Foothills Residents: Here are the minutes of the 1/17/2023 JFD #1 meeting.

The meeting was called to order at 7:05pm.

Attendees: Jeffrey Earl, Fred Lavenberg, Drew Bulfer, Brian Stevens, Charlie Windisch.

Location: Deborah Rawson Library meeting room.

1. Bill payment status: Marilyn (via email) stated that as of January 15, 51 households had paid the first quarter bills, 21 that have not. Reminder notices will be sent out.
2.  Treasurer’s report: Brian indicates overall we are in a good position with our finances. Our cash assets are on the low side at present, but we expect the dollars to come in from the state bond and that will restore cash levels to a very healthy level.
3. Bond vote: The vote to approve/disapprove the proposed bond from the State drinking water fund was unanimoulsy approved on December 19, 2022. (Thanks to all who took time out of their day to vote!). The JFD #1 clerk (Charlie Windisch) will submit the necessary documents to our counsel who will review and then forward to the state for the disbursemnt of dollars.
4. Discussion was held regarding engaging with a state program that will put JFD #1 on a priority list in case additional dollars are needed for future improvements.  The program will involve a Prudential Committee member to attend a course offered by the state, and having a Professional Engineer review our current operation. The decison was made to go ahead, as there are many pro’s to doing so and no con’s.
5. Valve replacements – There were a number of curbstop valves that were identified as needing replacement. The committee will get the list from SOS and contact Chris Wells (excavator) to get the work done this year.
6. Bill autopay at Community Bank – All officers have signed the necessary paperwork to begin the process of allowing residents an autopay option. More to come on this.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:49pm.

The information meeting regarding the upcoming bond vote (Loan # RF3-469-3.0) was held on 12/12/2022 at the Deborah Rawson Library meeting room.

Attendees: Fred Lavenberg, Jeffrey Earl, Dan Dube, Jon Byer, Mac Lippert and Charlie Windisch.

Meeting called to order at 7:11pm

The background regarding the need for the loan was discussed. In summary:

The greensand filter (primarily removes the manganese from the water) was installed in 2003 and had reached the end of it’s life. Concerned that the structure could collapse at any time (and result in an immediate and very expensive repair) the Prudential Committee made the decision to have Culligan replace the filter this past summer. The total bill for the greensand filter project (engineering fees, labor, the filter itself) came to $68,335.

Some time prior to last summer, the Committee had been in touch with the state to obtain a long term loan (bond) from the state’s drinking water revolving fund, as the reserves of the Jericho Fire District #1 were not sufficient to cover the full cost of the project.

The state approved our application for $60,000. The loan will be paid over 20 years (one payment per year of $3669.78). There will be no impact to the current quarterly bills.

However, since we are a municipality, the bond cannot be simply accepted by the committee – it must be voted upon by the registered voters of the Foothills development.

That vote will take place next Monday, December 19, 2022. Polls will be open from 10am to 7pm at the Deborah Rawson library meeting room.

There was a question as to whether there are other pending projects regarding the water system. The committee does recognize the need to eventually replace the existing piping that runs from the wellhead to the pump house. The committee wants to take advantage of another state program that will enable dollars to be available for that effort when the time comes.

The meeting ended at 7:30pm