Consent
Reports for October 3, 2005
Minnesota
AWWA Governing Board Meeting
MINUTES
APPROVAL:
May
20, 2005 – Board of Directors meeting
Corrections: none noted.
FINANCIAL
REPORT (Eaton)
The
2006 Section Allotment notice was received. An allotment from AWWA of $23,119 will
be given in February 2006.
ASSOCIATION
DIRECTOR'S REPORT (Gerads)
As your new AWWA Director, I would first like to thank Mr. Bernie
Bullert for his outstanding service to the Minnesota Section over the past
three years. Bernie earned the respect
of his fellow Association board members by challenging the status quo. Bernie was truly a champion for change and
worked hard to improve the Association for all its members. If you see Bernie at the Minnesota Section
Annual Conference in Duluth, make sure to thank him for his efforts. Great job Bernie!
The ACE in San Francisco was a huge success. Attendance was excellent at 12,700, and the exhibit hall was sold
out with 968 booths, an 18 percent increase over 2004. The Minnesota Section breakfast was attended
by over 40 individuals and guest speaker Dave Casper was exceptional. Several Association officers also stopped in
to say hi. Speaking of Association
officers, four candidates have come forward for Association
President-elect. They are Mike Dimitriou,
current MAC Council Chair; Nilaksh Kothari, Wisconsin Section and current
Vice-President; Michael Leonard, Georgia Section and current Vice-President;
and Curtis Truss, past Director-at-Large and past Vice-President. The election of one of these people to lead
the Association will take place this coming February. If you have thoughts you want to share on any of these
individuals, please let me know.
I hope to see many of you at the Minnesota Section Annual Conference in
Duluth in October. Duluth is a great
host city and I am confident that the event will be spectacular. The Association has assigned Mike Leonard as
the representative to our conference.
Additionally, Nancy Sullivan, our Section representative, will be in
attendance. I’m sure you will all help
me with making Mike and Nancy feel at home.
The highlights of the Board of Directors meeting appear on the next few
pages. I truly look forward to serving
our outstanding Section over the next three years. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know. Enjoy the remainder of your summer.
HIGHLIGHTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ MEETING
June 12, 2005 – San Francisco,
California
AWARDS
Approved revisions to the Safety Award allowing the
award to apply to utilities outside the United States where different
regulatory rules apply. Also changed
the name of the award to the Wendell R. Ladue Utility Safety Award.
Approved in second reading amendments to Bylaws
Article II—Membership. Changes support
the recommendations from the Ad Hoc Committee on Membership Structure Review
approved by the Board in January 2005.
Approved revisions to the Volunteer Business Travel
Policy stating that volunteers cannot be reimbursed for using personal travel
miles, that expenses submitted more than six months after the assigned trip
cannot be reimbursed by AWWA, and that the traveler should submit his/her
expense report within 10 working days after the trip.
Accepted the 2004 Audited Financial Statements and
Memorandum of Advisory Comments.
Approved renewal of a $300,000 line of credit with
Bank One. The interest rate will be the
prime rate charged by Bank One. This is
a no fee line of credit.
Approved two bank resolutions that designate the
authorized depository institutions for AWWA, trading accounts, and authorized
signers.
Approved changes to the structure of the AWWA Audit
Committee to comply with the California Non-profit Integrity Act of 2004. The new structure will include:
A controller or Finance Director from a water utility
recommended by the Treasurer, appointed by the Nominating Committee for
Vice-President and Director-at-Large, and ratified by the Board of Directors
(four-year term). This position would
chair the committee.
One of the Board Liaisons to the Finance Committee
appointed by the AWWA Treasurer (term to coincide with the term on the Board).
One member from the Board of Directors appointed by
the Nominating Committee for Vice-President and Director-at-Large and ratified
by the Board (term to coincide with the term on the Board).
POLICY
STATEMENTS
Approved the
following policy statements:
a.
Employee Compensation
b.
