It has been some time since this was updated! We're still producing the fine quality water that you've come to expect.
Just a brief note on a few subjects. Due to holidays, the depositing of your cheque may be delayed by about a week. We will endeavour to have everything caught received today (August 25) in the bank by the end of this week.
Preauthorized payment is now functioning completely and we have several that are taking advantage of it. If you are interested in having your payment automatically taken out of your bank on the 10th of the month, please contact us at 306-790-8330 (leave a message) and the documentation will be mailed to you.
PLEASE NOTE ALSO --- there will be a planned water outage sometime this fall. This is necessitated by the City of Regina needing to do some work on our line. This water outage will be a few days in duration. There will be additional information supplied on this as we have more information. Stay tuned.
Our administrator has been swamped and was unable to get the January invoices out. January's invoice will be combined with the February billing. The pre authorized payment option is now available. The form will be sent out to all subscribers with the next invoice.
Water testing has commenced. Certain requirements, over a period of time must be met before the boil water advisory will be lifted. Once we attain this requirement, subscribers will be notified and the boil water advisory will be lifted. Please note that this requirement pertains to water in the pipeline. Water quality will deteriorate the longer the water sits in a tank. We recommend that subscribers do not store more than a day or two's supply of water as the chlorine (disinfectant) will dissipate with time. If there is no chlorine in the water, bacteria will grow.
Hope everyone enjoyed not having to haul water this winter.
Reminders …
The in-house apparatus is guaranteed by the contractor for a one year period. If you experience any in-house problems with the hardware or other water related problems, please contact RSP PUB’s chair.
Deborah Lewko Frank
lewkofrank@yahoo.ca
777 6947
585 1713
Only 60% of subscribers have water flowing. Please contact Pat Otte or Randy Schmidt if you require your curb stop to be opened.
Pat Otte 586 1243
Randy Schmidt 732 4491
Please continue to pay your bills by cheque until the pre-authorized payment is operations. If there is a reason why some subscribers have NOT been paying their bills, please contact Deborah. Late charges will apply to delinquent accounts.
We are still on a boil water advisory until our testing schedule is standardized.
We have Water!! On November 18, 2006, the pumphouse was commissioned and water is available through out the pipeline.
The Regina South Pipeline Public utility Board (RSP PUB) has passed a motion to collect $50.00 per hookup upfront. This deposit will be used in the event subsequent monthly consumption invoices are not paid on time. Capital or consumption invoices 30 days overdue will result in the water supply being turned off until payment is made.
Therefore, please pay the Usage Deposit of $50.00 by December 31, 2006 either by:
1 Cheque (payable to Regina South Pipeline Public Utility Board or RSP PUB) to:
2 Electronic Transfer via online banking to Royal Bank:
Transit 06718
Account # 1012731
** If subscribers want automatic withdrawls from their account, please indicate that to us and we will provide the necessary paperwork.
From now on, subscribers will be receiving ONE bill with two sections:
1. Capital cost
2. Usage cost
On a monthly or quarterly basis (depending on subscriber¡¦s capital repayment plan), the RSP PUB is requesting all subscriber fill out their actual meter reading as indicated on the meter installed prior to the tank. This will save time and money by not having the operator driving around reading each subscriber¡¦s meter.
The Board is anticipating an initial charge of $10.00 per 1000 gallons, for all subscribers. The only exception will be for those that are doing water quality testing
( ie:
If you do not have water already flowing to your residence, please contact either Pat Otte at 586 1243 or Randy Schmidt at 732 4491 as each household¡¦s curb stop has to be opened manually.
Ready for water:
__ on _____________ (state date)
__ will notify RSP PUB by email or phone
__ want info on automatic withdrawls
The onus will be on the subscriber to let the PRS PUB know when they are ready to have water flowing to their residence. Please note that we are on a boil water advisory until further notice. This is customary for new water pipelines.
