Want a fire hydrant on your street? It's not as easy as you think (Citrus Sprins)

By Terry Witt

Isabelle Spindler lives in the affluent community of Pine Ridge in northern Citrus County, but her quiet, wooded street lacks one of the amenities that would make her feel safer — a fire hydrant.

Spindler, a resident of Pansy Lane, has been unable to get an answer from the utility that serves her neighborhood about how she could get a fire hydrant installed.

She tried to work through her representatives in county government to obtain a fire hydrant from the Florida Governmental Utility Authority, but was told the line in front of her house was too small to serve a hydrant.

Pansy Lane is served by a water line 4 inches in diameter. Spindler said she was told she would need a 6-inch line for a fire hydrant. But that was as much as she could glean on her own, with help from County Commissioner Vicki Phillips and Utilities Regulatory director Robert Knight.

And she still has no fire hydrant.

“It is a safety issue. We’re in the woods. Pine Ridge is in the woods,” she said. “It’s not just me. It’s an issue in Pine Ridge.”

Charles Sweat, director of operations for FGUA, said he and his staff investigated and found that Mrs. Spindler lives within 520 feet of an existing fire hydrant on an intersecting street. The hydrant is close enough to meet the national engineering code.

But Sweat said if she wants a 6-inch line and a fire hydrant installed on Pansy Lane, she will have to make a formal request in writing to FGUA. She could make the request on her own, but Sweat said the more people who make the request, the more pressure it places on the utility to respond.

He said the cost of such a line extension and fire hydrant would probably be about $30,000. He said the cost would have to be absorbed by FGUA, but he said ultimately the utility’s customers would pay the cost. The earliest the line and hydrant could be installed would be 2007.

Sweat said FGUA would have to budget for it, design the line and find the money for it.

“If I have to do this work, I’d probably have to do $30,000 less somewhere else,” he said.

Spindler wasn’t aware she could make a request for a hydrant or a 6-inch line, but she said she would e-mail Sweat to find out what she needs to do.

Sweat said FGUA is developing a plan to install 200 hydrants in Pine Ridge, but only in locations where the water line size is adequate to meet the code.

Bob Bennett, water chairman for the Pine Ridge Property Owners Association, said he has been unable to get accurate or reliable information from FGUA about where the 4-inch and 6-inch water lines are located in Pine Ridge or why the community is having problems with water pressure. He said he also wants information about water quality issues, including where sinkholes are located that could potentially impact water quality.

“I have a hydrant in front of my house and I can’t find out if it’s a 6-inch line, and that’s all over Pine Ridge,” Bennett said. “They keep stalling us on this, including Isabelle Spindler.”

FGUA Citrus County

In other business:

n Commissioners voted to postpone the discussion of the proposed purchase of Florida Governmental Utility Authority systems in Citrus County until 9 a.m. on Feb. 28. The board had originally planned to discuss the purchase in early January, but it was moved to Feb. 7 to give staff more time to investigate.

However, County Attorney Robert Battista said the staff needs time to meet with the county’s consultants to compare numbers before making a presentation to the board. Once the numbers are final, he wants to FGUA officials to have time to examine the data.

From Fox 4 Florida

Stop The Stink (Lehigh Acres, FL) -- A bad odor coming from a waste water treatment plant is bothering some people in Lehigh Acres. Today those people marched in protest outside the plant chanting "stop the stink." Robert Anderson, the president of the Lehigh Watchdogs, lead the protest. Anderson says the plant is 34% over capacity causing it to create a nasty smell. Fox Four took this to Barbara Kerby the Florida Governmental Utility Authority. Kerby says they're not over capacity and will look to improve the plant by Fall 2006. The Department of Environmental Protection investigated the smell. DEP officials say backups will happen from time to time.

Feb 2005 FGUA board meeting will be in Lehigh Acres

Today Jan 20th 2005 FGUA board announced that the Feb 24th 2005 FGUA monthly board meeting will be in Lehigh Acres at the East County Regional Library at 10am as requested by Lehigh Acres Watchdog.


This is an important meeting because the final decision of the interconnection with Ft Myers water supply will be made. This decision does not just affect Lehigh Acres but our neighbors in Ft Myers also. This may be the meeting that we will finally know who the new daily operator will be also.

