um contract amount for brown and caldwell for this fiscal year is Anywhere between 2.5 and 3.7 Million dollars depending on if we go ahead and go with that optional task In total for this item here. This is about 16 to 20 percent of the budget that we have for this year just as kind of a Perspective in terms of the level of effort that these two contracts Will be for the budget this year and we're here to answer any questions okay Any public comment on this item? I just had a question on the last item when Most of the staff members that were there that evening on salary and don't get paid extra for being there Yeah Yeah, that's what I thought Free Hi, my name is becky steinbrunner and I am bringing legal action on behalf of public benefit Against the district because of what I see is some very critical flaws and violations of sequel law Regarding the EIR and the process I am sorry to cost your rape payers this money but I'm doing it on behalf of the public and i'm not the only one Who has complained as mr. Basso told the city council? I'm not the only one filing complaints I have had to take this action improper Because water for santa cruz that wanted to take the action with legal assistant Could not afford the $100,000 for legal assistance So that's why it appears. I am the only one, but I'm not the only one. I'm representing the public as a citizen I want to show you this graphic again Will pure water so cal float In santa cruz and so cal and I think you should really take a good look at the gauge of public sentiment out there There are many people who do not want this project for various reasons your rape payers are now looking at huge rate increases To funded they've not been told In the material that was mailed out to them regarding the rate increase That it was to pay for pure water so cal that was not made public until the february 19th public hearing regarding the rate increases Many people have a lot of concerns about the low level chronic exposure to endocrine Disruptors that dr. Jude Todd brought before you in papers But you excluded from your minutes That's coming out as i'm looking at your material in the administrative record Many people are against this project You're looking at a pathway similar to what the desal plant faced I suggest that you Hold off on spending yet more money on this until you really gauge your public And according to the best best in kreger 2013 october 28th Analysis of Water rights you have the ability to apply independently of the city of santa cruz for water rights On the san lorenzo river from november 1st through may 31st This is new water as best best in kreger calls it. Yeah, you've not explored that So why don't you hold off on spending millions of dollars and potentially contaminating the aquifer? Not giving anyone a vote And and take a better look at what people are thinking What your rate payers are thinking and i want to let you know the vote is coming We've formed an initiative process There was one piece of accurate information that she's costing our Not a customer and costing our customer's money. Yeah, I think mr. Basso has a few words My comment was she's the only person who filed a complaint About this project. She is the only person who has filed a legal complaint about this project Okay, and it's not just this Contract that we're looking at for b and b and k Which is 111 thousand dollars But if you look back earlier in our agenda where we approved the warrants There was a three payments to b b and k that totaled over 40 thousand dollars So that means 150 thousand dollars just for you know what we're seeing tonight That's 20 dollars per account So you go through ever all of our 15 thousand accounts every one of them is being part charged 20 dollars For the opposition of one person and if that person succeeds That if that person succeeds then this basin will not be sustainable We'll have to report to the state board that we are not sustainable And they have said someone's it's not sustainable. They will come in and take over the basin And what they'll do is ration the basin. They won't try and fix things They'll just cut everyone back down to where it's safe again Which would be the six units that we're talking about and then the analysis Long a long ago was that the cost of water would go way up Yes, right and it means the city's plans would not happen either Because this basin would be locked down. They couldn't put water in and take it back out in drought years So anyway, this person is just going to make the entire Region fail if that happens. I'd like to add a comment to They You know, we did a survey a while back about using this type of purified water and recharging the basin And 77 of our customers said they were for it after learning more about it And the city of Santa Cruz recently did a survey We shared part of that with you because it had some AMI type stuff But I'm not sure I highlighted that just for the purified water and recharge they There was over 70 of the people said they favor that type of project and using that water also recycle water for irrigation There was a 90 so if you average those two it was in the high 80s that The public supported this type of effort we're using recycle water And then I'd like to refer people who want to investigate whether there's river water to be had to go to the sustainable groundwater plan advisory committee Agendas and minutes And It clearly shows that with climate change The amount of water in San Lorenzo River is going to go down and it actually has elevated climate change On even more on Santa Cruz's water departments lists of things that they have to Learn more about and they know a lot already but taking to account in their plans for the future so it's it's In my opinion wishful thinking that there's enough water In the future in San Lorenzo River for everyone And the water director has said that there isn't a lot of water Okay, so any no one else to speak so um any emotions on the floor I would make how many emotions are there who's