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DATE: December 29, 2004
HIGH WIRE ACT HELPS A CHURCH MOVE
Recently, the Board of Public Works (BPW) helped make the route safe for a church move from Howe to Brownville. The church’s new home is on the corner of 6th & Main Streets in Brownville. John and Mary Lauber plan to remodel the church building for a new use. BPW apologizes to its customers whose power had to be interrupted for this building move.
Two of BPW’s trucks and three of BPW’s Line Technicians are shown raising up an uninsulated 12,470 Volt three phase power line in Nemaha so the Church could pass under safely.
DATE: December 20, 2004
BPW GOES SKY HIGH
The
Board of Public Works (BPW) is raising the exhaust stacks on its three
largest Power Plant units this winter.
The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) has put
some new restrictions on the Auburn Municipal Power Plant.
NDEQ had a staff meteorologist conduct a modeling study of the air
emissions from the Plant. BPW
provided all the extensive required information for the modeling.
Raising the stacks will ensure the air quality near the Plant
continues to meet federal requirements.
As part of this project, BPW decided to replace the
silencer on Unit #5. This
unit was installed in 1973 and is rated 3350 KW.
Like the muffler on your car, the Power Plant silencers eventually
rust out. This one lasted
almost 32 years. Before the
old silencer could be removed, a certified contractor had to eliminate
asbestos from the silencer. The
asbestos then had to be land filled at a hazardous waste site.
BPW next prepared Plans and Specifications to replace
the silencer and raise the stacks as required.
The BPW approved the low bid and hired Midstates Erectors, Inc. of
Lincoln for the project at a cost of $37,345.
The old silencer for Unit #5 was mounted horizontal.
The new silencer has been mounted vertically to gain additional
height so the exhaust tail pipe length could be reduced.
The increased stack heights also move these heat sources further
from engine air intakes, which should help the units run cooler.
The project is 90% complete.
The tail pipe for Unit #5 will be installed after it arrives from
the factory and a few small items remain to be completed.
Unit #5 is out of service this winter for other repairs, so
replacing the silencer is not affecting the unit’s availability.
The other five units are ready to run and they can supply the
system’s maximum winter demand.
“To move the equipment into place, we had to close P
Street and 16th Street at different times,”
said Mike Kralik, BPW’s Productions Manager.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this may have
caused,” he concluded.
5/25/04
BPW
INSTALLS NEW BANNERS
The Auburn Chamber of Commerce requested the Board of Public Works (BPW) install new Experience Auburn banners on street light poles in Auburn. After approval by the Board and Mayor and Council, BPW’s electric line crew installed the 31 banners as a free service for the citizens of Auburn.
Terry
Giles, Auburn Chamber Manager said, “We depend on BPW so much.
This is just another example of their assistance.”
Line Technician Foreman Duane King installs one of the new banners
DATE:
2/11/2004
BPW
FINDS WATER!
At
its Board Meeting last Monday, the Board of Public Works (BPW) authorized staff
to proceed with a project to develop two new wells.
Discussions began in the summer of 2001 about the need to develop more
water resources for Auburn.
In
March 2002, BPW signed an agreement with Layne-GeoSciences of Kansas City to
find areas that might be promising for water resources.
BPW felt this was necessary because of past difficulties finding good
water resources that were economical to develop.
This study looked at all available information from sources like US
Geological Survey and every known well that had been dug in the area for the
past 60+ years. Several
promising areas were identified and approved by the Board in October 2002.
BPW
drilled a series of test holes in the winter of 2002-2003.
The areas proved insufficient.
After more meetings and discussions, another set of test holes in another
area were completed. The
results were more encouraging.
In the summer of 2003, a four-inch observation well was constructed in
the area and test pumped to do a water quality screening test.
The water quality was excellent.
The
next step was to install a test well and monitoring wells to stress the aquifer
and determine how much water was available from this area.
BPW was hopeful this well could be used for production; therefore, the
site and the plans and specifications had to be approved by Nebraska Health and
Human Services (NHHS) before construction could begin.
BPW also sent out a request for proposals and hired a consulting engineer
to design the wells, pipeline, etc. during this period.
The
test well and two monitoring wells were constructed last fall.
Three monitoring wells were needed to test the aquifer.
The four-inch well that was previously constructed had been placed so it
could be used for the third monitoring well.