Plans to get Water in an Emergency in Lehigh Acres, Raise New Questions from some Customers

Plans to get Water in an Emergency in Lehigh Acres, Raise New Questions from some Customers

January 18, 2006

By Mike Walcher

Lehigh Acres, Fl. -

The Lehigh Acres water utility has a plan to set in place a back-up system to get water in an emergency. But some critics of the system are making new charges about the utility's true motives.

"The guys with the gold make the rules, and that is happening here with our water utility," claims Jim Fleming of Lehigh. "The utility has over-promised water to developers who have permits to build homes. Now the utility is scrambling to find water, to make good on those promises. I wish they would just come out and admit it."


"I don't know where he is getting his information from," replies David Miles, who represents Florida Governmental Utility Authority (FGUA), that serves 12-thosuand water customers in Lehigh Acres. "The fact is, we just want an emergency back-up system..a pipeline to connect with the city of Fort Myers. They could supply us with water in a crisis, and we could supply them with water if needed."

The utility wants to spend 1.1 million dollars to install the pipeline to inter-connect with Ft. Myers utilities. Miles says the water exchange -- 500-thousand gallons a day -- or about 1/4 of the average daily use of water in Lehigh -- would kick in if a major flood or hurricane wrecked water lines in either community.

FGUA took over an old system from Fl. Water Services just over 2 years ago, and Miles says they have been aggressively budgeting to upgrade and expand the system. "We will ensure that the people of Lehigh will never run out of water," he told WINK News.

Still, a group of citizens in Lehigh remains suspicious of most of the things the utility does. One resident has even set up a web-site to serve as a "watchdog" on FGUA in Lehigh.

Miles says the governing boards of the two utilities will try to approve the inter-local agreement by the end of February.

Utility chief: Report led to war of words (Citrus County)

By Terry Witt

A top executive in a government utility this week likened the ongoing exchange of words between the utility and a county government consultant to a “scud missile war.”

Robert Sheets, systems manager for the Florida Governmental Utility Authority, was describing FGUA’s written and verbal volleys during the past month with Rose, Sunstrom & Bentley,LLP, the consultant hired to evaluate whether the county should buy the utility.

“It seems now we have a scud missile war,” Sheets said in a meeting with the Chronicle editorial board. “They say this, we say that.”

The unpleasant exchanges started when the consulting firm issued an acquisition report suggesting FGUA would be forced to raise rates in a few years and suggesting two Tallahassee law firms have “an intimate relationship with FGUA and one other.”

FGUA fired back that the report was laced with inaccurate and misleading information that should not be the basis for a decision by the county commission on whether the county buys the multimillion-dollar utility.

FGUA officials said the consultant provided no data to support its assertions about future rate hikes, but John Jenkins, who headed the consulting team that wrote the report, said FGUA didn’t challenge its numbers. Jenkins said FGUA merely questioned the economic assumptions it used to predict the rate hikes.

The two sides were ordered by the commission to meet during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays to talk about their differences, but the meeting never took place. Commissioners were forced to cancel a Jan. 17 meeting to discuss the purchase. They rescheduled it for 9 a.m. on Feb. 7.

Commissioner Vicki Phillips suggested that FGUA and Government Services Group, the company that administers and operates FGUA’s utilities, have the responsibility to prove that the county’s acquisition report is inaccurate, since FGUA made the allegations.

“They challenged our report. Let GSG provide information to support their challenge,” Phillips said.

David Miles, special project administrator for FGUA, produced a nine-page response detailing factual errors and inaccuracies he said he found in the acquisition report prepared for the county commission.

“This document is not an exhaustive accounting of mistakes, but it is a balanced correction of the facts and the public record,” Miles wrote in the Jan. 12 letter to the county commission.

Among the corrections Miles makes:

n He said the acquisition report contained a number of “inaccuracies and inappropriate assumptions” in claiming the county could operate FGUA’s systems at a lower cost.

n He said FGUA has a four-member governing board, not a five-member board as the report stated. The board has members from Polk, Lee, Osceola and Citrus counties.

n He said the acquisition report, in claiming FGUA lacked accountability, was quoting from a December 2002 study of the Florida Water Services Authority.

