October 31, 2019 at 8:00 AM - Projects Committee Meeting

Rationale:  No unfinished business to address.

Rationale:  Elliott presented the SWCP fund update as attached.

Rationale:  None

Rationale:  19-B-2  Clinton Vandenburg - (Section 30-15-3, Butler CO) WASCB and TO                      $10,511,41

Rationale:  None

Rationale:  The following participants of the LPNNRD's Lands for Conservation (LFC) program have completed the planned work and seeded their cover crop per our LFC Policy:

Gregg Fujan - 9.0 ac - $1,710.00
Roger Fujan - 32.1 ac - $6,099.00
Raymond Urban - 6.0 ac - $1,140.00
Zach Kastl - 24.0 ac - $4,560.00
Marvin Ptacek - 37.0 ac - $7,030.00

Total acres = 108.1
Total payments ($190/acre) = $20,539.00
 

Rationale:  Bill Bos was present and reported that he has been contacting many landowners within the watershed about potential projects. We are waiting for formal approval of our 319 grant agreement with NDEE before approving new projects.  We have been informed this will be coming soon.

After Projects Committee Meeting, we received an invoice from Penne Screen Printing totaling $339.42 for polo shirts for the Newman Grove Shell Creek Science Club. A motion to pay is included on the Additional Agenda items.  

Rationale:  Still waiting on EPA's review of the Project Implementation Plan and a formal agreement from NDEE. Elbert Traylor has informed us that the new agreement will be for $350,000 instead of the $250,000 of new 319 grant funds as anticipated.  A copy of the proposed grant budget is attached.  At Board meeting, we requesting  a Board motion to authorize the Board Chair to sign the 319 grant agreement when received from NDEQ. 

Rationale:  On October 16, we met with the NRCS State Engineer staff and Mike Sotak, FYRA to discuss that more funds would be needed to cover additional work FYRA has done and will need to do as a result of  Little Rock, AK, NRCS requests concerning the completion of the Wahoo Creek Watershed Plan. FYRA estimated that they will have about a $10,000 overrun from their present contract to finish the draft plan.  This overrun is due to unanticipated  additional work requested from Little Rock NRCS on how economics is calculated for the Plan. In addition, it is anticipated that there will be many additional hours required on the draft plan upon review from Little Rock and National NRCS.  Based on past experience with NRCS plan review, it could take up to an an additional $38,000 of contract work for this anticipated task.  In addtion, NRCS was initially going to conduct the cultural resource investigations, but later indicated that they only had time to complete investigations at Sites 26a, 26b and 27.  We then needed to hire Buried Past to complete investigations on the other eight remaining sites.  Buried Past's work was approximately $67,000, which was turned in for reimbursement as part of the planning effort .  

Our total agreement with NRCS totals $1,915,630. This amount was segmented for planning ($575,000), design ($1,325,630) and a small amount for administration ($15,000). Originally, NRCS indicated that if we had an overrun in the planning area ($575,000) we could apply the costs to the project design area as long as we stayed within the total agreement amount.  At our October 16 meeting we learned that this was not the case as understood earlier and we needed to request additional funding for overages in the planning area.  

Attached is a letter sent to NRCS requesting an additional $125,000 of assistance.  This request is to cover up to an additional $48,000 of work required of FYRA, Buried Past's cultural resource expense of $67,000 and JEO's $10,000 expense for helping with the Dam Breach Overlay zoning needs for Saunders County, Wahoo and Weston.   

Mike Sotak and Janel Kaufman, FYRA, Allen Gerhing and Arlis Plummer,  NRCS, were present to discuss this situation with the Projects Committee.  FYRA  presented a contract addendum for consideration to cover their anticipated contract overrun.  A committee recommendation is requested. 

NRCS has begun the amendment processing request for additional funding and time.  We have provided all necessary documents to NRCS so the remaining steps all reside with them.  Allen Gerhing  discussed this process with the committee.

On another planning topic, Janel Kaufman, has reported that regarding the cultural resources consultation for the Wahoo Creek Plan-EA,  The NRCS archeologist informed her that they are just now mailing out consultation letters that were delayed for higher priority correspondence.   This means that it will be another month and a half for everything to be wrapped up for cultural resources (mid December).  NRCS specialists have been reviewing plan sections and will have a chance to review all sections prior to this date, so we could still be on-schedule to get the draft to Little Rock at the first of the year. This will, of course, depend on the outcome of the cultural resources consultation and acceptance of the breach zoning requirements from Wahoo and Weston. We will meet with the City of Wahoo on November 7th to discuss zoning needs. 

Attached is FYRA's latest invoice for contract work totaling $12,829.50.  After this payment $7,731.61 will remain under contract. 

 

Rationale:  No new information to report.

Rationale:  Attached is a $2,736.78  invoice from Olsson for work completed on Wahoo Creek Dam Sites 26A, 26B and 27.  After this payment, $1,813,405.34 remains under contract. 

Rationale:  The next Joint Water Management Advisory Board Meeting has been scheduled for 9:00 a.m., Tuesday, November 5, at the Fremont City Office. The agenda is attached.

Rationale:  Attached is JEO's invoice and update on contract work completed on our Hazard Mitigation Plan Update.  The invoice totaling $15,212.50 will be reimbursed 75% ($11,409.38) from NEMA/FEMA. In addition, Fremont and Schuyler will reimburse LPNNRD 25% for their share of expenses which are $625 and $1,718.75 respectively.   After this payment, $104,025 remains presently approved under contract with JEO. 

Elliott and Mountford have been working on Mitigation Action Status Update for LPNNRD as attached. Our plan is submit all comments after the November 11th Board meeting. Please review and suggest any action item that may have been missed and should be added.

 

Rationale:  No new complaints to report.

Rationale:  While LPNNRD is not a member, Mountford was asked to attend the LPRCA meeting on October 16th to report on the Clear Creek Levee and fuse plug repairs underway.  Meeting minutes are attached.

Rationale:  The Project Committee meeting adjourned at 9:37 a.m.