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

Location: Deborah Rawson Library meeting room

Meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm.

1. Minutes from the March meeting were approved.
2. Bill payment status: No update was available at the time of the meeting. Second quarter bills were due April 1st!
3. Brian reported the financial situation is excellent. We may end up spending more dollars than budgeted on repairs but our reserves are good.
4. There was a pipe leak at the reservoir building over the past weekend. Jeff Earl was able to shut off the section of pipe leaking. SOS was notified and the pipe was fixed this past Monday.
5. Asset Management Plan is complete. East Engineering has been paid, and JFD #1 has been reimbursed by the State.
6. Valve replacements – Several curbstop valves need replacing. Charlie to call Chris Wells (excavator) to see if this work can be scheduled sometime this summer.
7. Heater for the pump house – An estimate was received from Patterson. At this point, we will wait until the fall to have a new unit installed (to replace the old non-functioning unit).
8. Clutter cleanup – Both the pump house area and reservoir building have accumulated some “clutter”. The committee will organize a cleanup day in the Spring and make a run to the solid waste district to dispose of the miscellaneous waste.

Meeting ended at 7:55pm

Location: Deborah Rawson Library meeting room

Attendees: Jeff Earl, Ann Kroll-Lerner, Drew Bulfer, Kevin Trout, Brian Stevens

Meeting was called to order at 7:10pm

1. Motion to approve the minutes from the February meeting was made. The motion was seconded and the minutes were approved.
2. Bill payment status: Marilyn Marshall (via email) stated that one (1) household is currently delinquent in paying the first quarter bill. Bills for second quarter have been sent out.
3. Financials: Cash flow is good, expenses continue to be ahead of budget due to the January repairs.
4. Service line inventory: All households have had service line information reported to MSK engineering.
5. AMP program status: The JFD#1 Asset Management Plan is complete. The committee will be receiving copies from Tyler Billingsley (Engineering East). The committee will pay Engineering East for the work and engage the state to have this expense fully reimbursed.
6. Lower building heater: Meeting attendees did not know where this stands. The committee will follow up.
7. Electric bill at reservoir: Brian Stevens brought attention to the committee that the electric bill for the reservoir building has been elevated (3-4 times the usage compared to last year, and recent months). This will be investigated.
8. Cleanup day: It was brought up that there is some system refuse at both the well house, and the reservoir. The committee will organize a cleanup day to take care of this, and possibly paint the well house.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:50pm.

Location: Deborah Rawson Library meeting room.

Attendees: Jeff Earl, Fred Lavenberg, Drew Bulfer, Brian Steven, Charlie Windisch

Meeting was called to order at 7:09pm

1. Motion to approve the minutes from the January meeting was made. The motion was seconded and the minutes were approved.
2. Bill payment status: Marilyn Marshall (via email) stated that five (5) households are currently delinquent in paying the first quarter bills. Late notices have been sent out. (Thanks to all who pay on time or have auto pay in place. This saves a lot of time and effort in chasing down those who pay late).
3. Service line inventory – We are currently down to four unknowns in the development (46 Foothills, 58 Foothills, 4 Westview and 10 Ridge). Per Federal requirement, the water service line for every home must be checked to insure it does not contain lead. Households can self report (take a picture and forward to Charlie Windisch) or call MSK Engineering (802 445-5085) to make an appointment for them to come to the house. (** Note – Since the meeting, 46 Foothills and 4 Westview have successfully self reported and are no longer unknowns. **)
4. Financials – Overall, the cash flow is in good shape. Expenses are running ahead of what was budgeted (mostly due to some early January repairs). Hopefully the expenses will get back in line with the budget forecast but the committee will keep an eye on it.
5. Executive session results. Discussion after the last meeting was held among the Prudential Committee regarding who is responsible for the cost incurred in fixing service line leaks. The regulations state the homeowner is responsible if the leak occurs between the curb stop and the house. The committee has upheld this view in the case of a leak at 38 Foothills.
6. JFD #1 By laws. A copy of the by laws was found; copies were distributed at the meeting. The committee agreed to continue discussions at the March meeting. (There are several areas that could use clarification).
7. AMP (asset management plan) status – The committee will get in touch with Tyler Billingsly (Engineering East) to see what is needed to finalize this report and submit to the State.
8. New propane heater at well head house – a formal quote was submitted by Paterson Fuels to replace the old worn out unit.
   

