VFSA Board Meeting Minutes
July 8, 2024
The Valley Forge Sewer Authority monthly meeting was held on Monday, July 8, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. In attendance: Board members: Norman Vutz, Terri Woodman, Samuel Cupp, William LaPorte, and David Demey. Also in attendance were General Manager Leonard Pinchok, Operations and Engineering Manager Matt Jackson, and Laboratory Supervisor Richard Taylor. David Shirk, representing the Authority’s Engineer of Record, Buchart Horn, Inc., was also in attendance.
The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Public Comment
There was no public comment.
Meeting Minutes
Operations Report
Mr. Taylor presented the operations report, stating there were no violations for the month of June. Any outstanding lab results from May 2024 were received without violation. There was no odor complaints recorded during the month. In response to last month’s question about other authorities having the same issues, Mr. Taylor informed the board that other wastewater authorities do experience the same violations for exceeding fecal coliform. This information can be found on the PADEP website. There is a link that reports any violations and fines for PA authorities. Violations for exceeding permit limits for fecal coliform have not been fined thus far. Mr. LaPorte made a motion to accept the operations report as presented, which was seconded by Mr. Cupp, and the board unanimously approved the motion.
Financial Report
Mr. Pinchok presented the combined statement of operations for all accounts at the end of June with a balance of $26,480,919. Fund balances were presented for review, followed by the budget to actual summary, where the revenue fund actual for the month has a surplus of $2,923 and the treatment plant fund actual for the month has a surplus of $325,785. Mr. Pinchok briefly reviewed several line items from each fund, with explanations for budget and actual differences. Impress fund reconciliation was $644.39. Petty cash expenses for the month were $5.32. Credit card purchases for the month were $1,891.40. Accounts payable invoices totaled $340,126.41. Ms. Woodman made a motion to approve agenda items 2 through 6 as presented, which was seconded by Mr. Cupp, and the Board unanimously approved the motion.
The financial report continued with requisitions totaling $25,866.82 from the Treatment Plant Construction Fund and requisitions totaling $68,758.50 from the Capital Improvement Fund. Mr. LaPorte made a motion to approve the requisitions as presented, which was seconded by Ms. Woodman, and the Board unanimously approved the motion.
New Business
There was no new business to report.
Old Business
Meadow Lane Sewer Extension
LTL is currently drafting the specifications for the sewer main installation on Meadow Lane. Mr. Cupp inquired about payment responsibilities for the project. Mr. Pinchok indicated that three options were presented to the Meadow Lane homeowners. The options include PENNVEST, VFSA, or personal loans. Mr. Pinchok will continue to monitor the financing options and report any changes to the board.
Act 537 Special Study
Mr. Shirk reported that the Act 537 Special Study Plan is under review with PADEP. PADEP has approximately sixty days remaining to respond and/or approve. Mr. Shirk will follow up with PADEP in July. Mr. Shirk is in the process of scheduling a meeting with Mr. Patel of PADEP to discuss the requirements for the re-rate project.
Other
Mr. Jackson gave an update on several projects at the plant. He reported that, in coordination with the equipment manufacturer, several changes have been made to the septage receiving station to improve the efficiency of receiving trucked waste. The authority staff had a walk-through with the Valley Forge Fire Company to familiarize the volunteers with the layout of the treatment plant and administration building, hazardous areas, site access, and contact information. All windows in the administration building are installed, and doors are scheduled for installation later this month. The exterior coatings on the treatment plant buildings are complete. The control room upgrades have also been completed. The telephone system serving the administration building has been replaced by a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system and is fully operational. The Valley Forge Woods Pump Station second pump has been installed and is in operation. The Scada system to control operations at the plant currently has only one computer and one workstation and is scheduled to be expanded to seven workstations beginning tomorrow. Also included in the Scada upgrade is a cyber security software program to be installed on all workstations. Buchart Horn is completing design work on several pump stations, the scum pit, and the chlorine building.
Adjournment
Mr. LaPorte made a motion to adjourn the meeting that was seconded by Mr. Cupp, and the board unanimously approved the motion. The meeting was adjourned at 7:40 p.m.