Cameron197
Senior Member
Boat ramp plans for reservoir gearing up
At Bear Creek
<center>
By LeAnne Akin
news@barrowcountynews.com
<script type="text/javascript">document.write(writeModDate("Dec. 1, 2008 9:26 a.m."));</script>POSTED Dec. 1, 2008 9:26 a.m.
A 90-day construction timeline should soon start for the long-awaited boat ramp at the Bear Creek Reservoir.
The bid was higher than the original estimate of $250,000, however, so some value-engineering took place with the low-bidder to attain the $271,984 price.
Bids ranged from $341,000 to $697,000, reported Keith Lee.
Cost reductions were obtained from removing the sign and opting for gravel parking rather than impervious pavers.
Barrow, Oconee, Jackson and Athens-Clarke will be billed approximately $70,000 each for the project.
While a $125,000 grant had been thought forthcoming from the Georgia General Assembly and photo opportunity had already been held to commemorate the grant announcement, Davis told the authority that the check was not in the mail. Should the legislature reinstate that funding, the participating county would be refunded their share of those grant dollars.
"Just git her done," said Barrow County Commission Chairman Doug Garrison, in making the motion to accept the revised bid. Athens-Clarke Mayor Heidi Davison provided the second, saying she hoped the decision to move forward will keep her husband from writing more letters to the letter about the issue.
Bob Snipes, who also represents Athens-Clarke on the authority, asked about the status of the operational agreement which had been drafted for the Jackson County Board of Commissioners to approve.
"We didn’t even know if we’d get a boat ramp and I don’t see a boat ramp being built by Jan. 1," said Commission Chairman Pat Bell, who indicated she had not presented the agreement to her board. "I won’t tie down the next board."
Her successor, Hunter Bicknell, was in attendance and was welcomed as was Barrow County Commission Chairman-elect Danny Yearwood.
"To Pat and Doug, our sincere thanks for all you have done for Jackson and Barrow counties and for helping this authority to run well," said Chairman Melvin Davis.
Garrison said, "We’re the only ones smiling," and bell said, "We’ve made it interesting."
Bell would be true to her word as she and Eric Klerk ,also representing Jackson County, cast the two negative votes against the budget.
With the approval of the boat ramp bid motion, it was noted that the project was four years in coming as access to the reservoir had been slowed in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The Risk Management Plan for the reservoir and plant was recently reviewed and audited by EPD which found compliance.
Fishermen who wanted access to the bass stocked by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources have been resigned to bank fishing only as operational guidelines for boat access would need a boat ramp and better developed parking area for the fishing boats and trailers.
The project was also seen as an additional project, separate from the water supply purposes of the reservoir, so delays hinged on discussions, committee meetings, quarterly authority sessions and legal documents.
"It’s been four years coming," noted Garrison.
Attorney Kirby Atkinson spelled out the rules related to obtaining phone quotations from three suppliers for spending between $2,500 and $29,000.
Related to the budget, a new line item has been added with a $250,000 set aside for professional services – litigation.
Also in the budget is a replacement golf cart for an 8-year-old cart on its last leg, said Baughman. Responding to questioning from Bell, Baughman said the two trucks are not take-home vehicles for employees.
Collins said there is additional money for utilities and chemicals as the authority anticipates it will sell more water next year and there are added funds for the boat ramp operations.
Another capital purchase will be for a new automated front gate. After eight years of constant use, repairs are no longer sufficient.
With a motion to approve the budget from Collins, which was seconded by Gary Dodd of Oconee County, Chairman Bell said there would be no need for the $250,000 allocated for attorneys’ fees if other authority members would agree to bring in a third party to look at the differences in expert opinions between Jackson County’s experts, C.H. Guernsey and Company which conducted a sustainable yield analysis on the Bear Creek Reservoir, and JJ&G, the firm in which the authority has placed the Bear Creek operations.
Jackson County has filed suit against the Upper Oconee Basin Water Authority in Jackson County Superior Court, seeking to force recalculation of the established yield of the reservoir. The suit was filed Oct. 14 but the Jackson County Water & Sewerage Authority has had C.H. Guernsey and Company as its consult since last December. Hunter Bicknell was chairman of the Jackson County authority when the consulting agreement was signed.
The authority will pursue a variance request to withdraw additional water from the Middle Oconee River in an effort to have the reservoir at full pool for the summer season.
While Davis said it was suggested by EPD that variances would likely not be forthcoming, authority members indicated their desire to pursue a variance.
