[0:03] >> Good morning, everyone.

[0:05] Welcome to the August 26th regular board meeting of Tampa

[0:09] Bay water.

[0:10] The meeting is available for viewing through live streaming

[0:14] and the recording of the meeting will be

[0:16] posted on the agency's website.

[0:18] Today we are continuing to use our new feature that

[0:21] allows board members to request to speak and to make motions

[0:24] and seconds using their tablets, rather than speaking out.

[0:27] We expect this change to improve accuracy and clarity,

[0:30] as it can be difficult to hear across the dais.

[0:33] Board members, as we move through the meeting,

[0:35] please use your tablets for these functions.

[0:38] We appreciate everyone's patience

[0:39] as we adjust to this new process.

[0:41] At this moment, we have our pledge of allegiance,

[0:44] and our vice chair is going to lead us.

[0:50] >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States

[0:52] of America and to the Republic for which it stands,

[0:52] one nation under God, indivisible,

[0:53] with liberty and justice for all.

[1:02] >> Thank you.

[1:03] You may be seated.

[1:04] Clerk, can you please call roll call?

[1:13] >> (Calling roll)

[1:28] Madam Chair, a quorum is present.

[1:33] Lisset Hanewicz: Thank you.

[1:34] Board members, were there any changes to the agenda?

[1:37] I see none.

[1:38] At this point, we go to public comment.

[1:40] Each speaker will have three minutes to speak.

[1:42] The first speaker I have here is David Ballard Gettis,

[1:49] Jr. Good morning.

[1:53] >> Good morning.

[1:54] I live on Georgia Avenue in Palm Harbor.

[1:56] The Federalist Papers reveals three constitutions, the former,

[2:03] the latter, and the last resort.

[2:07] One and one and one is three.

[2:11] It's got to be good looking, it's just so hard to see.

[2:14] Tip your hat to the new constitution

[2:15] and pray you don't get fooled again.

[2:18] This change had to come.

[2:20] You knew it all along.

[2:22] And even Mick Jagger, at Madison Square Gardens in 1969,

[2:27] said, welcome to the breakfast shell.

[2:31] The Federalist Papers were not written by Hamilton, Madison,

[2:36] or John J. The Federalist Papers were originally drafted

[2:41] by a shoemaker by the name of Jacob Boehme --

[2:45] shoemaker, stick to thy last.

[2:47] The Declaration of Independence, in perpetuity,

[2:50] counterfeits itself as preamble to a second Constitution,

[2:54] seen as the captures of water, in article 1, section 8,

[3:01] clause 11, birthing unwarranted 14th amendment water

[3:05] jurisdictions, as declared, thus revealing the methodology

[3:09] of the Prince in the Declaration of Independence,

[3:13] written by Niccolo Machiavelli --

[3:17] for it is far better to be feared than it is to be loved.

[3:21] Even George Washington -- he claims to be of greatest

[3:26] rankness and truly one's worst enemy in his farewell

[3:30] to Christianity address.

[3:31] He states that, twice we are being given a useful lesson

[3:37] on our heads, seen as a useful art for limited times

[3:40] in article 1, section 8, clause 8.

[3:46] Our current constitution, unconstitutionally,

[3:49] is being used as a letter of Marquis, an ex post facto

[3:53] form of reprisal, seen as inexcusably

[3:57] defective in Federalist paper number 64,

[4:00] both deaf to the voice of justice and consequently,

[4:04] as written in the Declaration of Independence.

[4:07] Abraham Lincoln -- he did not write the 14th amendment.

[4:11] He amended it to include the rebellion clause,

[4:16] denouncing the book of Rebellion,

[4:18] such Well-bound book of rebellion as possibly

[4:22] found in statute 298.36.

[4:28] London bridges falling down, London Bridge is falling down,

[4:33] and they can take their wayfaring mercenaries

[4:35] down with them, too.

[4:37] Welcome to the bond market.

[4:40] Thank you.

[4:42] Lisset Hanewicz: Thank you.

[4:43] Next up, Joe Abersoch.

[4:48] Good morning.

[4:52] >> Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

[4:54] My name is Joe.

[4:55] I live in Tampa, Florida, 3.6 miles north of the football

[4:59] stadium on Lake Carol.

[5:03] Representing Lake Carol today -- approximately 1000 people.

[5:11] There's about 400 homes on the lake, about 600

[5:14] that used the lake.

[5:17] The lake is at record low, and we are (Inaudible).

[5:23] Based on that condition, the lake is under duress to this

[5:27] degree -- there is no boating.

[5:29] There is no fishing.

[5:30] There is no action.

[5:31] And worse, there is collateral damage.

[5:34] There is a number of boats, probably 50, up on the lift

[5:39] because we have no water under our dock or lift.

[5:43] Those boats are stranded there.

[5:46] That brings us to, why am I here?

[5:50] I am here representing the three associations

[5:53] that are asking for help.

[5:56] We know we cannot solve this problem.

[5:59] This problem is very complex.

[6:02] It requires a lot of effort, coordination,

[6:06] of which I want to report now that there was coordination

[6:11] being done through the coordination help (Inaudible).

[6:16] He's going to set up the meeting to do this.

[6:18] That's why I'm here, is to personally thank him

[6:22] for his responsibility to support us.

[6:25] But I also know that it's going to take a lot more coordination

[6:31] .

[6:32] We are in a drought.

[6:34] Where is it going to end?

[6:36] I don't know.

[6:37] But that's why we're here.

[6:38] In summary, I want to thank you for the time this morning

[6:41] and the opportunity to speak with you.