Two series of pump tests were completed and they show the test well can
pump enough to be used for production.
The water quality report, which tested for 151 contaminants, was just
received last week. Quality
is excellent. The
pumping report is now in the final draft form and is recommending wells be
constructed at least 1,500 feet apart in this area.
It also shows there will be no affect on BPW’s existing wells.
Using this information, several more test holes have been completed.
Your
BPW was hoping to develop two more wells in addition to the test pumping well.
At this time, BPW has only found one other good location; therefore, only
two wells will be developed.
These wells are expected to produce 200 gallons per minute each for 16
hours per day or a total of 384,000 gallons per day.
This is about 30% of Auburn’s peak day requirement and should allow the
city to grow even during times of drought.
In addition, Auburn will be less dependent on one pipeline, which
presently supplies most of your water.
BPW may consider more wells in the same area later after actual
performance of the new wells is known.
After
almost two years work, 29 test holes, and the construction of four wells, the
project is ready to be designed and built.
Competitive bids will be sought for construction.
All the plans and specifications for the wells, flood proofing, pipeline,
etc. must be approved by NHHS.
The wells
should be on line in the fall of 2004.
“BPW is very appreciative of all the cooperation from land owners and
farmers we have received, some as far away as California,” said James Dietz,
General Manager. “Our
employees have put in extra effort to keep this project moving.
For example, we had people out working on this on the July 4th
holiday last year,” Dietz concluded.
For more information, call BPW at 274-4981.
DATE:
2/05/2004
Fire Hydrants Covered With Snow
Auburn Fire Chief Dale Thomas and the Board of Public Works (BPW) are asking
Auburn residents and business owners to check the fire hydrant closest to their
home or business and make sure it is clearly visible.
The recent snows have covered some fire hydrants completely.
Thomas said, “We would really appreciate it if people would take a
little extra time, while shoveling their walks, to clear the snow away from
around the fire hydrants”.
For more information, call BPW at 274-4981
DATE:
1/22/04
BPW PLACES 2ND NEW RESERVOIR IN
SERVICE
Your
Board of Public Works has substantially completed construction of two new state
of the art reservoirs at its Water Treatment Plant.
The first reservoir was placed in service on September 30.
Project construction began last year on April 4.
The second reservoir was placed in service on January 20, 2004 following
a complete cleaning and disinfection, testing of water samples, and inspection
by BPW personnel and Professional Engineers from BPW's consultant and the State
of Nebraska Health and Human Services.
The
reservoirs replaced a single reservoir built in 1914, which was reaching the end
of its useful life. Standards now
require two reservoirs so one can be taken out of service for maintenance.
Better security and more complete disinfection are provided by the new
reservoirs. Two new sets of
controls, one for each reservoir, were designed and installed by BPW personnel.
Previously, only one system was available.
The new controls will provide backup in case of control failure or allow
one reservoir to be taken out of service.
The
project more than doubles the storage at the Water Plant.
The two reservoirs have a capacity of 335,000 gallons when full.
This gives BPW a total storage capacity of 1,835,000 gallons of treated
water available for consumption and fire fighting or nearly 3.5 average days of
system water requirements.
A
few items remain to be completed for the project; however, they can all be
accomplished on the outside of the reservoirs and the surrounding grounds.
Total cost of construction was $540,840. This does not include
engineering and some other minor costs. The
project was funded by a low interest loan from the Nebraska Department of
Environmental Quality.
"This has been a challenging project for BPW because of the complexity, a tight area for construction, contaminated soil that had to be removed, and some untimely rains," said James Dietz, BPW's General Manager. "Employees worked extra hours and did a great job keeping the project flowing smoothly. The drought seems to be continuing in eastern Nebraska. Having more water in storage will give BPW more time to react if a supply problem should develop,” Dietz concluded.
12/18/03
BPW ANNOUNCES CHANGES IN
REBATE PROGRAM AND UTILITY RATES
Effective with equipment installed after
January 1, 2004, your Board of Public Works (BPW) is revising the Conservation Rebate
Program. This is the first change since
1997. Because the program is changing, BPW is
advising customers to check with BPW first before converting to electric equipment to make
certain what the rebate will be.
Since the program began in 1994, BPW has paid
its customers $150,062.00 to promote the efficient use of electricity. The rebate program has helped change our customers’
perception of electric heat. In 2002 &
2003, all new buildings constructed in Auburn were all-electric. All apartments built in Auburn (a total of 60)
have been all-electric in the last ten years.
