Minutes of Regular Meeting of Southern Black Hills Water System Board
Crazy Horse Monument
Thursday, August 24, 2023
The Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Southern Black Hills Water System was held at the Crazy Horse Monument on Thursday, August 24, 2023.
Chairman Wick called the meeting to order at approximately 1:00 p.m.
ROLL CALL – All Board Members were present: Wick, Baird, Beard, Kraus, Krump, Nase, Seaboldt, Smith, and Zolnowsky; none were absent. Others in attendance were Don Peterson, and Todd Hoover and Meagan Buehler from USFS.
AGENDA – Motion by Krump, 2nd by Smith to approve the agenda. Motion passed unanimously.
MINUTES - Motion by Baird, 2nd by Krump to approve the minutes of the July 27 meeting. Motion passed unanimously.
TREASURER’S REPORT – Don Peterson presented the treasurer’s reports for July 2023. The report was reviewed by the board members. Motion by Seaboldt, 2nd by Baird to approve the treasurer’s report and transfer $15,000 from the regular checking account into the RD account. Motion passed unanimously. The check sequence ending July 31 was check #4271 and beginning August 1 was check #4272.
OLD BUSINESS –
Todd Hoover from the US Forest Service presented a request to mount a remote control camera atop the Argyle water tower for support of wildfire control efforts in the southern Black Hills area. USFS surveyed potential sites for a camera to cover this area and concluded that the Argyle tower would be their best option for coverage of the area. The camera installation would be dependent on the SBHWS power sources and would need to house some communication equipment within the tower as well as attaching a camera and antenna support atop the tower. USFS wanted to know if the Board was amenable to their use of our facilities and what SBHWS would charge for this use. The consensus of the Board is to support this public service, contingent on its non-interference with other potential users of the tower platform, and that before we could quote a specific rate, we would need USFS to provide information on what they pay for comparable tower leases, which they indicated they will provide.
Don Peterson presented the budget committee’s recommendation for the 2024 budget. After discussion, the proposed budget was amended to include an explicit set-aside of $10,000 for savings /maintenance. Motion by Kraus, 2nd by Seaboldt to present the proposed budget for adoption at the annual members’ meeting.
Managers’ Report
A severe thunderstorm in the Hermosa area resulted in power utility failures which required the Spring Creek Acres standby generator to provide reserve power. A tube for engine coolant failed, resulting in the generator itself being unable to function. Emergency repairs cost around $900 for a problem that should have been caught in the monthly test run, why that didn’t happen is under investigation.
No comments were received in response to the DANR environmental evaluation of no significant impact for the Paramount Point / Spring Creek Acres project as published in the Custer Chronicle July 19 edition. When we receive formal notice of release of funds (within roughly a month), we can begin the bid process for the project.
Ketel-Thorstenson has completed the 990 Form they provide to the IRIS.
Returned forms for the customer notification system are being processed for input into the IRIS system.
A letter to Paramount Point / Spring Creek Acres customers advising them of changes to connection fees engendered by the expansion project will be drafted. The increases will be staged over the lifetime of the project.
NEW BUSINESS -
Due to bylaw restrictions the date of the annual members’ meeting was changed to October 19 at the Pringle Community Center.
Motion by Smith, 2nd by Seaboldt to move into Executive Session at 3:11 pm; motion passed unanimously.
Motion by Beard, 2nd by Seaboldt to move out of Executive Session at 4:18; motion passed unanimously. Motion by Baird, 2nd by Krump to accept the $150,000 offer from the Town of Hermosa to reimburse SBHWS legal costs for the suit against the Town and to address the impairment of SBHWS’s waterline easement to connect Paramount Point to the SD Hwy 79 Right of Way; motion passed unanimously.
PUBLIC QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS - None
UPCOMING MEETINGS -
The annual meeting of the Western Dakota Regional Water System will be Sep 12 in Spearfish; Don Kraus will attend for SBHWS.
The next meeting of the Southern Black Hills System Board will be September 28, 1:00 PM at the Crazy Horse Monument in Custer.
The members’ meeting of the Southern Black Hills Water System will be October 19, 2023, at the Pringle Community Center, starting at 6:30 pm.
ADJOURNMENT - Motion by Krump to adjourn the meeting at 4:20 PM, 2nd by Kraus. Motion passed unanimously.
