Jasper Utility Service Board meeting notes
The Jasper Utility Service Board met on Monday night for the regular meeting.
Managers’ reports
Jerry Schitter for Electric Distribution
Approved the purchase of a utility truck for the meter reader from Ruxer Ford $32,439 met specs and under the capital expenditure amount with trade-in of $1995.
Approved Indiana Municipal Electrical Association (IMEA) Membership dues for 2013 – as members the department has access to training programs, conferences and classes throughout the year. The membership dues are $8830.77.
Electric Generation Manager Windell Toby
Heard Jasper Clean Energy Monthly Report – City Utilities Manager Bud Hauersperger reported no changes in the report. Catasein is still attempting to get power purchase agreements but here is no demand for renewable energy in the area at this time. Hauersperger also reported the continuted litigation has shifted the schedule out potentially another year.
Heard the department submitted a bid to Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc (MISO) for power purchase and should know in April if the bid was accepted and what the new price will be for the electricity.
Bud Hauersperger for Gas and Water
Gas and Water Manager Mike Oeding did not attend the meeting so City Utilities General Manager Bud Hauersperger gave the Gas and Water report. Before doing so he placed a photo of Mike Oeding holding a fish on the projector. Oeding was unavailable for the meeting because he was in Florida on a fishing trip.
Approved extending the contract with UGM for gas pipelines from Texas Eastern and ANR. Both contracts expire August 31 and this would extend the contract to August 31 of 2016 at the same rate per decatherm (.06 cents). Originally, UGM proposed a contract with many significant changes but the city negotiated the same contract they currently maintain to be extended.
Hauersperger showed a video of water rushing over the spillway at Beaver Lake on his iPhone. The recent rains have filled the lake over capacity.
Heard and update on the Third Ave., water main replacement project. The city is waiting to hear from Economic Development Administration. Bid packages have been submitted and were scheduled to be turned in Monday night, but the city is waiting on word on a potential $700,000 grant from EDA so the bids were postponed until April. The grant will reduce the cost to the city on the approximate $1.3 million project to replace the water main on Third Ave. Hauersperger stated the city was one of four applicants for the grant and is in good standing to receive the grant.
Approved an agreement with Alpine Development to provide pipe to update the water main to the old Jasper Country Club building purchased by Alpine Development. Alpine is improving the entrance to the club and the city will provide pipe to replace the existing water main and Alpine will be responsible for installing it. The city has done this with other properties in the past.
Waste Water Manager Ed Hollinden
Wastewater Manager Ed Hollinden told the board the city would have to update the ordinances regarding certain pollutants from area industry. He stated the Environmental Protection Agency National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPEDS) permitting would require changes to the city ordinance to add monitoring of certain heavy metals and to lower the allowable amounts of others. The changes would include adding a mercury limit to the ordinances as well as lowering the allowable amount of cadmium in untreated waste water from local industry.