[6:43] And if you keep in mind, Lake Carroll needs your help.

[6:48] Thank you very much.

[6:51] Lisset Hanewicz: Thank you.

[6:52] I have no more public speakers.

[6:55] If you can just keep us posted on your work, we appreciate it.

[7:00] Thank you.

[7:01] Next up, we move on to consent.

[7:05] Are there any items that the board wishes to pull?

[7:08] I don't see any.

[7:14] So we have the --

[7:16] I had the mover to approve as Commissioner Wostal.

[7:23] Seconder, Miranda.

[7:29] >> I'm going to spam that button the whole meeting.

[7:35] Lisset Hanewicz: He moved quickly, and he exactly what

[7:37] he was doing.

[7:40] Board members, please enter your votes.

[7:45] >> Motion passes unanimously.

[7:48] Lisset Hanewicz: Thank you, clerk.

[7:50] Next up, we move to the regular agenda.

[7:52] We have the general manager's report.

[7:54] This item is for information only.

[8:00] Charles Carden: Good morning, Madam chair and members

[8:01] of the board.

[8:02] We will start by having Mr. Hogg go to the presentation podium

[8:08] as I speak to the conditions out there briefly.

[8:10] He will get into a little more detail in.

[8:13] We are still in the drought.

[8:15] We are about more than halfway through

[8:17] our typical rainy season.

[8:19] Good news is, we did put some water in the reservoir,

[8:23] and it has been a long time coming.

[8:25] I know we are about -- we are over 4 billion gallons.

[8:29] The reservoir does hold 15 billion gallons,

[8:32] so we have got a long way to go.

[8:34] It took a while to get to where we are,

[8:36] so it will take a little while to get out.

[8:39] Warren, would you walk us through some of the statistics?

[8:45] >> Yes, good morning, Madam chair, members of the board.

[8:48] We are still looking at drought conditions

[8:50] that cover most of the state, especially our tri county area.

[8:55] We have started making some progress

[8:57] in diminishing the drought conditions,

[8:59] although it is still persistently

[9:02] in extreme or severe drought over almost all

[9:05] of the three county area.

[9:07] This was an update from last week.

[9:10] This map is updated once per week,

[9:12] and we do watch it closely to see how things are progressing.

[9:15] Since the rains happened, it caused some recovery.

[9:19] I don't expect a whole lot of gain

[9:23] to be seen for the next week or so.

[9:27] But we are anticipating our summer rains

[9:29] to return later this week.

[9:31] Hopefully they will return and stay with us.

[9:35] Our service area remains in a stage 3 regional water supply

[9:41] shortage under our Water Shortage mitigation plan,

[9:44] and that is because we are running a rainfall deficit

[9:46] of 14.3in over the last year.

[9:50] And the flow in the Hillsborough River

[9:53] remains at 23.3 million gallons a day

[9:57] below the normal level for the last 12 months.

[10:01] Water Management District continues its phase 3 water

[10:08] shortage restrictions, and that is good until at least October

[10:11] 1st.

[10:11] If we don't see some improvements in our conditions,

[10:15] that could possibly be extended.

[10:17] We'll be continuing those discussions with the Water

[10:20] Management district.

[10:21] So water conservation enforcement

[10:26] will remain critical through the summer

[10:29] and fall as we try to recover and focus

[10:31] on storing as much water in the reservoir as possible.

[10:36] Mr. Carden mentioned, it took a while to get into this.

[10:41] It's going to take a while to get out.

[10:42] We started our drought conditions

[10:44] in September of last year.

[10:46] We should have gotten 7.5 to 8in of rain,

[10:48] but we only got about 2.

[10:50] It has been very, very dry since, with only average rain

[10:55] in December and July.

[10:57] We had one good month, and that was May.

[11:00] That has put us into the significant shortage

[11:03] that we are in.

[11:05] We did get River flows increasing in late July,

[11:11] with rains finally in the upper part of the river basins.

[11:15] Until then, much of the rain had been

[11:17] along the coastal communities, which does help reduce demand,

[11:20] but it did not make the rivers flow to the point

[11:23] where we could sustainably harvest water.

[11:27] Through the month of July, for the first ten months,

[11:32] we delivered an average of 206.1 million gallons a day

[11:36] for the year to date.

[11:38] It's about 7 million gallons a day higher than last year

[11:41] because of the drought conditions.

[11:43] It's about 3.5% more water than last year.

[11:47] We are focused on refilling the reservoir,

[11:52] but we are looking for glimmers of good news.

[11:54] It appears that the conservation and enforcement of restrictions

[11:58] is paying off.

[12:01] We had projected, throughout the beginning of the year,

[12:05] we project what we need to deliver,

[12:07] we expect to deliver each month.

[12:12] For the month of July, we delivered about 10 million

[12:14] gallons a day less than we had anticipated.

[12:16] For us, that means that the restrictions and the enforcement

[12:20] are helping, along with some of the much needed rain

[12:23] in the coastal communities.

[12:25] The 12 month average rate for the consolidated permit

[12:30] Wellfields has been steadily increasing

[12:33] since July of last year, and we reached a 12 month

[12:37] running average of 106.3 million gallons a day

[12:40] at the end of July.

[12:42] As we are focused on refilling the reservoir as much as we can

[12:50] this summer, it has caused us to shift our production

[12:52] to other facilities, such as the well fields,

[12:56] at the desalination facility, so we can store

[13:00] as much water as possible.

[13:02] We do anticipate this will begin to decline as soon as we

[13:07] can get some sustained rains.

