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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-11-16 Water Advisory Committee MinutesCITY OF ASH LAN D ASHLAND WATER ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES NOVEMBER 16, 2011 CALL TO ORDER Mike Faught called the meeting to order at 4:32 p.m. in the Siskiyou Room, 51 Winburn Way. Committee Members Present: Pat Ackl i n Lesley Adams Alex Amarotico Darrell Boldt Donna Mickley Don Morris Amy Patton Donna Rhee Councilor Carol Voisin John Williams Absent Members: Kate Jackson Rich Whitley (Chair) APPROVAL OF MINUTES N/A ADJUSTMENTS TO THE AGENDA None DISCUSSIONS AND DECISIONS Carollo Consultants: (via teleconference) Rachel Lanigan David Kraska Staff Present: Mike Faught, Public Works Director Mike Morrison, Public Works Superintendent Robbin Pearce, Conservation Pieter Smeenk, Public Works Associate Engineer Lee Tuneberg, Administrative Services Director Jodi Vizzini, Public Works Office Assistant Steve Walker, Water Quality Supervisor Public: Doug Gentry Joseph Graf Update on Chamber Board Presentation: Mr. Faught gave an update on his meeting with the Chamber of Commerce Board and followed up with the PowerPoint and photos he presented to the Chamber the previous week. The key theme of the presentation was redundancy, conservation and peak demand. He shared that the Chamber's reaction was positive and supportive. Public Outreach Plan: The Committee discussed their plan for a simplified format as their public outreach project. They discussed ways to present how they arrived at their decision and how this can be best explained and represented to the public. The Committee viewed a video of past floods and agreed it was a good visual tool to stress the vulnerability of the existing Water Treatment Plant (WTP). The Committee discussed which members will be joining Mayor Stromberg for the December television presentation on RVTV. Pat Acklin suggested an outline of the process from the beginning, working as the Mayor's committee, to the final decision. Don Morris stated the Committee represents diversity with certain backgrounds which speaks to these issues intelligently. Pieter Smeenk volunteered to be in attendance to help with the technical part of the presentation. The discussion shifted to the financial piece of the project and how this should be addressed when talking to the public. Lee Ashland Water Advisory Committee November 16, 2011 Page I of 2 G: Ipub-wrks I eng108-54 Right Water Right Use Udmn U WA02011-11-16U WA Minutes 11-16-2011. doc Tuneberg shared different scenarios and added the primary source of revenue will be through rate increases, but other options will be explored. He stated the message should be to use the water wisely, and household rates will reflect it. John Williams stressed it would be premature to talk about the financial plan in the Town Hall meetings, and thinks the focus should remain on convincing the public of the need for the second WTP and Partial Talent Ashland Pipeline (TAP). Rachel Lanigan suggested to emphasize in the public outreach process that the overall price tag can be broken down into different parts, and to remember this will improve the ability to fight fires, afford depreciation costs, and replace aging components. Mr. Faught stated the public outreach information will be fine-tuned and sent out to the Committee for review and comment. He added that he will make an appointment with the Mayor to get a clear picture of his idea for the process. The Committee agreed it will be important to have talking/bullet points, and further meetings will be necessary to refine the presentation. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 5:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Jodi Vizzini, Office Assistant II Ashland Water Advisory Committee November 16, 2011 Page 2 of 2 G: Ipub-wrks I eng108-54 Right Water Right Use Udmn U WA02011-11-16U WA Minutes 11-16-2011. doc