Employee Training and
Career Development
SECTION
BYLAWS
Approved revisions to the following Section Bylaws:
a.
Montana Section
b.
New York Section
c.
Ohio Section
d.
OWWA, A Section of AWWA
Approved the following standards:
a.
B304-05, Standard for
Liquid Oxygen for Ozone Generation
b.
B407-05, Standard for
Liquid Ferric Chloride
c.
B502-05, Standard for
Sodium Polyphosphate, Glassy (Sodium Hexametaphosphate)
d.
B503-05, Standard for
Sodium Tripolyphosphate
e.
B504-05, Standard for
Monosodium Phosphate, Anhydrous
f.
B505-05, Standard for
Disodium Phosphate, Anhydrous
g.
C105/A21.5-05 –
Standard for Polyethylene Encasement For Ductile-Iron Pipe Systems
h.
C115/A21.5-05, Standard
for Flanged Ductile-Iron Pipe With Ductile-Iron or Gray-Iron Threaded Flanges
i.
C200-05 Standard for
Steel Water Pipe – 6 In. (150 mm) and Larger
j.
C503-05, Standard for
Wet-Barrel Fire Hydrants
k.
C517-05, Standard for
Resilient-Seated Cast Iron Eccentric Plug Valves
l.
C600-05, Standard for
Installation of Ductile-Iron Water Mains and Their Appurtenances
m.
C605-05, Standard for
Underground Installation of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Pressure Pipe and Fittings
for Water
n.
C706-96 (R05), Standard
for Direct-Reading, Remote-Registration Systems for Cold-Water Meters
o.
C903-05, Standard for
Polyethylene-Aluminum-Polyethylene & Crosslinked
Polyethylene-Aluminum-Crosslinked Polyethylene Composite Pressure Pipes, ½ In.
(12 mm) Through 2 In. (50 mm), for Water Service
p.
D100-05, Standard for
Welded Carbon Steel Tanks for Water Storage
Confirmed Oahu, Hawaii as the site for the winter
2007 Board of Directors’ meeting.
Confirmed San Diego, California as the site for the
winter 2008 Board of Directors’ meeting.
Continue
the discussion from the June 11, 2005 Board Special Session on AWWA governance
and structure.
DISTRICT
REPORTS
NW District
(Hall)
The
dates for the 2005 NW District Water Operators’ School will be November 29 to
December 1. The Best Western at Thief River Falls will be the site of the
school. The agenda has been finalized recently. The keynote speaker for the
Operators’ Breakfast will be Scott Anderson from the City of St. Louis Park
speaking on Projecting a Positive Image.
The school also features training mini-sessions at the vendor show and a tour
titled Examination of Engelstad Arena
Water Operations. A number of excellent topics are set for this year’s
technical program. Part of the school will be specialized into split sessions,
one for larger surface water systems and one for small systems. Variable Frequency Drives for Wells and Filter Optimization are two of the
topics that will be cover in the technical sessions.
Detroit
Lakes hosted a Drinking Water Institute for area teachers from Monday, June 27
to Wednesday, June 29. Jarrod Christen of Detroit Lakes was very involved in
the program. Some of the Detroit Lakes students that Jarrod has inspired to
become involved in environmental issues presented to the teachers. The Drinking
Water Institute was well attended.
NE District (Lubovich)
Nothing new to report.
Central
District (Stai)
The
Central District annual one-day school school will be held at St. John's
University, Collegeville, MN on October 26, 2005. Some of the topics on the
agenda are: well siting issues, GSOC update, the new Hutchinson membrane filter
plant, water operator liability issues, the Small Water System Training
Program, a DNR water conservation update, and robotic tank inspections.
There
were 66 registrants for the Central District's School which was held June 8 -
10, 2005 at Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge, Deerwood, MN. The evaluations received
from this school were again very positive. The dates for next year's school
will be June 7 - 9, 2006 and it will again be held at Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge.
