CRANE LAKE WATER & SANITARY DISTRICT (CLWSD)

BOARD OF MANAGERS’ REGULAR MEETING

Crane Lake Chapel Fellowship Hall

Wednesday, March 6, 2024 – 1:00 P.M.

Members present: Mark Anderson, Deena Congdon, Darrell Scott and Rob Scott.  Also present: Clerk/Treasurer Jo Ann Pohlman. Member Bonnie Caughey arrived at approximately 1:05PM

Members absent:  None

The meeting was called to order at 1:00PM.

Opening Comments:  Chairman Rob Scott stated that Jim Orton was invited to this meeting to review the upcoming season with the Board.  Jim did not respond to the invitation and will be invited to the April meeting. 

Minutes: A motion was made by M. Anderson, supported by D. Scott, to approve the minutes of the 1/3/24 Regular/Reorganization Meeting.  All voted in favor and the motion carried. There was no February meeting.

Correspondence:  The correspondence list was reviewed by the Board.  A motion was made by R. Scott, supported by M. Anderson, that the correspondence be placed on file and acted upon as required. All voted in favor and the motion carried.

Treasurer’s Report:  Clerk/Treasurer J. Pohlman presented the December 2023 & January 2024 Financial Statements to the Board.  The December 2023 QuickBooks entries were YTD Comparisons and were reviewed with Jennifer of Glorvigen.  January payroll:  Admin – $2,400.00 & Operating – $5,945.00.  Payroll Taxes: PERA – $1,208.21, Federal Deposit – $1,977.68, & MN – $1,082.00.  February payroll:  Admin – $2,009.00 & Operating – $6,253.00.  Payroll Taxes:  PERA – $913.86 & Fed Dep. – $1,841.78.  A motion was made by B. Caughey, supported by M. Anderson, to accept the Treasurer’s Report as presented and the approval of the February bills as follows:  Admin – $1,330.50 & Operating – $8,799.71.  All voted in favor and the motion carried.  A motion was made by D. Congdon, supported by D. Scott, to approve the March bills as follows:  Admin – $1,731.61, Legacy & ARPA – $52,544.22, and Operating – $8,759.14.  All voted in favor and the motion carried.   Jennifer’s comments:  The expenses are as lean as possible; the Operating income needs to increase to offset the expenses.

Funding Balances:  The balances were reviewed with the Board. The MPCA-CWP Loan was also reviewed.

Levy Considerations (Admin/Operations)  No action.

Administration

• Rate Study:  B. Caughey reported that she has projections on ISTS (Decentralized) income & expense that she will be forwarding to the Board soon.  D. Congdon presented information on the Centralized part of the District to the Board.  There was discussion, which will continue as the Board works toward a future rate structure. Review of the Base charges for those on the mainline brought forth the following corrections.  A motion was made by R. Scott, supported by D. Congdon, to increase Jeff Olson’s EDU’s from 1.5 to 2 as there are two grinders for the two properties; and to increase Handberg’s base charge from 1 EDU to 2 based on there addition of the commercial building (shop) with plumbing; both changes to be effective immediately.  All voted in favor and the motion carried. 
• Rachel Contracting – Approve & Sign Final Pay Request:  The Waste Water Treatment Plant Update bid from Rachel Contracting was $961,395.29 with a change order reducing the total project cost to $957,307.98.  A motion was made by R. Scott, supported by D. Congdon, to approve and sign Rachel Contracting’s final pay request of $47,865.40.  All voted in favor and the motion carried. The Board believes there will be a break on O&M costs due to the WWTP Update but will need to review a year’s use to confirm. 
• Cowden Road Agreement:  The Board will look into the easement.  The road agreement will be between the District and the new owners of the property.  D. Congdon will communicate with Ray Ingebretsen of Re/Max Lake Country to advise the new owners of the road agreement.   

Joint Powers Board

• JPB Update:  R. Scott stated that the JPB is requesting more funding and that Crane Lake has requested an additional $500,000 for future ISTS installs.

CLWSD Meeting Minutes – March 6, 2024

S.E.H. Engineering Update 

• District Updates:  Plant Upgrade:  The project has been completed.

O & M. (Decentralized)

• Management Program Update:  A report of current ISTS activity was presented to the Board. Applications for 2024 installations are in process with a possible seven new installations. 

O & M Update (Centralized)

• Operations Report:  Rob Scott Jr. provided the following reports:  February 2024 – We met all the MPCA effluent limits for the month of December.  The plant is operating well, and the influent volume is low, hoping to see some increase with some snowmobile traffic. The latest plant water temperature was recorded at 42 degrees. March 2024 – We met all the MPCA effluent limits for the month of January.  The plant is operating well, and the influent volume has increased due to some snowmobile activity in the area. The latest plant water temperature was recorded at 40.5 degrees.
• Maintenance Vehicle:  The Board discussed the need for a maintenance truck.  M. Anderson will look into options.

Public Comments: There were none.

The meeting was adjourned at 2:30PM

Jo Ann Pohlman, Clerk

NEXT MEETING:   Board of Manager’s Meeting – April 4, 2024 – 1:00PM, Fellowship Hall

This draft of the CLWSD minutes has been posted solely for preliminary informational purposes.  Minutes are unofficial and subject to change until they have been approved by the CLWSD Board of Managers.