Shenandoah water authority OKs pump purchase

Sept. 23--RAVEN RUN -- The Municipal Authority of the Borough of Shenandoah board approved the purchase of a new water pump Monday during a contentious special meeting.

The emergency meeting, which lasted almost two hours, was called to deal with the loss of the two water pumps at the No. 5 and 6 reservoirs near Ringtown that are needed to keep reservoirs filled near the filtration plant near the West Mahanoy Township village of Raven Run. With the 2,400 gallons per minute primary and 1,200 GPM secondary pumps out of service, and the authority depending on a smaller 600 GPM rental pump to keep the upper reservoirs from dropping too low, the water supply is decreasing. At this time, the temporary pump is not able to provide enough water, and if there were no change, the water supply would run out in about two months.

While there is no water emergency yet, the situation had a Shenandoah resident questioning how management could have not addressed the matter sooner, and how the authority's financial position is in "dire straits."

MABS board members in attendance were Chairman Michael Whitecavage, Donna Kulpowicz and Donna Gawrylik, which was enough for a quorum, along with solicitor William Burke, Alfred Benesch & Co. project manager M. Christopher McCoach, P.E., and water plant operator Daniel Salvadore. Also attending were two representatives from the state Department of Community and Economic Development who observed but did not offer any comments, authority manager Mary Lou Jaskierski, Shenandoah borough council members Robert Kulpowicz and Jeffrey Zubowicz, Shenandoah Mayor Andrew Szczyglak and West Mahanoy Township supervisor David Lukashunas.

MABS provides water service to Shenandoah and West Mahanoy Township.

The public portion was opened at the meeting's start, with borough resident Eileen Burke asking several questions -- some involving a water customer with a very large bill and a long-term water leak on West Mount Vernon Street -- but she mainly focused on the water pump problems and the authority's financial situation.

"Shenandoah has a problem with water pumps," Burke said. "For years, we had a man that took care of those issues if a pump was broken. We're in dire straits. We're told to be careful of water use one day, and the next day we are told there is no problem. What do you mean no problem? If we don't have pumps, how is that not a problem? We the people deserve our water. There are issues, and all we want are questions answered."

Burke raised the matter of funds coming from the placing of wind turbines on authority land, with Whitecavage explaining that those funds, which used to be placed in the savings/reserve account, are now placed in the general fund.

Gawrylik, who became a board member in January, asked Whitecavage about the funds from the wind turbines and what accounts they were placed in.

"There is no missing money," Whitecavage said.

"I'm not saying that," Gawrylik said.

Well, the rumor is out there," Whitecavage said.

"I'm not saying that," Gawrylik said.

"I'm here for five years and I have an audit for every one," Whitecavage said.

"Mike, are we here to argue or to talk about the problem that we have?" Lukashunas asked.

"I'm trying to answer some of Mrs. Burke's questions, which were many," Whitecavage said.

"I believe there is a lot of wasted time. We'll be here until 12 o'clock tonight," Lukashunas said.

"You're being very arrogant," Gawrylik said to Whitecavage. "You're supposed to be a leader. Right now, we have no leader. I'm sorry. We have no leadership up here. You're being every arrogant."

"I'm just trying to answer Mrs. Burke's questions," Whitecavage said. "You're trying to say there's money missing."

"I never said that," Gawrylik shot back.

"She didn't say money was missing," Kulpowicz said of Gawrylik.

Whitecavage said that a review of the audits over the past years will verify where authority funds were used.

"The rumor is out there. There is not money missing. I just want that to be clear," Whitecavage said.

The authority applied for a Commonwealth Financing Authority grant for the replacement of the primary pump, but Jaskierski said she received a letter on Sept. 17 that the grant was not approved.

During her report, Jaskierski said the financial situation over the past two fiscal years included having revenue being under under-budget due to loss of customers, workers compensation insurance higher due to being placed into a state pool, a video project of the reservoirs required by the state Department of Environment Protection to cost $20,000 was actually $82,000 that was paid through cash reserves, legal costs and repair and upgrades of equipment.

"To recap, Mr. McCoach with our engineering firm said, in his professional opinion, that we have plenty of water for the next two months, and within 30 days we hope to get that other pump in place to pump water into that top dam," Whitecavage said. "We were turned down for one loan due to the borough's financial condition, which is in worse shape than ours right now, and we're trying to defer the PENNVEST loan, which looks pretty good right now."

McCoach asked for a motion to purchase a new 2,400 GPM primary pump from RAM Industrial Services, Camp Hill, at $52,003, which will be installed by the company.

Gawrylik made the motion to order the pump, but before Kulpowicz provided a second, she asked, "Are we going to come up with the money?"

"We're going to work something out," Whitecavage replied. "It's not like we have zero dollars in the bank."

Jaskierski said the general fund has $39,000, and the savings fund has about $12,000</money>.

"We can work out some kind of payment plan and we're working on other avenues, but one way or the other, the borough will have water," Whitecavage said. "It's not like we're letting it go. That's the reason I called this emergency meeting. If we were not concerned about it, we would not be sitting here. We will try to make it work."

The purchase was accepted unanimously. McCoach estimated that the new pump should arrive in about 2 1/2 weeks.

