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[1:51] I hereby call this meeting to order.

[1:53] Thank you for everyone's patience while we got it for.

[1:59] Okay, so we'll start with our road call for today.

[2:03] Jeffrey Fern, Lauren McVillott, here, Margaret Vassie, Andrew mural, President, Nathaniel

[2:11] Werner, Gary Peterson, Andrew Werner, here, all right, thank you.

[2:20] We have our minutes from last month.

[2:25] Do we have any additions or corrections to the minutes?

[2:34] Is there a motion to approve the minutes from last month's meeting to have a second?

[2:43] Hearing none

[2:45] Any other any comments or questions? Anything else about minutes?

[2:50] Okay, hearing none. I'll call to question all in favor of approving last month's minutes

[2:57] Say aye. Aye

[3:00] Anyone opposed?

[3:01] All right last month's minutes are approved

[3:04] So we now have our ratification of payments and this goes through pages four through nine of our agenda and we end with a total of 1,861,868 and 58 cents.

[3:27] It's not an eat. It is. It is. It is. Is there a motion to approve our payments?

[3:38] So, moved? Is there a second? Do we have any comments or questions about our

[3:44] payments from this month?

[3:50] All right. Hearing none, I will call to question all in

[3:53] of approving our payments, say aye, aye, any one opposed?

[4:01] All right, our payments are approved.

[4:05] So next up on page 10, we have our board reserve fund requisitions. It is 1,529,419 in each

[4:14] sense. This is a larger amount because we had a bigger ticket item, a painting of wood side tanks

[4:22] which happened, following what various other items. Is there a motion to approve our board

[4:29] reserve fund requisitions? A second?

[4:36] Any comments or questions on our board reserve fund

[4:41] acquisitions.

[4:45] All right. I will call to question all in favor of approving our board reserve fund

[4:51] requisitions. Say aye. Aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? All right. Our board reserve fund

[5:00] requisitions are approved for payment. Okay. We, oh gosh. I skipped over hearing of citizens.

[5:09] I do not think we have any citizens correct, okay, apologies for that, looks like we have none.

[5:17] So we'll move back to unfinished business, which we also have none of.

[5:23] So next up is our water connection application.

[5:29] So we have, let's see, pages 11, 15, 15 here.

[5:36] So this month we have three new connections, two-inch, six-inch, and a one-inch, and Ferguson,

[5:44] and Harris townships.

[5:47] Is there a motion to approve the new water connection applications?

[5:55] Is there a second?

[5:57] Second.

[5:57] are there any comments or questions about the new connection

[6:01] applications?

[6:07] All right, hearing none, I'll call to question all in favor of

[6:10] approving the new connections indicate I.

[6:13] Hi. Hi. Anyone opposed?

[6:17] All right, new connections are approved.

[6:19] Well, sorry, quick question. Really, I'm just curious.

[6:24] How many on an annual basis new connections is this is typical?

[6:29] are you seeing trends or that you know is there sort of an average number that's

[6:34] that you've seen over the last, I don't know, five ten years.

[6:38] Typically we budget for 70 to 80 a year. I believe it was what was in our budget this year.

[6:46] I mean our count total by this year, year to date.

[6:52] Let me put back a page.

[6:54] It's 76.

[6:59] So when we're budgeting for, we're looking at equivalent residential units.

[7:06] So some of these commercial ones actually are more than one equivalent residential unit.

[7:12] So from a money standpoint or from a budget standpoint, we've achieved what we were

[7:17] projecting.

[7:18] from a growth standpoint right now we're pretty much what we were anticipating and it's that's

[7:25] fairly typical. Yeah, I'll look at Katie because she does a lot of the budget.

[7:32] I would say we're pretty consistent. Pretty consistent, but it does fluctuate and we have some

[7:41] developers that are better at communication on anticipating what they might be doing, so sometimes

[7:46] we're able to get some projections from groups that work in the area a lot, and then that helps with factoring

[7:53] into what we're expecting for the next year.

[7:57] And that is primarily handled by our projects person, so.

