HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020.1013.TCSM.MinutesTOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL
MEETING
OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL
OCTOBER 13, 2020
1. CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE — Mayor Dickey
Mayor Dickey called the Special Meeting of the Fountain Hills Town Council held October 13,
2020, to order at 5:30 p.m.
2. ROLL CALL — Mayor Dickey
Present: Mayor Ginny Dickey; Vice Mayor Mike Scharnow; Councilmember Gerry Friedel;
Councilmember Art Tolis; Councilmember Dennis Brown; Councilmember Alan
Magazine; Councilmember David Spelich
Staff Town Manager Grady E. Miller; Town Attorney Aaron D. Arnson; Town Clerk
Present: Elizabeth A. Burke
3. PRESENTATION OF the lake and fountain assessment by the firm of Black and Veatch for
Town Council review and discussion.
Town Manager Grady Miller said that the fountain will be 50 years old on December 15, 2020,
and it is the second or third most expensive asset in town. The facilities are aging. The liner
installed in 2000 had a 30-year life, so they thought it was important to have a deep dive into
evaluating the lake and fountain, as well as what it will take to replace the liner. Last time they
had the ability to use another facility for excess water, but that is not available this time.
He said that Black & Veatch was the same firm that did the work last time and they have quite a
bit of history. He said that they will come back through the Capital Improvement Program (CIP)
discussions as to sequencing and financing.
Community Services Director Rachael Goodwin said that this is a bench mark. They will not be
discussing what they are going to do, but rather review the condition of the facilities and any
immediate threats to the Town. At a later date they will discuss the whens and hows. The
Sanitary District has been a part of the process. They are aware of this and have been
involved.
At this time, Mike Caruso, Project Manager, came forward and began the PowerPoint
presentation, stating that they had assistance from subconsultants J2 and Rubicon, and had
local divers doing the diving services.
AGENDA
Intro
Black & Veatch Project Overview
Fountain Lake Overview
Asset Assessment Criteria/Weighting
Findings and Recommended Improvements
Conclusions
Council Feedback
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PROJECT OVERVIEW
FOUNTAIN LAKE OVERVIEW
Diagram of below -water surface
Mechanical equipment to aerate water
PUMP SYSTEM
LILY STRUCTURE
Did not include lighting
IRRIGATION SYSTEM
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
He said that they began with developing some assessment criteria.
ASSET ASSESSMENT CRITERIA/WEIGHTING
LIKELIHOOD OF FAILURE (LOF) CRITERIA
CONSEQUENCE OF FAILURE (COF)
Councilmember Magazine asked if they could assess how long it may take to fail. Mr. Caruso
said that the higher on the scale, the quicker the likelihood of failure. He said that with
everything else out there, while the age may be beyond the manufacturer's recommendation,
there was nothing that showed imminent failure.
Mayor Dickey asked for clarification on the weighting for social/community. Mr. Caruso said
that most of the equipment is submerged or behind a secured environment. In talking with the
team, there was more importance placed on impact to the public.
Councilmember Magazine asked if they would consider repairing rather than replacing. Mr.
Caruso said that they will see on the later slides that from a recommendation standpoint, if it
could be refurbished, that was the recommendation.
CONDITION ASSESSMENT SCORING
He reminded the Council that some of the equipment has already been replaced.
Vice Mayor Scharnow asked if each of the items represented a specific item. Mr. Caruso said
that they did, each represented a piece of equipment.
At this time, John Corbin with Black & Veatch continued the presentation.
CIVIL/MECHANICAL CONDITION SCORING
LAKE LINER - Physical Inspection
He said that they looked at the plastic PDP liner, which is fastened to the concrete with
stainless steel bards. All connections were in good condition, although they identified one or
two missing anchors. Most likely they were never installed. But, overall, they had very positive
feedback. There were no tears or folds.
LAKE LINER - Evaporation Testing
Mr. Corbin said that by doing the evaporation test, they measured the loss of the lake over a
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period of time and compared it with a controlled evaporation plan. There was great correlation
between the two. He said that the key is they measured less of a drop in the lake than they did
in the controlled pans. If they had seen more of a drop that would have been a concern that
they had a loss they did not know about, but they saw just the opposite. He said that supports
their evaluation that the liner is in great shape.
Mayor Dickey asked how much they were talking in the way of gallons. Mr. Corbin said that it
was around 2", but he did not have the number in gallons.
