Willington Housing Authority
MINUTES
March 9, 2015
60 Old Farms Road – Senior Center
Willington, CT
PRESENT – Chairman Robert Campbell, Vice Chairman Wilbur Gangaway, Secretary Don Berg, Housing Consultant David Berto, Recording Secretary Brenda Sullivan.
1. Call to Order – The meeting was called to order at 6:05 p.m.
2. Present to speak – No member of the public present to speak.
3. Old Business – Button Hill senior housing project
D. Berto reported he met with contractor Ladd and engineering consultant Eric Peterson to discuss final billing and compliance with the end of Ladds scope of work; $10,000 will be withheld pending review of grading, etc. and for retainage for spring work, such as seeding grass. He said the current payment is being processed by the Town.
In the spring, E. Peterson will review the site to ensure Ladd has completed its work, i.e. the subgrade of the parking area, and appropriate amount of gravel, after which Ladd can be paid the balance. D. Berto said Ladd didn't spread 4 inches of gravel on the whole site as originally discussed; the company doubled the gravel in the parking area because the upper level of the site was too muddy. He said Ladd made this decision without informing the Housing Authority. D. Berto said that if Ladd completes the work correctly, the amount of gravel to be brought in by Zlotnick is still appropriate – but subgrades will have to be verified.
D. Berto said he also met with contractor Zlotnick and they took meeting minutes. They said if they have to bring in more gravel, the WHA will have to request a change order. Zlotnick also noted Ladd dug pipe conduits; Zlotnick wants to make sure this was done properly because they are concerned about any sagging when they bring equipment onto the site.
Regarding funds coming from the Department of Housing and Federal Home Loan Bank, D. Berto said the DOH attorney John Kindle and WHA attorney Jim Scaramozza have been communicating regarding the closing list. He said he hopes to have a better status update in about a week.
D. Berto said he received communication from the DOH that rules regarding the format of budgets have been changed, so his offices reconfigured the project budget to comply with the change in categories, i.e. everything except construction and pre-development bills were shifted to Putnam Bank.
He also said Putnam Bank asked how much WHA expects to draw down each month, and his offices drew up a chart of estimates. He said the goal is to withdraw funds closer to the end of the project in order to minimize the amount of interest.
R. Campbell asked about the status of FHLB funds. D. Berto said he was told to communicate through Putnam Bank, so he will set up a conference call with the bank to determine if they need anything further.
R. Campbell asked about the status of the Zlotnick contract. D. Berto said Zlotnick needs to fill out an AIA contract, which costs about $35. R. Campbell suggested setting a deadline of March 20 to submit the AIA contract – it's one of the documents needed for the closing.
There was lengthy discussion about different combinations using solar-generated power for heating, electric, air-conditioning and the potential savings.
R. Campbell asked D. Berg if he knows when the WHA will hear whether they've been chosen for the ZREC program. D. Berg said based on information he's received to date, it's very possible WHA will be approved for 6 service contracts.
D. Berg also discussed Zlotnick's figures for HVAC, and estimated costs for mini-splits would save about $400,000 minus the cost of installation and materials.
D. Berg also discussed the pro's and con's of multi- versus individual-head units. He estimated $136,000 for installation, rounded to $140,000 plus backup units (just for electric) and a couple of baseboard heaters (at $24,000) in bathrooms and bedrooms.
R. Campbell said he wants to wait to see how much ZREC funds Button Hill is awarded before choosing an option from D. Berg's research.
Discussion continued on solar-generated power and the rest of the HVAC system.
Regarding heat pumps versus propane gas (with no solar/PV), after reviewing spreadsheets, D. Berg concluded that mini-splits (heat pumps) would be cheaper than propane. D. Berg said this would save about $100,000 a year, based on power consumption figures provided by ACORN Engineering for similar sized units.
D. Berg compared electric heat pumps versus gas heat (with solar costs based on a 50 percent grant) and said heat pumps would save about $110,998 over 20 years (versus EverSource – formerly CL&P – costs), including cost of initial installation and calculating interest on a loan over 20 years. He estimates $748,055 in savings over 20 years.
D. Berg discussed propane gas heaters, for domestic hot water, under the assumption it's a separate unit, compared to electric (also with solar/PV and based on a 50 percent grant), and concluded gas is better.
D. Berg also said he needs to talk with Zlotnick about whether Button Hill would own the propane tanks.
R. Campbell noted that tanks have to be tested every 10 years if they are privately owned; the same standard isn't applied if the propane supplier owns the tanks.
There was discussion about possible locations for the PV panels/poles, using E. Petersen's plans. Members concluded there will need to be more discussion about possibly moving the recreational use space to create more area for solar and to minimize the view of the equipment from the units.
D. Berg also raised the possibility of “virtual metering” in which one generates power offsite to get energy rebates.
D. Berg said it might be possible to put about 40 percent of the panels on the roof areas, in order to reduce the amount of area needed for ground mounts.
W. Gangaway asked what the elevation of the ground-mounted poles would be. D. Berg said probably about 8 feet with enough slant to shed snow. He also said there has to be space between the assemblies to keep them creating shade on each other.
There was more discussion of D. Berg's spreadsheets analyzing income and expenses. Referring to the last two pages, D. Berg said they could save save $6,000 a year (or about $120,000 over 20 years) by not installing individual meters, resulting in total savings of $872,000 over 20 years.
D. Berto said there are funds available to support the use of solar. There was discussion of how much the WHA would need to borrow (about half, $275,000) and about repaying the loan with the funds received from generating power, over a 20-year period.
R. Campbell said D. Berg's calculations can be used as the basis of discussion with the architect about what direction WHA wants to take regarding heating, hot water and electrical systems, including whether roof design can be modified to enhance the use of solar panels.
There was discussion about installing an emergency generator. D. Berto noted it's currently not in the plans.
D. Berto left the meeting at 7:45 p.m.
4. New Business – R. Campbell said the WHA may need to set up a building subcommittee during construction that meets possibly once a week. He said this can be discussed at the April meeting.
5. Correspondence – None.
6. Approval of Minutes – W. Gangaway moved and D. Berg seconded a motion to approve the February 16, 2015 minutes as submitted – motion passed unanimously.
7. Treasurer's Report – (C. D'Agata absent) The only expenditure was $69.97 for recording secretary expenses.
8. Adjourn – The meeting adjourned at 7:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by Recording Secretary Brenda Sullivan. Please note that minutes are posted prior to being officially approved – changes/corrections are indicated in the subsequent month’s meeting minutes.
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