At Tuesday’s council meeting Public Works Director Bert Rapp noted that the construction of the City’s Reclaimed Water Transmission and Distribution System was delayed at FMS in order to receive bids within budget and save money. According to Rapp’s memo to the Council, “Amendment # 2 provides a time extension for Substantial Completion from August 4th to August 28th.” American Water is still responsible for and expects to meet the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board’s water quality requirements by its September 9, 2009 deadline. Rapp’s memo states, “There is a cost savings to the City of about $50,000 associated with approving contract Amendment # 2 because of the avoidance of the importation, processing and disposal cost of additional biosolids.”

Fillmore City Council held a joint meeting with the Parks & Recreation Commission on Tuesday, June 16, 2009. Together, they heard an update on the possibility of building baseball fields at Two Rivers Park, discussed the Aquatics Facility construction delays, and considered converting the old Water Treatment Plant into a park area with observation points. Then the Council approved Amendment #2 to the Service Contract between the City of Fillmore and American Water for the Water Recycling Facility, received a report on the new budget management system under development, and heard an update on the City’s affordable housing distressed home purchase plan.
Public Works Director Bert Rapp explained that when the City contracted out the development of Two Rivers Park, there was not enough money to pay for the three desired baseball fields. It was hoped that near the end of the project, contingency funds would become available to install baseball facilities. Rapp estimated that only $150,000 would be available and suggested that it would be unwise to re-allocate that money before September. He presented a Community Works Design Group Preliminary Cost Estimate showing that constructing three basic baseball fields would cost over $483,000. That includes backstops, fences, bases, and clay, but does not include dugouts, bleachers, or lighting. Various members of both bodies spoke about the importance of having the fields completed with at least basic facilities. Steve Conaway said that he thought $150,000 of DIF funds might be available to augment the contingency money. The Commission and Council agreed to work with local sports organizations, especially Little League, to find out whether money is available through grants. The City might contribute a permanent Little League field in order to obtain construction money through grants. Currently Little League rents fields from schools at $10 per hour, and spends over $8,500 annually.

Replacement of a drain in the children's play structure at the Aquatics Center could delay the start of recreational swimming or close the pool for two weeks in July. The replacement part will arrive June 30th, but the demolition involved in the repair will take 5-7 working days, resulting in up to two weeks of construction, according to the latest estimates. The Council directed staff to find out whether the pool could remain open with reduced capacity during that time. Lap swimming and water aerobics classes are already available. Lifeguards hired to supervise recreational swimming will be finished with training by June 26th.

City Attorney Ted Schneider mentioned that there is only approximately $500,000 in RDA money available to prevent foreclosures on homes on which the City holds a second lien. He said that is enough for one or two of the two houses currently in danger. The City is working with the banks who might otherwise foreclose. Schneider said that the City might refinance the homes instead of purchasing them.

Rapp informed the Council Members and Commissioners that two years ago the Council and Commission had requested that the two digesters at the old Water Treatment Plant be capped and turned into a park amenity rather than demolished. The digesters could provide an observation area eighteen feet above ground level with a sweeping view of the river. Rapp said that the plan was to build a grassy gradual slope up to the top, with handicap access, and perhaps add a gazebo. That plan was mentioned in a grant application that is currently under consideration. Staff will provide cost estimates for capping the digesters and for demolishing the digesters, so that the Commission and Council can decide what should be done. The rest of the plant is slated to be demolished and turned into a flat grassy area.

The Council approved Amendment # 2 to the Service Contract for the Design, Construction and Operation of the Water Recycling Facility (WRF). The City spent $7,500 last week to have the lawyer who co-authored the original contract review the Amendment to ensure that the City can grant Substantial Completion of the project but retain guarantees regarding untested components. At last week's meeting, Rapp explained why some components were not yet ready to be tested. There will not be enough biosolids produced by the treatment system to test the Sludge Treatment and Handling System until the WRF has been treating the full quantity of wastewater from the city for at least 120 days. The UV Disinfection System will be tested when winter rains provide a flow rate of 6 MGD continuously over 6-8 hours. The Effluent Disposal System cannot be tested until water-receiving components are finished at Fillmore Middle School (FMS). On June 16th, Rapp noted that the construction of the City's Reclaimed Water Transmission and Distribution System was delayed at FMS in order to receive bids within budget and save money. According to Rapp's memo to the Council, "Amendment # 2 provides a time extension for Substantial Completion from August 4th to August 28th." American Water is still responsible for and expects to meet the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board's water quality requirements by its September 9, 2009 deadline. Rapp's memo states, "There is a cost savings to the City of about $50,000 associated with approving contract Amendment # 2 because of the avoidance of the importation, processing and disposal cost of additional biosolids."

The Council approved Fillmore Girls Softball's Fireworks Booth application pending verification of the organization's active non-profit status by City staff. Fillmore Girls Softball President Jason Faulkner said that on June 12th he spoke on the phone to a State employee who confirmed that the organization had received active non-profit status but noted that the State website might not be updated for two weeks.

Special Financial Consultant John Wooner presented sample spreadsheets with fictional data and explained to the Council how the proposed 2009-2010 City Budget would be formatted and structured. The new spreadsheet system will show details by department, track cash flow, verify balances, provide accurate summaries, and include charts. It can also be published online. The visual aides from Wooner's presentation are available on Fillmore's website at http://www.fillmoreca.com/docs/budget_presentation1.pdf The Council was impressed with the new system.

During the Council's discussion of the new spreadsheet system, there was some disagreement as to whether names should be noted next to job titles when listing salaries. Steve Conaway said that hiding names takes information away from the public. Mayor Patti Walker expressed concerns about neighbors knowing each other's salaries. Jamey Brooks said that he did not think names were necessary because he could figure out who was paid what just by seeing the job titles. Wooner said that he had eliminated the names for efficiency's sake, because the job titles are less likely to change over the years.

Commissioner David Lugo requested information on crime and accidents at the skatepark. Police Chief Tim Hagel said that he and Dave Wareham had been dropping by and talking to the kids about the importance of wearing helmets. He said that there have been no drug or vandalism problems. Fire Chief Rigo Landeros said that the fire department had received only one call to the skatepark, and it was for minor injuries: scrapes and bruises.