The meeting was adjourned at 8:05 pm.

Meeting place: Deborah Rawson Library meeting room.

Attendees: Amy Saks, Jeff Pavese, Kristen Yens, James Binn, Dan Lerner, Ann Kroll Lerner, Mac Lippert, John Byer, Brian Stevens, Jeffrey Earl, Fred Lavenberg, Kevin Trout, Dan Dube, Charlie Windisch.

The meeting was called to order at 7:07 pm

1. The minutes from the December 2023 meeting were approved.
2. Bill payment status: Marilyn Marshall reported (via an earlier email that all residents have paid up through the 4^th quarter of 2023. (Note: January 2024 bills are now due!)
3. Financials – Brian Stevens discussed in detail the balance sheets for 2023 and the outlook for 2024. We have paid off the bill for the greensand filter out of existing funds, but now also have the new loan dollars from the recent bond to replenish our reserves. There will be no increase in the quarterly payments, remaining at $235 per quarter. Brian also gave a short history on the older bond (taken out to make many upgrades to our current system) and that repayment constitutes about 1/3 of our current budget. It will be paid off in 7 years. Time to think what should be done then – put the extra dollars aside for inevitable upgrades and repairs? Lower the quarterly payments? Brian’s philosophy is to maintain steady, even payments rather than have them decrease only to potentially increase them due to unanticipated events.
4. Asset Management Plan – Feedback from the Prudential Committe is due to Engineering East. This is a detailed report that completely inventories our current system and expected lifetime. Once finalized the report will be made available to all residents.
5. Service Line Inventory (SLI) – A new Federal mandate requires a determination as to the type of pipe entering each home. The goal is to insure no lead pipes were used.  MSK Engineering is working with JFD #1 to complete this inventory. Please comply if you have not completed the inventory for your home!
6. A discussion was held regarding who is responsible for repairs in the service line to the home (section of pipe from curb stop to the home). In most cases the curb stop is clearly on the homeowner’s property, thus it is the owners responsibility. We have a couple of cases where a section of the service line is not on the homeowner’s property. Committee will decide in executive session what the policy is.
7. Joining the Champlain Water District – This topic comes up every once in a while in that residents feel it will solve many of our problems. The truth is we will still have our existing infrastructure  (and it’s problems). The only thing that would change is that we would get our water from a different source. An investigation done several years ago showed it would be cost prohibitive to tap into the Champlain Water line as our neighborhood is “on the wrong side of the river (Brown’s Trace)”. There is also some question as to whether the current CWD line is adequate to support an additional 72 homes.
8. The heater in the pump house needs to be replaced. The committee will contact Patterson Fuels to see about a replacement unit.

Meeting was adjourned at 8:33 pm.  

** Answer to the trivia question – There are more than 12,000 feet of pipe in our system. This doesn’t include the service lines to the homes. That’s a fair amount of piping! **

Location: Deborah Rawson Library meeting room.

Attendees: Fred Lavenberg, Drew Bulfer, Jeff Earl, Brian Stevens, Charlie Windisch, Kevin Trout, Tyler Billingsley (East Engineering).

Meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm.