Crazy Horse Monument
Thursday, August 24, 2023
The Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Southern Black Hills Water System was held at the Crazy Horse Monument on Thursday, August 24, 2023.
Chairman Wick called the meeting to order at approximately 1:00 p.m.
ROLL CALL – All Board Members were present: Wick, Baird, Beard, Kraus, Krump, Nase, Seaboldt, Smith, and Zolnowsky; none were absent. Others in attendance were Don Peterson, and Todd Hoover and Meagan Buehler from USFS.
AGENDA – Motion by Krump, 2nd by Smith to approve the agenda. Motion passed unanimously.
MINUTES - Motion by Baird, 2nd by Krump to approve the minutes of the July 27 meeting. Motion passed unanimously.
TREASURER’S REPORT – Don Peterson presented the treasurer’s reports for July 2023. The report was reviewed by the board members. Motion by Seaboldt, 2nd by Baird to approve the treasurer’s report and transfer $15,000 from the regular checking account into the RD account. Motion passed unanimously. The check sequence ending July 31 was check #4271 and beginning August 1 was check #4272.
OLD BUSINESS –
Todd Hoover from the US Forest Service presented a request to mount a remote control camera atop the Argyle water tower for support of wildfire control efforts in the southern Black Hills area. USFS surveyed potential sites for a camera to cover this area and concluded that the Argyle tower would be their best option for coverage of the area. The camera installation would be dependent on the SBHWS power sources and would need to house some communication equipment within the tower as well as attaching a camera and antenna support atop the tower. USFS wanted to know if the Board was amenable to their use of our facilities and what SBHWS would charge for this use. The consensus of the Board is to support this public service, contingent on its non-interference with other potential users of the tower platform, and that before we could quote a specific rate, we would need USFS to provide information on what they pay for comparable tower leases, which they indicated they will provide.
Don Peterson presented the budget committee’s recommendation for the 2024 budget. After discussion, the proposed budget was amended to include an explicit set-aside of $10,000 for savings /maintenance. Motion by Kraus, 2nd by Seaboldt to present the proposed budget for adoption at the annual members’ meeting.
Managers’ Report
A severe thunderstorm in the Hermosa area resulted in power utility failures which required the Spring Creek Acres standby generator to provide reserve power. A tube for engine coolant failed, resulting in the generator itself being unable to function. Emergency repairs cost around $900 for a problem that should have been caught in the monthly test run, why that didn’t happen is under investigation.
No comments were received in response to the DANR environmental evaluation of no significant impact for the Paramount Point / Spring Creek Acres project as published in the Custer Chronicle July 19 edition. When we receive formal notice of release of funds (within roughly a month), we can begin the bid process for the project.
Ketel-Thorstenson has completed the 990 Form they provide to the IRIS.
Returned forms for the customer notification system are being processed for input into the IRIS system.
A letter to Paramount Point / Spring Creek Acres customers advising them of changes to connection fees engendered by the expansion project will be drafted. The increases will be staged over the lifetime of the project.
NEW BUSINESS -
Due to bylaw restrictions the date of the annual members’ meeting was changed to October 19 at the Pringle Community Center.
Motion by Smith, 2nd by Seaboldt to move into Executive Session at 3:11 pm; motion passed unanimously.
Motion by Beard, 2nd by Seaboldt to move out of Executive Session at 4:18; motion passed unanimously. Motion by Baird, 2nd by Krump to accept the $150,000 offer from the Town of Hermosa to reimburse SBHWS legal costs for the suit against the Town and to address the impairment of SBHWS’s waterline easement to connect Paramount Point to the SD Hwy 79 Right of Way; motion passed unanimously.
PUBLIC QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS - None
UPCOMING MEETINGS -
The annual meeting of the Western Dakota Regional Water System will be Sep 12 in Spearfish; Don Kraus will attend for SBHWS.
The next meeting of the Southern Black Hills System Board will be September 28, 1:00 PM at the Crazy Horse Monument in Custer.
The members’ meeting of the Southern Black Hills Water System will be October 19, 2023, at the Pringle Community Center, starting at 6:30 pm.
ADJOURNMENT - Motion by Krump to adjourn the meeting at 4:20 PM, 2nd by Kraus. Motion passed unanimously.
