Louviers Mutual Service Company

Meeting Summary

FINAL – APPROVED VIA E-MAIL          

Meeting Date: Thursday, May 24, 2007

Time: 6:00-8:00 PM

Location: Village Club – Auditorium

Attendees from LMSC Board: Pete Holub, Diana Miller, Jason Ingenthron, Julie Sarff

Other Attendees: David Graff, Sharon Leask, Rob Nordberg, Jan Edinger, Fran Snyder, Randy Johnson, Bob Dye

The next Membership meeting is scheduled for: Thursday, June 28, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the Village Club.

The Special Membership meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 14, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the Village Club. Two important items that will define the future of Louviers will be voted on: 1) Special District Formation, 2) Dominion Water and Sanitation Master District

Meeting Summary:

Pete opened the meeting and reviewed the meeting rules.

Diana provided updates on the steps taken to identify the cause of and reduce air in the water lines. Bill Hahn with Lytle Water Solution ran a well pumping test. It was determined that the air in the lines is being caused when water is being pumped from the well. After reviewing water levels in the well and the depth of the screens in the well it is probable that the screens in the well are clogged. If the screens are clogged the water must flow up and over the screens as opposed to through them causing a significant amount of air entrainment. Initially, it was discussed that a well rehab would be the best course of action to resolve the problem. However, after reviewing proposals from both Am-West and Layne-Western which included well downtime up three weeks; an alternate course of action is being developed. It has been suggested that if a VFD is installed on the pump, the flow of water can be reduced to a level that will reduce the air bubbles being generated. With a VFD installed we are hoping to utilize the well through the summer and schedule the rehab after peak water usage season is finished. Diana  is investigating the possibility if drilling an additional well in the Arapahoe aquifer under a supplemental well permit that would allow Louviers to pump water from one well or the other, but not both at the same time. She has been in contact with Douglas County to help identify possible grant opportunities that would cover the costs (approximately, $500,000 – fully operational). If funding were found the alternate plan would be drill the new well, then after complete, rehab the old well. Both would remain in use to eliminate the immediate single water source issue.

David Graf attended the meeting and expressed his concern about the ongoing reduction in pressure at some of the homes in the Triangle. The Board identified the actions that had been taken to resolve the pressure reduction. Update: On May 29, Mr. Wayne Oblander investigated a muddy sinkhole behind his property on Triangle Drive. He alerted Board Member Tim Lone to his find. The cause of the sinkhole was a break in the water main which appeared to be caused by electrolysis. The emergency repair was made by CNL Backhoe. In addition to the repair, a blow off valve was added to the water line to improve future water quality.

Louviers Mutual Service Company had received a number of complaints from a homeowner in the Triangle complaining of sewer gas smell in their home. After investigation it was determined that an addition to their home was built on a Louviers Mutual Service Company sewer main line. The addition was added with the approval of the then Louviers Mutual Service Company Board. After running a camera through the sewer line it was found that a number of breaks and a great deal of erosion existed. It was determined that the best course of action was to reroute the sewer line from underneath the home addition and replace the damaged sewer line.

Pete provided a summary of the May 10^th Public Utilities Commission hearing. In a nutshell, a case was filed by a member of Louviers Mutual Service Company which suggested that Louviers Mutual Service Company should be regulated by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC). The outcome of hearing will be decided by the PUC in the July 2007 timeframe. Diana thanked Pete and all of the past Board members who have donated so much of their time to the community to try and make and keep Louviers a great place to live.

Pete reviewed the activities related to the formation of Special District to replace Louviers Mutual Service Company over the past year. The Board had received advice from their attorney Richard Banta and Douglas County. The pros and cons were discussed. Becoming a Special District would add consistency to how Louviers Mutual Service Company operates. Special Districts operate under the guidelines of the Colorado Revised Statutes. Actions that a Special District is bound by law to complete are identified and a timeframe is given. Items such as annual budgets, annual audits, open records laws, board conduct, board elections, conflicts of interest, record retention and governmental immunity were noted. The difficulty and risks of working with Special Districts around us (Sedalia, Roxborough, Dominion, United, South Santa Fe, etc.) with the status of not for profit company versus Title 32 Special District were discussed.

Pete provided a summary of a proposal from Dominion Water and Sanitation District to basically, buy-in to their future water supply. Dominion Water and Sanitation is planning a significant development in the Sterling Ranch area. Dominion Water and Sanitation has support from many of the Special Districts around Louviers. They are considered to be one of the most viable possibilities of bringing renewable water into northern Douglas County. The Board discussed a $100 fee per residential unit that Dominion has requested to insure future buy-in if the development is approved. The fee which the Board supports could be charged to home owners as a special assessment over a one year period. This item will be voted on at the Special Membership meeting.

Pete summarized a recent meeting with United Water and Sanitation District. United recently built a pipeline from Bell Mountain Ranch that now provides water to the Ravenna development. Untied Water has a proven track record of providing water to challenged locations.

Pete summarized the dialogue between Louviers Mutual Service Company and South Santa Fe Metro District that has been ongoing over the past year. South Santa Fe Metro District is located on the MolyCorp site. They are planning to build a “regional” package wastewater plant on the site to meet the needs of the concrete batch plants being developed at that location as well as other industrial customers in the area. South Santa Fe has expanded their goals to also include the development of a renewable water source. They have asked Louviers Mutual Service Company to provide them with a letter of intent to work with them in the future.

The meeting was then adjourned.