December 19th, 2011 Meeting Continued
Hello! I hope the New Year is treating you all well. Difficult to believe a year has passed already – that is until I take personal inventory of all the new aches, pains, frustrations, and ramifications of getting older. Last weekend I finally got around to replacing a 10+ year old “temporary” walkway bridge which was actually just a deteriorating painted wood pallet over a drainage ditch. (Funny how those “temporary fixes” remain so long.) Yup, muscles are still pretty sore but at least they remind me that something was accomplished.
Here’s another installment of the December 19th, 2011 Board Meeting.
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Vice President Bill Kinsella: OK, let’s open it up, and it’s nomination for board president.
Director Lew Richardson: I’d like to nominate Bill Kinsella
VP Kinsella: OK, any other nominations? I don’t want to win by default.
Director Emery Ross: (inaudible) laughter
VP Kinsella: There are no other nominations?
Director Ross: Get it by default
VP Kinsella: OK then (multiple voices) to make it legal I have to call for a vote, all in favor?
Director Victor Afanasiev: You need a second first
Multiple voices
Unknown: I’ll second it
VP Kinsella: No, no you don’t
Multiple voices/cross talk
Director Afanasiev: (inaudible) nomination…and I’ll make a second
VP Kinsella: OK, who made the second?
Director Afanasiev: I did
VP Kinsella: OK, any comments from the audience?
Director Afanasiev: Wes Barton, no comment?
VP Kinsella: Huh?
Director Afanasiev: No comment from Mr. Barton
VP Kinsella: OK I’ll call for the question, all in favor say “Aye”
Director Richardson: Aye
Director Afanasiev: You mean for a vote?
VP Kinsella: Yeah, in favor of me
Board Secretary Charise Reeves: a yes….
Director Ross: Don’t need to vote you’ve got it by default
Multiple voices/ cross talk
VP Kinsella: (inaudible) got it by default
Secretary Charise Reeves: So did we need a vote?
Director Ross: Nope, there’s only one person that’s
Director Richardson: Well we didn’t need one but it was still three to two
Director Ross: No it wasn’t
Secretary Reeves: OK
Director Richardson: Oh, how was it not?
Secretary Reeves: I need to record this guys
Director Ross: I didn’t vote
Director Richardson: Victor voted, I voted, Bill voted, that’s three
Director Ross: He got it by default, there is no vote
Director Afanasiev: We still need a vote
Director Richardson: What is your vote Emery?
Director Ross: I’m not voting because he got it by default
Director Richardson: OK, so you’re abstaining?
Secretary Reeves: What about Mark?
Director Richardson: I don’t know?
Director Mark Skoien: I’ll abstain, he’s the only candidate
Director Ross: He’s the only candidate that’s it, ah
Director Richardson: Well it would be a nice show of support
Director Ross: Vice President next
Multiple voices
President Kinsella: OK, ah, I’ll open it up for nomination for vice president.
Director Skoien: I’ll nominate Emery
President Kinsella: OK, I nominate Lew Richardson, Victor you have any comments?
Sally Punte (Former Board Member in audience): Can I interrupt?
President Kinsella: Huh?
Sally Punte: May I interrupt?
President Kinsella: Go ahead
Sally Punte: I don’t know that Emery is electable…
Director Ross: I’m electable
Sally Punte: because of the Grand Jury
Director Ross: No, no, that’s the president, not vice president
Sally Punte: Well yes but that would mean
Director Ross: Different – different board
Sally Punte: in the absence of a president guess who that would be?
Director Skoien: That was a different board
Multiple voices
Director Richardson: Good point
Director Skoien: Different year
Director Ross: Well Lew’s not supposed to write on his blog either, those were recommendations.
Director Richardson: No, that’s not true.
President Kinsella: Oh boy
Multiple voices
Director Richardson: Get your facts straight.
Director Ross: (inaudible) let them vote
President Kinsella: You’re right
Sally Punte: I know
Director Ross: Let them vote, take the vote
Director Skoien: He followed the recommendation when they ah said he (Emery Ross) should resign as president
Sally Punte: That’s true but
Director Ross: the grand jury
Sally Punte: you see my point Mark
Director Ross: the Grand Jury
President Kinsella: Well OK
Director Ross: Call for the vote
President Kinsella: I am, all in favor of Emery raise your hand or say aye
Director Skoien: aye
President Kinsella: Emery did you vote?
Director Ross: No
President Kinsella: Just Mark
Secretary Reeves: OK
President Kinsella: all in favor of Lew? Aye
Director Afanasiev: Aye
Director Richardson: Aye, three to two?
Director Ross: I didn’t vote
President Kinsella: Huh?
