Cecilia Bertolli

The board discussed and adopted a resolution to submit a grant application to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation under the WaterSMART Drought Response Program. The funding is intended for the Arsenic Treatment for Direct System Wells Project, which addresses two wells to improve drought resiliency and water supply reliability. The board authorized a grant request of $1,500,000 for the project, which has an estimated total cost of $5,520,000, and committed to funding the remaining $4,020,000 if the grant is awarded.

The board discussed and approved the award of Bid Number 23-26 for the sale of approximately 591.72 acres of land to Jobe Materials, L.P. as the highest responsive and responsible bidder. The board authorized the President/CEO to forward the recommendation to the City Council and execute all necessary documentation to finalize the sale transaction. The net gain from the land sale will be deposited into the Land Reserve Fund, with five percent of the proceeds allocated to the City per bond covenants.

The board considered the approval of Amendment 2 to the professional engineering services contract with Black and Veatch Corporation for the Water and Wastewater Electric Power Reliability Evaluation - Part 2 project. The amendment covers the design for the rehabilitation of backup power generators at the Upper Valley Water Treatment Plant and provides construction phase services. The proposal includes a contract amount of $1,266,000 and authorizes future task orders or amendments estimated at $500,000, funded by the 2022A Water and Sewer Construction Bond Fund.

The board considered and approved a professional engineering services contract with Parkhill, Smith & Cooper, Inc. for the Westwind/IH-10/Resler 24-Inch Water Main Extension Part 2 project. This contract covers additional design and construction phase services necessary to complete the project, which was previously put on hold. The board also authorized the issuance of future task orders or amendments for these services, subject to available funding.

The board approved several sole-source contracts for UV disinfection components, belt filter press parts, and leak detection services, as well as a master contract for mobile application development. Additional actions included increasing capacity for a heavy construction equipment master contract, awarding professional engineering services contracts for wastewater treatment plants, and awarding an RFP for powdered activated carbon and sodium chlorite. The board held an executive session to discuss cybersecurity, procure critical infrastructure equipment, address a billing dispute, authorize settlement negotiations, and review the performance and employment agreement of the CEO.