The RSP PUB is drafting a document outlining the overall principles associated with operating the RSP. Please plan to attend the next General Meeting, tentatively scheduled for spring 2007. The purpose of this meeting will be to present the Board¡¦s manual for providing potable water, now and into the future. A Draft of what is expected will be available on our web site at
www.freewebs.com/reginasouthpipeline
If you have any questions, comments, concerns or input into the manual, please plan to attend the RSP General Meeting or contact any of the RSP Board Members. Thanks.
Water is flowing!! It has been a long time coming and more involved than any of us every expected, but we have accomplished what we set out to do! Congratulations to all who contributed to the success of this project.
Please contact Randy Schmidt 732 4491 or Pat Otte 5861243 to turn your curb stop ON. Remember that we are on a boil water advisory until further notice (usual for new water pipelines).
Please remember to make an initial payment by November 30, 2006
We are in the process of locking in on a fixed interest rate. Any rate changes will be reported.
For those wanting to have automatic withdrawls from your account, please contact Deborah Lewko Frank at dlewko@regina.ca or lewkofrank@yahoo.ca or 777 6947 as there is additional paperwork to have this happen. Also we encourage any and all subscribers to make a down payment - we will then re-calculate your monthly or quarterly payment.
No more hauling water- hooray!!
It has been a long time coming but it appears water will be flowing soon. This letter includes the options for the capital repayment. It is imperative that you respond, stating your option for repayment, by November 30th.
The Board has obtained the services of Brian Shauf to be our administrator on a part time hourly basis. Brian is familiar with the use of MuniSoft computer software the Board has purchased.
The Board is requesting that you indicate your preferred method of payment for the capital cost of the project. In the event the Board is not notified to the contrary monthly capital invoicing will be administered and water invoicing will follow.
Prime rate is 6% at this time; RSP PUB is repaying the loan at prime minus ½ or 5.50%
Therefore, the options for payment of capital cost :
of $14,500.00 for original subscribers are (choose one):
[ ] pay $14,500.00 by November 30, 2006
[ ] pay $157.38 monthly with first payment due on November 30, 2006
[ ] pay $473.76 quarterly with first payment due on November 30, 2006
[ ] pay $21,500.00 by November 30, 2006
[ ] pay $233.36 monthly with first payment due on November 30, 2006
[ ] pay $702.47 quarterly with first payment due on November 30, 2006
Prior to November 30, 2006 please return your capital payment
1 by mail to:
2 by electronic transfer via online banking to Royal Bank:
Transit 06718
Account # 1012731
Please recall that the pipeline is being charged 1.75 the rate charged to City of
Please check your personal information for accuracy. Please make any additions or corrections to your name, address or land location. Thanks.
It has been a long time coming and we are a l m o s t there.
Tollifson has completed their contract with us. Very satisfied with the pace of construction overall, though there are some minor clean up issues in Bratt’s
Connection with the city was completed September 5, 2006. The tie in with the city is a 12 inch line at the intersection of Highways #1 and #6 at
The lines have been pressure tested and passed.
The board recently hired Brian Shauf as our administrator. We will be sending out invoices for capital cost in the next few weeks. Brian knows the Munisoft software inside and out and has worked with the program in an administrative role in other municipalities for several years. He came highly recommended by a former administrator.
We applied for and received additional funding from Canada- SK Water Supply Expansion Program due to the increased costs associated with several reroutes and additional subscribers.
Our application for service with the city states the rate for the PUB is set as $1.49 per cubic meter ($6.80 per 1000 gallons)
We recently received a lease agreement with the Department of Highways for the land occupied by the pumphouse. It is a lease-to-buy agreement over the next 3 years.
Pumphouse is currently being built. The board agreed to increase the original size of the pumphouse building to accommodate surplus supplies. Electrical/mechanical work will be completed within the next 30 days. We are able to provide water without the pumphouse in the interim, though the pumphouse will be a necessity as water use by subscribers continues.
Application has been made to SaskPower for a single phase service to the pumphouse.
We have hired our certified operator, Bill Duncan.
Subscription price for new hook-ups is $25 000. New subscribers will be hooked up at the discretion of the board. All new subscribers have to be evaluated by a flow model to assess pipeline capacity. We will likely wait until several new subscribers want to join before bringing back the contractor.
