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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06.a.2) General Manager Written Announcements6.a.2) Board Meeting of January 12, 2012 Written Announcements: District Staff /Human Resources Items a) Retirement of Laboratory Superintendent Bhupinder Dhaliwal Laboratory Superintendent Bhupinder Dhaliwal has announced his retirement as of January 17, 2012, after 33 years of service. Bhupinder has guided the lab in conducting approximately 990,000 lab analyses in support of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit ( NPDES), Part 503 — Standards for the use or Disposal of Sewage Sludge, Part 403 — General Pretreatment Regulations for Existing and New Sources of Pollution, and Part 70 — Title V of the Clean Air Act. Perfect compliance was recorded each year for the past 14 years for the NPDES Permit. Mr. Dhaliwal also provided significant technical assistance to the wider wastewater community through scientific support to the Bay Area Clean Water Agencies and the Western States Petroleum Association which helped keep scientific fact as a basis for regulatory decision making. Mr. Dhaliwal is well appreciated by all of staff and will be missed. b) Promotion of Maintenance Crew Leader Ed Silva Ed Silva has been promoted from Maintenance Crew Leader to Maintenance Supervisor in the Collection System Operations Department, effective December 19, 2011. c) Right of Way Agent Lisa Robertson's Training in Seattle, Washington from June 8 through June 10, 2012 From June 8 through June 10, 2012, Right of Way Agent Lisa Robertson will attend the International Right of Way Association (IRWA) Young Professional Group Symposium in Seattle, Washington. The group includes Right of Way professionals younger than 30 years old. The 3- day symposium will cover Right of Way Business Ethics & Etiquette, Changing Industry Standards and Regulations, and Leadership Development. Attending this event will enhance Ms. Robertson's professional knowledge in areas directly applicable to her position at the District. In addition, she will earn educational credits towards IRWA's Senior Right -of -Way Agent (SR/WA), the association's highest professional designation. Written Announcements January 12, 2012 Page 2 of 4 The symposium is a national event, which will not be offered in California this year. Funds for Ms. Robertson's attendance are included in the 2011 -12 O &M Budget. Public Records Request d) Public Records Act Request From Bay Area News Group On January 4, 2012, the District received another Public Records Act request from Thomas Peele, Investigative Reporter for the Bay Area News Group, asking for the following data for all Full and Part-Time Employees and Elected Officials: (1) full name, title, and department (2) base pay for 2011 before any deductions, (3) gross overtime pay for calendar 2011, (4) other taxable payments that contribute to gross pay if any, such as bonuses, all taxable stipends, allowances and other payments, uniform allowances, bi- lingual, shift - differential , etc., and in the case of employees who left the entity's employment in 2011, payment of unused sick, vacation, compensatory and personal time, (5) gross 2011 total pay before any deductions, (6) the Employer's cost of all medical, dental and vision benefits, including Employer's share and contributions paid on behalf of the employee or official, (7) the Employer's share of pension payments, (8) any share of the pension contribution paid by the Employer, (9) any payments to any deferred compensation or other types of retirement plans by the Employer, (10) the cost to the Employer for long term disability, life, Medicare taxes and Social Security contributions, (11) any additional monetary costs (excluding accrued vacation, sick and compensatory time) directly related to the 2011 cost of employment of the individual. Mr. Peele will be posting the data online, as he has previously. Staff is assembling the information. A copy will be provided to the Board when finalized. Written Announcements January 12, 2012 Page 3 of 4 Project Updates e) St. Mary's Road CAD Community Meeting on January 26, 2012 In advance of the Board of Director's January 26, 2012 public hearing to consider approval of the St. Mary's Road CAD, a community meeting will be held on at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at the Lafayette Community Center located at 500 St. Mary's Road. The purpose of the meeting will be to obtain participation commitments, determine the level and timing of interest of non- participants, and discuss shortening the project length to exclude some non- participants. Some property owners also want to discuss having the District cover the cost of some of the non - participants, as the Board discussed last month with the El Toyonal property owners. f) Advertisement of Pumping Stations Equipment and Piping Replacement Project, District Project 5941 The Pumping Stations Equipment and Piping Replacement Project (DP 5941) involves modification of underground fuel piping at the Moraga Pumping Station and the Orinda Crossroads Pumping Station to comply with State Bill 989 regulations as required by the Contra Costa County Environmental Health Department. This project will be advertised in January. Bids will be opened on February 7, 2012. The estimated construction cost is $20,000. Compliant Issues /General Updates g) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System and Title V Permit Compliance The plant effluent was 100 - percent compliant with our National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit, making this the 14th consecutive year of compliance. The air emissions were 100 - percent compliant with the Clean Air Act Title V Permit in 2011. h) Record Low Number of Sewer Overflows in 2011 The District achieved a record low number of 37 Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs) for calendar year 2011. For comparison, the District had 43 overflows in 2010 and 63 overflows in 2009. A common metric used in the industry and by regulatory agencies is the number of SSOs per 100 miles of sewer. A well- Written Announcements January 12, 2012 Page 4 of 4 operated collection system is one that has 3 overflows or less per 100 miles of sewer. The District's 37 overflows during 2011 translates to 2.46 overflows per 100 miles of sewer. i) Treatment Plant Natural Gas Purchase On December 13, 2011, the District purchased one third of the treatment plant natural gas for January through December 2013 at a price of $4.48 per decatherm at PG &E Citygate. This purchase represents the second third of gas for this period. The first purchase for 2013 was made in November at a price of $4.75 per decatherm. Natural gas prices remain depressed as the economy struggles to recover, abundant sources of natural gas become available through hydraulic fracturing of shale, and gas storage inventories remain high. Current industry predictions are that prices will remain low through 2014. The District will monitor prices before submitting a purchase bid for the remaining one third of gas for 2013 and will monitor the spot market prices to see if purchasing on the spot market will be more economical. All of the natural gas for 2012 has been purchased.