HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-04-2015 Operations Committee MinutesMINUTES OF THE
OPERATIONS COMMITTEE
Orange County Sanitation District
Wednesday, March 4, 2015, at 5:00 P.M.
A regular meeting of the Operations Committee of the Orange County Sanitation District
was called to order by Committee Chair Sebourn on March 4, 2015, at 5:01 p.m. in the
Administration Building of the Orange County Sanitation District.
Director Bartlett led the Flag Salute.
A quorum was declared present, as follows:
COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT
Greg Sebourn, Chair
David Shawver, Vice-Chair
Lisa Bartlett
Ellery Deaton
Steve Jones
Robert Kiley
Lucille Kring
Richard Murphy
Steve Nagel
Fred Smith
Chad Wanke
Mariellen Yarc
Tom Beamish, Board Chair
John Nielsen, Board Vice-Chair
COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT:
None.
PUBLIC COMMENTS:
None.
STAFF PRESENT:
Jim Herberg, General Manager
Rob Thompson, Director of Engineering
Nick Arhontes, Director of Facilities Support
Services
Ed Torres, Director of Operations &
Maintenance
Lorenzo Tyner, Director of Finance &
Administrative Services
Kelly Lore, Acting Clerk of the Board
Cindi Ambrose
Rich Castillon
Mark Dubois
Mark Esquer
Dean Fisher
Norbert Gaia
Al Garcia
Rob Michaels
Kathy Millea
Mike Puccio
Richard Spencer
Eros Yong
OTHERS PRESENT:
Brad Hogin, General Counsel
Bob Ooten (Alternate Director)
Mike Beverage (Alternate Director)
Veronica Carpenter
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REPORT OF COMMITTEE CHAIR:
Committee Chair Sebourn did not provide a report.
REPORT OF GENERAL MANAGER
General Manager, Jim Herberg, reported that there will be a new formal leadership
training program for Management & Executive Management team beginning in May,
that will include one all-day session a month for a period of six months.
CONSENT CALENDAR:
1. MOVED, SECONDED, and DULY CARRIED TO: Approve Minutes of
February 4, 2015, Operations Committee meeting.
AYES: Deaton, Jones, Kiley, Kring, Murphy, Nagel, Sebourn,
Shawver, Smith, F., Wanke and Yarc
NOES: None
ABSTENTIONS: Bartlett
ABSENT: Beamish and Nielsen
Board Vice-Chair Nielsen arrived at 5:04 p.m.
Board Chair Beamish arrived at 5:10 p.m.
NON-CONSENT:
Director of Engineering, Rob Thompson provided a PowerPoint presentation regarding
this item which included: a summary of the Gisler-Redhill System Improvements, Reach
B, project 7-37, the reason for the request of additional funds and information on the
Community Outreach Program.
2. MOVED, SECONDED, and DULY CARRIED TO: Recommend to the Board of
Directors to:
Approve a budget increase of $2,800,000 for a total project budget of
$25,873,000 for the Gisler-Redhill System Improvements, Reach B, Contract No.
7-37.
AYES:
NOES:
03/04/2015
Bartlett, Beamish, Deaton, Jones, Kiley, Kring, Murphy,
Nagel, Nielsen, Sebourn, Shawver, Smith, F., Wanke and
Yarc
None
Operations Committee Minutes Page 2 of 5
ABSTENTIONS: None
ABSENT: None
3. Director of Finance and Administrative Services, Lorenzo Tyner, stated that the
proposed ordinance does not change or add any authority levels; adds
clarification language, and adds or brings clarification to procedures and
processes within the existing Purchasing Ordinance.
MOVED, SECONDED, and DULY CARRIED TO: Recommend to the Board of
Directors to:
A. Introduce Ordinance No. OCSD-47, entitled "An Ordinance of the Board of
Directors of the Orange County Sanitation District, Establishing
Requirements and Procedures for the Purchase of Goods, Services, and
Public Works Projects; and Repealing Ordinance No. OCSD-44" for first
reading at the March 2015 Board meeting.
B. Motion to read Ordinance No. OCSD-47 by title only and waive reading of
said entire Ordinance on March 25, 2015; and
C. Set April 22, 2015, as the date for the second reading and adoption of
Ordinance No. OCSD-4 7; and
D. Direct the Clerk of the Board to publish summaries of the Ordinance as
required by law.