[13:09] We are running our surface water treatment plant

[13:11] at 30 million gallons a day.

[13:13] For this month, we have been running that simply

[13:15] from river flow, not taking any out of the reservoir.

[13:18] That's good news.

[13:20] We are either running at 30 for what we capture --

[13:23] everything else is going right into the reservoir for storage.

[13:26] The south Central Hillsborough Regional Wellfield, the running

[13:31] average, average 26.57 million gallons a day

[13:35] at the end of July, which is below its permit limit.

[13:38] And we expect to remain pretty close to the permit limit

[13:42] for the coming months.

[13:44] Our reservoir was forecasted to be almost 3.5 to 4 billion

[13:52] gallons at the end of July.

[13:55] We were flat lined, as we have not stored any water in it

[13:59] until really the end of the month.

[14:01] As of last night, we did increase over 4 billion gallons.

[14:07] We are now about 26% full.

[14:10] That's an encouraging sign.

[14:13] If we can get good summer rains starting again this week,

[14:16] we will store as much as we can for the coming dry season.

[14:20] Before we transition, I'd be happy to answer any questions

[14:25] on this section.

[14:30] Lisset Hanewicz: Questions?

[14:33] Thank you.

[14:38] Charles Carden: I will continue with some

[14:38] of the topics on this slide.

[14:40] In July, our IT department and some of our other leadership

[14:44] departments conducted a cybersecurity tabletop exercise.

[14:48] It was our first time doing that internally.

[14:52] It Was very well attended, and we

[15:00] learned a lot working amongst ourselves

[15:01] and something that is a different threat out there.

[15:05] We also continued to closely monitor

[15:07] reports of the cyber activity targeting water utilities

[15:11] across the United States.

[15:13] We remain actively engaged in evaluating possible threats

[15:17] to our systems.

[15:19] Also, last month, at the agency hosted a series of knowledge

[15:22] to implementation workshops --

[15:27] we call them K2i.

[15:27] We had three of our members -- they were represented here,

[15:32] Hillsborough County, Pinellas, with these workshops.

[15:36] We shared knowledge and explored innovative solutions

[15:38] to some of the common utility challenges that we all face.

[15:43] Also, just Tuesday last week, at the Pasco County Commissioners

[15:49] formally approved requesting with Tampa Bay water, somewhere

[15:55] east of Cypress Creek.

[15:55] We have to work out the details.

[15:57] It is something that will come to this board

[16:02] in the form of a letter.

[16:03] We will bring it to the next board meeting for approval,

[16:06] and then we will evaluate and work out

[16:09] an agreement with the county.

[16:11] I believe the letter coming will say a new point of connection

[16:15] is needed by the year 2035.

[16:17] Also wanted to give you an update on our pricing of bonds

[16:22] that we did in July.

[16:24] The board approved a resolution to secure $292 million

[16:28] for our capital improvement plan coming up and also refunded

[16:33] a portion of the outstanding 2016-A bonds.

[16:38] On August 4th column at the agency price the revenue bonds

[16:41] and the refunding bonds, and they were well received

[16:46] by the investors.

[16:47] In fact, they were oversubscribed six times,

[16:51] meaning we needed $360 million, and we ended up

[16:55] getting orders for over 2.3 billion,

[16:57] which put us in a good position to negotiate lower rates.

[17:01] The next challenge or milestone will be August 27th.

[17:05] That will be the closing of the bond funds.

[17:09] So that should be coming up here in the next two weeks.

[17:13] Also, we have been busy talking to local stations

[17:19] and the newspapers about the recent rain in our drought

[17:22] conditions.

[17:23] You see here, Warren, myself, Paul

[17:26] or on some of the local news stations

[17:29] talking about the recent rains and how they are affecting us.

[17:33] Malik Rankin -- she is on the picture on the far right --

[17:39] she is our public communications specialist.

[17:41] She participated in Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful Back to School

[17:45] Bash earlier this month.

[17:47] We sponsor their education program,

[17:49] which helps make these events and activities possible.

[17:53] And recently, our staff attended the

[17:57] build Saint Pete Construction Expo, which

[18:00] connects businesses and buyers and agencies

[18:02] to provide access to opportunities and partnerships.

[18:06] And finally, I would like to congratulate the finance team

[18:11] for receiving the Government Finance Officers Association

[18:17] Distinguished Budget Presentation Award.

[18:21] I believe it is the year number 18 in a war, so --

[18:26] your number 18 in a row, so -- year number 18 in a row,

[18:34] so congratulations.

[18:35] With that, I'm happy to take any questions.

[18:41] Lisset Hanewicz:18 year streak.

[18:41] I don't see any requests to speak.

[18:43] We are going to move on to our action items.

[18:45] We have C.1 and C.2 that are going to be presented together.

[18:52] Good morning.

[18:56] >> Good morning, madam chair, members of the board.

[18:58] Today will present two related action

[19:00] items that support the final delivery of the South

[19:03] Hillsborough pipeline and associated projects.

[19:06] This map illustrates our South Hillsborough pipeline project.

[19:12] The pipeline is essential to meeting

[19:14] Hillsborough County's growing water needs in the 2028 time

[19:18] frame.

[19:19] In addition to the pipeline, the project

[19:22] also includes the requested improvements

[19:24] to Hillsborough County's infrastructure, as well as

[19:28] new points of connection and a new alkalinity adjustment

[19:34] facility.

[19:34] This project is being delivered through the Construction Manager

[19:40] at risk.