Director Ross: I didn’t vote
Director Richardson: Abstained
President Kinsella: I know you didn’t vote
Director Richardson: Abstain?
Director Ross: That’s a vote, it’s voting, if I abstain it’s a vote, I didn’t vote -not abstaining.
President Kinsella: Well Emery don’t be
Multiple voices/cross talk
Director Ross: Mark
Director Skoien: What?
Board Secretary: OK, wait a minute
Director Ross: Mark voted
Board Secretary: For the first nomination (Ross talking in background) for Emery we had an aye for Mark
Director Ross: Right
Board Secretary: Emery you did not vote so that means you abstained
Director Ross: Whatever you’ve got to call it
Board Secretary Reeves: But the three of you, were those nays?
President Kinsella: Yes
Board Secretary Reeves: Victor, Bill and Lew?
President Kinsella: Yes
Board Secretary Reeves: OK, and then for a Lew it was Bill, Victor and Lew for an aye, Emery abstained, and Mark
Director Skoien: No
Board Secretary: OK, OK, so Bill is our President and Lew is our Vice President.
President Kinsella: My sympathies Mr. Richardson
VP Richardson: Well I threw you into the fire
President Kinsella: (laughing) OK, now comes the issue of committees.
Director Afanasiev: Ah what (inaudible)
President Kinsella: What?
Director Ross: Committees are always part of it ah Victor
Director Afanasiev: Yes
President Kinsella: It’s in the same line Victor, board reorganization, and president and vice president and committees.
Director Afanasiev: OK
President Kinsella: We need somebody for finance?
(After long silent pause …. laughter)
VP Richardson: Listen to everybody….
President Kinsella: I can, I can certainly, can’t hear anything for the (inaudible) you know. I guess the president should be that huh?
Board Secretary: Yep
President Kinsella: That’s a standing committee, Operations?
Board Secretary: Don’t we usually do two board members per committee?
President Kinsella: I’d love to have two board members per committee, but ah, I know how it’s going to… Emery would you be a board member, I mean would you be a committee member?
Director Ross: No I told you I don’t do committees because they’re not legal.
President Kinsella: OK. Mark? Would you be a committee member?
Director Skoien: Not finance, I’ll do Operations again.
President Kinsella: Victor?
Director Afanasiev: Not finance, no, that’s not my bailiwick.
President Kinsella: Lew you’re it
VP Richardson: I guess it’s me
Board Secretary Reeves: OK
VP Richardson: I can balance my checkbook – (laughter)
President Kinsella: Operations
Director Skoien: Well you’re qualified
VP Richardson: Probably not qualified but if it balances I’m happy (laughing)
President Kinsella: Operations
Director Skoien: I’ll do that again I don’t have a problem
President Kinsella: I’m already listed down there so we can do that
Board Secretary: Bill and Mark on Operations, OK
President Kinsella: Personnel? Ah, Lew and I are listed down there, do you want to change?
VP Richardson: I don’t know, is someone else interested in it or….
Director Skoien: I’d say with what we’re in the middle of I think it should stay the same, but that’s just my opinion.
VP Richardson: That makes sense. Makes sense.
Director Afanasiev: I agree with Mark, remain the same.
President Kinsella: Public Relations, Lew, you and I are listed on this thing but I’d like to drop off it because
VP Richardson: Well Victor has since come aboard, so
President Kinsella: Yeah, Victor would you do that?
Director Afanasiev: What Public Relations?
President Kinsella: Yeah
Director Afanasiev: Not really, I’m not very good at Public Relations
VP Richardson: Well I thought you said you would?
Director Afanasiev: No, I don’t agree to (inaudible) in Public Relations (laughter)
Multiple voices/cross talk
President Kinsella: You have to have two, you should have two so
VP Richardson: Well then you’re still in
President Kinsella: I guess I am
VP Richardson: Well – with all the support here, you know…
President Kinsella: Area Planning, got me listed on that, I think I’d
Board Secretary: We didn’t
President Kinsella: like to drop off on that one.
Director Afanasiev: I’ll take that one
President Kinsella: Ah Victor (inaudible)
VP Richardson: Alright
Board Secretary: And who’s our second?
President Kinsella: Mark? Would you like to be on that?
Director Skoien: No
Board Secretary Reeves: It’s a temporary advisory committee; I don’t even know what that really applies to
President Kinsella: It’s a temporary advisory committee, Lew?
VP Richardson: Sure, I’ll go, Victor’s Chairman right?
President Kinsella: Yeah
VP Richardson: OK
President Kinsella: Long Range Benefit Committee. I don’t think we can have an employee on that – can we -?