A post office box has been rented, and therefore, the mailing address for Regina South Pipeline Public Utility Board (RSP PUB) will be
Expect water flowing SOON.
Most of the pipe is in the ground. Some crossings and site specific drilling has yet to be done. Tollifson Cable Service Ltd. and NIS Contractors Ltd. (an approved City of
Have applied for more funding. Received approval for location of pumphouse at Rowatt. Construction of the building will commence soon.
Have had a few more complaints from land owners regarding damage to crop within RM right-of-ways. No compensation has been issued. Policy stipulates that we have access from the RMs to construct in the right-of-ways.
Next task – purchase and become familiar with administration program, Munisoft. Seeking a PUB administrator and possibly office space.
Since construction is virtually complete, subscription price for new hook-ups is $25 000. New subscribers will be hooked up at the discretion of the board. All new subscribers have to be evaluated by a flow model to assess pipeline capacity. Likely wait until several new subscribers want to join before bringing back the contractor.
Expect testing and flushing of the lines and water flowing SOON. The days of hauling water are finally nearing an end!!! Hooray!!
Admin programs - Simply Accounting versus Munisoft - Jim
Jim Chernick has attended a tutorial on Munisoft – admin program. May be overkill but is industry standard. Debated to buy Munisoft or use Simply Accounting. Randy recommended Munisoft even though we may never use aspects of the program. Board agreed.
SEL 33 Sharing admin
Not had anyone from SEL 33 return messages left pursuing the idea of sharing administration. Board’s view is we can write off this option. Asked Kevin Ritchie if he was interested in doing the admin and he isn't. Kevin said the
Business number
Recently received business # 84888 5364 RT0001. We are not yet a "designated municipality" and can make application for this status once our pipeline is up and running.
Easements
Obtained most of the required easements (see approvals) though some after the fact. Look into registering easements. Randy looking into ownership of former CN Railway crossing NE 13-16-20-W2
Approvals – still awaiting
Dept of Highways right of way – verbal only
Dept of Highways – pumphouse – require permit – awaiting drawings
CN Railways – this afternoon finally got address for payment (previously paid for 1 crossing, need to pay for 4 more)
Trans Gas
City of
Updated cost estimates for Additional Funding – Tamarack/Kevin
Finally received an updated cost estimate for pipeline project from Tamarack – 6 weeks late! Missed deadline to reapply though Kevin will try to arrange special meeting with Canada-SK Water Supply Expansion Program administrators. May not get funding this late in the game as construction is more than half complete – may seem that the PUB does not need the money to finish job
The Regina South Pipeline Public Utility Board paid invoices to Tollifson Cable Service Ltd. for construction services and Tamarack Professional Services for engineering services.
We seem to have all the required easements in place.
Outstanding issues with Tamarack:
Awaiting cost estimates in order for us to apply for more funding.
Awaiting drawings to complete contract with City of
Awaiting drawings to initiate permit process for land for pumphouse in Rowatt
Awaiting approval from
Ø SK Water
Ø RMs of Bratt’s
Ø Dept of Highways (right of way and pumphouse property)
Ø Railways
Ø Trans Gas
Ø Provincial/Federal Fisheries and Canadian Coast Guard
Pea Plant in Rowatt – back on as a subscriber. Eighty subscribers with 84 hook-ups.
Construction is about 1/3 done. Pipe has been layed in the SW and along Hwy 6. Work is to be complete in the SE in following weeks. Budgets and construction are on schedule and as expected.
May have noticed construction along Hwy 6 is in the east ditch. RSP obtained approval from Highways to construct in the highway right-of-way. Any future road expansion would put our pipeline in the centre meridian.
Reminder that any and all subscribers are welcome to pay off the $14 500.00 this fall instead of financing over a ten year period
Tolifson is back on site as of July 24, 2006. Work will be finishing up on the west side of Highway #6. Work will progress along Highway #6 this week.
Currently waiting for Highways' approval for construction on their land in Rowatt. Ken will be meeting Highways this week to review
Concerns have been raised about the location of curbstops. RSP initially wanted curbstops to be placed in road allowances. According to Tamarack, generally curbstops are installed around thirty metres from the house in a location that is accessible and not in the way. Off property curbstops could be difficult especially where the farmers work right to the toe of the road slope. Needs to be discussed further.