[19:43] The work is competitively bid and awarded

[19:45] as the project advances, allowing construction

[19:50] to proceed while remaining design elements are finalized.

[19:52] The board initially approved Garney and has already

[19:59] approved the Preconstruction services and three

[20:02] guaranteed maximum GMP packages.

[20:05] Today's action is for the fourth and final package.

[20:07] The project is well underway, and work on segment B

[20:12] of the pipeline is beginning.

[20:13] And approval of this package will

[20:16] provide the remaining construction

[20:17] scope needed to complete the South Hillsborough pipeline

[20:21] project.

[20:22] I will proceed with a more detailed construction

[20:25] update at the end of this meeting under Agenda Item D.1.

[20:31] Now, moving on to the action Items, agenda item C.1 --

[20:35] we request approval of the Fourth Amendment --

[20:42] GMP number 4 includes the new alkalinity adjustment facility,

[20:48] Hillsborough County improvements, and the points

[20:50] of connection work.

[20:51] The total value of this GMP is $53.65 million,

[20:55] with Tampa Bay water funding about 38.8 million

[21:00] and Hillsborough County funding about $14.8 million.

[21:04] With that, staff recommends the approval of this GMP amendment

[21:12] in the amount of $53.65 million.

[21:25] Dave Eggers: Thank you for the presentation.

[21:25] Just a brief update on how we are doing with these projects,

[21:28] as compared to what we were estimating costs to be --

[21:33] just trying to get a feel overall.

[21:37] >> Sure.

[21:37] I have my handy notes in here.

[21:39] So initially, the project scope included segment a, segment B,

[21:43] and the points of connection work.

[21:46] The current budget, as published in our latest program,

[21:51] is $505.7 million, and with the work

[21:56] that we are requesting approval today,

[21:58] the total budget is $534.4 million.

[22:03] It's about $28.7 million above the current budget.

[22:11] Most of the work and the delta that we see in this project

[22:17] is reflected with work that was requested

[22:20] by Hillsborough County, a significant portion of that.

[22:23] In addition to that, we have increased slightly the budget

[22:28] for property acquisition for segment B.

[22:32] That's the delta that you will see and the net increase.

[22:40] Dave Eggers: Thank you.

[22:43] Lisset Hanewicz: I don't see any other request to speak.

[22:45] If anyone wants to make a motion --

[22:49] we have Commissioner Wostal moving with a second

[22:56] by Commissioner Cohen.

[23:01] >> Motion passes unanimously.

[23:04] Lisset Hanewicz: Thank you.

[23:05] Move on to the next item?

[23:08] >> With approval of the GMP amendment addressed in this

[23:10] agenda item, I will now transition to agenda item C.2,

[23:14] which addresses the program and Construction Management services

[23:17] for this project.

[23:19] Now, they have supported Tampa Bay water

[23:22] throughout the planning, design, GMP negotiations,

[23:26] and construction phases of the South Hillsborough pipeline

[23:28] program and associated projects under their Integrated Program

[23:35] Services Management contract.

[23:36] They have been supporting this program since 2022.

[23:40] This amendment to task authorization under

[23:44] their contract -- they will continue to provide the three

[23:47] key functions shown on this slide.

[23:50] Through these efforts, they will continue overseeing program

[23:54] delivery, coordinating the engineering and construction

[23:57] services and teams, and provide a strategic support to Tampa Bay

[24:05] Water --

[24:06] completion and closeout.

[24:07] With that, staff request approval of this assignment

[24:12] increase to Black and Veatch in the amount of $3.76 million.

[24:19] Lisset Hanewicz: I don't see any request to speak.

[24:24] Dave Eggers: Again, kind of a cost --

[24:25] this is just the last piece, so what is their contract total bid

[24:31] so far?

[24:33] >> Agenda item C.2 do have the total number reflected.

[24:37] If you give me one second, I will find it exactly.

[24:39] I believe it is $7.3 million, the total, since 2022,

[24:49] through the end of this project, which will be by the end of --

[24:57] Dave Eggers: 3.7 that we are --

[25:00] >> The aggregate of the entire assignment will be 7.37.

[25:07] Dave Eggers: $534 million?

[25:12] >> That's included in that total.

[25:15] Lisset Hanewicz: I don't see any other requests to speak.

[25:15] If there is a motion to approve --

[25:17] there is a motion by Commissioner Wostal and second

[25:23] by Commissioner Eggers.

[25:30] >> Motion passes unanimously.

[25:33] Lisset Hanewicz: Thank you.

[25:34] Next up, we have C.3 that is going to be presented

[25:38] by our general counsel.

[25:41] >> This is another item related to the South Hillsborough

[25:42] pipeline, requesting approval of the settlement with the Fishhawk

[25:46] Community Development District for easements and two temporary

[25:49] easements -- that's the most property we are obtaining from

[25:53] any one parcel or property owner.

[25:55] The amount of the settlement is a little over $2.1 million in.

[25:59] Recommended by our Special counsel,

[26:01] and we are recommending approval.

[26:03] Happy to answer any questions.

[26:08] Dave Eggers: Same question -- how are we doing as it relates

[26:11] to what we were estimating those costs to be total?

[26:16] >> I would have to defer to Maribel to give you those

[26:20] figures.

[26:24] >> I'm glad I prepared for this in.

[26:25] So actually, property acquisition

[26:27] have increased slightly for segment B. Most of the remaining

[26:33] parcels that we are acquiring are undergoing the eminent

[26:35] domain process.

[26:36] We have seen that we have been negotiating quite a lot

[26:41] with the property owners.

