The Burney Water Board met at the Raymond Berry Community Pool on Thursday evening September 15 for their Regular Meeting.
Burney Water Board Meeting at the pool
There were two main items discussed at the meeting. The first item was a discussion of infrastructure on Gunsmith Way. A pipe there has been blocking up. After running a camera through the pipe it appears that there may be a sag in one section of the pipe. The district has been flushing it on a weekly basis but the situation will have to be corrected.
A longer discussion was held regarding Washburn and Civic Parks. Burney Water District owns the parks and has the authority to oversee Parks and Recreation.
Burney Little League has an agreement for use of Washburn Park and has been doing some maintenance. However, there is need for infrastructure improvement on the turf, bleachers, playground equipment, sprinklers, and grounds.
The Lions Club has been helping to maintain Civic Park.
Both parks have lots of possible uses. The Chamber of Commerce has been discussing the possibility of holding public programs in Civic Park. Both parks require improvement and maintenance to optimize their benefit to the community.
While the Burney Water District has authority to operate Parks and Recreation, there is no funding stream to pay for necessary improvements and maintenance.
District Manager Willie Rodriguez suggested first meeting with the Little League and members of the Lions Club to determine exactly what needs to be done and then assessing what the costs would be.
Apparently, at present, there is not a lot of state funding available for parks. There was some discussion of seeking funding from private sources.
Board President Jim Hamlin suggested that, because the parks are an important issue for the entire community, there should be a public community meeting held to discuss the future of the parks.
The Chamber of Commerce, all of the local service clubs and community organizations, as well as the public at large should be invited to participate in the discussion.
After the above issues were addressed, Board member Fred Ryness reported that he had attended the California Special Districts Association state board meeting in Sacramento. The association is planning to create a new field position for the Northern Network which includes Shasta County.
District Manager Rodriguez reported that an examination of all of the sewer lines except for a 9000 feet stretch under a field owned by Abe Hathaway that was difficult to access had been completed. The examination involved an internal video examination of the sewer lines. The data is currently being compiled by PACE and will be available soon.
The District is completing the audits for fiscal years 2014-15 and 2015-16 which will bring the District up to date.
Some people have been parking in the Burney Water District lot over night and on weekends. Because of liability concerns, the District is examining the proper way to post notice limiting the use of the parking lot to Burney Water Board vehicles and customers during business hours.
Pool Manager Stephanie McQuade reported that the pool was able to remain open for a two-week extension. The final day is September 16. The pool was busy until the temperature drop in the last few days. Overall, it was a very satisfactory 2016 season for the pool. McQuade will have exact numbers for 2016 pool use and participation at the October Regular Meeting.
Recently one leak developed in the ceiling. The cause is being determined. Once the pool is closed the entire facility will be cleaned and necessary maintenance and repairs will be done in preparation for next year.
Pit River Country 