Amador County – The Amador Water Agency installed three new board members last week, and the new board of directors will get to work immediately, including selecting two new officers, and will consider putting the Gravity Supply Line project out for bids.
Friday, after the new board members took their oath of office, AWA General Manager Gene Mancebo said the agency’s new board of directors will have its first meeting Thursday (December 9th). Its first action will be to choose its new president and vice president, and then it will decide and the president will assign committees.
The new board members, Paul Molinelli Senior, Robert Manassero, and Art Toy were sworn in Friday morning at a special ceremony at the AWA office. The three replace two two-year members who were voted out of office, and 12-year veteran Terence Moore, who retired and chose not to run for re-election.
Molinelli takes over District 1, from immediate past President Bill Condrashoff, and Manassero takes over District 4, from immediate past Vice President Debbie Dunn, who was next in line for the board presidency. Toy succeeded Moore in District 5, having won the three-way election over John Asmus and Dale Turner.
The three new members join District 3 Director Don Cooper, and District 2 Director Gary Thomas, both of whom have two years’ experience on the board. Manassero, Molinelli and Toy each started four-year terms to serve through 2014. Cooper and Thomas both were elected in 2008 and their terms expire in 2012.
The board will also consider an agency operational reorganization study begun by the previous board, and also is scheduled to look at the next step in the Gravity Supply Line project, in getting it ready to put out for bids.
The board will discuss making direction to staff “to proceed with all steps necessary to bid the Gravity Supply Line Project as soon as possible, for an amount not to exceed $69,630.”
Mancebo said Friday that retailing members of the Central Amador Water Project in their recent quarterly meeting “overwhelmingly supported” continuing to analyze the GSL, and getting the project out to bid.
After seeing the bids and costs, Mancebo said he expected the board to take 90 to 120 days to determine whether it would go forward with the project. The agency has already applied for a $5 million USDA loan for the project.
Mancebo said the economic climate for construction was good, and he expected the GSL bid to be lower than engineering estimates. He noted as example that the bid to build the Mission Boulevard extension in Jackson recently came in 50 percent under estimates.
The AWA board meets 9 am on the second and fourth Thursday each month. The meetings are open to the public.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
