Jasper Utility: Are you sure you want Beaver Lake to go up 11 inches?
Are you sure?
Jasper Utilities Manager Bud Hauersperger warned that very soon the work on Beaver Lake to raise the water level 11 inches would be underway and there would be no turning back.
Currently, the city is drawing down the water level of the lake so Krempp Construction can begin work to raise the water level. When the water level is low enough, a subcontractor for Krempp will begin removing nine inches from the dam to prep it to be raised six inches as dictated by the increased capacity of the lake.
The weir barrier — the portion of the spillway that allows water to flow over it — will be raised to increase the level 11 inches.
The total cost set aside for the project, including engineering fees and a 5 percent contingency, is about $388,000. Here is a story on how the funding was allocated: https://duboiscountyfreepress.com/beaver-lake-spillway-elevation-project-funding-approved/
According to Hauersperger, resident Brad Popp — the point of contact with Friends of Beaver Lake — has assured him that he has contacted all those who would be affected by raising the lake 11 inches.
However, Hauersperger said he had heard some of those who will be affected were okay with the current level of the lake.
Brosmer Surveying has marked piers and other structures around the lake to show the level the water will reach when the work is done and the lake refills. Hauersperger recommended that renters and residents around the lake find those marks to verify how the water level will impact them.
“People need to make sure they know where this water level is going to be. Now is the time if they want to make a complaint,” Hauersperger said. “Right now we can make changes. In about a week, it will be costly to make any changes.”
Anyone with issues about the work being completed should contact the Jasper Utility Office at 812-482-9131 to speak with Hauersperger.
“We just want to make sure that everyone is aware the level is going to change, and this is their kinda last chance to buy in on what we are doing,” Hauersperger said.
Work could begin later this week but is expected to begin by next Monday at the latest.
[adrotate group=”16″]
Gas price hedging
The Jasper Utility Service Board approved hedging 30 percent of the city’s gas purchases over the next five years on advice that the price of natural gas is expected to increase due to demand.
Hedging is a tactic in which commodities are purchased at current prices to mitigate future increases or decreases in prices for those commodities. In this case, if the price of natural gas spikes, 30 percent of the city’s supply over the next five years will be purchased at the hedge price.
Gas and Water Superintendent Ernie Hinkle advised the board that Ron Ragan, a partner with Utility Gas Management (UGM), a company that the city uses for monitoring gas prices, recommended the city hedge against potential increases driven by demand. The increased demand is coming from the number of gas power plants coming on line.
In April, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, gas overtook coal as the number one source of electrical production in the U.S.
“Natural gas prices have been low but as with any commodity, the price can go either way,” Hinkle told the board. “UGM feels the price will raise sharply.”
The board approved an amendment to the current agreement with UGM to purchase 30 percent of its gas at no more than $3.50 per decatherm — therm is a term used in the energy industry to measure the amount of energy purchased in British Thermal Units (BTU); a decatherm equals 1,000,000 BTUs.
The cost has not been set for the hedge but will not exceed $3.50 per decatherm.
The board also took the following actions:
—Approved the purchase of a midsized truck for the Waste Water Department for $25,536 from Bob Luegers. Luegers was the low bid taken under advisement at the August utility service board meeting.
—Approved the $6,847 — the same price paid for the service in 2014 — annual service fee for the master station software service agreement with CG Automation for Electric Distribution.
—Approved a resolution increasing the salary and hourly wages for full-time workers by 1.5 percent as passed by the Jasper Common Council for the 2016 city budget.
–Heard the quotes for the server project had come in quite a bit higher than the amount estimated and they would be reexamining how they will proceed and could be creating new requests for proposals to potentially get better quotes on the project.
—Approved the low bid on a battery impedance tester for Electrical Distribution from Megger for $7,385.
—Approved $3,000 to pay 30 percent of an increase in cost to complete the proposed unified development code combining the city’s zoning ordinance and subdivision control ordinance. The city’s zoning maps will also be updated. The large project has been ongoing for about 18 months through the Indianapolis firm The Planning Workshop. The Planning Workshop is a sole proprietorship and the company was forced to withdraw their services due to a serious illness by its owner. Another firm, Ratio, took over for The Planning Workshop, and an additional $9,000 was requested to cover their additional expenses in the process.
