Empowering Tellico Village 6
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SPECIAL REPORT BUILDING OUR HOUSE ON THE SAND? - SECOND OPINION!
Let’s assume you are building your house on a flood plain. The engineer tells you that you need X amount of footing and rebar and that you need to raise the level of your home to withstand a “wet weather event.” But your neighbors complain about the size and scale of your elevated home, so as a result, you change the design. You go back to your engineer and you tell him to forget his professional standards and build the house without raising it.
Or maybe another analogy? A serious health issue, one that has multiple options for treatment. Do you get a “second opinion” or do you just blindly stay on the path of what your “general practitioner” recommends, with whom you have had a long-standing relationship?
That is what we are dealing with on the TAP projects. The biggest issue we will ever face. We are spending $36 mill of our money without another set of eyes on what we are doing, without a second opinion. Who does that? The board has a fiduciary responsibility to spend our money wisely. THEY ARE NOT!
I had the opportunity to talk with Gary Zika, the leading Civil Engineer in our Village who has courageously been fighting this fight for us this past year or so. Gary has over 40 years’ experience as a civil engineer. He has designed and improved fluid management systems like ours and has dealt extensively with government grants in the process.
This is what I have found out:
Gary has reviewed the detailed engineering drawings and plans Jacobs submitted for the proposed new main lift station. The very same drawings that we have asked contractors to bid on.
The following are some highlights of his observations:
· He found two errors in pipe sizes specified in drawings for this the build · On one set of drawings the pipes are shown to be routed incorrectly · The drawings do not have “bypass” schematic in the plans. This is required for maintenance of the system · AND HERES THE BIG ONE The capacity of this new lift station will be 40% less storage than what we have now!
We have spent almost $2.5+ million over the years with Jacobs and this is what we get? The errors and omissions alone would be cause to fire them and hire another engineering firm for a second opinion!
Our board has scared us into believing that huge EPA fines and backed up toilets are in our future if we don’t fix our sewer system. Maybe they should be more concerned about approving a deficient design? You may ask the question; how can these things be? Maybe, just maybe, Jacobs has been told by our POA we will build the tank anyway, at a different location? Jacobs had to get approval of this design by our regulator, TDEC. We may soon find out that they told them that this project is just the “first phase.” This would confirm the deception that the tank “has been put on hold” when it has not. Indeed, a board member at the last POA meeting admitted “we may still build it.”
Why is all this happening this way? Maybe the grant timeline is driving this irrational behavior (we will lose $2 mill if we can’t complete the work on time). But here is the truth that Gary has also shared with me. There has been no PER (Preliminary Engineering Report) which is a requirement for us to receive this money. TDEC regs, Page A4 “Grantee shall submit plans and specifications for review and approval only after the State has approved the PER”
We are in clear violation of this condition for the Grant! When we get audited, even if we get the money we will be required to pay it back just like the PPP loan fiasco!
This project needs to stop IMMEDIATELY and a new engineering firm brought in, one that we can trust!
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So who is this Gary Zika guy and what does he know of Water and Sewer industry?
This is the guy the POA board held off the PSAC advisory board. IN OUR CURRENT SITUATION he should be heading up PSAC.
INFO from his PSAC advisory application.
Gary Zika
EXPERIENCE: Gary brings over 40 years of experience in project work, having served as both a customer and a contractor. In the initial phase of his career, he oversaw numerous American Water Works Association (AWWA) tank projects, encompassing both ground and elevated storage, across the USA and internationally. The latter half of his career has been focused on significant stormwater improvement projects. This work involved the construction of two substantial lift stations, the relocation and upgrading of various sewer lines (including force mains, gravity lines, and siphons), and the reconstruction of water lines affected by stormwater initiatives. A key aspect of his responsibilities was engaging with the public to provide updates on project scope and schedules, ensuring continued public support for funding.
BACKGROUND SUMMARY: Extensive Project Management and General Management experience in General Civil work and Heavy Plate Specialty Fabrication and Erection Industry, with increasing responsibility including:
PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
Work Experience
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND: · M.B.A., University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. · B.S., Civil Engineering, Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois.
AND HE WAS DENIED FOR THE 2025 PSAC OPENING |
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6/2/25