PUMP STATION SCREENS
He said that the area under the pump house should be screened off. One of the five screens
was completely bent back into the intake area and they recommend that gets repaired right
away.
LILY STRUCTURE
He said that they took a boat out to the structure, which is covered with organic and inorganic
material. They could find no evidence of major structural faults. He said that lighting is in poor
shape, but they already know that.
RECOMMENDATION
Their recommendation was to continue to monitor and replace as needed. He said that
intensive cleaning is recommended when the liner is replaced.
FOUNTAIN PUMPS
Mr. Corbin said that when they initially entered, it was apparent they needed some work, but
they were not ready to say to scrap them. They knew that one hade been removed and was at
a shop for rehab. They talked with that shop to see what they were doing and how they were
doing it. He said that the rehab pump has been rehabilitated to the level that it needs to be.
Their recommendation is to continue the same course of maintenance.
Vice Mayor Scharnow asked what the cost of a new pump would be. Mr. Corbin said that it
would be around $50,000 for the pump and motor.
CHECK VALVES
He said that the check valves are there to protect the pumps. They wanted to understand why
they were failing after only three years. They were able to open one up and observed material
loss in the closed direction and open direction. The progressive material loss is why it will stick
open, and if one sticks open, the positive switch will fail to close, which shuts the entire pump
station down.
He said that the value itself was never really an appropriate selection. The valve was not rated
for the pressure of the pump system and that is why they are saying they need a valve with
some thought put into it. It will be more than a commodity check valve. He said that it will have
a cost impact.
s x 1�' Councilmember Spelich asked who had recommended the valve three years ago when it was
replaced. Ms. Goodwin said that they replaced them one year after the next. She was not in the
1, director role at that time, but they worked with the electrical vendor. She said that they did not
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have an engineer involved. She said that it came with a one year warranty. She said that the
cost of $8,000 per pump was absorbed in the operating costs.
Ms. Goodwin said that to replace them now will be about $25,000. Mr. Corbin said that what is
being proposed is their recommendation. While it has a one year warranty, it should work for
15 years. They are confident that this is the appropriate valve and they will be able to maintain
it appropriately and rebuild it when needed. He said that the older valve can be used on
discharge for pressure control, but with clear water supplies. It does not do well with dirty
water.
Councilmember Magazine said that they have a lot of salt in the water, and asked how that
may affect the valve. Mr. Corbin said that these are lined appropriately and salt build up should
not be an issue if they continue to maintain their coatings. Councilmember Magazine asked Mr.
Corbin if they had experience with other lakes with a lot of salt. Mr. Corbin said that they have
worked with companies all the way up to ocean water pumping. At that level of salt, they start
getting into special coatings, but it is not a concern with this application.
IRRIGATION ASSESSMENT SCORING
Mr. Corbin said that in looking at each individual item it may look like most are in fairly decent
shape, but they want to bring to the Council's attention that as a whole it needs to be evaluated
in a different vain. The problem is with the turf quality and irrigation. Morning and afternoon
walkers around the lake do not want to be hit with spray. The irrigation becomes a higher
priority than they would think, as is covered under Consequence of Failure. Councilmember
Magazine said that the salt is ruining all the grass; he asked if there was anything mechanical.
Mr. Corbin said that Mr. Snipes has been honing in on the chemical treatment. Mechanically,
they remove the salt in their homes with a reverse osmosis system. On a large scale, that is
not recommended, besides the costs would be astronomical.
He said that they have a 12-hour water window. The pipes are on the small side, as well as the
pumps. Factoring those together, Mr. Snipes can only do so much and get things watered. To
reduce the water window, it can only be done with replacement. He said that it has become a
maintenance nightmare. The system is so old and it has a lot of material build up which
reduces the range that the sprinklers will shoot. As a whole, the recommendation is a sizable
upgrade. He said that they would not have to spend all of that money in one year, although
they would not be getting all of the benefit if they piecemeal it out.
Mayor Dickey asked if they had the option of using nonlake water. Mr. Corbin said that they
had talked with the Sanitary District about taking water from the treatment site and have a
direct feed to the irrigation system. That would solve a lot of the irrigation quality problem, but
then the danger is the lake has become a dead-end. It would have water coming in and no
water going out and they would be concerned with the water quality. Fish would not survive
anymore. He said that they will address that further in the report.