Metro
District (Tracy)
The
Metro District Education Committee is finalizing plans for the 2006 Spring
School. Dates are Wednesday, April 5
through Friday April 7, 2006, at the Ramada Airport Inn and Thunderbird
Convention Center, 2201 E. 78th St.
Bloomington, Minnesota
55425-1229, 952-854-3411. Registration fees will be $135.00 ($170.00 at
the door or after March 24, 2006). Carol Blommel from Apple Valley will be the
new Metro District Trustee and Education Chair for the 2006 Metro school. Next scheduled Metro Education Committee
meeting: Wednesday, September 21, 2005, 10 a.m. Progressive Consulting
Engineers, 6120 Earle Brown Drive, Suite 629, Brooklyn Center, Minnesota 55430-4102, 763-560-9133.
SW District
(Moulton)
The
Southwest Section has scheduled a fall school meeting for October 12, 2005 at
the Redwood Falls Area Community Center. Registration is $25.00 per person if
you pre-register or $30.00 at the door. Registration is from 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
with the program scheduled to begin at 9:00 AM sharp (remember that
"better late than never Peterson").
The
tentative program includes filter performance and evaluation, OSHA rules on
fall protection and trench safety, the MDH will supply an update on happenings
within the Department and MDH staff will review proper sampling techniques and
care of those samples.
Certification
exams will be given at 1:00 PM for those who have made the proper arrangements.
Please contact Noel Hansen at 651-215-0762 or at noel.hansen@health.state.mn.us
please remember applications need to be submitted 15 days prior to the exam
date.
An exam review was held on
September 22nd from 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon at the Mankato office of the MDH.
SE
District (Halvorson)
A
meeting was held August 23 in Rochester to plan the S.E. District Fall One-day
water school. Attending the meeting
were Myron Volker, Owatonna; Dean Huschle, Northfield; Bob Keiper, Winona;
Dennis Duchene, Faribault; Wylie Rindels, Rochester; and Paul Halvorson,
MDH. This year the school will be held
on Friday October 28, 2005 at the American Legion in Faribault. Topics to be covered include: Legal
Liabilities of Cities, Safety Audits,
Personal Protective Equipment, Emergency Response, New Rules for Gopher State,
Hydrant Repair and Chlorine Safety.
Registration will be $25, $30 at the door.
The
S.E. District Three-day Water School will be held Thursday thru Friday
March 29-31, 2006 at the Ramada Hotel
and Conference Center in Rochester: http://www.ramadarochester.com/
.
The
Southeast District will have a planning meeting for this school in December.
Trustee-At-Large (Sadler)
Gimmicks and
Gadgets submissions will be present at the Duluth conference.
COUNCIL/COMMITTEE
REPORTS
Administration
Council (AbouAish)
Committee Reports
No
report.
The Finance Committee met on September 1,
2005 at the Bloomington Water Treatment Plant. Barb Woolsey (chair), Dave
Peterson, Dave Brown, and Jon Eaton were present. Karl Streed was absent.
The section financial status and investments as of July 31, 2005
were reviewed.
Action items from the May committee meeting were
reviewed and board action noted.
The committee reviewed the proposed 2006 budget line
by line. The committee did not recommend any changes but did have two
suggestions. First, the committee recommends an additional policy stating “The
Secretary/Treasurer shall utilize the free ACE registration given to the
section by AWWA to attend to Section business and volunteer at the annual
conference.” It is understood that the primary purpose of the
Secretary/Treasurer attending and volunteering at the AWWA-ACE is to attend to
section business. This would eliminate the need to discuss and vote on the item
every year. Second, the committee suggests additional money be spent to improve
the Section web site. This tool (the web site) presents an image of our
section, should contain the section information and history (bylaws, policies,
procedures, mission/vision, business plans, event schedule, minutes, award
histories, etc), and should be the major communication tool with our members. A
professional graphic designer / web artist should be considered to present our
Section image and make the site organized and easy to utilize.
