Agenda for Thursday's RPMUD Meeting

Jennifer Real will be at the board meeting tomorrow to discuss the status of the TexCom injection well and how RPMUD could best support the opposition of its permit being granted.


Agenda for this Thursday's RPMUD Meeting at 4 p.m. at the MUD office:


1. Confirm minutes of September 23, 2010, meeting

2. Public comments

3. Discuss/Approve compensation requested by Mr. Judge

4. Discuss Open Records (Public Information Act)/Open Meetings Act

5. Review Public Fund Investment Act (PFIA) Policy

6. Review administrative reports

7. Discuss new or unfinished business

8. Discuss/Approve RPMUD/EPUD contract for GRP

Stop the Toxic Wells Meeting 8/31/10 - Conroe Courier Article

Conroe Courier - News

Sadler vows meeting with Perry on TexCom well

By Howard Roden

Published: 08.31.10

THE WOODLANDS – After listening to opponents of the proposed TexCom injection well for nearly two hours, Gary Conwell left the meeting both impressed and convinced.

One of about 20 people who attended the meeting at the Montgomery County South Region Library Tuesday night, Conwell was impressed by the dedication of those seeking to fight the permit request for a commercial Class I nonhazardous wastewater injection well in the old Conroe oil field.

“If this group didn’t get organized and continued working against that permit, a decision would have been made based on misinformation,” said The Woodlands resident, referring to the organization Stop The Toxic Wells and Citizens Residents Oppose Well.

That group of residents, along with Montgomery County, the city of Conroe and the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, is trying to block the request by TexCom Gulf Disposal Inc., of Houston, for the permit by the the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality

Located in the vicinity of Creighton Road and FM 3083, the well is far from Conwell’s neighborhood in The Woodlands. But he now believes the injection well is more than Conroe’s problem.

“It’s everyone’s problem,” he said.

It was a message reiterated by Stop The Toxic Wells/CROW spokeswoman Jennifer Real, who emceed the event. TexCom’s plan to inject diluted chemicals into a fault-ridden Conroe oil field will spread the chemicals for miles, she said.

Real mentioned how the San Jacinto River Authority’s plan to convert Montgomery County to a greater use of surface water makes people believe there’s no longer a need for aquifers and groundwater.

“People living in The Woodlands may think that, but you can’t clean them (the aquifers) out. It might not happen in the next couple of years, but (the well) will poison the water and it will be in a lot of back yards,” she said.

Making a brief stop at the meeting, County Judge Alan B. Sadler pledged to arrange a face-to-face meeting between Gov. Rick Perry and state Sens. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, and Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, about the injection well permit.

At first, Sadler vowed Perry “will hear from me between now and November,” but later said the meeting would occur by Oct. 1.

“It’s an election year. The governor needs Montgomery County,” said Sadler, who received applause from the audience.

Sadler is seeking re-election against independent Adrian Heath, of The Woodlands in November. Contacted at home Tuesday, Heath declined comment on Sadler’s remarks.

Although not in attendance, Nichols sent a letter professing his continued opposition to the proposed injection well.

With the assistance of local governmental entities, Nichols said he and state Rep. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, have been able “to keep TexCom on the ropes” and face some “hard questions” about safety, testing and methodology at TCEQ hearings.

In the letter read by well opponent Darcy Pawlak, Nichols brought up TexCom’s alleged falsification of mineral rights ownership in its permit application.

“I’ve written a letter to the executive director of the TCEQ asking he look into this matter,” stated Nichols, adding that information should have a great impact on final approval or disapproval of the permit.

“On the legislative side, I will continue to serve on the Sunset Commission to reform the injection well permitting process of the TCEQ,” he stated in the letter.

Howard Roden can be reached at hroden@hcnonline.com.