to I would like to a discussion so Could you explain to me the additional Optional stuff and timetable and In specifically whether When the optional work needs to begin To keep schedules Thank you for that question. Um, so the Overall schedule as the board's desire and what the grant Timeline they seem to combine and we are looking at december 2022 timeframe to have the project completed And then if we work backwards from that december 2022 timeline The permitting efforts Lead become the critical path to go through the division of drinking water for them to feel comfortable with the processes regional water quality control board, so that's about a Two-year process that we believe so that puts us Somewhere in the 2020 timeframe And as we are working towards right now to bring the design builders on board to procure them that itself starts crunching the time in the front end So right now we are evaluating Whether there is enough time after the design builder comes on board for them to finish the design Between probably february march timeframe until august september timeframe to give you design certainty as well as price certainty And what we are going to be doing in this procurement process is seek feedback from the design builders where they need support What would enable them to have a greater success in the critical time that's in between february march until august september So as we go through the procurement process So this is that feedback from the various design builders that are interested in this project That will set the stage for what level of effort we as a program team and the staff need to provide Some of those elements could be You know electrical feed for the new advanced water purification facility Irrespective of which design builder comes on board. They will need electrical power So if that's one item that they feel we should advance further Then district would authorize us to design for that electrical feed coming into the facility Rest of the items can be left over to design builder. So it's still to be We want to use it a more collaborative approach do only things that are necessary Everything else we can leave it for the design builder. So we are not duplicating effort We are not spending money where it would be redundant. So that's sort of the general approach. So over next I would say three to four months will get a better idea of where Some of those optional tasks need to advance There may be a possibility that we don't need to touch any of those optional tasks and we can leave those alone. So I hope that addresses Yeah, that was one of the questions I had to and whether they're Have a graphic time time table to follow and so that we could see when some deadlines or some expected completion times were either in danger of not being completed or Needed more resources and or be completely the other question. I had about that was whether what the Your plot I had I wasn't clear on how the process for understanding cost controls on this because these are up to a certain Price and being really great or less, of course, but but it's also conceivable due to some other Things that will be coming up that some things will have to will need more resources to To be completed on a timely basis. So I was wondering how that The controls and the reporting of that to the board and to managers would Be actuated Absolutely, if I may answer some of that Aspect so a lot of these Program management staff support services. We are responding to the external needs Let's say the regular just come back and say oh, we need this additional information or Consultations with the city as we are looking at tertiary facility design if they need additional information So we we provide that additional support analysis um If I may speak in terms of the last year's authorized budget if you recall We had three potential b o d r options and district and the city ended up making Timely decisions so we didn't have to spend any money on the two optional b o d rs We just focused on b o d r being basis of design report only on the shanty clear site Something similar to that effect. So not only we did not spend the two optional b o d r effort The level of service needed in the last year. We were very efficient that We actually did not spend the money up to the contract ceiling. So we we're We came in under and that by a decent amount and and what we are planning to do over here This is our best estimate at this point of where the efforts might be and if you're interested we can In the next board meeting or one of the future meetings I can bring a schedule that shows when the critical decision points are and how we anticipate the permitting process to move forward That would be good to see that. I appreciate that. Absolutely. Yeah And so the optional tasks wouldn't actually happen immediately they would be sometime in the Did I hear four month time frame or? Yeah, uh Three to four months time frame and for each and every optional task It may not be authorized as the entire chunk It may be develop a small scope of work that hasn't been identified and against that scope of work There would be authorization and so and so for so as the need arises on as needed Basically develop a small scope of work seek authorization and then proceed Other questions I will make the two motions again. I will second For these for the second item just for clarification. There was a range So I just wanted to make sure that the purchase order amount right Oh, so whether it in could include the optional task. I would say what do you think? Go ahead and authorize it because including if we don't need it. We don't spend it. It kind of stays in the Okay, my second agrees with that. Would you there is the it is in there to include Yes Would would you be willing to amend that? That we get say quarterly reports or I'm sure you're probably going to do that anyway, but I'd like to formalize it on I'm just where we stand I'd be glad to make that addition. Yeah On how much is the option? Where do we