The
income/expense gap discussion and planning needs to continue at the committee
and board levels. At the current pace, all financial goals will be achieved in
two to three years. Program spending (either existing or new) must begin to
pick up so the section does not overshoot its goals. The Finance Committee will
review the section investment strategies with our Wells Fargo Investment
representative to assure our needs and goals are aligned.
Items
for the next committee meeting will include records management and an annual
review the bylaws, policies, and procedures that apply to section finances.
Action Items:
1. Approve the
2006 budget as presented
2. Approve the
policy stating “The Secretary/Treasurer shall utilize the free ACE registration
given to the section by AWWA to attend to Section business and volunteer at the
annual conference”
Past
Section Chair Doug Rovang met with District Trustees at the May Section Board
meeting to select and review eligible candidates for nominees for MN Section
AWWA Chair Elect. They resumed their
deliberations through electronic communications during late July and early August,
and in early August submitted the names of two nominees to Section Secretary
Jon Eaton in accordance with Section Bylaws.
The two outstanding Section members nominated were: Scott Anderson of St. Louis Park and Yasser
AbouAish of Minneapolis Water Works.
Please see the Conference issue of the Breeze or Conference Program for
additional information about these two
Section
Director and Trustee-at-Large are not due this year so Glen Gerads had no
nominating responsibilities.
Conference
Council (Schultz)
The conference committee
is ready for a great conference at Duluth.
John Crooks and the program committee put together a fine program for
this year.
The
MNAWWA Board of Directors voted to have the annual conference back at Duluth
and the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (DECC) for the next three
years. We are in the process of
securing contracts. The 2005 MNAWWA
Conference we sold out all of the vendor space had to turn down several
exhibitors. We have secured more
conference and exhibitor space for the following three years to fulfill our
need to grow the conference.
If
you have any comments on how to better the Annual Conference please feel free
to contact me at 320-605-1059. Your
input is valued.
Monday:
6:00
p.m. Board of Directors Meeting, Bay Room, Hawthorn Suites – Pizza
Tuesday:
8:00
a.m. Board of Directors strategic planning meeting, Bay Room- No Breakfast
11:00
a.m. Golf Tournament
7:00
p.m. Board Dinner at Pickwick, Walk or ride??
Meet at the Inn on Lake Superior 6:45
Wednesday:
8:00
a.m. Opening session
11:30
a.m. Vendor Show
12:00
p.m. Past Chairs luncheon, Bellisio’s
4:00
p.m. MAC Social
6:00
p.m. Harbor Boat Cruise
Thursday:
8:30
a.m. Sessions start
12:00
p.m. Awards Luncheon
5:30
p.m. Banquet Social and train ride, The
Depot
7:00
p.m. Banquet Dinner
Friday:
7:00
a.m. Board of Directors meeting, The Inn on Lake Superior, Breakfast
8:30
a.m. Sessions start
11:00
a.m. Brunch
Duluth Conference Committee Meeting Schedule
Monday:
6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. MNAWWA Board Meeting, Hawthorn Suites
– Bay Room
Tuesday:
8:00
a.m. MNAWWA strategic planning meeting,
Bay Room Hawthorn Suite.
7:00
p.m. MNAWWA Board Dinner, Pickwick
Restaurant
Wednesday:
7:00 a.m. - Water Utility Council Meeting, Breakfast, Lake
Room Hawthorn Suite.
7:00
a.m. – MAC Committee Meeting, Breakfast, Hawthorn Suites – Bay Room
Thursday:
7:00 a.m. – Education Committee Meeting, Breakfast, The Inn
on Lake Superior
7:00
a.m. – Young Professionals Committee Meeting, Breakfast, Hawthorn Suites - Bay
Room
7:00
a.m.- Membership Committee Meeting, Breakfast, Hawthorn Suites – Lake Room
4:00
p.m. – Young Professionals Social, Hawthorn Suites – Bay Room
Friday:
7:00 a.m. – MNAWWA Board Meeting, Breakfast, The Inn on Lake
superior
7:00 a.m. – Public Information Committee Meeting, Breakfast,
Hawthorn Suites –5th Floor Meeting Room
7:00 a.m. – Research Committee Meeting, Breakfast, Hawthorn
Suites – Bay Room
The Inn on Lake superior meeting room is located on 3rd
floor, next to the out door pool.
