10/04/2002 Board Meeting

GOVERNING BOARD MEETING
Tuesday, October 4, 2002
7:00am to 9:00am
Cragun's Resort, Brainerd, MN

1. CALL TO ORDER
Glen Gerads called the meeting to order at 7:05am.

2. ROLL CALL
Present: Doug Rovang, Glen Gerads, John Thom, Bernie Bullert, Jon Eaton, Rob Renner, Troy Hall, Bud Krause, Bill Spain, Bert Tracy, Myron Volker, Scott Anderson, John Lapointe, Yasser Abouaish, Steve Schneider, Ben Mason, Kelly Lange, Allen Anderson, Bob Cockriel.

Absent: Larry Grafenstein, Stew Thornley, Don Christianson.

3. APPOINTMENT OF SECRETARY/TREASURER
Motion to reappoint Jon Eaton to secretary/treasurer was made by Thom, second by Tracy, and unanimously approved.

4. CONFIRMATION OF AWARDS

A. L.N. Thompson - Adam Kramer, City of Minneapolis
B. Meritorious Service - Ken Friedrichs
C. George Warren Fuller - Jim Haugen, St Paul Regional Water
D. Life Member Award (30 years): Mr. James R. Prusak, City of Cloquet Municipal Water Supply; Mr. Ronald E. Selvey, Staples Light and Water Commission; Mr. Alan W. Manning, EMA Services, Inc.
E. Gold Drop Award (50 years): Mr. Earl H. Ruble; Mr. Eugene Eilers, Water and Wastewater Superintendent; Mr. Carl J. Ahlgren
F. Membership Achievement - Glen Gerads
G. Scholarships - Carol Kaszynski and Matthew Smith

Motion to accept the confirmation of awards by Spain, second by Hall, and unanimously approved.

5. APPOINTMENTS

A. Administration Council - Yasser Abouaish

1. Finance
2. Fuller Award
3. Thompson Award
4. Meritorious Service
5. Nominating (Director)
6. Nominating (Chair-Elect)

B. Conference Council - Steve Schneider

1. Conference Program
2. Conference Spouse
3. Conference House
4. Conference Local Arrangements
5. Reception at ACE

C. Manufacturers Council - Ben Mason

1. Social
2. Exhibits
3. Endowment

D. Public Affairs Council - Kelly Lange

1. Public Information
2. Publications
3. Water for People
4. Membership
5. Scholarship
6. Gimmicks and Gadgets (Action Now)

E. Small Systems Council - Don Christianson

1. Ambassador
2. Mentorship

F. Training Council - Stew Thornley

1. Education
2. Management
3. Safety
4. Research

G. Water Utility Council - Bob Cockriel

1. Energy
2. Legislative Affairs

Motion to accept the appointments by Krause, second by S. Anderson, and unanimously approved.

6. OTHER APPOINTMENTS
None

7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
2003 Fall Conference in Moorhead, MN (Hall) - Marriott Hotel construction is on track to open in January. Hall is working on the contract. Exhibit hall can function similar to 2002. April Debaker, of AWWA National, can help with contract review. A recommendation was made to have the conference council chair create a contract negotiation committee to handle the local arrangements. All documents shall be electronic for review by the various board/council members. The final contract shall be approved by the executive board. Motion to approve the recommendation by Rovang, second by Bullert, and unanimously approved.

DNR Permit Fees for the Drinking Water Institute (Thom) - Hold until the next meeting.

Utility assessment to generate income (Thom) - May hurt membership, requires a bylaw change (can take one to two years). Board suggests recruiting utilities instead. Motion to remove the recommendation by Thom, second by Spain, unanimously approved.

Vice-chair position (vice chair to chair elect to chair to past chair) (Thom) - Requires a bylaw change (can take one to two years). Too long of a commitment. Motion to remove the recommendation by Thom, second by Tracy, unanimously approved.

A recommendation was made to reappoint all the existing members of the WUC. The reappointed chair will put together a succession plan to realign membership with current policy. Motion to approve the recommendation by Krause, second by Bullert, unanimously approved.

A recommendation the chair appoint and the board approve the official board representative to the WUC annually. Motion to approve the recommendation by Thom, second by Krause, unanimously approved.

A recommendation was made to appoint Doug Rovang, chair elect, as the official board representative to the WUC for the next year (Oct 2002 to Oct 2003). Motion to accept the recommendation by Tracy, second by Spain, unanimously approved.

The WUC requested the original wording of the section assessment.

8. NEW BUSINESS
2003 Regional Officers Meeting will be in Duluth, MN. AWWA National is working to secure hotel accommodations for 40-50 people at either the Hawthorne Suites or Fitgers. The suggested weekend for the event is October 24-25, 2003. A train ride was suggested as a section sponsored evening activity. A recommendation that the Trustee-At-Large, District Trustee, and the Conference Council Chair assist AWWA National with conference arrangements and activities. Motion to approve the recommendation by Bullert, second by Tracy, and unanimously approved.

AWWA National would like each section to give a 20-minute presentation highlighting section activities. Highlighted items should include the Youth Education program and the Management Institute. Gerads will give the presentation but is requesting help putting the presentation together. Thom, A. Anderson, Thornley, and Abouaish volunteered.

Gerads is commissioning a "Technology Task Force" to investigate how technology could improve the Mn Section. The commission will have recommendations for the January board meeting. Gerads wanted someone from the Board to participate in the investigation. After some discussion, Rovang volunteered as the Board representative.

A. Anderson, sitting in for Stew Thornley, discussed funding of the Youth Education/Drinking Water Institute Program with the Board. The support received from the district schools, Mn section, and MDH is very appreciated but more is needed to continue the program. A recommendation was made to have a membership vote at the next section business meeting (Oct 2003) to add a $10 assessment to the annual conference registration for the purpose of funding the DWI. The fee should be included in the 2003 Fall Conf registration. If the recommendation is approved by the membership, the funds will be transferred to the program, if not they will be moved to the general fund. Motion to approve the recommendation by Tracy, second by Thom, and unanimously approved.

Gerads will continue to discuss a joint WEF/MNAWWA Management Conference with the appropriate parties.

Bullert requested input for the section vote for the National Vice president. After some discussion, a recommendation was made to have Bullert use his best judgment in choosing the section vote. Motion to approve the recommendation by Krause, second by Hall, and unanimously approved.

Bullert requested assistance in filling out a National AWWA survey on strategic planning. The board discussed and responded to each question.

A National Surfacewater Award has been given out. The board or the Administrative Council Chair should investigate possible candidates for the award.

9. COMMENTS BY ASSOCIATION REPRESENTATIVE
Renner thanked the board for inviting him to the 2002 Section Fall Conference.

Upcoming events:
CDC to discuss water security issues with invited Utilities, Oct 12-13 and Oct 16-17
Security related conference Mar 23-26, 2003 in the Los Angles area

Renner suggested using section services when ever possible. They are very helpful. Our representative is Nancy Sullivan.

10. NEXT BOARD MEETING
Friday January 31, 2003 in Moorhead, MN. The specific meeting location will be announced in December.

11. ADJOURNMENT
A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Volker, second by Tracy, unanimously approved. The meeting ended at 9:30am.

Respectfully Submitted,

Jon B. Eaton
Secretary/Treasurer