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Minutes - Board - 2020-03-10COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT MINUTES OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS STUDY SESSION MARCH 10, 2020 Members present Arlene Schafer, Art -Perry, Bob Ooten, Jim Ferryman, Mike Scheafer Members absent None Staff present Noelani Middenway (District Clerk and Public Information Officer), Kaitlin Tran (Finance Manager), Dyana Bojarski (Administrative Services Manager), Gina Terraneo (Management Analyst II), Nabila Guzman (Management Analyst 1), Michael Benesh (District Engineer) Others present Yefim Tsalyuk (Robin B. Harriers & Associates, Inc.) Meeting called to order at 9:31 A.M. A. OPENING ITEMS Procedural: 1. Roll Call - (If absences occur, consider whether to deem those absences excused based on facts presented for the absence — such determination shall be the permission required by law.) Vice President Ooten called the meeting to order at 9:31 A.M. District Clerk and Public Information Officer, Noelani Middenway, noted that Vice President Ooten, Secretary Schafer, Director Scheafer, and Director Perry were present at this time. B. PUBLIC COMMENTS Procedural: 1. Public Comments Vice President Ooten opened public comments. Ms. Middenway stated that the District received written public comments from District resident, Jim Mosher, and they have been provided to the Board for review. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 2 MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS STUDY SESSION HELD MARCH 10, 2020 There were no additional public comments. C. ITEMS OF STUDY Action, Receive and File: 1. January 2020 Code Enforcement Officer Report Recommendation: That the Board of Directors receive and file this report. There was no discussion, and the report was received. Action: 2. January 2020 Organics Tonnage Report Recommendation: That the Board of Directors receives and file this report. Ms. Guzman presented the standard monthly report. Director Scheafer asked if the results from Christmas tree recycling will be reflected in the February Organics Tonnage Report. Ms. Guzman confirmed that it will be in the February standard report and presented at the Study Session meeting scheduled for April 14, 2020. President Ferryman entered the meeting at 9:39 A.M. There was no further discussion. Action, Receive and File: 3. January 2020 Solid Waste Diversion Report Recommendation: That the Board of Directors receives and file this report. Ms. Guzman presented the standard monthly report. Vice President Ooten inquired if the District's diversion rate will decrease due to the State's new regulations. Ms. Guzman noted that for the month of January, the District's diversion rate has not decreased. She noted that she has a meeting scheduled with CR&R Environmental Services to discuss green waste recycling. She stated that she will update the Board at the Study Session meeting scheduled for April 14, 2020. Director Scheafer asked if the District has a new solid waste representative with CR&R. Ms. Guzman clarified that the District is currently working with CR&R's Sustainability Supervisor, Kristy Morehead, but they do not have a .new Sustainability Coordinator. Director Scheafer and Vice President Ooten discussed the District's cart -to -cart outreach campaign with CR&R. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 3 MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS STUDY SESSION HELD MARCH 10, 2020 Vice President Ooten inquired about the status of the Solid Waste Ad Hoc Committee. Director Scheafer discussed missed trash pickups. There was no further discussion, and the report was received. Action, Receive and File: 4. Consideration of Approving Special Holiday Pay the Day Before Thanksgiving and Christmas Recommendation: That the Board of Directors receive and file this report. Administrative Services Manager, Dyana Bojarski, presented report details. She stated that District offices experience slow customer activity on the days preceding Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. She noted that since 2010, District offices have closed at 12:00 p.m. on those specific days to allow staff adequate time for holiday travel. She shared that at the Regular Board meeting on November 21, 2019, the Board suggested that District staff records the amount of activity that occurs on those days and to report back. She stated that on the day before Thanksgiving, November 27, 2019, there were only two customers that visited District offices and the District received only two telephone calls. Additionally, she shared that on the day before Christmas, December 24, 2019, no customers visited District offices, no permits were issued, and the District received only two telephone calls. She recommended that these specific days be called Special Holidays where employees will be paid their normally scheduled work hours as holiday hours. She added that this change will add to the District's benefits package, entice job candidates, help retain employees, and contribute to higher employee satisfaction. She discussed the District's Floating Holiday Policy and how it differs from Special Holidays. She shared what other