Bay Room- Hawthorn Suits is located next to the hotel lobby.
Lake Room – Hawthorn Suites is located on 5th
floor of the hotel.
Manufacturers
Council (Norton)
The meeting was called to order by Council Chair Jim Norton at
9:00 AM on September 16, 2005, in the Conference Room of Northern Waterworks,
1694 91st Avenue N. E., Blaine, MN.
Attendance
MAC members present at the meeting were
Jim Norton, Dave Scheerer, Tony Belden, Tom Mumm, Ron Vasko, Todd Bredesen,
Bernie Bullert, and Heath Picken.
Minutes
David Scheerer, MAC Secretary, presented the minutes from the
April 15,2005, MAC meeting. Tom Mumm made the motion to accept the April 15,
2005 minutes. Ron Vasko seconded the
motion. Motion passed.
MAC Roster Review
Jim Norton stated that Jerry Ackerman has retired from Plant &
Flanged Equipment Co., and that with his retirement, Jerry has resigned his
seat on the MAC. Jerry served as a
Distributor member of the Mac. Jim
Norton asked MAC members for suggestions for a person to serve as a new
Distributor member of the MAC. Jim Norton reported Dustin Bremness and Rod
Ganther, both long time employees of Plant & Flanged Equipment Co., are the
new owners of the company. Tom Mumm volunteered to contact Dustin and Rod to
discuss the possibility of one of them joining the MAC as a Distributor member.
Jerry Ackerman also served on the MAC as the David B. Morris Scholarship
Endowment Fund work group chair. Jim Norton asked for a current MAC member to
volunteer to serve as the Endowment Fund work group chair. No one stepped forward. No action was taken
at this meeting to name a new Endowment Fund work group chair. Jim Norton suggested that this topic be put
on the agenda for the October MAC meeting.
Jim Norton stated that there is still a vacant Manufacturer seat
on the MAC. Ron Vasko said he would contact Rich Pawlicki, with A.Y. McDonald
Mfg. Company, and discuss the possibility of Rich filling the vacant
Manufacturer seat on the MAC.
An updated MAC roster, current as of 9-19-05, is attached to these
minutes.
Review of 2005 National AWWA ACE MN
Section MAC Breakfast
Tony Belden reported that the 2005 National ACE MN Section
breakfast went well. Tony suggested
that the MAC follow the same format for the 2006 MN Section breakfast in San
Antonio. MAC members that attended the
2005 breakfast felt that having a guest speaker at the breakfast added greatly
to the program. Tony reported that the 2005 breakfast was slightly over budget. Jim Norton will work with Tony to see that
the 2006 ACE MN Section breakfast is properly funded in the 2006 Section
budget. Tony reported that breakfast pre-registration by credit card worked
well and that he’ d follow the same procedure for pre-registration in 2006.
Fall Conference – Duluth
Exhibits: Ron Vasko gave an update on the exhibits at the Fall
Conference in Duluth MN. As of today’s MAC meeting, all 52 booth spaces for the
product show have been sold. Several vendors were turned away due to lack of
exhibit space. In an effort to improve future product shows, Ron will again
pass out a one page exhibit review form to each exhibitor. The forms will be
passed out and collected at the show.
Golf Outing: Tom Mumm stated that things are all set for the 2005
conference golf outing. 66 golfers are pre-registered. Tom said that he could accommodate more
golfers at this years golf outing. Tom said that 20 pre-registered golfers have
not yet paid. He is concerned that if there is poor weather at the time of the
golf outing, unpaid pre-registered golfers might not show up and will not pay
for their golf. This could leave the MAC in the position of not having enough
money to cover the guarantee to the golf course. Tom will contact the unpaid
pre-registered golfers and request that they pay. In the future Tom will require
payment with pre-registration. Tom reported that all money from the golf outing
will go to the Water For People fund except for money received from the “Hole
in the circle” contest. Money from this
golf event will go to the Endowment Fund.
