Woodfin Sanitary Water and Sewer District
Meeting of Board of Trustees
Minutes of March 17th, 2025
Chairman Gordon Maybury called the meeting to order at 5 p.m. In attendance were Larry Hopkins, Vice Chair; Dr. Joseph Martin, Executive Director Emeritus; Seth Eckard, Executive Director.
Approval of the Agenda
The agenda was approved by unanimous consent.
Approval of Minutes
MSD Report
Ms. Bryson shared that MSD’s board was presented with an audit presentation of the fiscal year ending June 30th, 2024. The audit was clean, and MSD’s finances were in excellent shape. Mrs. Bryson also noted an upcoming sewer project located on Elkmont Pl.
Public Comment
No one spoke during public comment.
Director’s Report
Director Eckard provided the following updates:
FEMA Hurricane Helene Recovery Update
Our scheduled meeting on February 18th was postponed due to an unexpected family emergency requiring our FEMA case worker to take leave for one month. We have been informed that our next meeting will be scheduled after her return on March 18th, at which point site visits with FEMA will also be arranged. In the meantime, WhithersRavenel is preparing cost estimates for FEMA and has conducted drone assessments of debris along the transmission line and the fire break within the conservation easement.
Audit Update
We are still awaiting a response from the auditor regarding Joe’s analysis of the expense overage and the submission of our audit to the Local Government Commission (LGC). Given the challenges with this year’s audit process, I have expressed my dissatisfaction and am withholding payment until the audit is submitted and approved by the LGC.
Auditor Search
I reached out to two auditing firms specializing in local government accounting in our region. Martin Starnes & Associates declined due to workload constraints. Lowdermilk & Church LLC indicated they are unable to take on new clients this fiscal year but may consider us for the following year.
Lagoon CIP Update
McGill will present the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and Rate Study at the April Board meeting.
Warden Home
No updates since my last report.
Woodfin 5K
At the Board’s request, we have increased our race sponsorship from the Silver level to the Gold level at $500. Additionally, we have purchased three 10-gallon portable water dispensers to provide ice-cold Woodfin-made water for runners and spectators. We are also in the process of creating a Woodfin Sanitary Water and Sewer District banner for our vendor table and will distribute branded water bottles again this year.
Reservoir Capacity
The reservoir is currently at 100% capacity.
Old Business
No old business.
New Business
Due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, the District will need to
amend the current fiscal year budget by $200,000. Contained in your agenda
packet is resolution 2025-2.
Maybury seconded Hopkins's motion to approve Resolution 2025-2. The motion carried unanimously.
Call of the Board
Trustee Hopkins asked Director Eckard about the upcoming Woodfin Water State of the District presentation to the Woodfin Town Council. Director Eckard said he has arranged with the Town Manager to give that presentation in July of 2025. Director Eckard noted that it would be a more informative presentation to provide at that time because he will be able to share information about the District's new capital improvement plan and recently adopted budget.
Trustee Maybury said he has communicated with the Woodfin Mayor regarding the District’s fire preparedness. One key point is that the District is working with the local fire departments to ensure they are performing routine maintenance on our fire hydrants.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 5:44 p.m.