Included in this newsletter:
- Get to know someone working on your behalf.
- Upcoming events.
- Featured Topic (Asset Management Committee)
- Breaking news and current events
- Loons and Pond Water Level information
- Canoe Rack Update (Spaces are available)
- Water Bill Reminder
- Tax Bill Reminder
- Website updates
- How to contact the District of Eidelweiss District office and the Commissioners.
- Links to Commissioners and Committee Meeting minutes.
- Internship
- Looking for additional information or recommendation from neighbors?
Click here for a PDF version of the newsletter
Get to know: Paula Doyle (communications committee member)
Paula grew up in Rochester NY and attended college at St. Lawrence University. She has an MBA from Northwestern University. Paula has lived in many areas of the U.S. including NYC, Southern California, Louisville KY, Burlington VT and Boston but she is happy to call Eidelweiss and NH her permanent home. Her career has focused primarily on marketing for corporate restaurant brands such as KFC, Taco Bell, Bruegger’s and Au Bon Pain.
Paula volunteered for the communications committee in order to use her marketing and communications experience and skills to help the district by facilitating a more effective and productive dialogue between the board of commissioners and the community. Paula has owned her home in Eidelweiss for nearly ten years but recently made it her full time residence.
Upcoming events
- June 30 9:00 am Communications Committee meeting at the Lodge.
- July 09 1:00 pm Asset Management Committee at the Eidelweiss office.
- July 21 9:00 am EPOA meeting at the Lodge.
- Sept 22 all Day Hazardous Waste Disposal – CONWAY TRANSFER STATION
- Every Tue. 8:00 am Commissioners meeting at the Eidelweiss District Office.
Asset Management Committee (This month’s focused topic)
The Asset Management Committee's role is to catalog the assets of the Village District and create plans for the replacement and maintenance of all Village District assets.
In the past three years, this committee has made great progress, cataloging nearly all of the 477 cub-stop valves along with GPS locations: locating and recording nearly 140 isolation valves, 195 district culverts and creating documentation detailing water system assets. In addition to cataloging the information where possible, the data is mapped and tied to Madison’s tax map database to ensure that we have a single consistent base of information. Most importantly, this committee has created a multi-year CIP (capital improvement plan) with time lines and expected replacement times and costs.
Click Here to go to the Asset Management Reports
The Commissioners use the information created by the Asset Management Committee in the creation of warrant articles and planning for the future. The Asset Management Committee has created a multi-year capital improvement plan that includes:
- Trucks and Equipment
- Buildings
- Gravel Roads
- Asphalt Roads
- Water System pumps
- Water System Storage
- Water System SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition)
- Electrical
- Financing and Distribution of costs to minimize impact.
- Schedule of CRF (Capital Reserve fund) Deposits
As of 2018, the Asset Management Committee's Capital Needs Plan covers the years 2018 through 2024. As of June 19, 2018, the Asset Management Committee will be sharing live working documents on the district website. Live documents are documents that will change and be updated on a regular basis.
Upcoming News Letter Focus Topic:
- The Reinach Pressure Zone -- what it is and why we need it.
Breaking News and Current Events:
- Tank inspections were completed for three of the water system tanks.
Both 30,000-gallon tanks at Reinach that supply the water system failed an inspection. The third tank that was inspected (at the summit) passed. Failing inspection means that they may not be candidates for lining and may need to be replaced sooner rather than later. The District has received the final report from Mass Tank which has been forwarded to the VDOE engineers for review. We expect more information to be available shortly.
- District capital reserve fund has been impacted by a large repair bill earlier this year. The District’s mid-sized truck experienced an issue with the rear axle. The truck was taken to Liberty International for repair. The cost of that repair was more than $6,000. The district escalated the issue within Liberty International and the warranty coverage company Navistar.