stand? Yeah Regarding the option portion you mean on the option? Okay Okay All in favor I I'm opposed She carries unanimously. Great. Thank you. Thank you, Anup Why don't you just stay right there? Let's see 6.4. This is a rfqs now for contracts Thank you. I'm going to go ahead and continue to discuss the Pure Water Soquel project and I've asked Anup to stay up here as well um item 6.4 is Two separate requests for qualifications that the district staff is asking the board to authorize issuance of The first one I'll talk about them each separately and then Anup feel free to to chime in The first one is for the design bill services for treatment The district board has already authorized us to release the request for qualifications for the conveyance portion of the project The treatment project or what we call the treatment project is really the two projects One is the tertiary treatment facility at the city of santa cruises wastewater treatment facility The tertiary will be co-located down there And then the second part of the treatment project is the advanced water purification facility That's the reverse osmosis uv advance oxidation at the shanna clear site Which is centrally located between the city of santa cruises and so-called creek water district The rfq um would be issued for a design build team So they would go out again. This is the alternative delivery model That the district board Had selected to to fit fit well in terms of best value and time To meet the project to be online by the end of 2022 Where a design build team would come together and uh, we would go through a two-step process First we would go out with the request for qualifications solicit statements of qualifications and shortlist for up to five firms to then Be asked to propose a proposal a full proposal That then we would select And confirm and contract with a design build team Anything else on that one? Okay I'll go ahead and set up the second one and then you guys can ask questions the second Request for qualifications is for the operations and maintenance Just as a refresher for for everybody The tertiary treatment facility Will be working with the city of santa cruises to operate that The project agreement that was just approved and authorized Set forth two additional Agreements that we will be working on the land lease for the tertiary treatment As well as the operations and maintenance with the city staff for the advanced water purification facility That is, you know, we're we're more focused and we have the strength and the resources and staffing to do The seawater intrusion prevention wells and the conveyance pipeline But specifically for the treatment. We're looking at hiring a third party A contract operating firm to to do that for us and that's what they call the omar or Operator and maintenance at risk And when we're procuring that and we've been working with brown and caldwell and again This is something that we've talked about with the board at a previous workshop. We'd like to hire Affirm to come on during the initial design phase We don't want to turn over a facility that we all feel is great The design is great and we turn it over to some to affirm and it's not really Exactly what they want. So we want to bring them on early We want to have them work with us. So this early phase really is about owners advisory in terms of the om and We'd like to procure that through The request for qualifications in this method. What we'll be doing is Putting out the rfq Having firms solicit their Their statement of qualifications and then we'll be reviewing those and short listing Firms that then during the process of selecting a design build team They can look at that short listed Group of of omar firms that they may want to tee up with so that at the end Those two procurements would would conclude at the same time Do you want to state anything? No, I think you you've summarized it well The whole idea behind omar procurement right now is to extend that collaboration aspect by bringing Long-term operator on board right now You have ability to influence the design to seek efficiency to control the cost down the road and Just having your design builder and the operator working together will pay dividends down the road because In the design they have taken into consideration Instead of something having manual if it's automated you can save this much You know operators time so and so forth. So those concepts will pay dividends So that's why we were working towards procuring the operator even at this point So, yeah, I think when we were talking about how we would be setting up this collaborative approach It really was about ensuring the lifecycle cost and the the annual cost or the cost of water is always kind of Part of this initial part which right now we're focused on with the with the treatment project The capital cost what's the capital cost and if we try and do something just with the capital cost lens And we're not thinking long term. We may not be thinking about the whole project holistically Provide best value over that value best value over time So, um, what we are asking the board tonight is to um As outlined in the board memo, um, we would like to be releasing these rfqs We do have a date in here just in terms of the treatment project rfq going out july 19th We still are working on just a couple extra things within that package So that may be delayed a couple days will will keep it keep people posted on our website As well as the date for the omar, but our intent is to release these this summer We would like to establish a selection committee and go forward with this with the intent that By the end of the year All three of these contracts the conveyance the treatment and the omar would all be Would all we'd all be on our way to secure for the next year questions so Since the city's a critical partner in the in the tertiary treatment facility um, are they involved With this process. Yes, they will be um, we've been talking with staff in terms of being on the selection