Exh 99
~o- z5- 49
City Manager Report
October 20, 1999
Boil Water Notice;
A contractor broke the City water main at the Wonderwood Connector Project on
Tuesday, October 19. Our water system lost pressure in portions of the Mallard Cove
and Mayport Landing Subdivisions because of this break. Environmental regulations
require that the City issue a "boil water" notice to affected residents, and test the water in
the area for contaminants. These tests usually take a couple of days to complete and we
will notify affected water users as soon as tests show that the water is safe to drink.
This testing procedure and public notice is a standard practice because of the possibility
of contaminants from various sources entering the City's water system when water
pressure drops and back syphonage can occur. In rare occasions in recent years there
have been reports of hazardous materials entering public water systems.
Cit~Buildings get Bills;
City buildings have not been billed for water and sewer service. I have instructed City
staff to start issuing bills for all public buildings and the department heads in charge of
each will review the City's bill as they would any other bill. Because we have not
budgeted for this, a budget amendment will probably be required before the end of the
fiscal year although it will be revenue neutral.
Many cities in the past have neglected to bill for utilities for internal uses, usually citing
the administrative burden. However, past experience has proven that any service that is
not monitored has a likelihood of being wasted. That is to say that without someone
looking at the monthly bills, there is likelihood that water leaks would not be found and
corrected.
Sewer Cleaning and Televising the Core City Area•
Crews have been using cleaning equipment and television cameras to inspect the sewer
lines in the Core City area, most of which are over 50 years old. The project is about 60
percent complete. Findings so far have included a considerable amount of infiltration of
storm water from a variety of sources. Some is because of the materials and construction
methods utilized 50 years ago in the public system although a majority of the infiltration
is coming from the customers' lines. Inspectors have also found several places where
plumbers apparently used a.hammer to bust a hole into the main so as to insert the tap
line to their customer's house. Without proper installation methods and good sealing
techniques, it is inevitable that water will flow into the system.
The inspection has also found two locations where City crews made immediate repairs to
broken portions of the system. The problems created by inflow into the City's sewer
system include increased cost to operate the waste water treatment plants due to
additional volumes, and the possibility of environmental violations occurring from
discharges during heavy rain events. This inspection work should be completed within the
next two weeks.
Empl~ee Breakfast;
The first "employee breakfast" was held on October 14. Hourly employees from each
City department were invited to the City Hall Conference Room to have biscuits and
shaze their views with the City Manager. I have found these informal meetings to be
helpful in many ways; it allows top management and staff to get to know each other
better, improves employee morale, and the comments received from attendees aze often
surprising. Several of the employees were concerned about the recent trend to contract
out City services and suggested a number of areas where City employees could be
utilized to accomplish more than they are presently doing, particularly for higher level
work. Several also suggested that the City should have a playground for kids in the
Section H azea.
It is my intention to have employee breakfasts approximately once a month and get
feedback from employees on a variety of subjects.
Emergency Purchase Order;
On October 15, an emergency purchase was approved to replace a pump at one of the
City's sewerage lift stations. This lift station had a second pump which operated when
the first failed. The cost of the pump replacement and the repairs was $8,850.00.
Call from Mrs. Stockton• 1565 Beach Avenue
The City received a telephone call from Mrs. Stockton of 1565 Beach Avenue expressing
gratitude for help from City crews when a Magnolia Tree fell in her yard on Saturday,
October 16. She was also grateful for the help of David Archer, a City Police Officer,
when her purse was recently snatched at an area supermazket.