Social: Todd Bredesen
reported that all is set for the 2005 Section Conference Social Event. This
year the MN Section Fall Conference social will start shortly after the
completion of the Top-Ops contest. The event will be at the DECC in a room
overlooking Duluth harbor. Hors D’oeuvres will be served. Complementary beer
and wine will be served. A cash bar will be available for other drinks. A
harbor cruise boat ride on the Vista Queen will be available following the
social hour. Todd reported that the 2005 Conference social event would be at or
below budget.
Committee Reports
Social Committee: See item 5C.
No other Social Committee activity was reported.
Exhibits Committee: See item 5A.
No other Exhibits Committee activity was reported.
Endowment Committee: See items 3A, 3B, and 5B2. No other Endowment
Committee activity was reported.
New Business
Bernie Bullert presented three items of new business:
Bernie asked how could the Section MAC assist in improving
attendance at the Annual Conference. A brief discussion followed Bernie’s
question. No concrete suggestions were
offered except that this item should be added to the October meeting agenda for
further discussion. Bernie passed around an informational sheet from AWWA HQ in
Denver on what utilities are planning to do to help out cities where hurricane
Katrina hit. Bernie presented several surveys on Upper Midwest (MN, IA, WI, ND,
SD) training issues and he discussed how sections can work together to get
better training to the operators. Copies of the surveys are attached to these
minutes. Bernie asked that MAC members distribute this information as needed.
Jim Norton passed around a certificate of appreciation that Ben
Mason brought back to the MN Section MAC from the National AWWA Water for
People committee. The certificate
stated “Thank you for your support of Water for People.”
Next Meeting
The next Section MAC meeting will be a breakfast meeting at the
Section Annual Conference. The meeting
will be at 7:00 AM, on Wednesday morning, October 5, 2005.
Adjourn
Bernie Bullert made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Ron Vasko seconded the motion. The meeting was adjourned.
Public
Affairs Council (Lange-Haider)
Public Information (Stew Thornley)
The
committee met in July and discussed public-information objectives, including
promotion of the profession. As a
result of this, the committee decided to have a booth at the Education
Minnesota Professional Conference on October 20. We will promote drinking water as a career as well as our annual
Drinking Water Institute for teachers.
Publications (Erik Juhl)
Another
busy year! The committee has completed the 2005 Breeze Directory, Spring Light
Breeze, Conference Breeze, Conference Exhibition brochure, Conference
Registration brochure, Conference Program, and the 2006 Management Institute
brochure. Still to come: the Fall Light Breeze in November.
Advertising income is $24,878 and publication expenses
are $11,242; right on track with our income/expense estimates.
Water for People (Scott Anderson)
WFP did not have any
action since last report. We are doing
the golf sponsorship again this year and will have the details of that fund
raiser after the conference.
Scholarship (Gerry Smith)
Responsible for the activities related to the two
scholarship programs. The committee
will establish and maintain rules and applications for each type of scholarship
offered by the Section.
ü
Establish
5 year work plan
ü
Review/modify
and refine application criteria for each scholarship
ü
Review/modify
and refine the candidate scoring and ranking system
ü
Increase
the number of scholarship applicants through advertising and section activity
(Information Technology, Conference, MAC, Public Information, Publications,
etc)
ü
Recruit
additional committee members (5 members minimum)
ü
Review
& update bylaws, policies, and/or procedures that apply to the scholarship
committee
ü
Develop
qualifications, application and mechanisms for advertising a new
Community/Technical College Scholarship.
Based on research done to date it is expected the scholarship amount is
to be $800. Timeframe to have this
completed mid-April 2006.
ü
Develop
qualifications, application, and mechanisms for advertising a new Continuing
Education Scholarship. Based on the
research done to date it is expected the scholarship amount is to be $500.
