District OK's deal with Portland

After signing sewage treatment agreements Monday evening, the Jay County Regional Sewer District is one step away from putting lines in the ground.
But the clock is quickly ticking on the bids the district is holding for the work.
Board president Gerald Kirby opened the meeting by presenting the sewage treatment agreements from Dunkirk and Portland, which were approved by the Dunkirk City Council and Portland Board of Works, respectively, since the district’s last meeting.
Kirby presented the Dunkirk agreement first, stating that there were no issues with the contract.
“We got three taps into their sewer,” Kirby said. “Three tap fees (for a total of $750).”
Then Kirby presented the Portland agreement, which was signed last week after some contention between the district and the city on how many tap fees should be paid when installing the line in the Foxfire Drive and Ind. 67 area southwest of Portland.
The district had hoped to pay only one industrial tap fee for the one physical tap it will be making into existing city lines. Portland, however, stood fast behind its sewer ordinance, which calls for a tap fee from every connecting property.
Kirby said he “caved in” on the issue of the nearly $17,000 in fees so that the project was no longer held up.
“There’s a lot of things I’d like to say,” he said of the Portland agreement. “None of us wanted the agreement the way it is now.
“This is not the way you do business between governmental units,” Kirby said, calling the agreement “a little more than extortion.”
Portland Mayor Bruce Hosier this morning rebuked Kirby for his opinion of the agreement.
“I think that is very unfortunate that that comment is made,” Hosier said, calling it “irresponsible.”
“The contractual agreement speaks for itself,” he said.
The district board signed the agreements and turned them over to engineer Ben Adams of Commonwealth Engineers.
The district then turned to other business, tackling the hiring of a new attorney since former sewer district attorney George Lopez is now serving as deputy county prosecutor.
Kirby said Lopez suggested Gail Siegrest Dues, who maintains an office in Portland near the courthouse. On the recommendation from Lopez, the board selected Dues as the new attorney for the district.
Adams encouraged the district board to get in touch with Dues as soon as possible, since the attorney needs to sign off on a few documents before the board can close on its grant/loan package from the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development office.
“I would encourage you to get with this new attorney,” Adams said. “We really have to move.”
Board member Don Denney, who knows Dues personally, said he would see her this morning and volunteered to pass along Adams’ information to her to get things moving quickly.
Although Rural Development has not offered a concrete date for closing, Adams estimated that it would be within the next 30 days once those final documents are handled.
The sewer district is trying to move quickly because the bids submitted for the project are nearly expired and Adams is nervous that the district might not be able to get the same prices for the installations due to potential increases in material costs.
“We’re at the end of our rope with the bids,” he said. “It could be an issue if it takes too much longer.”
Adams said he is trying to speed up Rural Development toward closing since the district is running short on time, but felt like there was a lack of urgency by RD.
In other business Monday night, the sewer district board:
•Elected officers for 2011. The board decided to retain the same officers from 2010: Gerald Kirby, president; Charles Miller, vice president; Bob Brelsford, secretary; and Tim Kesler, treasurer.[[In-content Ad]]