Vice Mayor Scharnow asked if they actually plant special fish in the lake. Mr. Corbin said that
20 years ago they had a lot of carp, but he believed that a conservation group came out and
took the fish away. Vice Mayor Scharnow said that Salt River Project uses certain fish in some
of the it canals. Mayor Dickey said that if they did decide for separate storage, it still does not
replace all of the irrigation. Ms. Goodwin said that they do not actively stock the lake currently.
When they did a quality assessment, they identified four to five different types of fish.
Mr. Snipes said that on a typical night they are running six different controllers running valves
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with 4-6 sprinklers at a time, throwing 70 feet each. The computer maximizes the time as best
it can, but with an undersized system their water window is 11-12 hours. They start around
10:30 p.m. and run until 10:30 in the morning. Joe does a great job of cleaning out heads,
which he spends 15-18 hours a week doing, but it takes him away from all of his other duties.
Councilmember Magazine asked what is not being done because of the time being spent on
that. Mr. Snipes said that it would be cleaning the sidewalks, general cleaning and trimming.
He said that everything else loses the little time to gain as much time as they can.
Councilmember Magazine said that they did a great job.
Councilmember Brown asked who did the engineering 12 years ago on the entirely new
irrigation system. Mr. Snipes said that it was Coates Irrigation. Councilmember Brown said that
he is one of those four morning walkers. He asked if they had an estimate of costs to redo the
pumps and irrigation systems around the park. Mr. Corbin said that it is farther north of $1/2
million than what was shown.
Councilmember Friedel asked if it was safe to assume that the bigger heads would flush
themselves out. Mr. Snipes said that it was more of an issue system wide. They have a golf
course quality head that throws the water 70 feet. They have been doing tests the whole time
he has been in Town. They had two different vendors come out and brought filters, and put in a
single valve; it was clogged in two days. He said that they took that same filter and put it on the
pump before the filter running the entire system, and ran it for an hour. They saw nothing; it is
in the lines, it is not a lake problem.
Councilmember Brown asked if the Sanitary District was helping to solve any of the issues. Mr.
Miller said that they have offered to provide technical guidance and assistance. They have
talked about a water storage system, but he did not think they want it on the Water Treatment
Plant property. He said that they want to be engaged and have worked closely with the
consultant team. Councilmember Brown said that the Sanitary District cannot exist without the
lake and he cannot believe they cannot get more assistance from the District to at least
contribute to it. Mr. Miller said that the key is the assessment so they know what they need to
ask for. It is a perfect topic for a joint meeting.
Vice Mayor Scharnow said that it is not the water it is the pipe. Mr. Snipes said that over time
the sediment builds up in the pipes and is now flaking off and sticking to the filters. Vice Mayor
Scharnow asked how many "Joes" they would have at the park in a perfect world. Mr. Snipes
said that if there were two there fulitime, it would be a big benefit.
With regard to the Sanitary District, Mayor Dickey noted that the Town speaks with them
regularly. She has never felt a problem with communication or their willingness. They need to
be clear about the things they want to do together. Staff indicated that to replace the entire
system would be around $1.5 million.
Councilmember Brown left the meeting at this time.
ELECTRICAL/I&C SYSTEMS
Mr. Corbin said that there are Variable Frequency Drives (VFD's) available, but considering the
pumps run three hours a day at 100% speed, and the intensive capitalization to install, they
would not be recommended. He said that if they were to change the duration in the future, it
may be something to look at then, but it would still be difficult to get the payback.
FOUNTAIN CONTROL SYSTEM
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Mr. Corbin said that their recommended option is a motor control lineup. Councilmember
Magazine said that they do not want to wait until things fall apart. He asked if Mr. Snipes can
tell by looking at the system. Mr. Corbin said that a lot of what is done during regular
maintenance can tell them, from how the cable looks, they may get some arcing, or they may
see signs in the insulation in the cable or equipment. They should be able to tell.
Councilmember Magazine asked if they should consider having them come back in on a
quarterly basis to check on things. Mr. Corbin said that they would be happy to do that, but
there are specific firms that do that, and that is who Mr. Snipes has doing the servicing. He said
that while this is a piece of equipment that could run for a while, it is something they would want
to put in the budget to be proactive.
ARC FLASH & SHORT CIRCUIT ANALYSIS
Mr. Corbin said that refurbishment of the equipment would decrease the possibility of exposing
the Town to problems. He said that if other equipment is replaced over a period of time, they
need to revisit this and put a new sticker on it. The short circuit analysis shows that all the
electrical equipment is adequately rated. If an individual piece of equipment tripped, it will fault
without making the entire station go dark.