In 2007, the authority received a 60-day letter to pull 15 million gallons a day from the Middle Oconee but split the amount 50-50 with Athens-Clarke. Another 90-day extension was granted into March but the reservoir was back to fill pool by the end of January.
The reservoir is only down half a foot in the past month and the level is higher than it was when the waiver was granted last year.
Mayor Davison said the compliments from Dr. Carol Couch about the authority’s water conservation activities should weigh well in her decision about a waiver.
"We have been frugal in the use of our water resources," said Davis.
"We just want to make sure the reservoir is full for the summer," said Dodd, who heads the Operations Committee.
Asked about streamflow comparison to last year, Baughman said the levels are higher and water is being pumped into the reservoir when possible. "We pumped three days last week," he said.
Snipes suggested development of criteria for making similar requests in the future which would include streamflow and rainfall projections.
In another measure, the authority will seek to move toward development of a website with the funds coming from outsource professional services in the 2009 budget. A scope of services will be developed so that quotes can be obtained for the authority’s Jan. 28, 2009 meeting. The projected cost is $4,500.
The 2009 budget is based on operating revenues of $7,005,985, compared to the current budget of $6,478,041.
Utilities are projected to increase to $753,500, up from the revised $517,560 of FY2008.
Baughman also noted that a letter is anticipated from the Safe Dams divisions related to the annual inspection conducted month earlier.
He also said the Operations Committee would be receiving the preliminary engineering report on the potential of taking the plant to 5.5 million gallons a day capacity. First-round comments would come from the Operations Committee with the report then going to the full authority.
In another ongoing matter, Snipes provided an update to the authority on a Nov. 17 with three EPD representatives related to the Jefferson withdrawal permit request about which the authority had written letters of concern.
Snipes said the EPD reps were very gracious with their time and listened to the UOBWA concerns. However, Snipes said since the permit was originally initiated in the late 1900s, he said it is likely the request, which had been under review by EPD for some time, will be approved.
Also attending that session was Pat Bell, Hunter Bicknell, Eric Klerk and Keith Lee.
Ten months into FY2009, Barrow County has paid in $1,962,444 to the authority for water purchases while Jackson County has paid in $2,067,804. Oconee County’s water purchases have totaled $1,337,444. Athens-Clarke’s year-to-date payments for raw water have totaled $251,375.
Operating revenues of the Upper Oconee Water Basin Authority are approximately $1.1 million a month.
At Bear Creek
<center>
By LeAnne Akin
news@barrowcountynews.com
<script type="text/javascript">document.write(writeModDate("Dec. 1, 2008 9:26 a.m."));</script>POSTED Dec. 1, 2008 9:26 a.m.
A 90-day construction timeline should soon start for the long-awaited boat ramp at the Bear Creek Reservoir.
The bid was higher than the original estimate of $250,000, however, so some value-engineering took place with the low-bidder to attain the $271,984 price.
Bids ranged from $341,000 to $697,000, reported Keith Lee.
Cost reductions were obtained from removing the sign and opting for gravel parking rather than impervious pavers.
Barrow, Oconee, Jackson and Athens-Clarke will be billed approximately $70,000 each for the project.
While a $125,000 grant had been thought forthcoming from the Georgia General Assembly and photo opportunity had already been held to commemorate the grant announcement, Davis told the authority that the check was not in the mail. Should the legislature reinstate that funding, the participating county would be refunded their share of those grant dollars.
"Just git her done," said Barrow County Commission Chairman Doug Garrison, in making the motion to accept the revised bid. Athens-Clarke Mayor Heidi Davison provided the second, saying she hoped the decision to move forward will keep her husband from writing more letters to the letter about the issue.
Bob Snipes, who also represents Athens-Clarke on the authority, asked about the status of the operational agreement which had been drafted for the Jackson County Board of Commissioners to approve.
"We didn’t even know if we’d get a boat ramp and I don’t see a boat ramp being built by Jan. 1," said Commission Chairman Pat Bell, who indicated she had not presented the agreement to her board. "I won’t tie down the next board."
Her successor, Hunter Bicknell, was in attendance and was welcomed as was Barrow County Commission Chairman-elect Danny Yearwood.
"To Pat and Doug, our sincere thanks for all you have done for Jackson and Barrow counties and for helping this authority to run well," said Chairman Melvin Davis.
Garrison said, "We’re the only ones smiling," and bell said, "We’ve made it interesting."
Bell would be true to her word as she and Eric Klerk ,also representing Jackson County, cast the two negative votes against the budget.
With the approval of the boat ramp bid motion, it was noted that the project was four years in coming as access to the reservoir had been slowed in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The Risk Management Plan for the reservoir and plant was recently reviewed and audited by EPD which found compliance.