[8:04] And when for planning purposes, when you're looking at it,

[8:09] you're looking at it through the lens of the finance, right?

[8:13] The budget and finance side.

[8:16] From a financial side, we're basically just looking at what

[8:19] are we expecting in revenue for taps,

[8:21] because it goes into a restricted fund, right?

[8:24] So it's not something that we're building in

[8:26] for regular operations.

[8:28] Okay, all right.

[8:30] And do we need to give any consideration or do you all give

[8:33] consideration and planning on volumetric use?

[8:37] Yes, so I was just going to say from an operation side,

[8:39] we're looking at it from a volumetric use and also where the

[8:46] is occurring, so we can look at our distribution system to make sure it's still adequate

[8:54] for those areas. And with draw permit restrictions and all those kinds of things.

[9:00] Yeah, okay. So how, for example, do you have a account for this new student housing?

[9:08] The dorms on campus? I

[9:13] see, for example, that there are three connections listed in

[9:16] take college, to we list that as one connection, but account for much greater flow, and also

[9:24] I recognize that's not maybe until next year.

[9:27] Yes, so that was recognized as one connection, but when you're looking at the volume aspect

[9:37] of it, we look at equivalent residential units, which is 150 gallons per day, and then

[9:44] That is taken into consideration with their estimated gowns per day based on full bill.

[9:55] So in the case of the Gray Star project,

[10:01] that was one where we looked at our distribution

[10:03] system and recognized some shortfalls because of it being on a peripheral of our system,

[10:11] where we never intended to have growth because it's on campus.

[10:18] So that plays into, we had GDNF through some hydraulic studies.

[10:25] And as a result of those hydraulic studies,

[10:29] the developer is providing some system upgrades

[10:31] throughout the system to reinforce

[10:34] and make sure that our existing customers were not

[10:38] First by the expansion into an area where we did not plan on expansion.

[10:56] Okay, so next up is a item on considering a water service infrastructure improvement agreement for Center Hills Country Club.

[11:11] We're still able to move forward with this with Jeff's name on the agreement.

[11:16] I'm going to talk to David about this if you can see the symbol line for the number of

[11:23] resources.

[11:24] Okay.

[11:25] We can make it work.

[11:27] Okay.

[11:33] Is there a motion to approve this agreement?

[11:39] Simult.

[11:39] Is there a second?

[11:42] No.

[11:46] Do we have any comments or questions?

[11:49] I

[11:52] do that relate to the expansion and I guess what their water use, expectations is part of the expansion.

[12:03] I'm just curious what that entails.

[12:06] There's not going to be a lot of additional use.

[12:10] So the expansion from a water perspective is primarily relocation of a fill line and existing fill line, first one in pull.

[12:21] Okay, plus a few drinking fountains at, excuse me, I believe some tennis courts are

[12:30] pickable courts that they are constructing that.

[12:33] So, very minimal, okay, it's more rearranging of their country club, but the required expansion

[12:42] or the required need for water, did trigger our ability to have them update their infrastructure.

[12:49] The unique part about this, and why we entered into an infrastructure improvement agreement is this is one of our customers that did not complain about the need for bringing their facilities up to our current standards.

[13:10] No questions asked, the only concern was, how can we make this work for you because we're

[13:18] budgeted for our project, but not for this type of stuff, they did not anticipate it.

[13:23] So that's why we want to enter into the agreement.

[13:27] They've already executed the agreement on their side, so for us it's a matter of approving

[13:33] it, and what will happen is their projected construction is to be finished in August of next

[13:41] year, from that point they have a year to replace their vault, and then from that point

[13:48] they have an additional year to upgrade their service line.

[13:54] Yeah.

[13:54] So yeah, I guess my, just, my question to focus my question was really about the expected

[14:01] changes in volume and attributes. It sounds like those are insignificant real. Yeah, yeah, okay. Thanks.

[14:11] And staff recommends entering into this agreement. Yes.

[14:16] Any other questions about this?

[14:18] And I will point out that it was reviewed by legal counsel as well.