Effective with electric meters read beginning
on January 2, 2004, electric rates will increase 3% and water rates will increase 5%. Sanitary sewer rates will not increase in 2004. In 1998, BPW had a full 10% electric rate decrease
and a 6% increase in 2001. The rate increase
is necessary because: Western Area Power Administration will increase rates to BPW 15%+
effective January 1 and BPW purchases about 20% of its requirements from Western; Since
2001, BPW’s primary power supplier - Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) - has
increased wholesale rates and BPW has absorbed the increases; Omaha Public Power District
increased transmission charges in 2002 and BPW also absorbed this increase; a high peak
demand occurred in 2003, which causes an increase in NPPD charges for the next year; and
BPW’s interest income on investments has decreased every year for several years.
Even with the rate increase, your BPW will
still have very competitive electric rates. A
survey of 40 Nebraska utilities in October shows BPW with the 3rd lowest
residential rates even with the latest increase. BPW’s
rates are also competitive with other fuels. Cost
comparisons show an electric heat pump can heat a home or business at a cost much lower
than any competitive fuel in the area.
The higher water rates are necessary to help
fund major construction projects replacing aging infrastructure and develop additional
water resources. Auburn has never had an
abundance of water resources and more reliability is needed; however, the quality of the
water is very high. Your BPW is hoping to
have additional water resources on line sometime in 2003.
For more information, call BPW at 274-4981.
10/31/03
BPW
HELPS JOHNSON
The Board of Public Works (BPW) was asked to install ten new decorative streetlights for Johnson’s Main Street, as part of the downtown renovation. The lighting portion of the project was recently completed. The cost of the material was part of the project; however, BPW provided installation at no cost. BPW has installed and maintained Johnson’s street lighting system for 64 years and was pleased to be a part of Johnson’s progress.
BPW Line Technicians-Eric Casey, Kevin Kuhlmann and John Stoltz
install one of the decorative lights in front of the Johnson Village Office.
For more about Public Power - Click Here
PUBLIC POWER OPEN HOUSE A
BIG SUCCESS
In celebration of National Public Power Week,
the Board of Public Works (BPW) hosted an open house to thank all their loyal customers
and honor their employees for their tenure. Public
Power Week is celebrated in conjunction with the American Public Power Association (APPA)
in Washington, D.C. along with approximately 2,000 other community-owned utilities
throughout the country.
Mayor Bob Engles welcomed everyone to the
10:00 A.M. ceremony. Mayor Engles commented
on Public Power in Nebraska and particularly in our local community. Mayor Engles recognized special guests attending -
District One Senator Floyd Vrtiska and wife Doris, past General Manager of the Utilities
Lambert Blecha and Ruth, Gary Krumland -
Assistant Director and Legal Counsel with the League of Nebraska Municipalities, Tim Arlt
of Nebraska Public Power District.
Board Members William Lynch, Jr. and Doug
Glenn congratulated the honored Board Members and employee receiving tenure awards and
presented certificates to the following:
40 YEARS: Mayor Floyd Pohlman appointed Richard K. Layson to
the Board in February of 1963. Richard’s
first Board Meeting was March 1963 as he joined Chairman Frank Heskett, Ervin Schneider,
James Grant, Jr. and Victor Hecht. His first
motion was a second that the Board purchase a new Chevy truck for $1,860. In 1985 he was
elected Chairman and has served in that capacity since.
Richard has seen many changes since that time – just a few are adding
five new generating units, acquiring the City water and wastewater systems, a new office
building, new service center, and much more. Individual
contributions include originating the utilities mascot – Barry the Bear and the Barry
Award, serving as Alternate Board Member for the Nebraska Municipal Power Pool, working
individually and through committees for economic development in Auburn, just to name a
few. He received the prestigious “Bob
Arraj Award” at the annual NMPP Energy Meeting in 1996. Richard is always most
supportive of new ideas and seems to be able to find the positive in every situation. Richard’s daughter Ann Wittwer was in
attendance to help celebrate his 40th year.