Miles said an interlocal agreement between FGUA and Citrus County defines what is meant by accountability. The agreement, he said, gives the county the ability to regulate FGUA and its rates.

However, Miles failed to mention the controversy that initially caused the county commission to consider purchasing FGUA’s local assets. FGUA initially refused to review the property assessments the utility planned to impose in Citrus Springs.

FGUA told its customers and county officials it was operating as a local government, like the county, and that the county had no jurisdiction over the assessments imposed on its customers. FGUA never backed away from that position, but it voluntarily gave the county’s Water and Wastewater Authority the right to review the assessments. The assessment has been approved by WWA.

But the conflict was the first spark that started a firestorm of criticism.

FGUA’s contract with the county gives the county the option to buy FGUA’s local utilities. Sheets said FGUA has no objection to the purchase, but he said the county should use factual information to make the decision.

The makeup of FGUA has also led to questions. FGUA is a government group by law, but it is not run by elected officials. That fact has also led to charges that there is no accountability. Some customers complained they had elected officials to file complaints with.

Sheets noted in his interview with the editorial board that FGUA is a professional utility management organization, which is rare in Florida.

He said FGUA spent “hundreds of thousands of dollars” researching and investigating the utilities it purchased from Florida Water Services Corp. in November 2003. The utilities it currently owns in Citrus County were purchased from Florida Water.

Sheets said FGUA spent weeks in New York City meeting with bond underwriters to convince them the purchase was a sound investment. He said they knew exactly what they were buying. He said FGUA physically inspected every water and sewer line, and sewer lift station it purchased.

He said the county, by contrast, has hired a law firm to investigate whether it should purchase FGUA’s utilities in Citrus County.

Sheets said the county would do well to investigate thoroughly before it makes one of the biggest purchases in county history.

Headlines

County to weigh buying FGUA systemsSt. Petersburg Times, FL - Dec 18, 2005... Under FGUA ownership, the report says, water and sewer rates would increase 24.8 percent in the next five years and 63.4 percent in the next 10 years. ...

Decision on water systems delayedSt. Petersburg Times, FL - Dec 20, 2005Commissioners hear that customers and the county could save money if the county acquires FGUA systems. Still, they will seek more advice. ...

County to meet in February to talk about FGUA purchase (Citrus County)

By Terry Witt

Citrus County commissioners moved a cautious step closer Tuesday to deciding whether they want to purchase the water and sewer utilities owned by the Florida Government Utility Authority.

The board voted unanimously to postpone discussion of the purchase until a special meeting at 9 a.m. on Feb. 7 in the board’s chambers.

Much is at stake.

Some of Citrus County’s largest communities — Pine Ridge, Sugarmill Woods and Citrus Springs — are served by FGUA multi-million system. FGUA purchased the systems in November 2003 and agreed to warehouse and operate the utilities until the county was ready buy them.

The timetable to purchase the utilities was moved forward when complaints surfaced about FGUA’s lack of accountability to customers and its early claims that neither the county nor the state had the right to regulate its rates. Under county commission pressure, FGUA relented and said the county could review its rates.

The county then hired the law firm of Rose, Sundstrom & Bentley to study FGUA and advise commissioners on whether it would be in the best interests of FGUA’s customers if the county owned its 11 water and five sewer systems in Citrus County.

However, the law firm’s $75,000 contract doesn’t require it to perform on-site inspections of the water and sewer systems to determine the physical condition of the systems. The contract also does not require the firm to determine whether FGUA has made all the improvements it claims it made during the past two years.

That became an issue at Tuesday’s board meeting.

“We just have to be sure we didn’t buy a pig in the poke, and we won’t know until we look at all these lines and all these lift stations,” said Commissioner Jim Fowler.

The issue was not resolved. Commissioners will get an update from staff at their Jan. 24 meeting that may help them decide whether an independent engineering study is warranted to gauge the condition of the utilities.

Independent of the consultant’s work, Assistant County Administrator Tom Dick said county staff would take a brief look at the condition of systems. He said county staff also is evaluating the improvements FGUA made to the system and doing a comparison of how much it would cost the county to operate and maintain the systems verses hiring Severn Trent, the current operator, to continue in its current role.