[14:22] Okay.

[14:25] Right. Well, we will call to question all in favor of proving this agreement with Center Hills Country Club.

[14:32] Indicate I. I, you want to post. All right, that agreement is approved.

[14:41] So we have a second agreement, which is a waterline easement agreement for consideration with

[14:48] Valley Vista Development Company. Do we have a motion to approve this agreement?

[14:56] So do we have a second?

[15:04] All right, so we have comments or questions regarding this proposed agreement.

[15:12] Yeah, it's been a little bit more explanation, or we're taking it down a little bit.

[15:17] Yeah, so actually, this one is a really cut and dried force.

[15:24] There is another project that is planned for an adjoining lot for next to where the Home Depot is.

[15:36] We have a water main that runs through Home Depot's parking lot.

[15:41] That's been there since Home Depot was constructed through the proposed project adjacent to Home Depot.

[15:52] While we have a waterline easement, at a waterline easement, somewhere along the line in the last 20-plus years, there was no documentation for that easement.

[16:06] So what this agreement is just putting on paper, the easement that already exists and has been recorded at the county, but no documentation.

[16:20] So this is more of a formality issue than anything else.

[16:27] All right, any other questions?

[16:32] Okay.

[16:34] All in favor of approving this agreement with Valley Vista Development Company in the TAI.

[16:40] Bye.

[16:41] Do you want to post?

[16:43] All right.

[16:44] The Valley Vista easement agreement has been approved.

[16:49] So now we'll move on to committee reports, finance, we are missing Mr. Kern and I don't believe

[16:56] we have any updates, we have updates from facilities.

[17:05] We do.

[17:05] We don't know if we do not have more.

[17:07] We don't have any doors for.

[17:09] I'm feeling nothing to report, have a public relation.

[17:12] Nothing to report.

[17:15] Source, water protection means to have a minor update, we've been in communication with our

[17:19] We're in the process of getting an update on our plans, and that's just in the works

[17:25] that's been a little bit delayed, but this is just considering ongoing stewardship of

[17:29] our single town gap property and make sure, making sure we're appropriately managing that.

[17:36] Monthly report. Brian.

[17:40] Okay.

[17:42] So I have a brief report and then a short presentation to provide today.

[17:47] So in our distribution system annual hydrogen flushing is complete they are in progress of painting fire hydrants.

[17:56] They started in Harris Township area.

[18:00] Cruise are replacing service lines.

[18:03] Service line saddles on a PVC main and on Pyngra Road.

[18:08] So it's just preventative maintenance.

[18:11] In our production department, the anthracite has been added to three of the four filters and the last one will be done next week.

[18:22] Our pump station replacement project at our pump replacement project at pump station four should be starting in the coming weeks.

[18:32] With regard to moving our meters to the Flexnet system, we now have 13,000 on that system.

[18:41] From our administrative team, the Colter Phase III base mapping was received from

[18:49] Gwyn Dops and Informant and we've started that review.

[18:53] That's this to review for accuracy at this point.

[18:59] There is a planned intersection improvement project for Fox Hill and Fillmore Road's intersection

[19:06] in Banner Township that improvement project is required to be done by a developer of an adjacent

[19:17] property along Fillmore Road and the requirement was because of the impact on traffic at the

[19:25] intersection.

[19:28] The developers and engineers for that improvement failed to notify the authority

[19:35] of the work. We found out now about two weeks ago by the contractor that was hired to do the

[19:44] work when they noticed on the pre-construction meeting that the water authority was not invited

[19:49] and it was water authority infrastructure that was marked to be relocated.

[19:58] So we thank you very

[20:00] to the contractor for being observant. We reviewed the plans and found that there are several

[20:07] conflicts with the water main. We currently are working with the engineers to find a

[20:12] resolution and thus for because Fox Hill Road is a pen dot road. They have agreed to one of our

[20:21] requests. So the rest is still in progress.

[20:28] With our major projects, all three tanks are back in service for our painting project.

[20:34] The sleepy hollow project is progressing.