15 YEARS:
James W. Grant, III. Jim was
appointed to the Board in 1988 by Mayor John George and currently serves the Board as
Acting Secretary. His dad retired from
the Board in 1984. Jim joined Board Members Richard Layson, William Lynch, John Sanders
and Joe Genoa. At Jim’s first meeting
the Board was advised that health insurance premiums would rise 21.7% and the Board voted
on steel poles versus wood poles for the reconstruction of Auburn’s 69 KV line. Jim also works individually and through committees
to further economic development in Auburn and is currently Vice-Chairman of the Auburn
Development Committee and President of the Auburn Industrial Development Corporation. BPW
appreciates his dedication for the past 15 years and looks forward to having his continued
outstanding service in years to come.
Lash Chaffin, Utilities Director of the
League of Nebraska Municipalities, commented on James P. Dietz who was hired as General
Manager on April 1, 1993 and was to receive recognition for 10 years; however, Jim was ill
and unable to attend. Jim was formerly
director of engineering and planning at Cornhusker Public Power District in Columbus NE. Gary Volkmer was Mayor when Jim was hired. When interviewed by the Auburn Newspapers in July
of 1993, he was quoted as saying, “I have some big shoes to fill here replacing
Lambert. I’m enjoying the challenge so
far.” And it appears he is doing just
that, as he has been instrumental in planning many big projects just in that short period
of time, with a few of those being the Highway 75 utilities reconstruction, marketing
natural gas, improvements to the Wastewater Treatment Plant, paying off the outstanding
bond issue, installing two new reservoirs at the Water Treatment Plant, and the
now-in-progress development of a new well field to provide an adequate supply of water to
Auburn for the future. Jim has been active in
the community and, like the Board Members,
has played an active role in trying to promote Auburn’s economic development. Jim also served on the State Electrical Board.
Betty Filbrandt, Accounting & Finance
Manager, introduced new employees: Justin Sayer - general service technician hired May
2003 and John Stoltz - apprentice line technician also hired in May 2003.
Over one hundred people turned out for the
event.
DATE: October 1, 2003
BPW PLACES NEW RESERVOIR IN SERVICE
Your Board of Public Works (BPW) is
building two new state of the art water reservoirs this year at its Water Treatment Plant
to replace the original reservoir built in 1914. Standards
now require two reservoirs so that one can be taken out of service. The capacity of the new reservoirs
will be more than double the original. Water
from these reservoirs is pumped directly into the system for use or for storage at the
main 1.5 million gallon reservoir.
After construction of the first
reservoir was completed, it was thoroughly cleaned and carefully inspected by BPW and
BPW’s consulting engineer. It was
disinfected by BPW’s contractor and then disinfected again by BPW. The next step was to take two water samples, 24
hours apart, from both ends of the new reservoir. Both
tests passed.
The new 156,000-gallon reservoir was
placed in service on September 30 after a final inspection by a Professional Engineer from
State of Nebraska Health & Human Services. It
has better security features and baffles to provide more assurance the water is completely
disinfected before it reaches your home or business.
New controls were installed as well as a complete new underground electric
service with emergency generation capabilities. The
old reservoir cost $7,500. The estimated
construction cost for the new reservoirs to replace it is estimated at nearly $700,000. Your BPW began planning for this project in 1998
and has received a low interest loan from Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality to
fund it.
For more information, call BPW at 274-4981.
DATE:
September 10, 2003
BISHOP PLUMBING & HEATING
The Board of Public Works (BPW) recently issued a second mailing to all water and sewer customers in an attempt to achieve 100% participation in the survey, which is mandated by State Law. BPW added an incentive for customers to return the survey quickly. Customers returning the survey by a deadline of 5:00 p.m. on September 5 were entered in a drawing to win $20.00 credit on a future water bill. BPW’s customers responded fairly well and approximately 352 surveys were returned by that date. BPW personnel drew out the name of Bishop Plumbing & Heating. Thanks to all of you who returned the survey by September 5.
“BPW still has approximately 450 customers who have not returned their surveys,” said James Dietz, General Manager. “We encourage these customers to do so by September 30th. If the Utility has to do another mailing, it will be an additional expense”, concluded Dietz.
If customers have any questions about the survey, they should contact BPW at 274-4981.
DATE:
August 15,
2003
IF THE POWER GRID FAILS IN EASTERN NEBRASKA, BPW IS READY
Most of the time,
your Board of Public Works (BPW) is purchasing power from Nebraska Public Power District
(NPPD); however, should a cascading outage develop like the problem in the eastern US, BPW
is ready to generate all the power its customers need.