AYES:
NOES:
Bartlett, Beamish, Deaton, Jones, Kiley, Kring, Murphy,
Nagel, Nielsen, Sebourn, Shawver, Smith, F., Wanke and
Yarc
None
ABSTENTIONS: None
ABSENT: None
INFORMATION ITEMS:
4. Workforce Planning
Human Resources Manager, Rich Spencer provided an informative PowerPoint
Presentation on Workforce Planning, which includes: organizational structure;
organizational overview; recognized employee organizations; unrepresented
employee groups; importance of workforce planning development efforts; and
workforce analysis, planning and development.
03/04/2015 Operations Committee Minutes Page 3 of 5
Questions were answered from Mr. Spencer regarding the: percentage of
internal promotions; how open positions are promoted to the public; entry level
hiring; internships; licensing; attracting higher level employees; compensation
and class study; technical programs such as Santiago Canyon College and
transition and succession plans.
5. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) AT OCSD
IT System and Operations Manager, Rich Castillon announced his four vision
points for OCSD and then introduced Information Tech Supervisor Rob Michaels
who provided a PowerPoint presentation on the GIS system uses at OCSD that
include: Facility and sewer models, permits, asset management, CCTV, flow
tracing, Hydraulic and Air Dispersion modeling, Land records, sewer transfers
and statistics, map requests, boundary updates, ocean monitoring, underground
service alerts and mobile GIS/GPS.
Board Chair Beamish questioned the security of our infrastructure and how much
is operated by a computer system. Mr. Castillon stated most of the equipment is
computerized. He further stated that a Department of Homeland Security (OHS)
audit was just completed and when the results are received, it will be discussed
with Board. He further stated that security is taken very seriously at OCSD, that
nothing is completely safe, but we have the very best safeguards.
Director Wanke commended and congratulated the staff on the full utilization of
the GIS system.
DEPARTMENT HEAD REPORT:
Director of Operations and Maintenance, Ed Torres OCSD staff has provided long-term
beach water quality studies and oceanographic data that have resulted in approval from
the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board and the US Environmental
Protection Agency to stop disinfection at the long outfall after March 17, 2015. OCSD
will save approximately $420,000 per year as a result and improve the environment
near our ocean outfall.
Director of Finance and Administrative Services, Lorenzo Tyner reported on two
violations that were received from Cal/OSHA. The first was an employee who injured
their finger while working on some fan belts. Because of the injury, OSHA fined us and
we appealed that fine, however we were unsuccessful in the appeal. The exposure is
about $22,000 and is considered a serious violation. If there is a second violation, it
could be considered willful, with a fine of about $70,000 and other possible
assessments. Mr. Tyner stated that he does not anticipate that being an issue as we
have used this particular procedure over the last 20 years with no injuries. However,
we do take the OSHA report and the health of our employees seriously, and for
prevention, have done additional training, will be putting in additional guards, and will do
what is known as a safety stand-down where we will meet with the managers and
03/04/2015 Operations Committee Minutes Page 4 of 5
supervisors impacted by that area, making sure they are aware of the injury and the
additional safeguards.
Mr. Tyner answered questions from the Committee regarding the severity of the injury
and condition of the employee; the actual circumstance of the injury with the fan belt in
motion, the electrical shut off; OSHA's reasons to deny appeal and costs of additional
training and safeguards .
Mr. Tyner stated that the second violation involved the use of a crane about 18 months
ago . This involved a procedural issue, there was no injury or potential injury, however,
OSHA found that we might not have been in complete compliance with our Standard
Operating Procedures (SOP). They found a technical variance in the way we used, or
planned for the use of the crane. We are in the process of looking at that item with
OSHA and anticipate the item be settled shortly. There are three pieces to this
violation, which include first, a procedu ral item with exposure in the $100-400 fine
range, the second item should be vacated as there is not enough evidence to support
the violation , and the third is a technical procedural item with exposure in the $5000 fine
range.
Mr. Tyner was asked how OSHA found out about these violations, to which he
responded that OCSD must report all injuries immediately to OSHA and that was the
case in the first violation. The second violation was reported to OSHA directly by an
employee onsite.
Director of Engineering Rob Thompson provided a brief update in regards to the
Newport Force Main and problems with the tunneling machine, which have hit what
appear to be some type of unmarked abandoned structure.
OTHER BUSINESS AND COMMUNICATIONS OR SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA
ITEMS, IF ANY:
ADJOURNMENT
At 6:25 p.m., Committee Chair Sebourn declared the meeting adjourned to the next
scheduled meeting of Wednesday, April 1, 2015 at 5:00 p.m.
Submitted by,
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