Board Secretary Reeves: Actually yeah, that one you need two employees, two directors and two employees and you guys kind of hash out what the policies that have to do with employee long range benefits and then you bring that to the board.
President Kinsella: OK, Victor, how about that one?
Director Afanasiev: That’s fine.
Board Secretary Reeves: Bill you’re on that one too?
President Kinsella: Yeah, I can’t dump everything
Board Secretary Reeves: We do need to get a second employee on that one because ah Syndie is our only remaining employee
President Kinsella: Well, but
Director Afanasiev: This is long range (multiple voices/cross talk)
President Kinsella: Well, there’s only you, and ah,
Board Secretary Reeves: Me, and Syndie, well there’s Dave and Randy…
Unknown: Yeah we know more about the ah, the
Board Secretary Reeves: OK, so we can assign me and Syndie as employee representatives
President Kinsella: Yeah, Dan will you question some of your people to see if they would sit on this
Interim General Manager Dan Tynan: Yeah I can ask the guys, yeah.
President Kinsella: Huh?
IGM Tynan: I can ask one of the guys, well the guys
Director Skoien: Can it be Dan?
Director Afanasiev: Or ladies?
President Kinsella: Well, if he wants to do it, he can do it
IGM Tynan: Actually I think Syndie and ah Charise would be very good at it
President Kinsella: I think Charise has enough to do (laughter) but I’d like to, my philosophy is that if we get the guys in the plant or the outside guys involved in this thing we get a better overall picture of what’s going on and they would, they would feel that they have a say in (inaudible)
IGM Tynan: OK, I’ll give – I’ll ask them
President Kinsella: Say again?
IGM Tynan: I’ll ask them
President Kinsella: Ok, thank you. MID, Kinsella drops off, and Afanasiev goes on.
VP Richardson: You’re still on that?
Director Afanasiev: Yes
VP Richardson: OK
President Kinsella: Plaza by the Lake?
Multiple voices questioning committees
Director Skoien: Why are these next three even (multiple voices/cross talk) unless someone, unless they come up, I mean
VP Richardson: What do you call it – decommissioned?
Board Secretary Reeves: I don’t know what it’s technically called
VP Richardson: Dissolved?
Board Secretary Reeves: like to eliminate those three committees, (multiple voices) so is there consensus by the board to eliminate Sierra Foothills, South Shore and Plaza by the Lakes?
Multiple voices
Director Skoien: Yeah, temporary ah, eliminate them until a need arises or something
Director Afanasiev: Charise, which, no, I got Plaza by the Lake (multiple voices)
Board Secretary Reeves: Sierra Foothills and South Shore
Director Afanasiev: Ah, I wouldn’t eliminate South Shore there is a big question with Merced Irrigation District regarding South Shore, they’re very concerned about it.
VP Richardson: Well, could we make, since it’s a temp advisory, could we throw that into the MID or something?
President Kinsella: I think we should eliminate it and if a need arises then we could reinstitute it.
Director Afanasiev: Well we could throw it to MID Committee because they are extremely concerned about South Shore
VP Richardson: Right, it came up a number of times
Director Afanasiev: Yes
Board Secretary Reeves: So eliminate the three and then, kind of anything with South Shore ties into MID?
President Kinsella: Yeah, right, OK
Board Secretary Reeves: OK is there consensus by the whole board to eliminate those three committees, temporary advisory committees?
President Kinsella: Mark says yes
Board Secretary Reeves: Mark says yes
Director Afanasiev: I have no problem with it
Director Ross: I don’t have nothing to do with committees
President Kinsella: I didn’t ask you to be on a committee, do you…
Director Ross: I said I don’t comment on committees
Board Secretary Reeves: OK, so it’s Victor, Bill, Lew and Mark consensus.
President Kinsella: Right, Emery abstained again. Waste Water? That’s going to be a big problem, we, can we refer that to the – ah MID Committee, no.
Board Secretary Reeves: No it’s totally different
President Kinsella: but it’s entirely different, yeah.
VP Richardson: It would probably go more with area planning wouldn’t it?
Sally Punte: And LAFCo
VP Richardson: But we don’t have a LAFCo
Director Afanasiev: What do you mean we don’t have a LAFCo, yes we do have a LAFCo
Director Skoien: No, not one on LAFCo
Multiple voices/cross talk
President Kinsella: (inaudible) put that into Area Planning
Board Secretary Reeves: OK, so Waste Water becomes part of Area Planning?
President Kinsella: Yeah
Board Secretary Reeves: How do you see that? If it, are you talking about Waste Water as in the Waste Water bill issue? Are you talking about in taking it over at some point, what?
Sally Punte: (inaudible) that was..