The Auburn Municipal Power Plant consists of
six dual-fuel generating units and it can “black start” or start up with no
outside power source.
The Plant continues to be Nebraska’s
third largest internal combustion engine natural gas-fired generating station. It can generate full output on either natural gas
or diesel fuel. The plant generally runs
during the summer to meet NPPD peak loads and normally generates more power than BPW
customers are using even on the hottest day of the year.
The electric customers have invested about $9
million in the power plant since 1939. The
plant is staffed seven days a week and has six full-time employees. Your BPW also monitors the transmission voltage
and system frequency to assist in anticipating problems in the grid. ”The chances of grid failure in the center of
the country are probably lower than the east coast,” said Mike Kralik –
BPW’s Production Manager. “If it
did happen, the power plant that you own is ready to go to work for you”, concluded
Kralik.
Auburn Municipal Power Plant Statistics:
Nameplate Capacity:
18,860 KW
System Historic Peak Demand:
14,692 KW (July 9, 2002)
Annual Energy Generated: 4,533,000 KWH (2002)
JANET ANDREW RETURNS SURVEY & WINS $50.00
The Board of Public Works (BPW) recently mailed out a cross-connection survey to all its water customers and asked customers to return the survey as soon as possible. Since the survey is mandated by State Law, BPW decided to add an incentive for customers to return the survey quickly. Customers returning the survey by a deadline of 5:00 p.m. on August 5 were entered in a drawing to win $50.00 credit on their future water bills. BPW’s customers responded very well and approximately 803 surveys had been returned by that date. BPW personnel drew out the name of Janet Andrew. She stopped in the office to pick up the certificate and indicated her appreciation of the $50.00 credit. Thanks you to all of you who returned the survey by August 5.
Date: July 16, 2003
BPW $50 DRAWING FOR SURVEY COMPLETION
The Board of Public Works (BPW) mailed a
customer survey to all water and sanitary sewer customers on July 17. It is included with the regular utility bill. As an incentive, all surveys received by 5:00 P.M.
on August 5 will qualify to be entered in a drawing.
One name will be drawn and that customer will receive $50 credit towards
his/her future water bills.
The State of Nebraska regulations require a survey of customers’ plumbing and equipment connected to the water system to determine if a water backflow condition exists. BPW is also asking you to rate your water service and your sanitary sewer service. The citizens of Auburn are the owners of the utilities and BPW is very interested in your opinion to learn how BPW can serve you better.
Please complete the survey and return it with your utility bill or in the self-contained mailer. If you have any questions about the survey, please call BPW at 274-4981. Your BPW thanks its customers for taking time to complete the survey.
7/30/03
BPW PROVIDES
WATER UPDATE
So far
this year, the Board of Public Works (BPW) has not issued a WATER WATCH because pumping
volume has been much below 2002 levels. Even so, BPW is asking customers to be
conservative with water usage at least through the month of August.
The 2003 peak day for water pumping at the time of this writing was
July 15 when 858,000 gallons were pumped. The peak day for 2002 was on June 16 with
1,301,800 gallons pumped. Customer’s average water bills are also running
lower. In June 2003, customers used 11,994,900 gallons compared to 22,495,600
gallons in June 2002.
Your BPW’s wells have not recovered from the extreme drought
conditions of 2000 and 2002. Conservation may help to prevent restrictions.
Last year, the number of water systems in Nebraska with restrictions in place peaked on
August 20th.
“If customers can conserve through August, we should be
okay” said James Dietz - BPW’s General Manager. “Thank you for your
past and present conservation efforts” Dietz concluded. For more information,
call BPW at 274-4981.
7/17/03
BPW $50 DRAWING FOR SURVEY COMPLETION
The Board of Public Works
(BPW) mailed a customer survey to all water and sanitary sewer customers on July 17. It is included with the regular utility bill. As an incentive, all surveys received by 5:00 P.M.
on August 5 will qualify to be entered in a drawing.
One name will be drawn and that customer will receive $50 credit towards
his/her future water bills.
The State of Nebraska
regulations require a survey of customers’ plumbing and equipment connected to the
water system to determine if a water backflow condition exists. BPW is also asking you to rate your water service
and your sanitary sewer service. The citizens
of Auburn are the owners of the utilities and BPW is very interested in your opinion to
learn how BPW can serve you better.