In other business:

* Commission Chairman Gary Bartell, on behalf of the board, presented certificates of recognition to Eagle Scouts Sean Hamilton, Greg Wheeler and Kristopher Guthridge for attaining the highest rank in scouting.

* The board adopted a proclamation declaring January as Volunteer Blood Donor Month.

* Commissioners also approved an exchange of land with Christ Way Fellowship Church of God Inc. for the future widening of Independence Avenue.

WHY IS THE FGUA HIDING PUBLIC HEARING OUTSIDE OF LEHIGH ACRES

News-Press.com Online Public Notice: Detail
2005-12-30 Notice of Public Hearing

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
For Adoption of Bulk Water Rate
The Florida Governmental Utility Authority ("FGUA") announces a public hearing to which all interested persons are invited. The FGUA is a legal entity and public body created pursuant to the provisions of Section 163.01, Florida Statutes, and an Interlocal Agreement among Citrus County, Florida, Lee County, Florida, Osceola County, Florida, and Polk County, Florida. The public hearing will be held at 11:00 AM on January 18, 2006 at the Riverdale Branch Library, Meeting Room, State Road 80, Fort Myers, FL 33905. The public hearing is to consider adoption of a bulk water treatment and supply rate of $3.76 per 1,000 gallons of water supplied by the FGUA Lehigh Acres Utility System. This rate is proposed to be used in a two way sales and purchase agreement between the FGUA and the City of Fort Myers, Florida to provide mutual back-up water supplies. The rate will apply to all bulk water sales agreements, as approved by the Board of Directors, and entered into by the FGUA for the Lehigh Acres Utility System. All customers of the FGUA, affected property owners, tenants or occupants, and all other interested persons, shall have an opportunity to be heard concerning the proposed rate, and to file written comments with the FGUA. If a person decides to appeal any decision made by the FGUA with respect to any matter considered at the hearing, such person will need a record of the proceedings and may need to ensure that a verbatim record is made, including the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be made. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons needing special accommodations or an interpreter to participate in this proceeding should contact the Clerk to the FGUA Board toll free at (877) 552-3482, at least three business days prior to the date of the hearing. If you have any questions, please contact the Clerk to the FGUA Board at (877) 552-FGUA or (407) 629-6900.
Dec 30 No. 980596

PUBLIC BID

News-Press.com Online Public Notice: Detail
2005-12-09 Request for Bid

SECTION 00100
LEGAL ADVERTISEMENT
INVITATION TO BID
FLORIDA GOVERNMENTAL UTILITY AUTHORITY
LEE COUNTY, FLORIDA
Date: December 9, 2005 BID NO. BO1 - LE 015
Sealed proposals for various sewer rehabilitation work within the wastewater collection service area of Lehigh Acres in Lee County, Florida addressed to the Florida Governmental Utility Authority, c/o the FGUA local office at 280 Wekiva Springs Rd., Longwood, FL 32779, will be received until 2:00 P.M., on the 10th day of January, 2006, at which time all proposals will be publicly opened and read aloud. Any bids received after the time and date specified will not be accepted and shall be returned unopened to the Bidder.
Sealed envelopes containing bids shall be marked or endorsed "Proposal for Florida Governmental Utility Authority, Bid No. BO1 - LE 015 and Bid Date 10th day of January 2006". No bid shall be considered unless it is made on the Bid Schedule that is included in the Bidding Documents. The Bid Schedule (Section 00410) shall be removed from the Bidding Documents prior to submittal.
A pre-bid conference shall be held at 10:00 A.M. LOCAL TIME, on the 19th of December, 2005, in the offices of the Florida Governmental Utility Authority located at 280 Wekiva Springs Road, Longwood, Florida 32779, Telephone (407) 629-6900 at which time all prospective Bidders may have questions answered regarding the Bidding Documents for this project. Attendance at the pre-bid conference is not mandatory. A Bidder's failure to attend the pre-bid conference shall result in the rejection of his bid.
It is anticipated that one contract will be awarded for all work to be performed pursuant to this invitation to bid. Bidding Documents may be examined in the office of:
Florida Governmental Utility Authority 280 Wekiva Springs Rd. Longwood, FL 32779 and the offices of the Engineer of Record: URS Corporation, 7650 West Courtney Campbell Causeway, Suite 700, Tampa, FL 33607. Telephone 813-675-6525 and Fax No. 813-286-6587
Copies of the Bidding Documents may be obtained only at the offices of the Design Professional, URS Corporation after payment of $100.00 for each set of documents to offset the cost of reproduction. Return of the documents is not required, and the amount paid for the documents is nonrefundable.
The following plan room services have obtained copies of the Bidding Documents for the work contemplated herein: F. W. Dodge/McGraw-Hill, Inc.
2830 Winkler Avenue, Suite #104A
Ft. Myers, FL 33916
239-939-2525
Each bid shall be accompanied by a certified or cashier's check or a Bid Bond in an amount not less than five percent (5%) of the total Bid to be retained as liquidated damages in the event the successful Bidder fails to execute the Agreement and file the required bonds and insurance within ten (10) calendar days after the receipt of the Notice of Award.
The successful Bidder shall be required to furnish the necessary Insurance, Performance and Payment Bonds, as prescribed in the General Conditions of the Contract Documents. All Bid Bonds, Performance and Payment Bonds, Insurance Contracts and Certificates of Insurance shall be either executed by or countersigned by a licensed Florida agent of the surety or insurance company having its place of business in the State of Florida. Further, the said surety or insurance company shall be duly licensed and qualified to do business in the State of Florida. Attorneys-in-fact that sign Bid Bonds or Performance and Payment Bonds must file with each bond a certified and effective dated copy of their Power of Attorney.

In order to perform public work, the successful Bidder shall, as applicable, hold or obtain such contractor's and business licenses, certifications and registrations as required by State statutes and local ordinances.
Before a contract will be awarded for the work contemplated herein, the FGUA shall conduct such investigations, as it deems necessary to determine the performance record and ability of the apparent low Bidder to perform the size and type of work specified in the Bidding Documents. Upon request, the Bidder shall submit such information as deemed necessary by the FGUA to evaluate the Bidder's qualifications.
The Successful Bidder shall be required to fully complete all Work to be performed pursuant to this invitation to bid within 180 calendar days from and after the Commencement Date specified in the Notice to Proceed.
The FGUA reserves the right to reject all Bids or any Bid not conforming to the intent and purpose of the Bidding Documents, and to postpone the award of the contract for a period of time which, however, shall not extend beyond 90 days from the bid opening date.
Dated this 9th day of December 2005.
FLORIDA GOVERNMENTAL UTILITY AUTHORITY
Tallahassee, Florida
BY: Charles Sweat
Director of Operations
Dec 9 No. 961677

Tempers flare at utility meeting (Citrus Springs)

By Terry Witt

Citrus County’s chief utility regulator demanded an apology Tuesday when he was accused of favoring the county’s purchase of the Florida Governmental Utility Authority (FGUA), a charge he denied.

But he didn’t get one.


Robert Knight was accused by FGUA Special Projects Administrator David Miles of having a conflict of interest in the proposed purchase of the government utility by the Citrus County Commission.

The allegation was made during a Water and Wastewater Authority meeting as Knight raised questions about whether FGUA was claiming legitimate costs associated with borrowing $9.4 million to build water line extensions to vacant lots in Citrus Springs.

Extending water lines in Citrus Springs will occur regardless of who owns FGUA, but the utility wants to move forward on financing the water line construction as fast as possible. It needed WWA approval of the financing numbers. Miles used the occasion to accuse Knight of having a bias against FGUA.

Knight fired back that he and his staff are neutral on the purchase of FGUA and demanded an apology.

“No apology is offered,” Miles responded. “That is my belief based on my observations.”

Miles said he raised the concern because Knight is in a position to make recommendations to the decision-makers on the proposed purchase. He said he has dealt with Knight for two years and it is his opinion Knight is biased in favor of FGUA being acquired by the county.

Knight, asked afterward about Miles’ allegation, responded he would be cutting his own throat to advocate the county’s purchase of FGUA. He said two-thirds of his operating budget comes from a fee levied on FGUA, and county has formulated no plans to replace the fee if FGUA is purchased.

He said he has always tried to be fair to FGUA when the utility asked for rate increases. He said FGUA has never appealed his recommendations.