1. Tyler Billingsley of East Engineering presented his draft report for the Asset Management Plan (AMP). JFD #1 decided to pursue developing this plan as the cost incurred is 100% reimbursed by the State. Tyler has compiled a complete inventory of all assets and location of curb stops, lines, etc. One advantage of having this plan is we will receive higher priority in the event additional loans are needed in the future for infrastructure repairs or upgrades. 
2. Recent leak at the well head – water was pooling at an area just below the building. Chris Wells (excavator) was called and a cracked pipe was discovered. A new section of pipe was put in.
3. Financials – Brian presented the year end financials as well as a proposed budget for 2024. No quarterly increase is projected for next year. With the greensand filter loan dollars (from earlier this year) in our account we are in a good position financially.
4. Heater needs to be replaced at well head building. The propane heater in the building reached the end of life and a new one needs to be installed. Fred to contact Patterson Fuels.
5. Service line inventory – Per new State requirement, every house in our development needs to be checked to insure there are no lead pipes bringing water from the street into the house. MSK Engineering has been tasked with completing this work. Every Foothills house received a mailing from MSK regarding this. The options are to take a picture of the line coming into the house, or call MSK to arrange for one of their engineers to visit. As of the meeting time, 16 homes had not responded. MSK to follow up with these homeowners.
6. Kevin Trout was voted in as a member of the Prudential Committee. Thanks you, Kevin for volunteering your time for this position!
7. The January 2024 meeting will serve as the Annual Meeting. The date is Tuesday, January 16, 2024, 7pm (Deborah Rawson Library meeting room).

The meeting ended at 8:11 pm

Meeting location: Deborah Rawson Library Meeting room

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

Meeting was called to order at 7:10pm

1. The minutes from the October meeting were approved.

2. Bill pay status: Marilyn Marshall reported (via separate email) there are a handful of households delinquent in paying the 4^th quarter bills. Late notices have been sent out.

3. Financial picture: Brian reports we are in good shape. With the dollars from the greensand filter loan our reserves have been rebuilt. Cash flow is good.

4. Asset Management Program update: Jeff reports JFD #1 has attended the mandatory workshops. The engineer mapping out lines, valve locations and inventorying our system has completed a draft report. The report has been circulated to the Prudential Committee for review and comment. There are remaining items on the checklist that need to be addressed to complete this activity. Jeff and Drew are working on it.

5. Service line inventory (SLI) – Per State requirement, the water lines from the curb stop to each Foothills house must be checked for lead. (There are a few exceptions – homes built after 1989 do not need to be checked as the State outlawed the use of lead pipes). Each home should have received a letter from MSK Engineering explaining what needs to be done. There are two options: 1) Self report. The homeowner takes a picture of the water pipe coming into the house and sends it to MSK. 2) An appointment can be made with MSK whereby they will come to check the water line. It is expected that all water lines are copper and that nothing further will need to be done. (Questions? Contact the Prudential Committee).

6. Pumps at the reservoir: We now have the new pump installed, as well as a refurbished pump in place. (There is also a spare pump – just in case). 

7. The heater at the pump house is shot and needs to be replaced. The committee will look into getting a replacement.

8. The lower fields will be brush hogged before the snow flies.

9. 2024 budget – to be discussed at an upcoming meeting.

Meeting was adjourned at 7:55pm

Attendees: Jeff Earl, Drew Bulfer, Brian Stevens, Kevin Trout, Charlie Windisch

Meeting was called to order at 7:05pm.

1. Bill payment status: Marilyn reported (via email) that approximately 80% of the households have paid the third quarter bill.
2. Financials: Brian reported that we are pretty much on target with regards to spending vs expected income. The goal is to keep the rates as low as possible for all Foothills customers. It was noted that in general we are not limited by water availability – if the neighborhood were bigger we could meet the needs of all. But the number of houses is fixed (roughly 70) and the costs must be shared by that number.
3. Paving – The small patch of chewed up road near the access to the reservoir was paved by Chris King paving.
4. The chlorination of the water appears to be off. SOS had noticed the chlorine drip system in the pump house was not working properly and adjusted accordingly. Several neighbors have alerted the committee. We will monitor the situation (it takes about three days to use the water in the reservoir) to see if things change. If not, SOS will be notified.
5. Jeff and Drew will attend the second day of the Asset Management Program on 10/18/23.
6. The new pump for the reservoir has arrived and arrangements to have it installed will be made. This should greatly help keeping our system pressurized as we have been limping along sometimes only with one pump (should be two) as one was undergoing repairs.
7. The propane heater in the pump house has not been working for a while. Chris Laskowski has agreed to take a look.