Copyright © 2010 - Houston Community Newspapers Online

Stop the Toxic Wells Meeting Tonight

From Jennifer Real - jreal1@peoplepc.com

The Time is hear again to..............STOP THE TOXIC WELLS

Urgent /Important Town Meetings
Please attend and pass on to EVERYONE in your address book

1. Woodlands Meeting Tuesday Aug 31st 6:30 pm - Woodlands Library on Lake Robbins

2. Conroe Meeting Wed Sept 1st 6:30 pm - Conroe Central Library I-45 (n south of FM 105)

Fundraisers - We need your HELP....we have to pay the lawyer for the last SOAH hearing.

1. Scrap Metal Drive - This Saturday 8/28/10 9am- 5pm - Bring ALL your metal items to the following address (Iron, Copper, Aluminum Cans, Steel, Any and All Metal)
Drop Off at: 16015 Creighton Rd
Conroe, TX 77302

2. Garage Sale - Sept 10th & 11th - NEW LOCATION - Robbins Rd Community Ctr.
Donations accepted starting NOW by calling Jennifer @936-499-7173

Please attend a meeting and help with the fundraisers.....it is really important. So many new developments to advise residents on. The TCEQ hearing is coming up (The final decision hearing) and we all must get prepared.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO EVERYONE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK AND ASK THEM TO DO THE SAME!!!
www.StopTheToxicWells.com

Agenda for June 24, 2010, RPMUD Board Meeting

The board will meet in an open meeting at 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 24, 2010, at the RPMUD office on River Plantation Drive to discuss the following items:

1. Confirm minutes of May 19, 2010, meeting

2. Comments from the public

3. Discuss/award bid for STP belt press

4. Discuss proposed GRP

5. Review/approve renewal of auditor contract

6. Discuss/approve legal counsel contract

7. Discuss engineer contract

8. Hear report regarding combining EPUD and RPMUD operations

9. Review administrative reports

10.Discuss any new or unfinished business

Lone Star OKs Water Reuse Credits for RP

Here's the article in this morning's Courier regarding the water reuse credits for RP.

http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2010/06/09/conroe_courier/news/lsgcd060910.txt

(Cut and paste this until I figure out how to make it an active link.)

May RPMUD Meeting Update

Congratulations to our new directors. This is the first time in twenty years that we have had a board that was elected by the populace. As you may recall, when Jack Curtsinger and Dick Judge were elected in 2008 (beating the incumbents by about 80% of the vote), that was the first time in eighteen years that there was an election.

All of the members were present, and the board elected the following officers:

President - Jack Curtsinger
1st VP - Ed Blackburne, Jr.
2nd VP - Dick Judge
Treasurer - Tommy Frank
Secretary - Ken Meneke

There was some confusion on the belt press bids. This will probably be an agenda item next month.

Ken Meneke and Marshall Loosier of EPUD will meet and discuss the feasibility of consolidating operations. Should have a report at the next meeting, Thursday, June 24.

These directors are taking an active role in the affairs of this district. It will be good to report on progress rather than just the problems.

Agenda for the Wednesday, May 19, 2010, RPMUD Meeting

The board meeting this month will be held on Wednesday, May 19, at 4:00 p.m.,
at the MUD office on RP Drive, in conjunction with the meeting to certify the election results. New directors are Tommy Frank, Ken Meneke and Ed Blackburne, Jr.

1. Confirm minutes

2. Comments from the public

3. Order canvassing returns and declaring results of directors election

4. Approve certificates of election and qualifications of newly elected
directors; accept oaths and statements of elected officials; qualify
newly elected officials; disclosure statement for for newly elected
directors; open meeting and open records training for newly elected
directors; election of officers.

5. Approve/sign resolution authorizing qualified directors to sign
documents on behalf of RPMUD

6. Discuss/award bid for sewer treatment plant belt press

7. Review administrative reports

8. Discuss any new or unfinished business

Election Results

Congratulations!!!


1. Tommy Frank - 106 - Winner
2. Ken Meneke - 139 - Winner
3. Mark Robin - 77
4. Tony George -36
5. Bob Smith - 80
6. Shannon Schaefer - 77
7. Ed Blackburne, Jr. - 229 - Winner
8. Ben Waters -62

1,720 registered voters. 293 ballots. 17.03%

RPMUD Director Election - Saturday - May 8 at Cornerstone Church

See list of candidates below. This is an extremely important election. Your three choices will determine if we have sound judgment on issues vital to our community or keep the status quo. Check back to see the results after the polls close.

