VFSA Board Meeting Minutes
October 14, 2024

The Valley Forge Sewer Authority monthly meeting was held on Monday, October 14, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. In attendance: Board members: Norman Vutz, Terri Woodman, Samuel Cupp, William LaPorte, Richard Stipa and David Demey. Also in attendance were General Manager Leonard Pinchok, Operations and Engineering Manager Matt Jackson, and Laboratory Supervisor Richard Taylor. Brian Funkhouser, Scott Russell, and David Shirk, representing the Authority’s Engineer of Record, Buchart Horn, Inc., were also in attendance.

The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Public Comment 
Geoffrey Moody from IM Development, LLC has an interest in building a development on Route 724 in East Pikeland Township. Mr. Moody noted the difficulty in getting approval for sewer connections because of capacity issues at the treatment plant. Mr. Moody introduced an option that would generate additional capacity by building a module treatment plant either at the development site or at the treatment plant itself. He introduced a company by the name of Newterra, which can provide several models of fiberglass septic/holding tanks (using biological processes to treat the sewage) that could accommodate the needs of the new development. Mr. Demey asked what a 450 EDU model would cost to install and the monthly maintenance fee to operate the onsite tank. Mr. Moody replied about $4 million for an installed tank. The 250 model is approximately $2 million, and the 900 model is approximately $7 million. Mr. Moody also noted that the cost would be passed on to the homeowners through the association fee. Mr. Pinchok indicated the new developments with planning modules must be presented to the township. Mr. Moody said the developer would pay the cost to install and would take approximately 90 days to complete. The Board thanked Mr. Moody for his presentation. The Newterra presentation should be scheduled with the staff.

Meeting Minutes

Mr. Stipa a motion to approve the September 9, 2024, meeting minutes, which was seconded by Mr. LaPorte, and the Board unanimously approved the motion.

Committee Meeting: Operations and Construction

The Operations and Construction Committee met on September 10, 2024, to discuss several agenda items to include the Act 537 Status Report and 2025 Capital Projects for both the Revenue and Treatment Plant funds. The staff shared the committee’s information with the board for review and discussion. Mr. Jackson provided a brief overview of the information highlighting the 2025 capital projects to be included in the 2025 budget. The 2025 operating and capital budgets will be presented to the Administration and Finance committee in November for review, with presentation to the full board in the December 2024 meeting for approval. No other action is required at this time.

Operations Report

Mr. Taylor reported there were no numerical violations of the permit during September. Mr. Taylor reported on September 16, 2024, a malfunction of the final effluent auto sampler. The staff collected grab samples until the auto sampler was placed back in service the next morning. The staff reported the incident with PADEP. Mr. Taylor does not believe any other action is required or any fines will be imposed. Any outstanding lab results from August and September 2024 were received without violation. There was no odor complaints recorded during the month. Ms. Woodman made a motion to accept the operations report as presented, which was seconded by Mr. Demey, and the board unanimously approved the motion.

Financial Report

Mr. Pinchok presented the combined statement of operations for all accounts at the end of September with a balance of $26,634,611. 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 $181,836 and the treatment plant fund actual for the month has a surplus of $542,183. Mr. Pinchok briefly reviewed several line items from each fund, with explanations for budget and actual differences. Impress fund reconciliation was $824.15. Credit card purchases for the month were $869.32. Accounts payable invoices totaled $310,088.48. Mr. Stipa made a motion to approve agenda items 2 through 6 as presented, which was seconded by Mr. Vutz, and the Board unanimously approved the motion.

The financial report continued with requisitions totaling $37,531.00 from the Treatment Plant Construction Fund and requisitions totaling $175,113.74 from the Capital Improvement Fund. Mr. Stipa made a motion to approve the requisitions as presented, which was seconded by Mr. Cupp, and the Board unanimously approved the motion.

Mr. Pinchok presented the financial statements and balance sheet for the 3rd quarter ending September 30, 2024, for review. Mr. Pinchok reported that the overall goal to reduce the total funds operating loss from prior years is trending in the right direction. The elimination of operating losses will occur over the next few years, thus creating an increase in net position for the authority. Mr. Pinchok is in discussions with a consultant to evaluate additional revenue sources and a rate structure to fulfill the authority’s future needs.

New Business

There was no new business to report for the month.

Old Business

Meadow Lane Sewer Extension

Mr. Jackson reported the project began in early October with 35% completion. The project is to be completed by the end of October or early November 2024. The piping is located in the street, and repaving of the street is part of the project.

Act 537 Special Study

Mr. Shirk presented a proposal for completion of the Act 537 Plan for review. Mr. Shirk noted the proposal included an expedited schedule to complete the Act 537 Plan by June 2025. He briefly explained the services to be provided. Mr. Shirk reminded the board that additional Buchart Horn staff have been assigned in order to complete the project on schedule. Mr. Funkhouser, CEO of Buchart Horn, assured the board of his confidence that this team will be able to complete the Act 537 Plan on time. Mr. Funkhouser also addressed the board’s concern over the recent PADEP comments on the Act 537 Special Study. Although the Act 537 Special Study Plan presented to PADEP in its current form was not approved, he indicated that PADEP has approved the submitted format from other clients represented by Buchart Horn in the past. Mr. Stipa asked if Buchart Horn is able to provide the resources needed to complete all projects assigned to their firm in a timely fashion. Mr. Russell, Senior Vice President of Buchart Horn, noted that all resources needed to complete all projects in hand would be provided to meet all deadlines. Mr. Funkhouser indicated he would not hesitate to hire an outside engineering firm to aid in the completion of the Act 537 Plan, if needed, but is confident his company will complete the project on time. The board recommended regular meetings with PADEP to eliminate any delays in the process.

Executive Session

The board entered into executive session at 8:20 p.m. to discuss personnel matters and union negotiations. The executive session ended at 8:30 p.m.

The regular meeting continued with a discussion of the Buchart Horn proposal and directed the staff to amend the proposal accordingly to ensure the project will be completed on time.

Adjournment

Ms. Woodman made a motion to adjourn the meeting that was seconded by Mr. Stipa, and the board unanimously approved the motion. The meeting adjourned at 8:35 p.m.