Fishermen who wanted access to the bass stocked by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources have been resigned to bank fishing only as operational guidelines for boat access would need a boat ramp and better developed parking area for the fishing boats and trailers.
The project was also seen as an additional project, separate from the water supply purposes of the reservoir, so delays hinged on discussions, committee meetings, quarterly authority sessions and legal documents.
"It’s been four years coming," noted Garrison.
Attorney Kirby Atkinson spelled out the rules related to obtaining phone quotations from three suppliers for spending between $2,500 and $29,000.
Related to the budget, a new line item has been added with a $250,000 set aside for professional services – litigation.
Also in the budget is a replacement golf cart for an 8-year-old cart on its last leg, said Baughman. Responding to questioning from Bell, Baughman said the two trucks are not take-home vehicles for employees.
Collins said there is additional money for utilities and chemicals as the authority anticipates it will sell more water next year and there are added funds for the boat ramp operations.
Another capital purchase will be for a new automated front gate. After eight years of constant use, repairs are no longer sufficient.
With a motion to approve the budget from Collins, which was seconded by Gary Dodd of Oconee County, Chairman Bell said there would be no need for the $250,000 allocated for attorneys’ fees if other authority members would agree to bring in a third party to look at the differences in expert opinions between Jackson County’s experts, C.H. Guernsey and Company which conducted a sustainable yield analysis on the Bear Creek Reservoir, and JJ&G, the firm in which the authority has placed the Bear Creek operations.
Jackson County has filed suit against the Upper Oconee Basin Water Authority in Jackson County Superior Court, seeking to force recalculation of the established yield of the reservoir. The suit was filed Oct. 14 but the Jackson County Water & Sewerage Authority has had C.H. Guernsey and Company as its consult since last December. Hunter Bicknell was chairman of the Jackson County authority when the consulting agreement was signed.
The authority will pursue a variance request to withdraw additional water from the Middle Oconee River in an effort to have the reservoir at full pool for the summer season.
While Davis said it was suggested by EPD that variances would likely not be forthcoming, authority members indicated their desire to pursue a variance.
In 2007, the authority received a 60-day letter to pull 15 million gallons a day from the Middle Oconee but split the amount 50-50 with Athens-Clarke. Another 90-day extension was granted into March but the reservoir was back to fill pool by the end of January.
The reservoir is only down half a foot in the past month and the level is higher than it was when the waiver was granted last year.
Mayor Davison said the compliments from Dr. Carol Couch about the authority’s water conservation activities should weigh well in her decision about a waiver.
"We have been frugal in the use of our water resources," said Davis.
"We just want to make sure the reservoir is full for the summer," said Dodd, who heads the Operations Committee.
Asked about streamflow comparison to last year, Baughman said the levels are higher and water is being pumped into the reservoir when possible. "We pumped three days last week," he said.
Snipes suggested development of criteria for making similar requests in the future which would include streamflow and rainfall projections.
In another measure, the authority will seek to move toward development of a website with the funds coming from outsource professional services in the 2009 budget. A scope of services will be developed so that quotes can be obtained for the authority’s Jan. 28, 2009 meeting. The projected cost is $4,500.
The 2009 budget is based on operating revenues of $7,005,985, compared to the current budget of $6,478,041.
Utilities are projected to increase to $753,500, up from the revised $517,560 of FY2008.
Baughman also noted that a letter is anticipated from the Safe Dams divisions related to the annual inspection conducted month earlier.
He also said the Operations Committee would be receiving the preliminary engineering report on the potential of taking the plant to 5.5 million gallons a day capacity. First-round comments would come from the Operations Committee with the report then going to the full authority.
In another ongoing matter, Snipes provided an update to the authority on a Nov. 17 with three EPD representatives related to the Jefferson withdrawal permit request about which the authority had written letters of concern.
Snipes said the EPD reps were very gracious with their time and listened to the UOBWA concerns. However, Snipes said since the permit was originally initiated in the late 1900s, he said it is likely the request, which had been under review by EPD for some time, will be approved.
Also attending that session was Pat Bell, Hunter Bicknell, Eric Klerk and Keith Lee.
Ten months into FY2009, Barrow County has paid in $1,962,444 to the authority for water purchases while Jackson County has paid in $2,067,804. Oconee County’s water purchases have totaled $1,337,444. Athens-Clarke’s year-to-date payments for raw water have totaled $251,375.
Operating revenues of the Upper Oconee Water Basin Authority are approximately $1.1 million a month.