Squelching a Rumor

I was going to do a quick squelch of the rumors floating around, but started giving more thought to the one about the plant.

It is being said that moving the plant will cost $300,000 to $500,000 or more, and it will cost each person $2,500. It didn't cost that much to erect, so how could it cost that much to move? Also, we have an average of 950 connections in RPMUD. If a charge were made to each home, not to each person, the total would be $2,375,000. Who is pocketing the $2,000,000?

According to Ramirez, the cost of the plant was $760,500. The tank cost $161,800 for material, $31,600 to erect and $1,000 for sterilization. The generator will have to stay with the well, and it costs $73,600, so that amount can be eliminated. The 25,000-gallon pneumatic tank costs $82,400 with $7,000 for installation. The two 700-gpm booster pumps costs $8,600 and installation $4,000. The booster pumps and hydropneumatic tank can be picked up and moved. This is not a complicated facility. Please take a moment to look at it and pick up a copy of the contractor's cost breakdown at the MUD office. Another option would be to sell the components and recoup some of the money.

We have to remember that this plant was erected for the property across the freeway. While you are in the office getting the contractor's report, ask for Bleyl's justification letter to the TCEQ, which goes into great detail about the water needs for the project across the freeway. The directors responsible are denying it is for the I-45 land, even going so far to say that Bleyl, the district's engineer, misstated the reasons in his letter. All of us at that board meeting insisted the board request that Bleyl send another letter to the TCEQ with the correct information. As you might have guessed, that request went nowhere, because the letter was accurate.

Why didn't the developer pay for the project as is the norm? and place it on his land? From the notes in the minutes, it appears that the engineer for the developer did all of the negotiating. We have spent over $850,000 (including engineering, fencing and landscaping) for this project. The old board went ahead with this project before even an acre was sold of the I-45 land. It is still vacant. Isn't that a little risky? Did the developer even have letters of intent? That engineer certainly negotiated a sweet deal for his client. If any of the old directors had checked with the city of Conroe or other MUDs, they might have found that developers pay for the infrastructure. Were these directors so interested in getting tax money that they dove right in without doing their homework? The odd thing is that we would get tax money anyway. This property is in our district. Even if the developer uses the city of Conroe's water line, which is in front of the property, the water bills go through us, and we collect a fee. We weren't going to lose anything. But we paid the price and made the developer happy.

Candidates for RPMUD Director Positions - May 8

Election Day - May 8, 2010, at Cornerstone Church, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

There are eight candidates running for the three director positions, which are four-year terms ending in 2014.

Pos. 1 Thomas L. Frank - Business Management degree from University of Houston.
Retired owner of a food brokerage business.

Pos. 2 Ken Meneke Engineering degree from U.S. Naval Academy. Served in
Navy from 1957 to 1968. Retired owner of a small business

Pos. 3 Mark Robin Civil engineering degree from the Air Force Academy.
Continental Airlines pilot. USAF Reserves. Served in Iraq & trains Army units deploying to Iraq & Afghanistan

Pos. 4 Anthony B. George Retired chiropractor with over 40 years' experience in the health
care field. Knowledge of chemistry of water.

Pos. 5 Incumbent

Pos. 6 Incumbent's friend

Pos. 7 Edward Blackburne, Jr. Owner of River Plantation Country Club,
Incredible Pizza and Tubular Perforating Manufacturing

Pos. 8 Incumbent's friend

These people named are proactive, talented, experienced, enthusiastic, committed and ready to work for the community. It is very important that we gain control of this MUD and start treating it like a business.

I am not mentioning the other three, because they want to keep the MUD the same as it has always been.

Please Vote on May 8!