Timeframe to have this completed mid-April 2006.
ü
Develop
criteria to receive grant applications applicable to water industry educational
materials and equipment.
ü
Create
a display case for advertising the Section Scholarships, at District Schools
and other Section training or conferences.
Revenues $0
Expenditures $8,775
Three
(3) $2,000 Bachelor/Advanced Degree Scholarships
Four
(4) $675 Water Utility Management
Institute Scholarships
Three
(3) $25 Annual student memberships for Advanced Degree Scholarships
Committee Chairs Open
Member John Thom
Member Allen Lamm
Member Gerald Smith
Member Open
Budget Justification:
A.
Bachelor/Advanced Degree Scholarship: The original scholarship award was set at
$1,000 and based on covering 70 to 80 percent of the tuition rate. Over the past twelve years the scholarship
award amount has not changed from the original $1,000. At the current tuition rate we calculate a
2005-2006 academic year scholarship rate to be $2,900. This scholarship amount is based on a
single semester, and covers tuition only.
The Scholarship Committee is planning to get the scholarship back to the
covering 70 to 80 percent range of one semester tuition. For the 2006-2007 school year we are asking
to increase the scholarship rate to $2,000 and maintain three
scholarships. The Scholarship Committee
plans to continue to refine the scholarship criteria created in 2005 to better
define scholarship awards to support the water industry (science, engineering,
business, sales, etc.). This will be
reported to the Board in May prior to awarding any scholarships. In September
of each year the Committee will review the tuition rate for that academic year,
and make adjustment of scholarship amount based on the findings.
B.
Annual student membership for Advanced Degree
Scholarship awardees. The Scholarship awardee will be given a one years
membership to AWWA. This provides the
awardee access to a number of excellent opportunities, attending conferences at
a reduced rate, networking with others in the water industry, access to
technical journals, etc.
C.
Management
Institute Scholarship: This scholarship rate is based on the
tuition rate given to us by the Institute.
The scholarship covers tuition only.
The awardee is responsible for lodging, meals and other incidentals
associated with attending the Institute.
Young Professionals (Doug
Klamerus)
Training
Council (K. Peterson)
The
Minnesota Section districts have conducted their 2005 spring schools:
·
Southeast
District, March 22-24, Ramada Inn and Conference Center, Rochester: 118
registrants
·
Metro
District, April 6-8, Ramada Inn and Thunderbird Convention Center, Bloomington:
254 registrants
·
Southwest
District, March 30, Holiday Inn, New Ulm: 67 registrants
·
Northeast
District, April 13-15, Superior Shores Resort, Two Harbors: 39 registrants
·
Central
District, June 8-10, Ruttger’s Bay Lake Lodge, Deerwood: 64 registrants
The 2006 Metro School will be back at the Ramada Inn and
Thunderbird Convention Center in Bloomington from Wednesday, April 5 through
Friday, April 7. The Northeast District
will be moving its school to Ruttger’s Sugar Lake Lodge in Grand Rapids in
2006. The school will be held from
Wednesday, April 26 to Friday, April 28.
The Education Committee conducted two Water Works!
Drinking Water Institutes for Educators in June. One was in St. Paul and the other in Detroit Lakes. The committee is also working with Hamline
University’s Center for Global Environmental Education to expand the scope of
the Institutes through a module on a CD-ROM and on-line learning. We will be receiving a grant of $25,000 from
the Minnesota Department of Health as well as funding from Minnesota AWWA to
have the Center create a module on Minnesota drinking water that will be part
of a CD-ROM. This will be used in
future Drinking Water Institutes and will be distributed to other teachers in
the state. In addition, the module will
be adapted for use on the web sites of Minnesota AWWA and the Minnesota
Department of Health.
The Education Committee has completed a training-needs
survey among superintendents of municipal water systems in Minnesota. Results of the survey have been tallied and
will be available by the time of the section conference.
The Research Committee (RC) held its spring meeting on May 5th
in St. Paul. The fall meeting is
planned for early October at the annual conference.
