2009 GOALS

1.   Provide useful information for small community leadership for developing, improving and maintaining their environmental infrastructure.

2.  Assist small communities in identifying the most appropriate resources to help them resolve problems associated with environmental infrastructure.

3.   Develop additional technical and financial resources to help small communities resolve problems associated with environmental infrastructure.

 

2009 OBJECTIVES

 

1.   Develop and deliver curriculum to local officials for Drinking Water and Wastewater.

      Curriculum/Training Committee

 

·         RCAP will deliver at least five Utility Management sessions, five Financial Management sessions, ten Asset Management sessions and ten Applied Asset Management sessions; anticipating training of 20-25 people per session.

·         RCAP will deliver Project Development Short Courses to each new community that requests RCAP assistance.

·         RCAP will develop a Rate Setting Short Course and pilot it on three communities.

·         RCAP will continue to evaluate their efforts by offering a pre and post-test to participants of each course.

·         RCAP will send follow-up surveys to participants to determine how much of the instruction is implemented.

·         RCAP will update, as appropriate, the financial tools that help the small community to proceed with its water or sewer project.

·         RCAP will continue to request communities that are receiving their assistance attend training .

·         OSU will offer three “Onsite Wastewater Design School” advanced courses and anticipates educating approximately 14 students per class.

 

2.   Promote training opportunities for local officials for Drinking Water and Wastewater.

      Curriculum/Training Committee

 

·         RCAP will send brochures statewide to advertise availability of training.

·         RCAP and OSU will post information, via website, to market education/training opportunities.

·         RCAP and OSU will advertise training utilizing booths at conferences such as AWWA, OTCO, ORWA, Ohio Water Quality and Waste Management Conference, and OOWWA.

·         Ohio EPA will continue to offer supplemental environmental project (SEP) credit for systems willing to complete “Utility Board” and/or “Financial Management” types of training, in lieu of paying a portion of the penalty for violations to systems with technical, managerial and financial concerns. 

·         Ohio EPA will continue to offer points on the project priority list for systems that have at least half of their council or board attend Utility Board training. 

·         RCAP will request all communities to sign an enrollment letter and agree to send a majority of their decision-making body to Utility Board or Financial Management training, in exchange for technical assistance.

·         Host a “Financial and Technical Assistance Training” session for State Legislative and Congressional staff.

 

3.   Assist fifteen small communities to identify the most appropriate resources to help them resolve their

      problems.  Finance Committee

 

·         Advertise the availability of the SCEIG Finance Committee by holding two information sessions that include presentations by all funding partners, one in Northwestern Ohio and the second in the Southeast.  Invite all systems with less than 10,000 population and engineering firms.  Morning sessions will consist of presentations; afternoon sessions will contain pre-scheduled meetings between the SCEIG Finance Committee and public water systems.

·         Hold four bi-monthly meetings at OWDA.

·         Follow-up on each community approximately eight months after the initial SCEIG Finance Committee meeting.  Continue follow-up until funding is secured or community has lost interest in the project.

·         Survey/Research the 2004-2008 communities that interacted with the Finance Committee to determine appropriate next steps.

 

4.   Continue to implement, with a focus on the prioritized communities, the Appalachia

      Environmental Infrastructure Strategy Workgroup’s Action Plan.  All

 

5.   Review processes and procedures for loan and grant programs, to determine what

      efficiencies may be gained by further coordination for jointly funded projects.

      Coordinating Committee

 

·         Evaluate options for one universal loan application statewide (will extend beyond 2009).

·         Continue to implement the new statewide Water and Sewer Project Information Sheets Database to track all coordinated projects.

·         Evaluate the review process for OHPO and discuss options for optimizing.

·         Evaluate the need for Value Added Engineering in Ohio.

·         Evaluate sustainability for infrastructure components.

·         Evaluate options for collecting sewer bills for non-billing communities.

 

6.   Continue collaboration with Ohio EPA, consulting engineers, and the Ohio

      Department of Health in streamlining permit applications for small flow onsite

      wastewater treatment systems:  Developing manuals and workshops.  Karen Mancl,

      Consulting Engineers, OEPA, and ODH

 

7.   Continue non-technical assistance to interested parties considering decentralized

      wastewater infrastructure solutions, by providing education, fact sheets, and information

      that promotes decentralized solutions and management options.

      Decentralized Wastewater Work Group

 

·         Schedule training

·         Meet with interested communities

 

8.    Coordinate activities of Ohio's Federal Stimulus Initiative.  All

 

9.   Meet quarterly (March 2, June 1, September 14, and December 7).  All