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EAST LIVERPOOL -- Dave Freeman, acting wastewater superintendent, reported to the board that the RBCs (Rotating Biological Contacts) are up and running. He noted that's the first time all of them have been up and running in five or six years.
They are having one RBC gearbox being rebuilt for $9,000, a new one would cost over $30,000.
The hydraulic jack is working if they need it, they are waiting on a piston for it.
The Waster Water Department requested quotes for their press, which according to Freeman came in much higher than they thought they would. One quote just for repairs and to resurface the whole thing was for $241,000.
Freeman noted he spoke with Safety Service Director David Dawson on Tuesday who is going to provide with a list of everything that is going to be included in the water upgrades, so he has an idea of what is on the list and can put together a list of priorities.
There was discussion about the skimmers on the primary tanks and whether they should wait for the upgrades or get them done now. There is talk about possibly getting the skimmers done towards the end of the year and using that money in the upgrades for something else. That is still an ongoing conversation.
Water Superintendent Paul McCarthy was not present to give a report due to been out supervising crews doing hydrant flushing.
There was a lot of discussion on the need to establish competitive wages for water department and wastewater employees so they can get and keep qualified employees. The board members agreed they need to compare salaries with entities in other municipalities.
Freeman noted that one of the employees working to get his class three license has already had headhunters reach out to him for other job opportunities and that this was one thing the board members needed to keep in mind when comparing wages.
Additionally, there was discussion on the need to hire a utilities director.
Board member Ray Sullivan said the board members were aggressively working to fill the vacant board seat previously held by Bill Cowan. They are anticipating Mayor Greg Bricker to present an appointment to the board at Nov. 6 council meeting.
Sullivan also noted that the board is aggressively looking at the present financial numbers and that things look weak as far as the operating accounts and water line fund.
"I guess what we need to do is look at those numbers and what the projected numbers look like and get an idea where we stand to make recommendations based on the data we collected," Sullivan said. "We want to see where we were and where we are today and how that happened."
He also said the city needed to look forward to get back on track.
The Board of Public Utilities meets the third Thursday of each month at 2 p.m. in council chambers at city hall. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Nov. 16.