The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About2008-10-14 Minutes, Inter-Neighborhood Council MeetingTHE INTER-NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL (INC) MEETING OF BOZEMAN, MONTANA DRAFT MEETING MINUTES Tuesday, October 14, 2008 Attending: Dana Huschle (NHVN) facilitator, Chris Nixon (NENA), Catherine Byrd (CAN), Bob Wall (SENA, Brit Fontenot, Tom Adams, Mel Hansen, Brian Blecker 7:05 Dana called the meeting to order No quorum to vote on approval of minutes Public comment was requested. Catherine Byrd announced that CAN has held its annual meeting, and Mel Hansen is the new vice president. 7:10 Tom Adams, Superintendent of the Bozeman Water Reclamation Facility, gave a presentation on the new treatment plant. It is being called a Water Reclamation Facility rather than a sewage treatment plant because better processes will produce plant output (effluent) that can be reused, most likely for irritation. The water still contains "compounds of emerging concern" - no technology is currently available to remove chemicals like estrogen, caffeine, etc. The existing treatment plant is at capacity, and the city continues to grow. HDR and Morrison-Maierle have completed the design of the new WRF. Bids were opened on Oct. 1 and are now undergoing technical review. The bids were about 15% above what was expected. Regulatory restrictions on plant output are increasing as well, so delaying construction would likely result in more expensive implementation. The plant would be funded through the State's revolving loan fund, which charges 3.75% interest. Increased sewer rates will pay for the estimated $51M capital cost The new plant footprint is greater than two times the current size. Phase one increases capacity from 5.8 million gallons per day to 8.5 Mgpd. Ultimately, 13.5 Mgpd is possible. The plant will take advantage of new Bio-Nutrient Removal (BNR) technology. Kalispell and Missoula are already using this. Nitrates in the effluent stimulate algae growth, impairing aesthetics and possibly water quality of receiving streams. The existing plant can't remove these nitrates. The BNR bio-reactors, which use a 5-stage Bardenpho process, will be able to. The plan is to construct two new plants using this process, then to retrofit the original plant. New 300HP aeration blowers will also be added. These are 30-50% more energy efficient than the current blowers, smaller, and much quieter. The current electric bill is $80k /month. The current building houses three blowers; it will house six of the new blowers. There is not much market for the old equipment that is being replaced. The existing headworks building will be abandoned and replaced. The new headworks will have improved screening equipment to remove grit. It uses a new process, so the grit will be cleaner and will smell less. The grit will be hauled to the Logan landfill. Anew administrative and lab building will be constructed on the north side of the site -there will be a new entrance off Spring Creek Road. There will also be a new UV disinfection building -this will replace the current chlorine treatment process. This will eliminate the need to add chlorine and then remove it again after the sewage has been treated, and will remove the chemical hazards associated with using and handling chlorine. It will save about $35k/year on chlorine, but it will cost about that much in electricity. A new bio-solid dewatering building will also be added. The processes uses screw press technology to remove water from the solid waste -this will produce dry waste that is about 22- 24% ofthe current volume of wet waste produced. (The current sludge is about 2% solids). This dry waste can be applied as fertilizer above ground -the current waste is used as fertilizer but must be drilled into the ground. It is also more expensive to haul the heavier liquid waste. The screw press will have steam processing that can produce a sludge that would be viable for household use, for garden and yard fertilizer. The dewatering building may need to be deferred to phase 2 of the project. The new pumping station also has energy conservation features. There is a possibility to burn the methane produced by the plant to generate electricity. This will probably not be included in phase 1. Options include a fuel cell, microturbines, or a gas generator. The generator could probably produce around 200 kW, which would be around 40 - 50% of the facility's power needs. Generators cost around $450k, microturbines $800k, fuel cells $1.2M. The existing bioreactor was converted to a phased nitrification/denitrification process, so it is halfway to the new process already. This change reduced nitrogen discharge into the East Gallatin by 45%. There were questions raised about the implications of reuse of the plant output on water rights. The output can be 35% of the East Gallatin flow in late Aug. DEQ may impose state-wide nitrate restrictions so low that no technology is available to allow the output to be reintroduced to streams by surface discharge. The water would have to be pumped back into the ground -this would have a significant negative affect on the flow in the East Gallatin. 8:05 FYI /discussion (presented by Brit) - N. Wallace traffic calming project 2-3 weeks ago, Brit presented an FYI item to the City Commission after meeting with residents on N. Wallace. After reviewing drawings and cost estimates, which had increased from $65k to $11 Ok for two traffic circles, which would Increase the yearly assessment from $100 to $300 for ten years, some people withdrew their names from the petition. The project has been shelved - lower cost alternatives are being explored. A letter to residents is forthcoming. - Bogert bandshelll Last week, the City Commission decided to repair the structure sufficiently to make it functional again. Vandalism and Graffiti Task Force They are continuing to work on an ordinance, primarily on definitions and deciding whether it would be stand-alone or part of the nuisance code. It would need to be linked to health, safety, and welfare to be added to the nuisance code. Investigations are being made into the formation of volunteer groups to support an online "See/Click/Fix" approach, where people could use an online map interface to report problems, and the city could monitor the reports. The Task Force could use interested volunteers - it meets the fourth Wed. of each month. - Story Mansion CommaQ and R&R Taylor continue to work on a first floor restoration plan. The goal is to be open by next summer. - New City Hall opening The new City Hall is now open for business (the INC met in one of its meeting rooms). There are some interested parties looking at the old building. There are some issues with its sale, including some entanglement with the fire station. - Tri-parks neighborhood association They had a meeting recently; Bill VandenBos and Bob Wall attended to help answer questions about neighborhood associations and the INC. Their next meeting is scheduled for Nov. I Stn They are trying to find ways to increase interest and engage neighbors. - Town and Country's application The application from Town and Country to convert the current Carmike Cinemas' location on S. 11th across from the Fieldhouse has been received and is being reviewed. - Red light cameras At the last City Commission meeting, the installation of several red light cameras at intersections around Bozeman was approved. The ordinance has not been drafted yet. The City approved a contract with a private company, 3-10 approaches will be targeted. Sites will be available on the City web site. - Next month, Jeff Key will present a Transportation Plan update. The draft plan will be available the first week of Nov. - The City is holding a meeting tomorrow night to discuss the proposal for the new detention center. The meeting will be in City Hall, nine panelists will participate. - We discussed the possibility of organizing a "meet the candidates" gathering for the next election. Catherine expressed concern about visibility exiting City Hall onto Rouse. There is no new information available on the mountain pine beetle problem 8:45 Bob motioned to approve minutes for 9-9-08. Dana seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Catherine motioned to adjourn. Chris seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Recorded by Bob Wall, INC Secretary