local agencies offer their employees for the day before Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. She discussed current District procedures for notifying the public about holiday closures and revisions to regular operating hours. She stated that the estimated salary cost for District employees per day is approximately $7,500 which includes the employee hourly rate for all current positions. President Ferryman opened the discussion for comments and questions. Director Perry commented that he requested this item to be brought to the Board as a Study Session item to discuss how other local agencies honor the days before Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. He stated he will accept the decision made by the Board. Director Scheafer asked for clarification regarding Midway City Sanitary District's holiday policy. Vice President Ooten discussed the District's current operating procedure for the day before Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 4 MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS STUDY SESSION HELD MARCH 10, 2020 Discussion followed regarding holiday policies of other local agencies. The Board recommended to bring this item to the Regular Board of Directors meeting scheduled for March 23, 2020 to consider approving Special Holiday Pay for the days before Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. There was no further discussion, and the report was received. Action: 5. Master Plan Update Status Recommendation: That the Board of Directors receive and file this report. Yefim Tsalyuk of Robin B. Hamers & Associates, Inc. provided the status update. He stated that the Master Plan was last updated in 2005 as an effort to provide a comprehensive plan for the District. He noted that the updated Master Plan includes work performed by EEC Environmental and JS Systems, which provided a more precise evaluation of the District's current system. He shared that the District serves about 116,000 residents in Costa Mesa and about 4,700 residents in Newport Beach and unincorporated Orange County. He stated that since 1983, there have been a lot of changes regarding zone usage and to the City of Costa Mesa's General Plan. He discussed the usage of hydraulic modeling with JS Systems. He noted that the updated Master Plan includes only the acreage number of actual parcels. He discussed the segments within the District's system that are under -capacity and require improvements. He provided a map that featured all the District's pump stations and another map that divided the District into service areas. He highlighted a sub area of the District's service area that was divided by low -density residential areas and high -density commercial areas. He discussed the reevaluation of the lines connected to the pump stations located in Westside Costa Mesa. He stated that industry standards recommend that lines with 18 inches in diameter should have a limit of 50% capacity usage while lines with 21 inches in diameter have a limit of 75% capacity usage. He shared that from hydraulic modeling they determined that the District has thirty-five lines with 50% capacity, two lines with 50%-75% capacity, and eleven lines that were over 75% capacity. He explained that they verified their results by checking the water levels of critical manholes. He stated that six out of thirteen lines are critically impacted and require additional reevaluation. He commented that Robin B. Hamers & Associates, Inc. hired a company to perform flow monitoring to evaluate certain segments. He shared that this company only found one line that was about 70% full. He discussed a new ordinance adopted by the City of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach that allows low -density residential areas to build additional units and its relation to sewer line evaluations. He noted that the increase in density would reclassify low -density residential areas to medium -density residential areas. He stated that the Master Plan Update includes pump station capacity and maintenance. He discussed the evaluation of calcium and mineral deposits in the sewer system. He commented that calcium deposits are a result of groundwater infiltrating through the pipes, laterals and manholes that is high in total dissolve solids and calcium. He noted that infiltrated groundwater evaporates into the interior of the pipes and that sewer gases form calcium carbonate on drier parts of COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 5 MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS STUDY SESSION HELD MARCH 10, 2020 a pipe. He mentioned that the televising of sewer lines helped to determine which lines have calcium deposits. He shared a map that depicts groundwater levels in Costa Mesa. He noted that the perimeter of the District's service area has groundwater levels that are ten feet high, which is consistent with the televised data. He mentioned that a high-pressure nozzle helps remove calcium deposits. He stated that each line with calcium deposits would cost about $5,000 to $7,000 to repair. He discussed the Ductile Iron Pipe project of the Master Plan. He shared that ductile iron was considered the recommended material based on its