[20:38] Water line is completed, the terrace circle, and main installation is to approximately

[20:43] dear field drive. Park Forest Avenue main installation should be completed by the end of the week.

[20:50] Next week they'll start service line transfers. Our maintenance garage roof replacement is complete

[20:57] except for the installation of the snowgarts. And that is the end of my report, but I do have

[21:04] a short presentation I'd like to share with you all today. As I mentioned earlier this year

[21:13] the water authority is looking at 85 years of service as a municipal authority, so I just

[21:27] wanted to kind of look at some then and now type stuff for a couple slides here.

[21:37] question. What is in the water drops hand? So that is Mr. Water Drop. He has a screwdriver

[21:44] in his left hand and a pipe wrench in his right. I think we need to break it. I think we

[21:52] don't backwards. I think our co-workers that wear the uniforms every day with a disagree.

[22:05] So back in 1941, the water system was purchased from the state college borough for 233,000 dollars.

[22:16] That included the water system, three tracks of land and house township, one track in Ferguson township,

[22:23] ship and the Shinkletown Reservoir in Access Road.

[22:28] So 233,000 dollars.

[22:30] Members in 1941 equates to $5.3 million in today's dollars. When the system was purchased, water quality

[22:40] was poor, susceptible to turbidity and drought. It was thought if the reservoir could be enlarged,

[22:48] enough water could be stored to supply the system for a year. The distribution system was

[22:54] designed low-pressure quantity issues, the authority began replacing

[23:00] pipe almost immediately without any money. So in the 1940s, well-drilling

[23:09] began. There were various studies conducted defined and secure additional

[23:15] reliable sources of water prior to the well-drilling. The desire was to find a

[23:21] water source considered expansion a single-time reservoir. There was a study done to create a

[23:29] reservoir at Gauberth Gap and Harris Township and there was also a study done to create a reservoir

[23:35] at Potter's Mills Gap in Potter Township. All three were found to be non-feasible. Thus we've moved

[23:44] to well-exploration. So, well-development continued for approximately 50 years. In 1998,

[23:56] the last of the well-fields came online. So today we are looking at 22 production wells,

[24:03] which provide more than 95% of our water of those two production wells. They are divided into five

[24:10] entry points to of which have water treatment plants, the other three are disinfection

[24:16] knownly. So when we look at our water storage, that is foster avenue. The day of the picture

[24:26] is unknown,

[24:30] but that is somewhere east of the intersection of buckout looking up towards

[24:37] What is today our tank three and pump station one, but that was one of the first tanks

[24:45] the

[24:46] expansion of the system created the need to construct an elevated tank

[24:52] That's the two tanks sitting beside each other and

[24:57] The pump station in the foreground on the left and that was also

[25:03] one of the water authorities first offices

[25:07] So the office portion of the building was torn down, that is today, one tank where the trees

[25:16] are to the left of the tank is where that first tank was.

[25:21] Today, looking at that one pump station, the authority operates seven pump stations throughout

[25:26] the system.

[25:28] One of the other tanks tank one was constructed in 1957.

[25:34] That tank on the left was original construction.

[25:38] The tank on the right was the same tank.

[25:42] As it was painted last year in our rehabilitation project.

[25:48] Today the authorities operating 13 storage tanks with the capacity of 15.8 million gallons.

[25:54] and we have five elevated tanks and eight-ground water tanks.

[26:02] So we'll take a look at the distribution system.

[26:06] That was work along.

[26:07] Afterton Street, I believe the data on the photos 1962.

[26:13] That was water authority crew.

[26:15] The truck is a water authority truck.

[26:20] In 1940,

[26:21] 12-inch water main was installed at $4.20 a foot and 1942-4,400 feet of 12-inch water

[26:32] main was installed for $6,720 or at that time that was $4.80 a foot. Fast forward to

[26:43] today. Just a couple of photos of some of our own crews working in 2026. We are installing

[26:54] 1700 feet of eight inch pipe at $110 of foot. So four inch diameter smaller. We

[27:05] We have 6,700 feet of eight-inch pipe installed by a contractor this year at $197 a foot.

