Ellinger Sewer & Water Supply Meets, Discusses Growing Pains

The Ellinger Sewer and Water Supply Corporation held its regular monthly meeting on Monday, Feb. 14 at the Ellinger Fire Station. Roy Moore, vice president, called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Moore and Mike Schlabach were in attendance, but Bradley Dunk and Paula Urban were present via a conference call, so a quorum was met.

Jeffrey James was appointed to fill a temporary vacancy on the board. He replaces Walter Reynolds until the annual meeting.

The board held a special meeting on Jan. 19 with Hunger, Moore, Schlabach, Dunk, Reynolds, and Paula Urban in attendance. Special guest was Paul King, Circuit Rider/Technical Assistance Department Texas Rural Water Association (TRWA). They discussed election procedures; the annual meeting has been moved to April 28 and will be held at the Ellinger Community Center/ Dining Hall at 7 p.m. Three Board positions are on the ballot for three year terms.

Next the Board reviewed the 2022 Budget. It was noted that the budget should be included on the October or November agenda so it gets approved before the new year.

Several corporation members as well as board members had concerns about the billing system. Customers are not getting invoices until the middle of the month and payment is due in a few days. The board is looking into the matter and will not charge any late fees again this month since bills were received on Feb. 14, and due Feb. 18. Members are urged to call customer service for information about the billing system or their personal bill. Customers will be receiving information about new payment portal options. It seems bill pay is shifting to online payment, “Instapay,” pay by phone, or bank draft due to postal delivery delays.

Inframark operated the Ellinger Sewer and Water Supply Corporation facilities, performed maintenance, coordinated with contractors, and provided regulatory compliance services for January 2022. Operation expenses accrued by the firm totaled $3,948.05. Wells produced 635,000 gallons of water in December, and water accountability was at 92%. One water main leak was repaired on Jan. 22 and four loads of sludge was hauled from the WWTP.

James Weishuhn presented the Engineer’s Report. He noted that bids for the storage tank project cannot move forward until the technical review is complete. All paperwork has been submitted to the TWDB for final approval. Closing on the loan is tentatively set for March 2022. He did inform the board that a pilot test for the multi-media filtration system will move forward. He advised the board to include a copy of the Water Conservation Plan on its website. According to the Emergency Preparedness Plan ESW needs to install a generator at the water well site so that there is power for the water plant during power outages. Board members will meet to discuss best type of generator/ propane vs diesel and how to fund the system. Schlabach noted that leftover USDA funds could not be used for this project, and the City’s CDBG grant funds fell through.

Weishuhn also reported that it seems that Ellinger Sewer and Water Supply would have an adequate water supply for the 18 unit apartment complex and the new Hruska Store, but this would not be the case for the sewer system. Estimated water usage for the new convenience store alone would increase from 3,600 gallons daily to 18,000 gallons daily. The increase in volume for the sewer system would rise to 95%; this is more than Ellinger’s current permit allows and planning for a new sewer plant or expansion would need to go into effect. Needless to say the corporation is feeling growing pains. The board refused to commit to a written service agreement with Terri and Jeffrey James of Hruska’s at this time. More studies are needed as well as data to narrow down water and sewer usage.

The treasurer’s report was presented and reviewed. A motion was made by Schlabach and Dunk to pay bills and approve the report. A spread sheet of a proposed budget for 2022 was presented but no action was taken since so many board members were absent. The board will be working to complete a fiveyear plan/Capital Improvement Plan. Additionally Moore noted that all board members are required to complete mandatory Open Meetings Act Training (can be done online), and also complete a three hour Financial Budgeting Zoom training session.

The next regular meeting is scheduled for March 14 at 7 p.m. at the Ellinger Fire Station.

Lenten Calendar

The Shared Lutheran Ministry Worship and Music Team have set the Lenten calendar. The congregations will gather for worship on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. (no soup suppers.) Pastors from the Conference will have a pulpit exchange. That means a different local Lutheran pastor will lead worship and bring the message.

Ash Wednesday is March 2 and St. John Lutheran in Ellinger will host worship at noon; St. Paul Fayetteville at 6:30 p.m.; and the 6:30 p.m. service will be livestream on Facebook.

Midweek services will rotate among the four churches of the SLM as follows: March 9-Warrenton at 6:30 p.m.; March 16-Rutersville at 6:30 p.m.; March 23-Fayetteville at 6:30 p.m.; March 30-Ellinger at 6:30 p.m.; April 6-Warrenton at 6:30 p.m.; Maundy Thursday-April 14 in Rutersville at 6:30 p.m.

Good Friday worship will be as follows: April 15-Ellinger at noon; and Fayetteville at 6:30 p.m.

Easter services will be at all four churches at their regular times.

Fayetteville Brethren Church

Fayetteville Brethren Church has services the second, third, and fourth Saturdays of each month at 10 a.m. Other services are at Industry Brethren on the second, third and fourth Saturdays at 5 p.m., Wesley Brethren on Sundays at 9 a.m. and Nelsonville Brethren on Sundays at 10:15 a.m. Rev. Mike Groseclose leads all the services. The Nelsonville service is live streamed on Nelsonville Brethren’s Facebook page.

Ellinger Hermann Sons Life

The Ellinger Hermann Sons Life Lodge will meet on Monday, Feb. 21 at the Ellinger Fire Station at 6 p.m. For more information, contact Diane Marusik.

Ellinger City Council

The Ellinger City Council meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 24.

Student Holiday

Students from the La Grange ISD will have not have school on Friday, Feb. 18 or Monday, Feb. 21. Enjoy your four day weekend.

Board Elections

Members of the Ellinger Sewer and Water Supply Corporation have been notified of forthcoming elections for Board of Directors. Members interested in applying for a position should print out an application at http./ellingerswc.myruralwater. com/home or contact Michael Schlabach at (979) 966-9853. Applications should be mailed to Tom Kubena, Independent Election Auditor, C/O ESWC, P.O. 130, Ellinger, TX 78938, or by putting your application in the drop box at the Ellinger City Hall, 101 W. Schumacher. The deadline to submit applications is March 9, 2022. Three Board of Director positions will be coming vacant in 2022.

Birthdays

Happy Birthday wishes to the following February celebrants: Hannah Nigh-Feb. 18; Kevin Kramr-19; John C. Divin, Jr., Morgan Latham, and Kathleen Kramr-20; Raina Michalsky-21; Gary Hoelscher-22; Patric Martin and Larry Hatfield-23; Wayne Kocian-24; Harley Bell-25; Cory Schneider-26; and Jeanette Michalsky and Donna Wessels-28.

Have News?

If you have news for the correspondent you may email her at bartoshcarolyn@gmail. com or call (979) 966-3275. You may also drop off news at her residence; mailbox on the front porch. Please get her your information by noon on Mondays.