“The axle in question suffered from a failure of the ring gear fasteners. The condition is indicative of a spin-out/shock load induced, shearing of the fasteners (bolts) that hold the ring gear together. Usually this is caused by a wheel that is spinning faster than the vehicle is moving in a given direction and then, suddenly, the wheel gains immediate traction (as if going from ice to dry pavement). This sudden shock load causes stress loads that are beyond normal and typically cause failures of this catastrophic nature”.
The warranty claim was rejected and the District needed to pay for the repair. This was initially paid for from money in the budget and then that money taken from the budget was then reimbursed appropriately from the capital reserve fund.
- The other recent and unexpected repair bill was a result of a plow truck that slid backwards down one of the districts roads and into a ditch. This happened when one of our plow operators lifted the plow off the road and the truck lost traction. While insurance covered the bulk of the repair, the VDOE was still responsible for the $1,000 deductible. There is also an additional $900 pending insurance claim and we are awaiting a response.
Loons and the pond water level:
The loons have returned. Please be sure to observe the loons from a significant distance so you don’t disturb their natural habitat or their nests. We have three clean ponds that are full of various living creatures. Let’s respect those animals so we can all enjoy them.
Did you know that the District is working with the Loon Preservation Committee and NH Department of Environmental Services to manage the water level of the ponds? Currently, the water level is low to accommodate the loon nests. Now that the eggs have hatched and the baby loons have taken to the water, the district has closed the dam to return the ponds to full levels.
The LPC is monitoring the nesting pair of Loons on Big Pea for danger of flooding. In our most recent communication from the LPC, this nest may be failed. If notified by the LPC, the dam will be re-opened to protect this nest.
Canoe Rack Update:
Available remaining spaces as of 6/26/2018
Boulder Beach – 5
Geneva Beach - 7
Eidelweiss Beach - 2
Thusis Beach - 2
Porridge Shore - 0
Total remaining spaces is 16
Property owners can request a second space beginning on June 1, 2018.
Water Bill Reminder:
This is a friendly reminder that the water bill was due on 5/1. A late payment penalty was assessed to any property owners who have not paid this bill. Any property owners who haven’t paid by August 1st will be assessed an additional $100 late fee.
Tax Bill Reminder:
Taxes are due in the town of Madison on July 5, 2018.
Website updates
The Website is under review by the communications committee. If you have not visited the site lately, please go there and check it out. There have been many changes and updates to the site to make it easier to find information. During the next month, expect more updates to the site including a new informative landing page.
If you have photos of the district and would like to share them so that they may be included on the site, please send them to office@vdoe-nh.org. We will review and select the best photos for use with the site.
How to contact the district office:
- The VDOE has an official website and sends out emails with emergency notifications. Be sure to visit the website at www.vdoe-nh.org and enroll.
- The VDOE has a “see something / say something” policy. Anyone who sees something suspicious or unusual should report it for the benefit of the VDOE community to the Madison Police at 603-367-8334 (non-emergency line).
- Office hours and guidelines have been added to the website to make it more convenient to schedule appointments with the District administrator. Click Here for Office Hours.
The office can always be contacted via email with questions, concerns and suggestions. Messages will be forwarded from the office to the commissioners. The email address is office@vdoe-nh.org
Links to Commissioners and Committee Meeting minutes:
Please take a few moments to review the minutes from these hard-working groups.
Internship Opportunity
The Village District of Eidelweiss, a municipal entity within the Town of Madison, seeks an intern.
Responsibilities may include any or all of the following:
- Website expansion and revision
- Working within Office 365 to establish notebooks for use by office and officials on project information
- Participation and observation in commissioners meetings and communications committee meetings
- Coordination of programs
- Public Relations
- Learn the mechanisms of municipal finance
- Assist with correspondence
Looking for additional information regarding Eidelweiss?
If you are looking for an additional source of information about Eidelweiss, please email eidlws@yahoo.com. You will send your email address and one of the moderators from the site will send you an invitation to join the group. This group is an information board that encourages discussions related to multiple Eidelweiss and regional topics.