committee for the treatment project okay and then in terms of the the omar At what point will we have input into the design in terms of One thing that's extremely important to me is is Is safety, which I'm sure it's the same with all the all the Directors all the customers the staff etc. So at what point will the where there'll be an opportunity to to send the message of redundancy You know things that that might increase costs But we'll make it safer If I may yeah, so the the concern about the quality and the safety I think that's going to be paramount across the board. So the this entire design process is going to be very much collaborative So design builder would come up and say in order to meet this division of drinking water You know portable reuse criteria. This is the process we recommend And here's the cost and and you get to see that district will get to see that and you can say Oh on these particular areas. We want to be doubly robust And and you provide that input and they'll take that into consideration and build that in so it's very much open Collaboration until that point There is a milestone that's called guaranteed maximum price gmp So leading up to that the design is very much open discussion Once you reach a gmp Then they have a pretty good solid design in hand. They can start building Even at that point if you desire you could make changes You just you know pay that extra premium for whatever being added So the entire process in in a lot of regards Gear towards that and what you describe about safety It's not only the staff the board and regional water quality control board division drinking water Everybody would be looking at ensuring the quality. So I think it's paramount Gmp is guaranteed maximum price. Yeah Like I just know dr. He's always like what's that? I know I know And and it's it's even in you know, we just did a little meeting of you know evaluating the potential Conveyance part of the structure like the same kind of a of a look at qualifications and there were a few acronyms I had to like what was that again? You know So Anyway Other thoughts questions i'm So how many um evaluation committees are you gonna try to put together them? We'd like to we'd like to at least uh set two more one for the omar and one for the treatment project Well, i'm just getting my feet wet. I'm happy to help Do that again Anybody else We may want to um, I'll just in terms of the the possible board actions I know you're going to open it up to the public But number five is to say designate up to two directors who may be on the review and selection committee and since we have two You may want to um Maybe authorize ron to help establish those committees If if you guys want to kind of think about which ones you want to be on Okay I was wondering um, I just have one other question is uh, what did uh the pure water monterey How did they go about this kind of a process? Pure water Monterey actually was a traditional design bit build so they went ahead and um, and they From what I gather they originally were going to go ahead and do this progressive design build and they ended up doing Traditional design bid build because of the way that their funding stream came in No other questions than any members of the public wish to make a comment on this item Thank you. Good evening. Becky steinbruner. I'm very happy to hear the brown and caldwell consultants say that redundancy and Safety in this project would be given highest priority And dr. Jaffe. Thank you for confirming that concern. It is a huge concern Um, I just want to point out to you that this is pretty much the conversation your board had on may 29th 2018 in one of your six special board meetings that were not recorded And for which there are very few notes minutes But I recorded it and I reviewed it and it's pretty much what you talked about back in may When you decided to go with the design build operate schematic I expect that I will be seeing mr. Steve steve weight From id technologies who has been frequenting your board meetings and he'll probably be back His ide technology is one of the large international companies that specialize in this and he's been circling around for a while I also want to Bring to your attention again the dangers of Fast-tracking, which is what is happening here. You've already Sped up your completion date For this project from the initial to 2023 Date to 2022 in order to qualify for any of these state and federal grants that you want to get for it And I I've talked with you before and director lather. I sent you information from At 2017 Regional water quality control board meeting in watsonville where in the room at this watsonville city council chambers Was full of people who had driven up from cambria Because they are were so upset with the problems that a Recycled water Plant injection plant in their area was having due to the project being fast-tracked under an emergency provision Not being properly managed not being overseen or anything and it was causing enormous problems The legal staff of the regional water quality control board said That that plant alone and all of its problems were taking up 90 percent of her time So I caution you again into rushing through this process and Perhaps consulting with the water quality control board Legal staff to find out what exactly has gone awry in cambria and perhaps you can learn from their lessons And not repeat them here. Thank you Thank you anyone else I just want to reiterate I guess on uh, not fast tracking this through because um, and and um Um You stress that that you would look into the Monterey somebody said with the Monterey Uh situation and there's also in San Luis Obispo. There was a huge problem for many years I don't know how many of you did research on that but they Might be a good reference for you because they've solved a lot of problems But it doesn't sound like rushing into hiring a whole new group of people Going to be the answer to me. So Hopefully thank you. Thank you It's actually a pretty rigorous