Groveland Community Services District Holds First Online Meeting
Groveland, CA — Items related to the coronavirus response were approved by the Groveland Community Services District Board of Directors at a special meeting held late yesterday afternoon.
As a precaution, and following the direction of the Governor’s Office to limit public exposure, the meeting was held online via the website Zoom. The open to the public meeting hosted 11 participants. There was also a 10-minute recess were public comments could be submitted via email.
During the meeting, it was noted that non-essential customer service calls have been on the decline in recent weeks, which has successfully helped limit contact between staff and customers. The district reports that maintenance and treatment plant crews are doing their best to work within the recommended social distancing and following the pre-shift screening process. Chief Plant Operator, Greg Dunn, stated that they are keeping a close eye on supplies and maintaining a surplus to ensure they have enough in the event of supply chain issues. The team is working to keep common areas disinfected and maintaining safe social distance.
There was also a discussion about the closure of the public restrooms and playground at Mary Laveroni Park. General Manager Pete Kampa stated that both are areas where the public gathers and the closure is to proactively reduce potential exposure. He noted that the district does not have enough staff to maintain and properly disinfect those areas continuously to the level needed at this time.
The board took action to temporarily waive penalties and interest for those facing difficulty paying their utility accounts on time. The District does encourage those with the ability to make their payments to do so and will offer additional information on savings by utilizing water consumption conservation efforts. The board also voted to give General Manager Kampa additional temporary authority to make needed emergency decisions for the district related to the COVID-19 response. It includes the ability to divert and transfer up to $50,000 in funding resources from normal day-to-day operations and approve expenses over the approved budget without prior board approval.