[26:43] So initially, segment B had a budget of $9 million,

[26:49] and we are estimating, as of today,

[26:50] that we will be spending $11.4 million -- fron 9,

[26:59] initial budget on property cost only.

[27:03] Dave Eggers: Let me just add, that is to segment B.

[27:05] The entire property budget for that whole pipeline is $23 --

[27:13] Charles Carden: Let me just add, that is segment B. We've got --

[27:18] a total of 204.

[27:19] We are getting close to the end.

[27:21] We have some -- in the budget.

[27:27] Dave Eggers: You have spent 11.4 on B?

[27:32] Charles Carden: On the entire A and B.

[27:36] Dave Eggers: The budget was 23 originally?

[27:41] Charles Carden: Yes.

[27:43] Dave Eggers: Thank you.

[27:45] Lisset Hanewicz: I don't see any other requests to speak.

[27:45] There's a motion to approve.

[27:47] There is a motion by Commissioner Eggers,

[27:53] second by Commissioner Wostal.

[27:58] >> The motion passes unanimously.

[28:02] Lisset Hanewicz: Thank you.

[28:04] C.4 -- this is going to be presented by Danielle,

[28:07] the senior project manager.

[28:08] Good morning, Danielle.

[28:12] >> Good morning.

[28:13] Agenda item C.4 is an action item.

[28:17] At the end of this presentation, I

[28:18] will be requesting approval for the Professional Engineering

[28:21] Services contract.

[28:22] As a reminder, the South Hillsborough Wellfield

[28:26] has been a potential water supply project since 2018,

[28:30] and public engagement has occurred since 2021.

[28:33] Staff completed a feasibility study in 2021

[28:36] that included the construction of the test production well

[28:39] and aquifer performance Test.

[28:40] The study confirmed the project's feasibility

[28:43] and alignment with the board's approved evaluation criteria

[28:46] of cost effectiveness, environmental stewardship,

[28:49] and viability.

[28:51] The second aquifer performance test

[28:53] was conducted in 2023, which validated these results.

[28:57] October of 2025, the board approved this project

[29:00] as a new water supply and treatment capacity project.

[29:03] Since then, the team has advertised

[29:05] request for proposals for professional engineering

[29:08] and Construction Manager at Risk Services.

[29:10] Today's presentation is for approval of the Professional

[29:13] Engineering Services contract.

[29:15] This project was originally contingent on agreement with

[29:18] Hillsborough County that included the purchase

[29:20] of groundwater recharge credits to provide the net benefit

[29:29] associated with our proposed withdrawals --

[29:34] unable to reach terms of agreement in a timely manner,

[29:38] and the project was put back into the long term master water

[29:41] plan for future consideration.

[29:42] Since that time, this board has approved the acquisition

[29:45] of water use permits from private landowners,

[29:47] enabling the transfer of water use permits to this wellfield.

[29:51] We now have acquired 3.7 million gallons per day

[29:54] and are working towards three more

[29:56] water use permit acquisitions that we estimate

[29:59] will yield about 5.5 MGD.

[30:05] We can also increase the yield of this wellfield

[30:07] by up to 6.1 million gallons per day

[30:09] if we can successfully negotiate to buy reclaimed credits

[30:11] with Hillsborough County.

[30:12] This yield is based on the county's minimum recharge

[30:15] of up to 10 million gallons per day.

[30:18] The total potential yield of 6 to 12 million gallons

[30:21] could go up if we acquire additional permits

[30:24] or if Hillsborough County increases its aquifer recharge

[30:26] system.

[30:27] This project does have potential to be implemented in phases,

[30:31] as we acquire additional quantities.

[30:35] The proposed wellfield layout shown here

[30:37] would support withdrawals of 6 to 12 MGD,

[30:43] with the design and construction of up to eight production

[30:45] wells, monitoring wells, approximately four miles

[30:47] of collector main piping, a groundwater ozone treatment

[30:50] facility for the removal of hydrogen sulfide,

[30:52] and a point of connection and metering facilities.

[30:54] This project will be delivered using a construction manager

[30:57] at risk, which is the same delivery

[31:00] method being used currently for the South Hillsborough pipeline.

[31:03] The estimated completion date is November 2029,

[31:06] which will help meet the region's growing drinking water

[31:10] needs.

[31:11] The scope of services for this project or this contract

[31:14] includes a well design and testing, water treatment

[31:17] and collector main design, groundwater modeling,

[31:20] permitting support, surveying services,

[31:24] CMAR collaboration and negotiation support,

[31:28] and public outreach.

[31:30] And with that, staff recommends approval of the Professional

[31:34] Engineering Services contract with Stantec consulting

[31:38] for $14.3 million.

[31:44] Lisset Hanewicz: Thank you.

[31:44] I don't see any requests to speak on this item.

[31:46] Is there a motion on this item?

[31:49] There is a motion to approve by Commissioner Cohen, seconded

[31:54] by Council Member Miranda.

[31:58] Please enter your votes.

[32:03] >> Motion passes unanimously.

[32:06] Lisset Hanewicz: Thank you.

[32:06] We are done, I think, with the South Hillsborough items.

[32:09] Next up, we have surface water treatment plant item.

[32:12] That is C.5.

[32:15] The project manager is going to be presenting.

[32:18] Good morning.

[32:22] >> Good morning Madam Chair, and members of the board.

[32:24] I am Tampa Bay Water Project manager I'm.

[32:26] Agenda item C.5 is an action item at the surface water

[32:33] treatment plant.