CONCLUSIONS
Immediate Recommendations
Replace check valves
Replace pump house intake screen
Install arc flash labels on electrical equipment
Update to PCD control
NEXT STEPS
Councilmember Magazine said that the liner was their number one concern, but they had divers
go in. He asked if they had any idea as to how long it will last. Mr. Corbin said that between the
20-30 year mark he would recommend that they have divers go in every 2 years and see if
there are any differences since the last inspection. They would be able to give them that ability
to see if something is happening. At this point, they see no indication that there is a problem.
Councilmember Magazine said that the news on the liner is good news. From the citizen
standpoint, the quality of the grass, picnicking, festivities, smell, sidewalk, etc, are their
concerns. He thought that $1.5 for an whole new irrigation system should be planned for. He
noted that they have done much better with water quality with the aerators.
Vice Mayor Scharnow asked if the Master Plan at Fountain Park has ever looked at
reconfiguring some of the grassy areas that are a problem, possibly putting in pavers with
picnic areas. Ms. Goodwin said that there have been a couple of different versions. She said
that there has also been talk of adding additional parking areas; however, Mr. Snipes has
taken it as a personal mission to grow grass. She said that it can be considered, but it all has a
cause and effect.
Ms. Goodwin said that Mr. Snipes does not get a lot of chances for using his skills. One of the
projects he did was when they rehabbed Field 1 they took out turf and redistributed it at two
different parks. One spot was near the amphitheater and it started to fill in. They are hoping for
that to come back in the spring. He also planted some by Euro Pizza and the Splash Pad.
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Councilmember Spelich said that this is a focal point of the town. He asked if there was a way
of putting together an all -encompassing bond package to float. Mr. Miller said that he was right
on. They were hoping that this year would be the year for a street bond, but they can only do
them every even -numbered year. He said that 2022 would be the next time they could
consider it. He said that just before the meeting they were talking about this being a
combination of cash in capital, the Municipal Property Corporation and a bond. He said that
they will get more into that discussion during the CIP budgeting.
Mayor Dickey said that she agreed with that; they need to be looking at the big picture. But,
she said that they also have the road issues as well.
Councilmember Friedel said that it was good news on the liner; they may have ten years. He
asked if that was something they should start planning for now. Mr. Miller replied yes. When
they come back for part two, it will be very expensive, but the consultants are going to help
them figure this out and then it can be planned for accordingly.
Mayor Dickey thanked staff and the consultants for the specialized study.
4. CONSIDERATION OF Purchasing three (3) Check Valves for the fountain in an amount not to
exceed $85,000.
Ms. Goodwin said that staff was requesting permission to move forward with the purchase of
the valves previously discussed. She said that they have been working with the vendor to
identify the proper valves. The request is at not to exceed $85,000. She said that they do have
an estimate, but it does not include the installation. They do have funding allocated in the
Facilities Replacement Fund.
She said that one real consideration is that two of those valves are failing right now; the
fountain is operating on one pump right now, and the replacement window is 18 weeks.
Vice Mayor Scharnow asked about the screen that needs replacing, and what the timing was.
Ms. Goodwin said that the plan is to continue with Black & Veatch who will need to go down
and do the repair. She said that was a priority as well.
Mr. Miller said that if they can do it administratively, they will do that and notify the Town
Council.
MOVED BY Councilmember Alan Magazine, SECONDED BY Councilmember David Spelich to
authorize Town Manager to proceed with procurement and installation of three (3) Check Valves
for the Fountain in an amount not to exceed $85,000.
Vote: 6 - 0 Passed - Unanimously
Councilmember Magazine thanked everyone for an excellent presentation.
5. ADJOURNMENT
MOVED BY Councilmember David Spelich, SECONDED BY Councilmember Gerry Friedel to
adjourn.
Vote: 6 - 0 Passed - Unanimously
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The Special Meeting of the Fountain Hills Town Council held October 13, 2020, adjourned at
7:11 p.m.
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
Ginny ickey ayor
ATTEST AND PREPARED BY:
of A
izabeth urke, Town C erk
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Special
Meeting held by the Town Council of Fountain Hills in the Town Hall Council Chambers on the 13th day of
October, 2020. 1 further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present.
DATED this 1st day of December, 2020.
i