Ken did up a list of easements based upon the drawings. Will send them to RSP for review.
Ken met with the City of
Have approval from
New subscribers have been added on and have been included in the design. A revised cost estimate will be sent to RSP shortly.
So far Tamarack has been or will be billing for predesign/design and tendering fees as per the original proposal. The new subscribers and reroute did necessitate another computer model of the system. This additional work is somewhere in the range of $3000. With the month break it is hard to say exactly where Tamarack stands relative to our original proposal estimate for construction services. A lot of Tamarack’s work is at the front end of the job getting staking and layout done. Most of the pipe installed to date has been small diameter. We will see how work progresses on the larger pipes. At the end of this week when RSP, Tamarack and Tolifson meet to process the payment certificate, Tamarack will also review their hours to see where the engineering budget stands.
Construction - so far so good. No major issues to my knowledge. No real problems with landowners. Some are not to happy about losing their crop where they farm inside the road allowance but technically and legally it's not really their land. That’s the risk they take when farming off their property. Needs further discussion.
No work on pipeline this week.
Tollifson is doing some work at Swift Current, expects to be back at
Ken has talked to Randy at the City of Regina. Agreement is to tie into 300 mm pipe at a location to be specified by the city. Tie-in as per City of
Will be a month away from staking in the SE area.
Invoice submitted for design work. Tamarack is preparing one for work to end of June (construction services).
So far ten miles of pipe installed. No new pipe for at least two weeks. When Tollison gets back on site they plan was to complete SW end of job then move northwards and install all pipe west of # 6. After that, they will start at north end and work south on east side of # 6 until job is completed.
Regina South Pipeline
Subscribers’ Newsletter
We are well into the preliminary construction phase – accommodating subscriber’s needs as requested. If you have not meet Ken with Tamarack, you soon will, as he is the one staking the land and negotiating with subscribers/homeowners as to the location of their water service. All this rain may delay us a bit though we are still on track due to the early start on construction.
Regular and more frequent updates are being added to the web site – to keep informed check out www.freewebs.com/reginasouthpipeline
Please direct any inquiries about new subscription directly to myself or Pat Otte.
Info about tanks, availability, size and price are posted on the web site. We encourage subscribers to inquire now about tanks, installation and requirements before the fall completion date.
There have been changes to the hook-up location with the City of
We are applying for more funding under the Canada Saskatchewan Water Supply Expansion Program (CSWSEP), administered by Agriculture and Agrifood
To make things perfectly clear – the capital cost for a water pipeline hook-up is $ 15 000 for original subscribers, $22 000 for new subscribers minus the $500 deposit. Financed over 10 years at an interest rate of prime minus 0.5 % (approximately 5.25%), monthly payments will be approximately $160 ($235 for new subscribers).
Simple calculation: $160 per month * 12 months * 10 years = $19 200
Anyone wanting to pay exactly $14 500 must pay in full the entire $14 500 by the end of the first billing period (fall 2006). Interest charges are implied with financing.
Regina South Pipeline
Subscribers’ Newsletter
Construction is set to begin May 24, 2006. The contractor will start putting pipe in the ground in the southeast corner.
Public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday May 31, 2006 7pm at
A few new subscribers have joined at a cost of $22 000 (cost per hook-up without grant money). We can apply for more government funding, though there is no guarantee that we will be approved for more grant money. We still guarantee that no new subscriber will pay less then the original subscribers. Once construction starts, the price for hook-up is subject to an additional $3000.00 surcharge (total of $25 000.00 to hook-up).
Few easements still required from some landowners along the route. If an easement is required on your property, you should have already been contacted.
We have signed a contract with the Royal Bank at an interest rate of prime minus 0.5 % with an amalgamation period of 10 years.
At the request of the City of
Any questions or concerns, please contact, Deborah Lewko Frank, chair, Regina South Pipeline PUB Inc. at lewkofrank@yahoo.ca or 585 1713.