Comments re the April RPMUD Meeting

Bob Smith (Robert R. Smith) was asked if he voted for the $5,000 bonus and $6,739 raise for Ginger Seyfang, $6,000 bonus and $8,528 raise for the maintenance supervisor and $10,000 bonus and assuming upwards of $10,000 raise for the previous manager in 2002.

At first he did not want to answer the question, saying it was not on the agenda. Finally he said he did vote for it and compared this action to what is done in the corporate world when bonuses/incentives are eliminated -- a raise is given to make up the difference. But, both were given. I don't get it. Does this mean bonuses were given in previous years? It is hard to tell what is going on when a salary request is made and what is received is an hourly rate for the salaried employees. This bonus/raise issue would not have been apparent if the hourly rates had not jumped so much in that year. (You may remember we were told it was a raise or a bonus. Then we found out it was both.) And Harvill said he voted for it, too.

Did not have the amount of raise for the manager, but, based on the other increases which were more than the bonus, am using a conservative number of $10,000, giving a total of $47,000 for raises and bonuses, voted on in one month for three employees. Smith dismissed half of that, saying it was for raises which were paid out over the year. It is still money being spent. We are dealing here with taxpayer monies not corporate profits. There was no actual reason given for the raises or bonuses. However, it appeared that this was the end of the bonus program. Didn't know we had a bonus program.

Nothing was mentioned in the previous minutes about these raises and bonuses, so we can only go by what they say.

I have been asked why I am dwelling on 2002 bonuses and raises. It is because all future raises were calculated on that 20.5% raise. From 2003 through 2008 RPMUD paid close to $40,000 more than if Ginger had received a 5% yearly raise.

Ramirez suggested a 15%-20% raise in water and sewer rates. Jack Curtsinger wanted to decrease expenses before an increase was considered. The others did not pursue any discussion of decreasing expenses. Harvill wanted the vote on increases to be made by the new board, so they would not have that on their record. The discussion of water rates was not supposed to be on the agenda until June. Don't know why they added it to April's agenda and then decided not to do anything. But, at least, we now know what amount they were considering.

Bob Smith brought up at a previous meeting a list of MUDs' and the City of Conroe's water rates, which were all higher than ours, as justification for raising rates. What do their rates have to do with our rates? Our rates should be based on our numbers and what we need to manage this MUD properly.

Ramirez discussed an alternative for the belt press for the sewer treatment plant. Instead of paying $500,000 for a belt press, another option would be to have the sewer treatment plant cleaned by an outside source on a periodic basis. Actually, Jack is the one who discovered this system and informed Ramirez.

The final bond payment will be made shortly. How much sooner could this have been retired had there been a handle on expenses?

This information and more will be on www.riverplantationforum.blogspot.com. If you would like to comment or contribute to the blog, please feel free to do so. If you have trouble signing up, just let me know.

Vote for new directors on May 8!

Change to CIA Meeting, Tuesday, April 27

Regarding RPMUD information:

Jack Curtsinger will give a presentation about the water situation in the county.

It will be announced that there will be an election of directors for RPMUD on May 8.

The candidates will be in the foyer after the meeting to answer any questions.

Agenda for Thursday, April 22, 2010, Board Meeting

Meeting will be held at the MUD office at 4 p.m., Thursday, April 22, 2010.

1. Confirm minutes of March 25, 2010, meeting

2. Comments from the public

3. Discuss/Approve web page information

4. Discuss/Approve water/wastewater rate increases

5. Discuss/Approve STP valve replacements

6. Discuss SJRA/LSGCD rule changes

7. Discuss final bond payment

8. Review administrative reports

9. Discuss any new or unfinished business


REMEMBER to VOTE on MAY 8 for three NEW MUD directors.

The Blog Is Back

The next RPMUD board meeting is Thursday, April 22, 2010, at 4 pm at the MUD office. As soon as the agenda is posted, it will be added to this blog.

The election of three new MUD directors is set for Saturday, May 8. The candidates have been invited to attend the RPCIA meeting on Tuesday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m., to introduce themselves and to answer questions from the floor. All RPMUD residents should attend this important meeting.