The RC has pulled together another star-studded lineup for
the Research Concurrent session of the Annual Conference on October 6th. Don’t miss it!
The RC is in the planning stages for an upcoming Surface
Water Treatment Workshop. The workshop
is planned for May, 2006 and will be in Fargo, North Dakota. This is a co-sponsored event with the North
Dakota and South Dakota sections.
The RC is in the early planning stages for an upcoming
regional membrane treatment workshop.
The event will be in Minneapolis.
Presentations will include technical information related to MF, UF, NF,
and RO membrane applications. The
workshop is planned August 16-18, 2006.
The RC continues to encourage section members to actively
participate in AwwaRF. There are
currently 16 utility subscribers.
The
committee is planning to sponsor a meeting at Grandma’s in Duluth on Wednesday,
October 5th from 5pm to 7pm for small systems operators that are attending the
annual conference. The committee is
interested in hosting an informal coffee hour at various locations throughout
the state for small system operators.
It is hoped that eventually these coffee hours would be held on a
regular basis, every other month. The
coffee hour would provide small systems with an opportunity to network, share
resources, and develop mentoring relationships. The committee will be looking for at least one person from each
district to host the event in their immediate area. If interested, please contact Drew Anderson at 952/442-2615.
Water
Utility Council (K. Johnson)
The last meeting of the Water Utility Council was in
June before the special session of the legislature ended and those minutes are
a part of this report. At that time
there were several items in various bills tied up in the special session. Craig from the League of Cities will be at
the Water Utility Council meeting on Wed. October 5th in Duluth. At that time we will get a full update on
final outcomes in the special session.
We also will hear about issues that may come if there is a special
session this fall, and issues that he believes may come up in the next session
in 2006.
I will pull the minutes together from the Wednesday,
October 5th Water Utility
Council meeting and make them available for the October 7th Board of Directors
meeting. In any event, I will see that
any action items that are presented in Wednesdays meeting will be available for
discussion and action at the October 7th Board meeting.
>From
the Tuesday Oct 2004 BOD meeting:
A
motion to place a complete review of the entire nominating roles and process on
the January board meeting was made by Mason, second by AbouAish, and
unanimously approved.
A
motion to have the board appoint an Ad Hoc Committee to review the general
section bylaws, policies, and procedures was made by AbouAish, second by
Bullert, and unanimously approved.
>From
the Friday Oct 2004 BOD meeting:
An
Ad Hoc committee for section policy/procedure review was discussed. It was
agreed that a mix of general membership (non-board members) and board members
make up the committee. Gerads suggested AbouAish chair the committee. Bullert
made a motion to have 7 members (3 from the board * director, trustee-at-large,
and council chair, 4 from the general membership) appointed to the committee,
second by Lapointe, and unanimously approved.
The current various nomination processes were examined and
clarifications were provided at the January Governing Board meeting - This
satisfies the first motion made by Ben Mason/MAC Chair
Chair,
Myron Volker appointed an Ad-Hoc Committee to review the Section's Policies and
Procedures (P&P). The Ad-Hoc Committee roster is AbouAish (chair), Bullert,
Sadler and 4 general members (suggested are Doug Mandy, Allen Lamm, Steve
Schneider, and Dave Allen).
The
current Governing Documents were organized and indexed for review by all
members
Review
comments were received and consolidated for presenting at the October Board meeting
(A copy has been circulated to all the Committee members)
The
Section and Board's P&P were focused on and samples of other Sections' were
solicited for comparison (as an attachment to the above)
No
suggested changes were identified to necessitate a modification in the Section
Bylaws
The
Councils and Districts' P&P need further review and development
A
recommendation will be presented to the Governing Board to extend the Ad-Hoc
Committee's task into next year for the purpose of: a) Overseeing the developing
specific P&P for Councils & Districts, b) Reviewing other Sections'
sample P&P, and c) Identifying any needed modification to the Bylaws.