Check out our web page at www.freewebs.com/reginasouthpipeline
Regina South Pipeline
Subscribers’ Newsletter
Doug Thompson of Tamarack Professional Services has presented us with final pipeline route drawings.
Tenders for pipe supply and installation of the pipeline were received February 20 and opened and reviewed February 22 by Tamarack, PFRA and several board members. We have selected the lowest bidder with a start date of June 2006.
We have obtained easements from several landowners along the route. Tamarack has designed portions of the pipeline route on private property to avoid having to move the pipeline in the event that the highway is twinned in the future.
We have presented our business plan to the TD bank in an attempt to obtain the best rates for financing as possible.
Regulatory approvals are falling into place. All have to be in place prior to Sask Environment issuing a permit to construct.
At the request of the City of Regina, we are currently examining the potential to incorporate existing customers south of Regina into the RSP PUB.
New subscribers have joined at a cost of $22 000. If government funding though grants is available in the future, they may benefit in a decrease to their price, though we will guarantee that no new subscriber will pay less then the original subscribers.
Two companies have expressed an interest in providing above ground water storage tanks for interested subscribers. Please contact them if you require a tank.
Arrow Plumbing and Heating - 525 2324
Curtis Beingessner - curtisb@arrowpluming.ca
Wilke Sales – 586 5711
John Wilke – wilke@sasktel.net
Tanks are also available at Peavy Mart,
Anyone interested in bidding for the electrical and plumbing portion of the pumphouse to be located at Rowatt, SK, please contact me ASAP for specification packages.
Any questions or concerns, please contact, Deborah Lewko Frank, chair, Regina South Pipeline PUB at lewkofrank@yahoo.ca or 585-1713.
Regina South Pipeline
Subscribers’ Newsletter
Doug Thompson of Tamarack Professional Services has presented us with final pipeline route drawings.
Tenders for pipe supply, construction of pipeline and pump house will be going out ASAP. In order to save money due to rising oil costs, we are considering buying the pipe this fall if we can negotiate our financing. We can potentially save a minimum of $45 000 (15% of $300 000). Since PFRA was unable to offer their services to design the pump house, we can save money by tendering out the pump house construction ourselves.
We are in the process of obtaining easements from several landowners along the route.
Timeline:
October: final design of pipeline, regulatory reviews, approvals and tenders
November: review proposal and select contractor
December: possibly limited construction - test holes, main line, sloughs
Regulatory approvals all have to be in place prior to Sask Environment issuing a permit to construct.
Banking: Opened an account with TD. Cheques will be cashed prior to October 31, 2005.
Any questions or concerns, please contact, Deborah Lewko Frank, chair, Regina South Pipeline PUB at lewkofrank@yahoo.ca or 585 1713.
Regina South Pipeline
Subscribers’ Newsletter
Six engineering firms responded to our tender; of those 6, four were interviewed. Doug Thompson of Tamarack Professional Services has been hired for our consulting engineering purposes. He will be visiting subscribers the last two weeks in July. Please welcome him and discuss any concerns regarding the pipeline route through your yards.
Currently 74 subscribers on the pipeline with 78 hook-ups.
New subscribers: All new subscribers are subject to approval by the board.
Cost for new subscribers will be $25 000
$22 000 (cost per hook-up without the grant)
$3 000 late surcharge
Timeline:
July: site surveys and field work
August: computer modelling and final design of pipeline, regulatory reviews and approvals, tender out for construction
September: begin construction
Plan: Begin construction late this fall with water flowing to Rowatt - likely go that far on existing pressure from the city line. PFRA will design our booster station to be located in Rowatt (need to re-pressurize and re-chlorinate the water) at a cost savings to us in the thousands. Pipe laying will continue into the winter as weather permits with completion of the project in the spring and summer of 2006.
Corporate bylaw incorporating us as a public utility board has been approved and signed by all three RMs involved in the project.
Banking: Best deal with TD. Cheques will be cashed soon.
Any questions or concerns, please contact, Deborah Lewko Frank, chair, Regina South Pipeline PUB at lewkofrank@yahoo.ca or 585 1713.
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