Town Manager’s Report, January 12, 2023

Financing Package for $1,069,974 Funding Package Through the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Virginia Resource Authority (VRA)

You have in your packet a December 20 letter from Shawn B. Crumlish outlining requirements for financing the Sewer Infiltration and Inflow (I &I). This package is one part of the project, with that work slated in the Town and immediate environs. As we have discussed I&I is a serious issue in treating sewage. Treating ground or surface water drives up treatment costs especially electricity, ages equipment and leads to the plant having to be bypassed during high flow times.

The Plant is licensed at .999 Million Gallons per Day (MGD). The Plant is fully owned by the Town, although the County pays an Operation and Maintenance (O&M) cost to the Town based on sewer going into the plant. The main source of county sewer going into the Plant is from the Green Hill area and off Route 107.

As you can see the package is a very attractive one. Of the $2,069,974 in funding, fully 75% or $1,552,481 is grant (Principal Forgiveness Loan). The balance of $517,493 is a loan at 0% over a 30 year period.

As you can see in the third paragraph of the December 20 letter VRA has decided that we can only close on the loan following a couple of conditions. These are that the that the 2022 audit be completed (the auditor is working on it now), that a Qualified Independent Consultants Report be completed on the sewer expense / revenue be done to ensure viability, or that the existing bonds be shifted from water based to General Obligation. Clerk Treasurer Marlene Henderson will have more information on those requirements.

Hurt and Proffitt (H&P) is currently designed the project. They are almost completed. Of the engineering contract of $318,629, $235,620 of it is for the design, preliminary and final design and approvals. At this writing we have paid $116,544. H&P has agreed to hold that cost to a maximum $150,000 up front and to await closing of the project for the balance.

A second package of $1,238,541 is part of the comprehensive package and is slated for the area east of Chilhowie and into Seven Mile Ford. At this writing all of that amount is a 30 year loan at 0%. A separate closing will have to done on that portion of the program.

Finally, you have in agenda a cover submittal by H&P presenting plans and specs to DEQ for review on the project. A brief explanation of the project is on the back of the cover entitled “Project Description”. It involves approximately 15,000 feet of repairs to various size lines of six, eight, 12, 15 and 18 inches, plus 46 manhole repairs and appurtenances. Those submittals normally take about 60 to 90 days to review.

Issues with Security System at Old High School (OHS) Through Fleenor Security

The last several months, at increasing frequency I and other staff members have been getting calls from Fleenor Security about alarms a the OHS. Most of these alarms have been with phone line issues. Fleenor has security at the OHS, at the fire department and administration building, and at the Bonham House.

We were never able to ascertain the cause of the alarms. We also could not find a contract with Fleenor to delineate whose responsibility were what. We were also unsure on what we were paying for. We were also concerned about the ever increasing frequencies of the calls, plus when the operator was asked the nature of the emergency we were asked a password that no one knew of.

To that end we set up a meeting with Fleenor Security on December 20 with our staff including the Fire Chief and his staff, the Deputy Clerk Treasurer, Heather Carter of the Library itself and me. Representing Fleenor Security were the Service Manager, Chuck Wright and the Operations Manager David Taylor. At that meeting we got several issues ironed out including the establishment of a universal password, site maintenance, battery backup, where alarm calls are dispatched, etc. You have in your agenda packet a December 20 letter from Mr. Taylor summarizing the meeting.

Complaint filed with Senator Tim Kaine’s Office on Delivery of December Utility Bills

As reported by Clerk Treasurer Marlene Henderson at the December Council meeting utility bills mailed out to out 2,500 water customers and 1,200 encompassing about 5,000 residents, plus numerous more commercial and industrials customers had not been delivered by December 8. Noting the gravity of that situation I made a complaint through Senator Kaine’s office about this situation.

You have attached the narrative I wrote about the situation on December 16 to the Senator’s office, and his reply on December 21 which you can read. By sending out this complaint we are not pointing a finger out to particular individual or individuals, just trying to find a path where this delay does not happen again.

Submission of Specifications on Splash Pad

Follow the splash pad 12 reports, March 2022 to August 2024

You have in your agenda a paper sized copy of the specifications of the splash pad put together by our architect Nathan Brown of Barrington Landscape Architecture in Lebanon. Nathan has also supplied a full sized copy of the plans. Nathan indicates that the plans are about 90% plus complete.

We met with Nathan on January 5, 2023 to go over these specs. Also at the meeting was Ms. Lynda Helton, who has been newly appointed as Executive Director of the Smyth County Foundation. The Foundation awarded the Town up to $125,000 for the Splash Pad after Recreation / Special Events Coordinator Jeff Smarr and I submitted a grant application. Also at the meeting were Building Official David Haynes, Water and Sewer Foreman and Jeff.

At the meeting elements of the Pad were discussed. Comments were noted and incorporated by Nathan of water and sewer connections / sites, rain garden overflows, electrical additions, etc. A summary of those items are included in your agenda packet. It was also decided that the best course for bidding the project would be two bids- one for the Splash Pad itself, and a second for all the accompaniments, including bathrooms, shelters, playground equipment, fencing, etc. A specialty contract would most likely bid on the Pad and a General Contractor on the accompaniments.

The bid schedule was also discussed with advertisements in late January / early February with construction in the April timeline. That schedule and perhaps other items will be submitted to you for approval at this meeting.