selection process that's based on how they meet a very You know a whole bunch of criteria related to safety and being able to get the work done effectively and there's check references are checked and Um, actually the goal from the beginning for me has been the end of 2022. I think I have Said that every time so Yeah Meetings, I mean, you know, it's it's a prudent process in some ways. It's rare that you get to hear uh government agencies moving fast or quickly. Usually it's the opposite. So You know, we don't sacrifice the quality or or being prudent But we are moving and time is money So that's that's one aspect but saltwater intrusion further seawater intrusion is the other Thing we know that is is eating away at us. It's already destroyed part of the aquifer. So Time is important. Um, but we are not rushing. We're being prudent, but we're moving Fourth right efficiently efficiently You know, this is you know, there's been an explosion of these plants being built all around the country around the world because it is a solution That whose time has come because there's a shortage of fresh water throughout the whole world Not just in santa criss county and The plant so there are there are a lot of there's a lot of information on which to build and so people are Not having to reinvent the wheel if it were all everything were completely new prudence and Giving time to research each aspect of this process We make a lot of sense But there is a lot of data information and some standard operating procedures on how to go about solving these problems already So that there is if there is a possibility of just having to be an ordinary build plant to solve our water problem And dr. Hugh, I think melanie went I just wanted to add just a couple things one. I just wanted to clarify that what we're going out for tonight is not a A What they call a dbo project. This is a design build project and then we're also contracting for Operations and maintenance, so they are separate And then I think just for clarification. I know that there's a lot of Misperceptions on the project being fast-tracked. I know that you guys have also said it I think for two things one is the the timeline that the board has been trying to get a supplemental water supply As you guys have been on the board is going on almost two decades So just pure water soquel project itself when you voted for us to continue to evaluate and then implement it It's still eight to ten years for us from the time that we really started to look at this So that that is a long time to to still get a project going But there's a lot of components and things are moving Efficiently and then in terms of fast-tracking The hiring and selection of these teams. This is where we are in this project In december when we've completed the environmental review And the board approved the project our next phase is to start design and this is how we're doing that with this design build firms I think word word went out to the design build people out there that They've had a lot of lead time right One last point. Sorry ron reminded me You know, we we are not doing this in a bubble. In fact, I think a lot of agencies Recognize we're kind of like a little sister. We're a little agency With the big problem and we're looking at others. They're sharing our data Many of you have toured with us probably at least four to half a dozen sites Most recently pure water san diego orange county Padre dam the silicon valley one central coast blue And because we are a recipient of the prop one planning grant money There is a technical advisory committee that we meet with that includes regulators From the department of drinking water and the state water resources control board So we meet with them to go over our project In terms of the planning and they're always asking where we are for the full project Well, that's going to mention that it's it's as one commenter mentioned We the things that we're doing tonight in this particular item is something we've talked about for a long time So this is not rush. This is it's time And and I know that being Brown called well has actually talked to a lot of the firms out there about what this project is and what we're looking for So it's not that's not going to be rushed either. I mean, they're already kind of queued up and ready to go I think and they're just waiting for this document We're going to put out and I think it'll in fact with the schedule they have to come back fairly quickly So, you know, it's going to be those that have you know already queued up for this So I don't think it's rushed at all. I think you know in some ways it's slow because the problem is big and it's coming Michelle Yeah, I think also the the deadline the reason for it has been lost 2022 is the deadline for us to be able to be Well, that's a sustainability plan and in 20 years we're required and to meet metrics along the way to be sustainable as director Daniel said the state has Said without a doubt they will come in if we were not on target to meet that it's not an arbitrary number that we just came up with and um The other part is the cambria project is a storm water. I mean, it's a um It's a pond not ground water injection and the issues with it had to do with the pond Not with the product so there's Do you have something there's five motions and Bruce and tom have have been on the committee Before for the selection, right? And I just was wondering michelle whether you she was on She and I or you two were on the conveyance on the conveyance. Yeah I'm I mean, I don't know amongst I I personally Don't think I could do as good a job as you on it. So I'm I'm happy with Any of you being on this committee I don't know about you Well, I kind of feel the same way since you've already started working on these project, you know these evaluations that maybe should continue I'm not I'm just asking if we're asked to designate up to two directors So I don't know what your time commitments other places are Desired to continue in this type of thing