extra strength ability. He noted that the ductile iron has started to corrode within the internal surfaces of the pipes. He stated that there is approximately 3,800 feet of ductile iron pipe in the District's system. He shared that there are about 20 segments of fully corroded ductile iron pipe and about 5 partially corroded segments. He stated that the estimated cost to repair all ductile iron pipe segments is $1.38 to $2 million. President Ferryman opened the discussion to questions from the Board. Secretary Schafer inquired if Robin B. Hamers & Associates, Inc. meets with the City of Cosa Mesa to discuss related ordinances and the formation of new pipelines. Mr. Tsalyuk stated that they obtained all recent policies regarding land use last year from the City of Costa Mesa. He shared that the new ordinance regarding the allowance of low -density residential areas to build additional units was passed at the beginning of this year. He commented that to his knowledge he does not know of anyone from the City of Costa Mesa that discussed this ordinance with the District or Robin B. Hamers & Associates, Inc. before it went into effect. Secretary Schafer asked if the District has approached the City of Costa Mesa to discuss the ordinance. Mr. Tsalyuk stated that they have not had a meeting regarding this topic. He shared that they will be working with EEC Environmental to determine the potential impact of the City's new ordinance on the District's sewer system. Director Scheafer discussed the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) and stated that the District cannot determine its complete flow capacity until the City of Costa Mesa establishes its RHNA. He noted that the ordinance regarding additional living units is based on a State mandate. Director Perry discussed Jim Mosher's written comments about Government Code, Section 65852 which allows cities and counties to prohibit additional units in certain areas based on inadequate sewer systems and how it can relate to the District's permitting process. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 6 MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS STUDY SESSION HELD MARCH 10, 2020 .... _...__ Mr. Tsalyuk stated that the District should notify the City of Newport Beach and City of Costa Mesa that there are segments that are under capacity and that plans for additional units need to be checked by the District for approval. District Engineer, Mike Benesh, and the Board discussed the District's sewer permitting process. Vice President Ooten recommended that Robin B. Hamers & Associates, Inc. meets with the City of Costa Mesa and City of Newport Beach to discuss the matter. Secretary Schafer inquired about the re -lining of pipes with cast iron. Mr. Tsalyuk stated that the re -lining of pipes is not included in the Master Plan since it is considered regular maintenance. Vice President Ooten asked how a corrosion assessment determines whether a pipe needs to be re -lined or entirely replaced. Mr. Tsalyuk stated that the segments that are partially corroded will be re -lined. He noted that segments that are fully corroded will require a justified evaluation for replacement. He commented that it is a very expensive process to reevaluate a pipe. Vice President Ooten inquired if it is more expensive to reevaluate a corroded pipe or to re -line and replace a corroded pipe and recommended that the cost determination be included in the Master Plan. Mr. Tsalyuk commented that the Master Plan outlines potential plans for the District while a project would include certain cost determinations for specific repairs. Vice President Ooten questioned Mr. Tsalyuk about the evaluation process to re- line a portion of the ductile iron pipes. The Board recommended adding this agenda item to the next Study Session meeting scheduled for April 14, 2020. There was no further discussion. D. CLOSING ITEMS Procedural: 1. Oral Communications and Director Comments Director Scheafer discussed his meeting with Faubel Public Affairs and recommended that the District issue a press release regarding the Coronavirus and safe sanitary measures. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 7 MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS STUDY SESSION HELD MARCH 10, 2020 Vice President Ooten asked Mr. Benesh for an update on the Mendoza Pump Station flow studies. Mr. Benesh stated that he does not have an update at this time. Vice President Ooten recommended having an update on the project at the next Study Session meeting scheduled for April 14, 2020. Director Perry discussed an upcoming golf tournament at the Costa Mesa Golf Course for the Altobelli family and inquired about the approval process for the District to sponsor the event. Secretary Schafer expressed recognition for the District's spring newsletter. Director Perry inquired about the District's Annual Compost Giveaway scheduled for Saturday, April 25, 2020 at Orange Coast College. Secretary Schafer reminded the Board about an upcoming leadership conference schedule for March 19 — March 22, 2020 in San Diego. There was no further discussion. Procedural: 2. Adjournment President Ferryman adjourned the meeting at 10:38 A.M. VON. i✓Li 1 :t: