Meeting Agenda for Thursday, 14 Aug 08, 12:15 PM
at the COG Building, Forum Room

During lunch, a video DVD produced by the 2008 Park Forest Pool Swim Team will be shown.
A portion of the proceeds of each sale are donated by the team to the PF Pool Renewal.
$585 has been donated to date.

I.         CALL TO ORDER and ROLL CALL:

• Ms. Sue Mascolo, Chair     Ferguson Twp.    • Mr. Roy Harpster, Vice-Chair      Harris Twp.

• Ms. Kathy Matason, Sec.College Twp.   • Ms. Donna Conway, Treas.  State College Borough

• Dr. Donna M. Ricketts    SCASD           • Mr. Chris Hurley    Patton Twp.

II.       COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC for any item not on the agenda (up to 5 min./person)

III.      APPROVAL OF MINUTES from the July meeting           (Attachment # 1)        (Action)

IV.      ACTION ON VOUCHERS from July                                (Attachment # 2)        (Action)

V.        COMMITTEE REPORTS

• Millbrook Marsh Nature Center Advisory Committee:

The committee did not meet during July. They will next meet on 20 Aug 08.

• COG Ad Hoc Regional Park Committee: Mr. Woodhead

The committee met on 17 Jul 08 for their regular meeting.

• Regional Park Planning Committee: Mr. Woodhead

The committee met on 21 Jul 08 to focus on finalizing the survey that will be mailed in September to 2,400 homes. It will also be posted and promoted on our website after the mailed version is returned. The final version of the survey is attached, FYI.  (Attachment # 3)

• Member & Municipal Committee Updates:

College Twp.                          Ferguson Twp.                       Patton Twp.

State College Borough           Harris Twp.                            SCASD

VI.      STAFF REPORTS

• Activity Report: July          (Attachment # 4)

• 2007 Audit Report: It is requested that the Authority vote to officially receive the report. While the Auditors were invited to attend this meeting, they asked if they could schedule a visit or a phone conference later this year to answer any questions.     (Attachment # 5)   (Action)

• 2009 Budget Process: Mr. Woodhead

- 2009 Program Plans: Staff has prepared and COG Administration has distributed to the participating municipalities the final versions. Municipal comments are being solicited at this time. CD’s will be distributed at the meeting for Board member review.

- 2009 Funding Shares (Senior Center): Mr. Woodhead will propose to the COG Finance Committee (on Tu 12 Aug 08) a more-targeted method to determine the “Program Visits” at the senior center. The results of their action will be reported. (Attachment # 6)(Action)

- 2009 Detailed Budgets - Version #1: The initial proposals for the 8 agency funds will be distributed at the meeting, with a general overview presented by the Director. Although no Board action is requested at this meeting, the proposals must be finalized by the end of August for COG Administration - so individual comments are welcome within the next two weeks.

• Millbrook Marsh Nature Center ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES: Mr. Woodhead

In July the Authority authorized staff to seek a proposal from HP Architects for architectural services related to the Spring Creek Education Building. While that proposal was promptly requested, Mr. Popovich has asked that he be permitted to present the proposal later in August due to his workload. It is expected that this schedule will permit the MMNC Advisory Committee to review / refine the proposal at their 20 Aug meeting, then prepare a recommendation for the next meeting of the Authority on 11 Sep 08.

• Advisory Committees: The Director will ask for Board direction on the status of developing advisory committees for special interests / activities. The agency operates the MMNC Advisory Committee, the Thompson Woods Subcommittee and the Pool Renewal Advisory Committee. A number of committees have developed outside the agency to assist with the establishment of certain facilities, including the Tudek Dog Park, Tudek Park Garden Plots and the Circleville Park Disc Golf Course. It is noted that a “community recreation program” is, by nature, a collection of personal / special interests and activities.

• Supervisor Highlights:

        Mr. Greg Roth                        Ms. Lindenbaum                   Ms. Lee
        Mr. Hall                                  Mr. Todd Roth                        Ms. Hetrick

VII.     COMMUNICATIONS

• Representative Benninghoff provided another letter (dated 15 Jul 08) to the Governor in support of the release of the state funds for Millbrook Marsh Nature Center. (Attachment # 7)

VIII.   ACTION ITEMS

A. PARK FOREST POOL CONSTRUCTION: Mr. Woodhead

1.         The following donations have been made to the Gifts-For-Parks program to supplement funds for the Park Forest Pool Renewal. Letters of thanks have been mailed to each donor.

            June 27           JP (anonymous)*                $1,000
            July 7              The Parry Family                 $1,500
                      (c/o Kevin Parry, Rosemary Schwoerer, Lucia Parry, Rachel Parry & Hannah Parry)
            July 15            Ken & Mechteld Hillsley         $1,000
            Aug. 1             Brad & Susan Lunsford          $1,000
            Aug. 4             Ross & Brenda Cooper           $60
            Aug. 4             Brian Raider                         $100
            Aug. 4             PF Pool Swim Team               $585    proceeds of the sale of their DVD
                                    Total as of 6 Aug 08:         $5,245.
            * as requested by the donor

2.         An allowance of $35,000 was provided in the General Contract for the proper disposal of materials with lead-based paint, subject to certified testing across the complex. The results of those tests (at 150 sites) show that only the following items will require special disposal:

            (a.) natural gas supply piping in the two buildings,
            (b.) the support pipes for the two diving boards, and
            (c.) some pipe insulation in the bathhouse and some piping in the filter building.

As a result, the General Contractor will propose via the Architect the costs associated with the testing, the disposal and the resulting credit. That information will then be relayed to the Authority. In the interim, the Board may wish to prioritize other alternates depending on the funds available (prior to 1 Oct 08) and/or reserve those funds in the event of unexpected construction expenses.

3.      It was learned from the ELA Group that the fees from State College Borough Water Authority will be $6,000 less than expected since a new (additional) tap for water service will not be necessary.

4.         With the Swimming Pool Contract, it was necessary for the Director to formally commit to the alternates selected by the Authority in June, since the contractor maintained that postponing a commitment until the 1 Oct 08 deadline would have delayed the completion of the project:

            - to NOT add Alternate #SP-2 (Ultraviolet Filter for the tot pool) with an increase $30,000.

            - to NOT deduct Alternate #SP-4 (drop slide) with a reduction $218,000.

It is requested that the Authority endorse this action, which will maintain the contract price at $1,478,800, as originally authorized. The Director is hopeful that the Authority can proceed with a UV filter for the tot pool outside the contract, as funds permit. (Action)

5.         With the General Contract and in the interest of safety and security, staff recommends that the Authority authorize the inclusion of the 8' high perimeter fencing rather than the 6' high fence (as selected by Deduct Alternate #G-1). This would increase the contract by $4,900, as specified in the contractor’s original bid. If approved, the revised contract price will be $1,017,000.                          (Action)

B. WELCH POOL RENEWAL: Ms. Mascolo and Mr. Hurley

The following items must be resolved from the discussions with the School Board on 14 Jul 08 and on 5 Aug 08, in concert with the COG Ad Hoc Regional Park Committee:

• Shared Parking vs. the SCASD District-wide Master Plan process via a “temporary” solution

- Providing a dedicated drop-off area and ADA parking spaces for pool patrons.

- A possible deadline of Memorial Day 2012 for SCASD to provide “permanent” shared parking, combined with action by Borough Council on the pool parking requirements (the current schedule has the new pool opening for Memorial Day 2010).

- Resolving access conflicts with the band using the South Parking Lot for their August (morning) practices.

• Proposed Shared Use of the Changing Rooms with School Sport Teams

For the first time, the District shared their proposal for possible joint use of the pool changing rooms:

        Fall: Cross-country, field hockey, soccer teams
        Spring: track and lacrosse.

Additional details have been requested in writing for CRRA evaluation. Depending on the details (dates, numbers of users, etc.), this may involve provisions for both capital and operating expenses.

The COG Ad Hoc Regional Park Committee will meet at 12:15PM on Th 21 Sep 08 (COG Forum Room) to also discuss the issues. Authority members are encouraged to attend and participate in those discussions. Lunch will be provided.

C. AUCTION OF SURPLUS EQUIPMENT: Mr. Woodhead

The Director requests authorization to participate in the on-line bidding program offered by Assets Auctions LLC, as a method to sell used equipment, including mowing tractors, vehicles, pool starting blocks, etc. This process has been endorsed by the Commonwealth and has been used successfully by the Borough of State College and by the State College Area School District. A sample agreement is attached for Authority endorsement, which would be used prior to each Bidding Event.(Attachment # 8)(Action)

D. RENEWAL OF MEMBERSHIP for Cooperative Purchasing: Mr. Woodhead

Participation in this Central Westmoreland COG program to purchase new vehicles has been very cost-effective for the agency. Resolution # 4-2008 authorizes the renewal of the Authority’s annual membership this program for $150, effective 30 Sep 08. If another COG agency uses this program, they will reimburse CRPR for a share of that annual membership fee.(Attachment # 9)(Action)

IX.      ADJOURNMENT                                                           (Action)

NEXT REGULAR MEETING:       Th 11 Sep 08, 12:15 PM at the Millbrook Marsh Nature Center Barn