Meeting concluded at 8:10am

Present: Fred Lavenberg, Brian Stevens, Drew Bulfur, Ann Kroll Lerner, Dan Lerner, Charlie Windisch

Location: Deborah Rawson Library Meeting room

Meeting called to order at 7:08pm

1. Minutes from the August meeting were approved.
2. Bill payment status: Marilyn reported (via email prior to the meeting ) that one family still has not paid the July 1^st bill. She is trying to reach out to arrange for payment. (Note: 4^th quarter bills are due October 1st).
3. The recent electrical issues were discussed (there were several). The latest involved a circuit breaker failure at the pump house, which resulted in no water being pumped to the reservoir. Fred was able to contact an electrician who replaced the breaker. (Note: The breaker that failed was only rated at 60 amps, while our service is 100 amps. We were lucky this breaker lasted as long as it did). The pumps at the reservoir (of which there are two) have been intermittent at best, also leading to low pressure water issues. SOS swapped out one of the pumps with a “loaner” to keep us going. The swapped out pump is being refurbished. The other pump had a leak which SOS was able to repair. The prudential committee unanimously approved the purchase of a new pump (approximately 2K $). The net is we will have a new pump, a refurbished pump, and a spare pump going forward.
4. One recent violation from the State has been resolved. Testing results were submitted by SOS a few days earlier than required; the State thought no data had been submitted. Issue resolved.
5. Snow plowing the road from Foothills Dr to the reservoir: This road also leads to the Lerner’s driveway. Ann and Dan have agreed to split the cost of the plowing with JFD #1. (Note: Chuck Wiegand has agreed to do the plowing next winter).
6. Small paving job near 38 Foothills – There is a small patch of asphalt that was ripped up last winter by the town plow. This section needs to be paved before next winter. Drew to contact Wilfred King to get an estimate.
7. Financials: Brian reports we are in very good shape at the present. We finally received the $60K bond dollars (very lengthy process). The remaining balance owed Culligan for the greensand filter replacement was paid off. We are coming in at or below budgeted items in most areas.
8. The Asset Management Plan (AMP) was approved by the State. Jeff Earl attended the first workshop meeting held on September 19. Two more workshops will need to be attended (attending the workshops is a condition of the Management plan approval. Thank you Jeff!)
9. A new requirement by the State for all water districts is to conduct a “service line inventory” (SLI) by October 2024. The purpose is to insure there are no lead pipes in our system. The State will provide the money to conduct this inventory.

Meeting concluded at 8pm.

Attendees: Jeff Earl, Brian Stevens, Charlie Windisch

Location: Deborah Rawson Library meeting room.

Meeting was called to order at 7:05pm

1. Bill payment status: An exact number was not available as of meeting time, but Brian indicated we are pretty close to everyone having paid up based on deposit information.
2. System purge/blowoff – This has not happened yet, despite several calls from Jeff to SOS. Jeff to follow up again with SOS.
3. JFD #1 violation with the State – SOS reports they are working with Champlin Associates to resolve the issue. The violation involves reporting how much water goes into and out of the filter/pump house. The Mission Software (provided by Champlin) is not currently reporting the data required by the State, but used to.
4. Financials – Brian reported that we are in good shape. Payments have been coming in as expected and a few forecasted expenditures are actually lower than expected.
5. AMP (Asset Management Program) – Nothing new to report.
6. Greensand filter loan – Almost there! This has been a long process with many steps and forms to be filled out, but we are almost there. Once we have the dollars we Brian will pay the outstanding balance that is owed Culligan.

Meeting adjourned at 7:43pm