Please complete the survey and return it with your utility bill or in the self-contained mailer. If you have any questions about the survey, please call BPW at 274-4981. Your BPW thanks its customers for taking time to complete the survey.
JUNE 17, 2003
AUBURN OWNS A DEBT FREE ELECTRIC UTILITY
On June 20, your
Board of Public Works (BPW) will wire transfer $543,113.72 to fiscal agents in New York
and the Electric Utility owned by the citizens of Auburn will be out of debt for the first
time since 1992. $1,600,000 of financing was
originally obtained in 1992 to pay part of the cost of a new Unit #4 at the Municipal
Power Plant. The bonds were refinanced in
1998 and were due to be retired in 2007. Due
to a 5-year call provision, the earliest the bonds could be paid off was 2003. They were paid off early because the bond interest
rate was increasing every year and was higher than BPW’s interest rates on
investments.
“The Board has acted in a very fiscally responsible
manner”, according to James Dietz, BPW’s General manager. “There are not many debt-free electric
utilities who can generate their entire requirements,” Dietz concluded. For more information, call BPW at 274-4981.
BPW
ELECTRIC RATES RANK AMONG THE LOWEST
In a recent
survey of the 151 Publicly Owned Electric Utilities in Nebraska, Auburn’s own Board
of Public Works (BPW) ranked very favorably with lower than average rates. Your BPW’s Residential Rate was tied for 6th
lowest at 4.9 cents per kwh. Municipal
Utilities, such as your BPW, held most of the lowest spots in Nebraska. The average U.S. Publicly Owned Utilities is 7.5
cents per kwh, Cooperative is 7.8 cents per kwh, and Investor Owned Utilities is a
whopping 9.0 cents per kwh. Investor Owned
Utilities serve the majority of the nation’s customers.
Your
BPW’s General Service rates rank in the lowest 26% out of 145 respondents in Nebraska
at 5.0 cents per kwh, comparing to the average U.S. Publicly Owned Utilities at 7.1 cents
per kwh, Cooperative is 7.2 cents per kwh, and Investor Owned Utilities is 8.0 cents per
kwh.
Your
BPW’s Industrial Rates rank in the lowest 29% out of 86 respondents in Nebraska at
4.4 cents per kwh comparing to the average U.S. Publicly Owned Utilities at 4.9 cents per
kwh, Cooperatives is 4.3 cents per kwh, and Investor owned Utilities average rate at 5.1
cents per kwh.
Your utility
strives to keep rates below average and service above average. Because local control gives the citizens of Auburn
an active voice in policies affecting rates, service and operations, we always welcome
your input and comments.
The survey was conducted by the American Public Power Association and is based on 2001 rates. Any customer who wishes to see the survey may contact the BPW Office at 1600 O Street.
JUNE 5, 2003
SIGN UP
FOR ABANDONED WELL CLOSURE BY JUNE 13
The Board of Public Works (BPW) has been working with the Nemaha Natural
Resources District (NRD) to get abandoned wells properly closed in BPW’s Wellhead
Protection Area. 100% of the cost will be paid if the abandoned wells are in the
areas shown on this map as well as in the entire City limits of Auburn. The area
outside Auburn includes parts or all of Sections 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 23, 24 and 25
– all in T5N-R14E.
A form needs to be
filled out and returned to BPW by June 13. Forms may be picked up at BPW’s
Office at 1600 O Street or call BPW at 274-4981 and forms will be mailed to you. You
may also download the form at www.auburnne.net and
return it by email or regular mail to BPW’s office.
This is a great
program - put together by BPW, the NRD and the State Department of Environmental Quality -
to protect your drinking water and the environment. BPW hopes land owners and
operators will take advantage of this free opportunity.
For more
information, contact James Dietz at the BPW (274-4981) or Carrie Wiese at the NRD
(335-3325).
April 9, 2003
FROM: AUBURN MAYOR ROBERT ENGLES
CITY PLANS TO
TEST NEW SIRENS
Emergency sirens are normally tested on the 1st
Saturday of each month. Two new sirens have
recently been installed and will be tested on Saturday, April 12 at 10:00 A.M. In the event the sirens do not operate on
Saturday, they will be tested between 8 A.M. and 5 P.M. on Monday through Friday until
they successfully operate.