RAVEN RUN -- The Municipal Authority of the Borough of Shenandoah board approved the purchase of a new water pump Monday during a contentious special meeting.

The emergency meeting, which lasted almost two hours, was called to deal with the loss of the two water pumps at the No. 5 and 6 reservoirs near Ringtown that are needed to keep reservoirs filled near the filtration plant near the West Mahanoy Township village of Raven Run. With the 2,400 gallons per minute primary and 1,200 GPM secondary pumps out of service, and the authority depending on a smaller 600 GPM rental pump to keep the upper reservoirs from dropping too low, the water supply is decreasing. At this time, the temporary pump is not able to provide enough water, and if there were no change, the water supply would run out in about two months.

While there is no water emergency yet, the situation had a Shenandoah resident questioning how management could have not addressed the matter sooner, and how the authority's financial position is in "dire straits."

MABS board members in attendance were Chairman Michael Whitecavage, Donna Kulpowicz and Donna Gawrylik, which was enough for a quorum, along with solicitor William Burke, Alfred Benesch & Co. project manager M. Christopher McCoach, P.E., and water plant operator Daniel Salvadore. Also attending were two representatives from the state Department of Community and Economic Development who observed but did not offer any comments, authority manager Mary Lou Jaskierski, Shenandoah borough council members Robert Kulpowicz and Jeffrey Zubowicz, Shenandoah Mayor Andrew Szczyglak and West Mahanoy Township supervisor David Lukashunas.

MABS provides water service to Shenandoah and West Mahanoy Township.

The public portion was opened at the meeting's start, with borough resident Eileen Burke asking several questions -- some involving a water customer with a very large bill and a long-term water leak on West Mount Vernon Street -- but she mainly focused on the water pump problems and the authority's financial situation.

"Shenandoah has a problem with water pumps," Burke said. "For years, we had a man that took care of those issues if a pump was broken. We're in dire straits. We're told to be careful of water use one day, and the next day we are told there is no problem. What do you mean no problem? If we don't have pumps, how is that not a problem? We the people deserve our water. There are issues, and all we want are questions answered."

Burke raised the matter of funds coming from the placing of wind turbines on authority land, with Whitecavage explaining that those funds, which used to be placed in the savings/reserve account, are now placed in the general fund.

Gawrylik, who became a board member in January, asked Whitecavage about the funds from the wind turbines and what accounts they were placed in.

"There is no missing money," Whitecavage said.

"I'm not saying that," Gawrylik said.

Well, the rumor is out there," Whitecavage said.

"I'm not saying that," Gawrylik said.

"I'm here for five years and I have an audit for every one," Whitecavage said.

"Mike, are we here to argue or to talk about the problem that we have?" Lukashunas asked.

"I'm trying to answer some of Mrs. Burke's questions, which were many," Whitecavage said.

"I believe there is a lot of wasted time. We'll be here until 12 o'clock tonight," Lukashunas said.

"You're being very arrogant," Gawrylik said to Whitecavage. "You're supposed to be a leader. Right now, we have no leader. I'm sorry. We have no leadership up here. You're being every arrogant."

"I'm just trying to answer Mrs. Burke's questions," Whitecavage said. "You're trying to say there's money missing."

"I never said that," Gawrylik shot back.

"She didn't say money was missing," Kulpowicz said of Gawrylik.

Whitecavage said that a review of the audits over the past years will verify where authority funds were used.

"The rumor is out there. There is not money missing. I just want that to be clear," Whitecavage said.

The authority applied for a Commonwealth Financing Authority grant for the replacement of the primary pump, but Jaskierski said she received a letter on Sept. 17 that the grant was not approved.

During her report, Jaskierski said the financial situation over the past two fiscal years included having revenue being under under-budget due to loss of customers, workers compensation insurance higher due to being placed into a state pool, a video project of the reservoirs required by the state Department of Environment Protection to cost $20,000 was actually $82,000 that was paid through cash reserves, legal costs and repair and upgrades of equipment.

"To recap, Mr. McCoach with our engineering firm said, in his professional opinion, that we have plenty of water for the next two months, and within 30 days we hope to get that other pump in place to pump water into that top dam," Whitecavage said. "We were turned down for one loan due to the borough's financial condition, which is in worse shape than ours right now, and we're trying to defer the PENNVEST loan, which looks pretty good right now."

McCoach asked for a motion to purchase a new 2,400 GPM primary pump from RAM Industrial Services, Camp Hill, at $52,003, which will be installed by the company.

Gawrylik made the motion to order the pump, but before Kulpowicz provided a second, she asked, "Are we going to come up with the money?"

"We're going to work something out," Whitecavage replied. "It's not like we have zero dollars in the bank."

Jaskierski said the general fund has $39,000, and the savings fund has about $12,000.

"We can work out some kind of payment plan and we're working on other avenues, but one way or the other, the borough will have water," Whitecavage said. "It's not like we're letting it go. That's the reason I called this emergency meeting. If we were not concerned about it, we would not be sitting here. We will try to make it work."

The purchase was accepted unanimously. McCoach estimated that the new pump should arrive in about 2 1/2 weeks.

___

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