[27:14] So huge difference.

[27:18] In 1942, we had a total operating income of $53,000.

[27:26] We produced $11,230,000 gallons of water for that year in 1942.

[27:33] in 2025, you can see what our operating budget was,

[27:38] our operating income compared to our 1942,

[27:42] not 1.8 billion gallons.

[27:45] So today, our average production at 5 million gallons a day

[27:50] in a little over two days,

[27:53] we are producing what they did in an entire year.

[27:56] That's pretty crazy.

[27:59] I'll end with this comparison of equipment from early 1960s late 1950s circa to modern equipment

[28:10] of today.

[28:13] And with that, I would like to acknowledge Dr. Jarrett for his work in writing the book

[28:17] on the history of the Water Authority, which can be found on our website.

[28:21] It was a great resource for some of the notes I added.

[28:25] That is the end of my report.

[28:27] Thank you, Brian.

[28:28] I'm a little anxious.

[28:29] Thank you.

[28:29] I do have a question regarding the issue

[28:33] and Banner township.

[28:35] So I'm reminded looking at our liaison.

[28:37] So we no longer have a Banner liaison.

[28:39] And I know that there were some changes in the structure of their water operation.

[28:43] It's a Banner township.

[28:45] What is the reason that, you know, obviously we still have some

[28:47] of our operations in that in part of that partnership.

[28:51] So as the reason for still not having any sort of liaison

[28:54] presence from there. So the liaison from better township was actually a better township water

[29:01] authority liaison. So in this instance I don't think that liaison would have been of help in detecting

[29:10] this was truly a failure of the engineering firm and how it slipped through the cracks of the

[29:20] and quite honestly pen dots since it's a pen dot road, I have no idea.

[29:27] Will we have a liaison? I mean, is there, would it make sense for us to have a liaison from

[29:32] Better Township? Again, here?

[29:36] That would be a discussion for the board and if you would like to see a liaison from

[29:42] Better Township or Better Township water authority, that request could be made.

[29:46] Okay,

[29:49] everyone else have questions for Brian and all.

[29:55] It's a right answer.

[29:56] Thank you.

[29:56] We'll move on to Liaison reports.

[29:59] I'll have Steve.

[30:01] I don't really have anything to report tonight, just a few projects in the pipeline that will coordinate the

[30:07] sapote as we get for their longings in.

[30:11] All right. Center region planning commission. I don't think we have pan here today. College

[30:18] Township Water Authority.

[30:21] I would like to thank the State College Grow Library Authority for their assistance on some

[30:28] industry leaks we have, once everybody started looking in the leak disappeared.

[30:37] It's an unusual technique, but then we'll take it.

[30:43] Thank you.

[30:46] It's given problems just disappears long as it just didn't move elsewhere.

[30:52] Ferguson Township.

[30:53] Oh no, report.

[30:54] All right, and we don't have half one Harris or a pattern of things.

[31:00] How about our solicitor?

[31:02] We need a free executive session to discuss to actually pending legal matters.

[31:09] Otherwise, I have not.

[31:10] Okay.

[31:11] How about our engineer?

[31:13] Just one item to elaborate on the Woodside Water Treatment Plan Upgrades project is...

[31:21] The bulb is too long.

[31:26] All right, well, thank you for everyone's patience.

[31:29] Again, we will return to our engineers report here.

[31:34] What's the water treatment plan?

[31:36] We're ramping up the design portion of that project now.

[31:40] We've developed a conceptual site plan and process flow.

[31:45] Diagrams and also a layout of the proposed floor plan

[31:50] the treatment plants. That's going to be getting up the speed of that here. We're going to

[31:56] be meeting with Brian and his people to further, you know, the flesh out, the design elements.

[32:06] Complete my report. Can you hear? How about treasure our finance? I have no report.

[32:13] Okay. Well with that, we are moving into executive session.

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9/17/26 State College Borough Water Authority

Agenda

Transcript