“I think we’ve given FGUA everything they’ve asked for that we felt was prudent,” Knight said.

County commissioners have hired a private consultant and asked their own staff to investigate whether it would be in the best interests of county government and FGUA’s customers for the county to own FGUA’s 11 water and five sewer utilities in Citrus County. The purchase will be discussed at the Jan. 10 county commission meeting.

Knight said his role in evaluating the purchase is limited.

He said county staff is involved in calculating how much the county’s overhead costs would increase if the county owned the systems. Office of Management and Budget Director Cathy Taylor is looking at those costs.

He said the Assistant Public Works Director Bruce Bates is comparing operating costs if county staff ran FGUA’s utilities, versus allowing Severn Trent to continue as the private operator of the systems.

Knight said his only involvement is in looking at FGUA’s five-year capital improvements plan. The CIP is a schedule of construction projects for FGUA’s utilities.

“The first numbers indicate the county can do it cheaper, but we won’t know for sure until all the numbers are in,” Knight said.

At Tuesday’s WWA meeting, the board approved financing numbers for the $9.4 million of water line extensions in Citrus Springs. It was during discussion of those numbers that Miles accused Knight of having a conflict.

WWA had previously granted FGUA approval to levy property assessments on individual vacant lots in Citrus Springs. The money from the assessments will be used by FGUA to pay back the loan. The board on Tuesday’s finalized the financing numbers.

n For water mains constructed by FGUA between 2003 and 2005, residents who pay early will be assessed a lump sum of $1,635. If they wait until after the assessment goes on the tax roll, the lump sum payment rises to $1,810. If they choose to finance the assessment over five years, the annual payment will be $415. Approximately 2,000 lots are affected.

n For water mains that have yet to be constructed, those who pay now will be assessed a lump sum $1,910. If they wait until the assessment goes on the tax roll, the lump sum payment rises to $2,085. If they choose to finance the assessment over five years, the annual payment would be $479. Approximately 3,350 lots are affected.

Miles said FGUA will have two assessment districts.

The FGUA was also accused by Robert Bennett, water chairman for the Pine Ridge Civic Association, of failing to honor its promise to install an adequate number of fire hydrants in Pine Ridge to ensure enough pressure for fire protection. Pine Ridge is a neighboring community to Citrus Springs.

Miles and FGUA Operations Director Charles Sweat said FGUA has a five-year plan to install $650,000 of fire hydrants in Pine Ridge. Sweat said it would amount to 41 hydrants per year. Miles said they could install all the hydrants at one time, but it would probably result in a rate hike.

Responding to concerns raised by resident Isabelle Spindler of 4255 West Pansy Lane, he said the 4-inch waterline on the street is too small for a fire hydrant. The minimum size for a water main to serve a fire hydrant is 6 inches in diameter, Sweat said. Mrs. Spindler had questioned why there are no hydrants on the street.

While FGUA has no plans to install a bigger water line on the street, Sweat said FGUA would install a fire hydrant on a nearby 6-inch in diameter water line as close to Pansy Lane as possible.

Bennett was also upset that FGUA had not investigated whether a depression in front of one of the community’s wells was caused by a sinkhole or if it was a drainage retention area. He said soil tests need to be conducted to determine if it is a threat to water quality.

FGUA News

Decision on water systems delayed
St. Petersburg Times - Dec 20 10:35 PMCommissioners hear that customers and the county could save money if the county acquires FGUA systems. Still, they will seek more advice.

County to weigh buying FGUA systems
St. Petersburg Times - Dec 18 11:34 PMCustomers could save money, according to a consultant's report that will be presented to the County Commission on Tuesday.

PTA seeks guidelines for use of stun guns
St. Petersburg Times - Dec 18 11:34 PMSuperintendent Sandra Himmel suggested board chair Lou Miele be target at an upcoming Taser training session.

Fiscal suggestions for county commissioners
St. Petersburg Times - Dec 18 11:34 PMThis report by the Fiscal Watch Committee of the Citrus County Council will be presented to the County Commission on Tuesday.

Water board approves higher main fees
St. Petersburg Times - Dec 06 10:20 PMCitrus Springs residents will still pay a lower rate than that suggested by the Florida Governmental Utility Authority.