Date: March 28, 2003
CITY AND
BPW SUPPORT LB 790
At the last regular meetings of the Auburn
Mayor and City Council and the Board of Public Works (BPW), both organizations passed
resolutions supporting LB 790. This bill,
which is to be debated on the floor of the Unicameral soon, will provide better regulation
of natural gas rates. Governor Johanns, the
Nebraska League of Municipalities, and NMPP Energy all support the bill.
Presently, cities in Nebraska are supposed to
be able to regulate private company gas rates in the city limits. The law is weak and gas companies refuse to supply
the information necessary. No one regulates
gas rates outside city limits. LB 790 would
allow a city to remain as the regulator, but final authority would rest with the Nebraska
Public Service Commission.
A study, completed for the Legislature’s
Urban Affairs Committee in 2001, found that all private gas companies, including
Aquilla,
have lower rates in the states surrounding Nebraska.
The City of Norfolk estimates this difference is costing Nebraskans about
$30 million per year.
The City of Auburn
and BPW feel strongly that passage of LB 790 will benefit all natural gas customers in
Nemaha county and the State of Nebraska.
Please contact Senator Floyd Vrtiska and ask
him to support LB 790!
3/28/03
BPW PROVIDES WATER
CONSERVATION INFORMATION
The Board of Public Works (BPW) is asking
customers to refrain from sodding lawns and seeding or reseeding lawns this spring. Because of drought conditions dating back to the
fall of 1999, your BPW may have to restrict usage this summer. BPW does not want customers to lose newly seeded
grass or new sod because of water restrictions.
Restrictions on watering have not been
imposed in Auburn for many years, but this summer may be different. In 2000 and 2002, a WATER WATCH was issued and
customers were asked to voluntarily conserve. We
believe this had an effect on usage – Thank You! In
2003, we may have to issue a WATER WARNING. During
a WATER WARNING, customers whose addresses end in even numbers may only water lawns on
Wednesday-Friday-Sunday; those with odd numbers on Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday; and rural customers will use their box numbers to
determine the schedule.
If you have automatic sprinklers, it would be
best to set them to this schedule now so you won’t have to make changes if a WATER
WARNING goes into effect. Check your lawn
watering often this year to make sure you are not watering the streets. Use timers and only water your lawn between 3:00
a.m. and 7:00 a.m. This is the best time
according to University of Nebraska Turf Specialists.
If you haven’t done so already, bring
your old showerheads to our office and receive new, high quality, low flow showerheads for
free. Customers tell us they are great!
Thank you in advance for your conservation efforts! For more information, call BPW at 274-4981 and watch for mailings with your utility bills.
02/26/03
The State of Nebraska
Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) has prepared a Source Water Assessment
for the water resources used by your Board of Public Works (BPW) to supply Auburn and some
rural customers. BPW has been working toward
the adoption of a Wellhead Protection Plan. The
Source Water Assessment is one step in the process.
NDEQ requires BPW to notify its water
customers the assessment is available for public inspection. Any water customer wishing to examine the Source
Water Assessment may do so at BPW’s Office, 1600 O Street, Auburn NE between 8:00
A.M. and 5:00 P.M. Monday through Friday.
For further information call BPW at 274-4981.
Last year, a new
canopy was purchased for the Auburn Municipal Pool to provide some shade for the pool
deck. Much of the installation was provided under supervision of the Pool Board,
however, the large beams running across the structure were too heavy to lift by hand.
The Pool Board
asked the Board of Public Works (BPW) to finish the installation after the swimming
season. BPW’s electric line crew completed the project during the week of
February 10, 2003 as a free service to the Citizens of Auburn. BPW also provides
labor and equipment to maintain electrical and mechanical equipment at the pool as an
on-going free service to the Citizens of Auburn.
BPW
UPDATES CUSTOMERS ON WATER BACK FLOW PREVENTION
The Board
of Public Works (BPW) is in the process of sending letters to its customers who are
overdue in having backflow prevention devices tested. State law and the Auburn
Municipal Code require all reduced pressure principle and double check valve devices to be
tested at least once per year and the results reported to BPW. State law requires
BPW to maintain the test records for five years. There are no residential customers
involved except for some apartment buildings.