[32:34] At the end of this presentation, I

[32:35] will be requesting your approval for the contract amendment

[32:39] for the construction phase services associated

[32:43] to this project.

[32:46] The supervisory control and data acquisition system, better known

[32:53] as the SCADA system, is used by Tampa Bay Water

[32:57] to monitor and control facilities remotely, using

[32:59] real time operational data.

[33:01] The SCADA system project, which is included in our capital

[33:07] improvement program, will modernize the technology

[33:09] behind the system, including PLCs,

[33:13] data networks, and cybersecurity controls, among others.

[33:18] The design phase services, known as the phase 1 ,

[33:26] was approved by this board back in February 2025.

[33:28] Since then, our team have finished 100% design,

[33:32] which includes engineering evaluations and the negotiated

[33:37] guaranteed maximum price for phase 2, construction phase,

[33:42] which is amendment being -- which is presented today.

[33:45] As for the coming milestones, we will start construction

[33:50] activities now in August, concurrently

[33:53] with the surface water treatment plant expansion project,

[33:56] and we will reach substantial completion and final completion

[34:01] by December 2028 and February 2029, respectively.

[34:06] Moving on, this slide summarizes the project costs

[34:12] under the existing contract and the proposed $20 million

[34:21] amendment, which includes equipment and materials,

[34:25] construction labor, and owners allowances and contingencies.

[34:29] With that, staff requests approval of the negotiated

[34:34] agreement amendment with Veolia for the construction services

[34:40] in the amount of $20.3 million, which includes about --

[34:45] this concludes my presentation.

[34:46] I'm happy to take any questions.

[34:51] Lisset Hanewicz: Thank you.

[34:51] I don't see any requests to speak at this time.

[34:53] Is there a motion on this item?

[34:55] There is a motion from Commissioner Wostal, seconded

[35:01] by Council Member Miranda.

[35:02] If you can open voting, Council members,

[35:08] please issue your votes.

[35:12] >> Motion passes unanimously.

[35:14] Lisset Hanewicz: Next up, we have C.6.

[35:16] This is for professional services contracts,

[35:18] as needed engineering services.

[35:20] This is going to be presented by James

[35:22] Smith, professional engineer.

[35:26] >> Good morning.

[35:27] Again, my name is James Smith.

[35:27] I'm a professional engineer in the engineering department.

[35:30] This, I will present agenda item C.6 regarding the new as needed

[35:34] engineering services professional services

[35:38] contracts and request your approval.

[35:40] The current as needed engineering contracts

[35:44] approved in September of 2021 are nearing expiration.

[35:47] Recent updates to Florida's consultants Competitive

[35:50] Negotiation Act increased the threshold

[35:52] for continuing contracts, allowing

[35:55] Tampa Bay water greater flexibility in delivering

[35:58] smaller engineering projects.

[36:00] Tampa Bay Water continues to advance major capital

[36:03] improvements, asset renewal efforts, and long term planning

[36:07] initiatives.

[36:07] To support this work, we need to access a wide range

[36:10] of engineering expertise.

[36:12] These contracts provide flexibility to obtain

[36:14] specialized support through studies, design, permitting,

[36:18] and technical services, as needs arise,

[36:21] without conducting separate -- for each assignment.

[36:25] We conducted a procurement process

[36:27] that is described in your agenda memo.

[36:29] Firms were invited to create teams

[36:31] that qualified for all engineering disciplines.

[36:34] There were 25 responses to Tampa Bay Water's invitation

[36:38] for the five year contract at a value

[36:40] not to exceed $1.25 million.

[36:42] And individual tasks to up to $500,000.

[36:44] Tasks above this amount will require board approval,

[36:48] as the task that supports a CIP project.

[36:54] Evaluating 25 responses is a significant effort.

[36:57] A special thank you to the Committee for their huge effort

[37:01] in evaluating the responses.

[37:02] Award of these contracts does not obligate the board

[37:05] at this time.

[37:06] The budgets for these expenditures

[37:09] are (Inaudible) approved each year or in the project

[37:12] budgets, as approved by the board.

[37:14] Based on the qualifications and very tight scoring,

[37:17] all 25 contracts are recommended for award

[37:20] for as needed engineering for the next five years.

[37:23] This slide lists the recommended firms.

[37:26] Out of the 25, nine firms are brand new

[37:32] or have not worked with Tampa Bay Water recently.

[37:35] Staff recommends approval.

[37:38] This concludes my presentation.

[37:40] I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.

[37:45] Lisset Hanewicz: Thank you.

[37:46] Any comments, questions?

[37:48] I guess we have increased over 100% -- from 12 to 25?

[37:54] That's good.

[37:55] More competitive.

[37:55] If there is a motion on this item --

[37:57] there is a motion to approve by Commissioner Wostal.

[38:02] Clark, if you can open the machine

[38:03] for voting, board members, please enter your votes.

[38:09] >> Motion passes unanimously.

[38:12] Lisset Hanewicz: Thank you.

[38:12] We move on to presentation and reports.

[38:14] The first presentation is the South Hillsborough pipeline

[38:18] and surface water treatment plant expansion projects

[38:20] construction update, and Maribel Medina is going to present this.

[38:28] >> Now to the fun stuff, right?

[38:34] Agenda item D.1 provides an update --

[38:37] I will start with an update on our surface water treatment

[38:39] plant expansion project.

[38:41] Now, the surface water treatment plant

[38:44] is the heart or workhorse of our surface water system.