Board Secretary Reeves: That’s what that was, was originally taken
Multiple voices/cross talk
Director Skoien: Eliminate, we aint taking over that
President Kinsella: It would still be Area Planning
Board Secretary Reeves: Huh? So in the context of what it was originally designed for that goes away because, until they come to us and say, hey, we want you to take it.
President Kinsella: Well they wanted us to take it in the beginning
Board Secretary Reeves: Yes but we’ve heard nothing, at least in the three years I’ve been here, nothing’s been said about it
VP Richardson: We were organized, Sally wasn’t this district organized under the presumption that we would be taking over the Waste Water Plant?
Sally Punte: Right, and there is a file I wanted to give to you but I haven’t because I’ve dumped so much on you that I thought that I really should hang on to it
VP Richardson: Bring it on, bring it on
President Kinsella: Everybody is pick – everybody is picking on Lew
VP Richardson: But, I, you know ah, I’ve talked to someone up at the county and I asked them and I never got really a straight answer as to whether they still want us to take that in the future or not
Board Secretary Reeves: I’m sure they would love for us to take it over right now since we would owe ourselves (NOTE: reference to the outstanding $45,000 bill for the Waste Water facility that serves the golf course and homes around the course)
Director Skoien: Yeah
VP Richardson: Yeah, yeah that’s true
Sally Punte: (inaudible) I suspect (inaudible) this place is floundering (multiple voices) and so they’re not trying (inaudible)
VP Richardson: We need to handle our water first before getting into sewage
Director Skoien: Or eliminate it
President Kinsella: Yeah. So where are we going with that
VP Richardson: Well I don’t know
Director Afanasiev: I agree with Mark, let’s eliminate it
Multiple voices
Board Secretary Reeves: At this point, and, if, when it comes up (multiple voices – inaudible)
President Kinsella: Re-establish the committee
Director Afanasiev: If in the future, if there’s a need for it we can discuss it, but (multiple voices – inaudible) let the county handle it
Board Secretary Reeves: (inaudible) eliminate until the need arises again
President Kinsella: OK, that’s fine. Any comments from the audience?
Board Secretary Reeves: And that was consensus by the four of you again.
President Kinsella: Any comments from the audience? Back to the board – Interim General Manager’s Report, Mr. Tynan you’re up.
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I’ll try to get back to the December 19th, 2011 meeting soon but with more of a quick paraphrase approach as to what transpired with the agenda items. This verbatim transcript stuff takes time but is sometimes necessary to adequately, and fairly, report what individuals actually say while simultaneously reducing the probability that I will be accused of misinterpreting their words.
Let’s see what else? Still participating in free online training courses and have signed up for another 20 or so up through June. I recently attended a free 6 hour workshop in Madera regarding Regulation Basics of drinking water. [Treatment, distribution, reporting, etc.. For those of you interested these regulations can be found in Titles 17 & 22 of the California Code of Regulations.]
I obtained an SDWA (Safe Drinking Water Act) poster regarding water related topics such as Inorganic/Organic Chemicals, Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts, Microbiological Contaminants, Future Regulations, Secondary Standards, Maximum Contaminant Levels, known Health Effects of particular contaminants, Monitoring requirements, reporting, etc. [Naturally this poster was added to my growing collection of district related materials – my garage is rapidly becoming a water library and sprawling map room. LOL]
The information presented was pretty overwhelming especially when considering safe drinking water is something most of us just take for granted. Frightening as well – consider this partial list of health effects if water is not properly treated for consumption: increased blood pressure, intestinal lesions, gastrointestinal difficulties/liver/kidney damage, thyroid/neurological effects, bone disease, adrenal gland problems, reproductive system problems, ocular problems, stomach difficulties, anemia, nervous system problems, and of course, the infamous catch-all, the “Big C” – cancer. This is precisely why MCL (Maximum Contaminant Levels) have been established by health departments and agencies of the government – to protect the public from preventable illness/injury/death.
Naturally some of these MCL quantities are extremely small and an enormous amount of contaminated water would have to be consumed multiple times a day for many decades to appreciably influence the probability of serious health issues. [And we of course all know how many of these Maximum Contaminant Levels are established – through the use of laboratory animals such as mice.]
Reminds me of an old joke:
Health scientists recently added human saliva to the known list of cancer-causing agents, however, the public should not be alarmed because there is no serious danger unless consumed in small amounts over a long period of time.
My best to you and yours, Lew
PS: Think I’ll take a chance on a cold beer regardless of what might be in it!
DEER DIARY…..
There were actually five Deer that had crossed the road but a small one was evidently camera shy and just jumped out of the photo.