That's for me. This is my top We're thinking it's roughly an eight to ten hour commitment on participation just to give you a heads up That including reading everything No No Double or triple trying to try to trick somebody So rachel you would like to continue. I'm I'm fine either way Bruce you would like to do it. I'd like to do it. Okay. So I'm fine if either bruce and rachel do it or bruce and I do it Let's have bruce be involved because he really wants to do it and he's been involved from the beginning. Yeah If you're wondering I was more open to the conveyance because I have a lot of experience with that Well, I mean there's two things here. So one of you could do one one of you could do the other if we Or you could again you can Actually make a motion to have work with ron and yeah, but we could just like The operation maintenance might be something you have more I was gonna say that yeah knowledge of and then I can you know, not that I have knowledge of Treatment plans, but I've been through the process. Maybe bruce and I do that one and and bruce and rachel do the omar All right, I'd like to make the five emotions with with If you're agreeable to that That That arrangement with the directors I missed it bruce and rachel. You're clear Bruce and rachel for omar and and bruce and tom for the treatment. Yeah Okay, all right and this uh all in favor. There has to be a second first. I'll second it Wait, who did the first? The other bruce. Okay, so this is a bruce and bruce first and second and All in favor I I post All right. Thank you all All right. Next on the agenda. We have RFP for legal counsel because bob is Going to ride off into the sunset So I'll go ahead and take this since ron just stepped out item 6.5. Yes is uh We're a heartfelt memo in terms of It's an rfp that we would like the board to approve to put out For us to replace some big shoes. So We do have an rfp That we would like to issue to look for a replacement for bob to be the district council And what we are asking and proposing in this agenda item is for us to Release the rfp Select a selection committee and and evaluate that and I think um, obviously You want to take this over? Well? Yeah, I just I wanted to open it and 50 years. I was in third grade She wasn't born. I know yeah, she probably wasn't born You know, what do you say good great guidance, uh, not just legal, but you know we use Bob is the well to go to and I'm sure we'll say more about that another time, but I mean just at this moment. I think we need to point that out there and so Grateful, thank you. So and and that he's helping participate. He he helped develop the rfq along with Eileen and melanie Thank you, bob, and there's wording in there at big shoes or in the Big shoes big shoes why In terms of a selection committee I know that carl has had quite a bit of experience with with working with with uh legal councils So I I think she'd be good on that good Anyone I was wanted I since we're the last two that haven't been on on a committee right now I think bruce and bruce and I should do it. I'm I'm in favor of that. That's good. Okay and um Any member of the public having a comment on this item? Seeing none So there are and then who do you So we're authorizing general manager to pick other staff board member. Okay Yeah Okay Sounds good. Um, I'll make the motion with carla and bruce as the um selection committee All in favor. Hi. Hi. Hi I No daydreaming All right, so that is all. Thank you. Um, let's see Let's see six point six staffing staffing and reorganization. That must be tracy. That's why you remember. Good evening board. Um, thank you Tonight we're bringing a proposal for you to take a look at increasing staff on a limited term basis As you know, we've been carrying quite a heavy load with a pretty small workforce and As some of the issues that we were talking about in our earlier proposals Things are ramping up with the pure water soak help program And many of the components of of the projects that are comprised within that program And so tonight we're recommending to hire a full time Um Limited term and limited term. We're proposing between three and five years. Um, depending on how long we might need the services of this position To act as a water resources planner to help us in all of the building phases From beginning to the final process Through this job description that was a part of the packet tonight. Um, I also conducted a salary survey to take a look at comparable positions as well as looking our own salary allocations. And so I'm recommending As in the motion proposed salary allocation in the mid management group There is potential that this person this position may have oversight of lower level staff And so we wanted to have that capacity built within the position We're still working on the details of that staffing plan as we also alluded to tonight and having met with our Pure water Monterey colleagues and I'm getting some best practices from them and having gone through this process. So That's the recommendation we're making tonight Questions Any members of the public it's very clear and and the org org chart at the Nice to see at the in this as well. Okay, you've been doing a great job. By the way. Thank you Big change No questions. I'll make the motion that we approve the hiring that planner And and that the salary both motions Been moving seconded all in favor. All right. All right posed Thank you. Hey, we got all together that time All right item 6.7 Subdivision This is just a follow-up from the unconditional will serve letter that was approved I could have packaged them together, but I wanted to just keep them separate But this is the infrastructure agreement that we require be executed Okay questions Oh my motion I'll second it It moved moved second Okay, all in putting the public comment Anybody from the public wish to speak on this item? All right, um All in favor. Hi. Hi posed Great motion carries I think we go to closed session now Thank you Thank you and good night. Good luck