[38:49] In 2022, the board approved this project

[38:52] as part of our long term master Water

[38:54] plan to meet the region's needs by the year 2028.

[38:59] The plant expansion will provide up to an additional 12.5 million

[39:04] gallons per day to the region.

[39:07] It includes a fifth treatment train,

[39:12] along with supporting systems, which are labeled A

[39:16] through E on the diagram.

[39:18] The new treatment train will mirror the existing treatment

[39:21] processes currently in operation.

[39:24] Area A represents the fifth treatment train.

[39:27] Area B shows the built -- belt press replacement.

[39:34] Area C identifies the location of the three new filters.

[39:39] Area D shows the location of the chemical buildings,

[39:43] and area E shows the expanded solids drying beds.

[39:47] In area A, ground reinforcement has been completed.

[39:50] The team is currently working to cut these reinforcement columns

[39:55] down to grade before installing the load to transfer platform.

[39:58] The picture on the bottom right shows the ongoing work

[40:01] for the routed columns cut down to rate in support of the load

[40:06] transfer platform installation.

[40:08] The main picture shows the pipe Gallery new overhead conduits

[40:14] piping from the south electrical building into train number 5.

[40:20] In area B, three of the belt filter presses

[40:22] have been delivered to the site and are set in place.

[40:25] The installation of piping and feeding

[40:27] connections to support the new presses is now in progress.

[40:31] And the main picture shows the new belt filter

[40:35] press area and plumbing work, and the top left picture

[40:39] shows one of the belt filter presses containment

[40:42] walls and concrete pedestals.

[40:45] In area C and D, the team have completed the installation

[40:51] of the 16 inch filter to waste piping and concrete encasement,

[40:56] the installation of formwork and Rebar

[40:58] at the hypochlorite and ferric tanks, and leak

[41:02] testing of the chemical tank containment area walls.

[41:07] The team is now working on the installation of the 48 inch

[41:10] piping at an existing connection and new filter 16

[41:15] through 18, load transfer platform, and conduit

[41:19] installation from the dry chemical building

[41:21] to the electrical building.

[41:23] Now, the top right picture shows the chemical tank containment

[41:27] wall Rebar installation, and the main picture

[41:33] shows the final product and leak test for this new chemical tank

[41:37] containment area.

[41:38] Overall, the surface water treatment plant project

[41:41] is progressing well and remains on track.

[41:44] Construction work is currently at 10% of work completed,

[41:48] and spending is aligned at 20% of the total $167 million

[41:54] budget.

[41:56] As construction activities increase,

[41:58] our effort will continue to be on maintaining

[42:02] alignment between progress, spending, and schedule

[42:05] performance.

[42:06] At this stage, we have not identified any need

[42:09] to use our owner's allowances.

[42:14] Now I will proceed with an update on our distribution

[42:18] system expansion project, the South Hillsborough pipeline.

[42:25] Lisset Hanewicz: Before you proceed,

[42:27] I have Commissioner Wostal.

[42:29] You want to wait till the end?

[42:33] Okay.

[42:34] >> This pipeline will carry water from our surface water

[42:34] treatment plant at the Regional Facilities site to Hillsborough

[42:38] County to meet the county's water needs.

[42:43] You will recall, from previous presentations,

[42:46] that we have identified 17 tunnel locations that

[42:50] were strategically planned to minimize traffic disruptions

[42:54] and reduce environmental impacts during construction, as well.

[43:00] Those are shown in the orange diamonds

[43:03] across the entire route.

[43:05] Since our last update, we have added

[43:08] two additional red circles, which

[43:10] show the locations where tunneling work has

[43:13] been completed.

[43:14] A total of six locations have been completed.

[43:17] Now, here is another look at the route,

[43:21] showing all the locations under construction for both segments A

[43:27] and B. These sites include micro tunnels, open trench

[43:34] installation.

[43:35] Over the past month, the project team

[43:38] has worked really hard to prepare

[43:41] for back to school traffic near construction zones.

[43:44] Numerous coordination meetings were

[43:46] held with Hillsborough County Public Schools, transportation,

[43:50] and safety departments, and Hillsborough County Sheriff's

[43:53] Office was represented in some of these meetings.

[43:57] There was also close coordination

[43:59] with Brandon High School, Kingswood Elementary,

[44:02] Boyette Springs Elementary, Valrico Academy,

[44:08] Bell Creek Academy, and Saint Stephen's Catholic.

[44:12] Before the school started, the team

[44:15] created and printed fliers for six different schools'

[44:19] back to back nights and created social media graphics

[44:22] for schools to post on their websites or social media

[44:26] channels.

[44:27] And we are happy to report that construction, despite all

[44:31] the weather-related challenges, at Brandon High

[44:36] School has been completed.

[44:37] The east and west parking lots were

[44:39] accessible before the start of the school year.

[44:41] And to make up time and minimize impacts at Kingswood Elementary

[44:45] School, the contractor had two crews working, one day crew

[44:52] and one night crew, to complete the installation

[44:55] as soon as possible.

[44:56] This morning, I got the text message

[44:58] saying that all work is complete.

[44:59] So this is excellent news for the project

[45:01] and the parents in that area.

[45:04] Moving on, crews also are making progress in other locations.

[45:11] In the image on the left shows installation of the carrier pipe

[45:15] for the Lakewood Micro Tunnel.

[45:18] The pipe has been installed, and crews

[45:21] are working to backfill the tunnel so that the roads reopen

[45:26] within the next two weeks.

[45:28] The image on the right is a drone view

[45:33] of the Little FishHawk horizontal directional drill.

