Town of Cedar Lake
Utility Board
Regular Meeting Minutes

Pledge of Allegiance & Moment of Silence

The meeting was opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and a Moment of Silence.

Roll Call

Election of Officers

1. Utility Board President

Mrs. Dickson nominated Richard Thiel. A second was made by Mrs. Rivera. No other nominations were made.

Motion to elect Richard C. Thiel Jr. as Utility Board President made by nomination of Mrs. Dickson; seconded by Mrs. Rivera.

Motion carries, 6–0. Richard C. Thiel Jr. elected Utility Board President.

2. Utility Board Vice-President

Mr. Recupito nominated Richard Thiel. A second was made by Mr. Parker. No other nominations were made.

Motion to elect Richard C. Thiel Jr. as Utility Board Vice-President made by nomination of Mr. Recupito; seconded by Mr. Parker.

Motion carries, 6–0.

New Business

1. Proposal for Geotechnical Engineering Exploration Services — WSSSI Sewer Improvement Project — $22,840

Mr. Simstad explained this proposal is for AES for the routing of 3C as proposed for the West Side Sanitary Sewer Interceptor Project 3. There are deep areas and they want to make sure they have all the information necessary to proceed with design. This proposal covers six borings. AES is a Geotech firm that has done numerous projects for the Town, most recently the Krystal Oaks Tower.

Mr. Thiel stated the fee is a lump sum of $22,840. Mr. Simstad confirmed. AES will provide the locations and elevations for the borings and will perform the work in coordination with staff. Mr. Recupito asked about the depths. Mr. Simstad stated they are significant. In conversations with several contractors, they want to get to the bottom of the invert of the pipe for the sanitary sewer for Project 3 — at least ten feet deeper than the pipe. In consultation with Geotech, they will go up to fifteen feet deeper but not more than that. This way they can determine there are no groundwater issues. They also coordinated with CBBEL on boring locations and reports for the SDF facility. Those borings were numerous but shallow, mostly five to seven feet, with the deepest at fifteen to eighteen feet. They are not quite deep enough to continue with design for the project. Mr. Thiel stated getting more information would lead to a more accurate estimate. Mr. Simstad agreed — the more information they provide, the better price they will get.

Motion to approve the Geotechnical Engineering Exploration Services proposal from AES for the WSSSI Sewer Improvement Project in the lump sum amount of $22,840 made by Mr. Recupito; seconded by Mr. Carnahan.

Motion carries, 6–0.

Old Business

1. Y2024 Annual Calculation — Favorable Recommendation for Ordinance No. 1523

1. Reimbursement Calculation: $265,104 — Capital project paid: $170,652.33 — Outstanding balance: $94,451.97
2. Increased Monthly Estimated Charge: $105,550

Mr. Thiel reported that in their packet was an ordinance that will establish the non-reverting fund for the escrow account they have been discussing for the last few months. This is due to the discrepancy on what they believe the true-up is, as well as the estimated charges. He stated they need to give a recommendation to the Town Council for the adoption of the ordinance, so the Clerk-Treasurer’s Office can start setting aside the payments into the fund in the amounts discussed. Mr. Austgen stated he understood. He explained that Jennifer needs a legal place to put the payments that they would pay if they were invoiced, so that she has a designated place to put the money under their direction.

Motion to send a favorable recommendation to the Town Council for Ordinance No. 1523 made by Mr. Recupito; seconded by Mr. Carnahan.

Motion carries, 6–0.

Reports

1. Written Report

a. Fund Report

Mrs. Nagy stated Ms. Sandberg sent those out a couple of weeks ago.

2. Consultants & Staff Reports

a. Engineer

i. Sanitary Update — NIES

Mr. Simstad reported Gatlin will be back to work the following week on the West Side Sewer Interceptor Project 2. There has been a slight delay due to cold weather. They did receive Lake County Drainage Board approval for crossing the McConnell ditch. Project 3 was discussed earlier in the meeting and approved for the soil borings. A brief discussion continued on next steps for Project 3.

ii. Water Update — CBBEL

No update.

b. Director of Operations

Mr. Kubiak reported they have started to fuse the pipe together for the new force main and should start the boring shortly. The weather has been an issue. They are tapping into the manhole. The water controls are going to be in this month. Xylem is scheduled for the Havenwood and Parrish controls.

c. Town Manager

No report.

d. Town Attorney

No report.

3. Update / Discussion

a. Sewer Rate Increase

Mrs. Haase reported she is still gathering information from minutes. Mr. Recupito stated he feels they should not have this on the agenda if they are nowhere near close to considering it. Mr. Carnahan expressed concern about it getting lost. Mr. Thiel stated that was his intention in keeping it on the agenda — so that discussions would not get lost.

4. JMOB Report

Mr. Thiel stated they still have not had meetings. He can report they did schedule a meeting with Lake Dale on February 4, 2026. Mr. Carnahan stated they had no meetings with JMOB last year.

Public Comment

No public comment was received.

Adjournment

President Thiel adjourned the meeting at approximately 7:00 P.M.