[45:39] Completion of the horizontal directional drill

[45:41] marked a significant milestone, as

[45:44] both horizontal directional drilling

[45:47] crossings for the project are now complete.

[45:50] The remaining trenches work consists

[45:54] of microtunnel installations.

[45:59] Beyond the outreach to local schools,

[46:00] the public engagement team has created a video reel

[46:06] on the horizontal directional drill which received about

[46:10] 158,000 views across all platforms through July.

[46:14] We also created one on the process that received about

[46:20] 43,000 views and ones on the bentonite slurry used

[46:24] for the pool that received about 81,000 total views.

[46:27] The team is also coordinating efforts

[46:30] with two tours for Hillsborough County staff

[46:33] and a presentation to the Brandon Rotary Club.

[46:39] Overall calm at this project is progressing well

[46:41] and remains on track.

[46:42] Construction is about 8% completed,

[46:46] based on the number of linear feet of pipe installed.

[46:50] And construction spending is aligned

[46:52] at 20% of the total $461.2 million

[46:57] construction budget, which includes construction

[47:00] costs, engineering services during construction,

[47:04] and support.

[47:07] At this stage, we have not identified any correction

[47:09] actions for schedule and budget.

[47:11] And this concludes my presentation.

[47:13] I will be happy to answer any questions.

[47:19] Lisset Hanewicz: Commissioner Wostal?

[47:24] Joshua Wostal: Thank you.

[47:24] My comments are particularly about the pipeline, not

[47:25] the water treatment plant.

[47:27] I know that you guys have done significant outreach,

[47:30] and I understand that, in general,

[47:34] the public would like their water to just magically come

[47:37] from the faucet, and they don't want

[47:39] to see the construction that goes along with it.

[47:41] I met a nice young British woman,

[47:47] about 76, who stopped short of calling me the devil

[47:51] the other day, after acknowledging that I didn't even

[47:53] vote for this because it was done before I was elected.

[47:56] Factually, I would not have voted

[47:59] for this route had I been on the board at this time,

[48:01] or voted for the other one.

[48:03] The school images that we get are just --

[48:08] kind of negate all of the work that we have done to notify

[48:12] the public.

[48:13] You can't force people to be engaged,

[48:15] but we have got to do something more,

[48:18] whether if it is coordinating with Hillsborough County's sign

[48:24] Department that sticks the rezone signs everywhere --

[48:27] perhaps they can, way ahead of time,

[48:32] view scheduling construction, particularly near intersections

[48:34] and schools, that we are posting signs saying, hey,

[48:41] expect delays, explore alternative routes,

[48:44] whatever it is.

[48:46] We have got to find something to notify the public.

[48:50] I mean, I think that it was a poor idea to not do the more

[48:57] rural areas during the --

[49:00] or the more active areas during the summer

[49:02] and the more rural areas during the school season.

[49:05] Whatever can be done, whether if it

[49:09] was from Hillsborough County's water department,

[49:11] just helping notifying the public better,

[49:14] I think the general public would really appreciate it.

[49:17] I mean, they don't want to hear that we did something

[49:20] at the rotary.

[49:21] You can't force people to be engaged.

[49:23] But they are just going to blame no matter what.

[49:28] Whatever we are doing right now doesn't seem to be working.

[49:30] 158,000 views on Facebook might be nice,

[49:35] but I don't think that that's educating the actual residents

[49:39] that are going to see a disruption.

[49:41] Anything that can be done, I would appreciate it.

[49:44] I believe that this constituent was actually the one that came

[49:49] -- she said sometime last year with her daughter.

[49:53] Anything that we can do, I would appreciate it.

[49:57] Thank you.

[50:01] Lisset Hanewicz: I don't see any other comments.

[50:03] Commissioner Wostal, it's horrible to inherit a vote ,

[50:09] and you are not happy with the boat.

[50:12] I know I wasn't for this item because I

[50:13] thought some of this stuff was going to happen.

[50:15] But in any event, I think our team

[50:17] is trying to do the best they can

[50:19] with getting the communications out.

[50:20] If we can do more work, that would be great,

[50:24] to let parents and schools know.

[50:28] I will tell you, no one likes car lines,

[50:32] and no one likes traffic getting to car lines.

[50:38] Yeah, any work on this could be appreciated

[50:40] so we could get the word out.

[50:42] I do agree, the posts getting the views just shows people

[50:44] are interested in the issue.

[50:46] They probably need more communication.

[50:48] Okay, I don't see any other requests to speak.

[50:52] Do we have any other items, administrative matters

[50:58] that any board member wants to address?

[51:00] I don't see any requests to speak on that.

[51:03] That means that we have reached receive and file, which requires

[51:08] a motion to receive and file.

[51:10] I have a motion by Commissioner Wostal and a second

[51:20] by Commissioner Cohen.

[51:26] >> Motion passes unanimously.

[51:28] Lisset Hanewicz: Thank you.

[51:29] We have come to the end of our board meeting,

[51:31] I think, in record time.

[51:34] We have an October scheduled meeting that is one

[51:36] of the meetings that we can decide to go forward or not --

[51:40] I'm sorry, September.

[51:42] I'm looking at October --

[51:43] September meeting.

[51:44] I'm going to fast.

[51:45] We may look to see if maybe we don't have a September

[51:48] meeting, depending on what is on the agenda.

[51:50] I just wanted to let the board members know about that.

[51:53] With no other request to speak, this meeting is adjourned.

[51:55] Thank you, all.

Board of Directors

Agenda

Transcript