Some
customers routinely have their devices tested every year. BPW would like to take
this opportunity to thank those customers. BPW would like to ask all customers that
have these devices to get them on an annual schedule for testing and report the results to
us if they aren’t already doing this. American Lawn Care and Bohl Plumbing and
Heating are local businesses with employees having the required certification.
State law requires
your BPW to maintain a continuing, on-going, effective backflow prevention program.
As part of this program, all restaurants were inspected last year and told of any required
changes. Compliance letters will soon be sent to the restaurants.
Backflow occurs
when something connected to the water system in a home or business is sucked or pushed
into the water system. This could happen during low pressure and contaminate the
water system on your premises or all of Auburn’s water. We can all help keep
Auburn’s water safe by working together to prevent backflow.
If any one would
like their home or business surveyed at no cost for possible backflow conditions, please
call BPW at 274-4981.
BPW
IMPROVES POWER PLANT COOLING
The Board of Public Works (BPW) is working on improvements to provide better cooling for three of its six power plant units. These units have a common cooling system and are rated 7,100 KW. The project officially began in January 2002 when BPW sent out Requests For Proposals to consider various engineering firms to design the project. Olsson Associates of Lincoln was selected.
The project was bid
in August and awarded to the low bidder, Farabee Mechanical, Inc. of Hickman NE for
$290,305. Farabee began construction on
November 11. BPW employees are providing all
of the electrical installation and many other support services. Major components of the system are: heat
exchangers for each unit, a large indoor concrete tank for holding water, two 40 HP
variable speed pumps, and a large two-cell cooling tower weighing approximately 30,000
lbs.
The improved system
will allow your BPW to increase output in the summer.
BPW has its plant leased to Nebraska Public Power District. Higher output will increase the lease payment and
is projected to pay for the project in the long term.
The higher output is also desirable because BPW’s customers are using more
electricity. In addition, the improvements
will allow BPW more flexible winter operations. Previously,
it was required to fill a radiator to generate with these three units in the winter.
It has been
necessary to close P Street between 16th & 17th Streets for much
of the construction. BPW apologizes for the
inconvenience. The project should be complete
and ready for full power operation by April 15th.
For more
information, call BPW at 274-4981.
TIME-WARNER CABLE AND
BPW TEAM UP TO BRING
CABLE MODEM INTERNET
TO INDUSTRIAL AREA
Two of Auburn’s largest employers are located about one-half
mile from the existing cable TV system. The City of Auburn’s Telecommunications
Committee wanted to get cable TV to these employers and to the Industrial Site owned by
the Auburn Industrial Development Corporation so that cable modem high speed Internet was
available.
Time-Warner was asked to extend this service, but it was difficult
to justify the expense of building past undeveloped areas. Time-Warner requested the
help of the Board of Public Works (BPW). BPW was asked to install Time-Warner’s
messenger wire, down guys and anchors on BPW’s poles. The messenger wire is a
steel cable to which the actual TV cable is attached. Mark McMahon, Chairman of the
Telecommunications Committee attended a meeting of the BPW and made the request, which was
approved by the Board.
BPW recently completed its part of the installation.
Time-Warner will have the cable ready to go in a few weeks. “What we will have
is an industrial area with excellent telecommunications”, said James Dietz,
BPW’s General Manager. “The Auburn area already had Alltel DSL high speed
Internet available, and this industrial area now has the same competitive services as
Auburn, that is, both DSL and cable modem Internet. This project wouldn’t have
happened without the leadership of Time-Warner’s Valerie Kramer”, Dietz
concluded.
Valerie J. Kramer of Time-Warner Cable stated, “It is a
pleasure working with communities such as Auburn, who show the enthusiasm and dedication
in the future of their city. Working together to bring cable and High Speed Internet
to business and residential areas is the future and the Auburn Board of Public Works has
been most generous in their willingness to work side by side to achieve this goal.”
Kevin Kuhlmann – BPW
Apprentice Line Technician uses a
hoist to pull a
portion of the messenger to the proper tension.
7/23/02
BPW COMPLETES RV
CAMPGROUND JUST IN TIME FOR BALL TOURNAMENT
The Board
of Public Works (BPW) completed the water, electric, and dump station improvements to the
new City of Auburn campground on July 19. In fact, the first two RVs had to wait a
short time for BPW to finish flushing the water system before they could connect to
it.
BPW installed seven electric pedestals. Each pedestal has a
115 Volt - 20 Amp and 30 Amp plug-in and a 230 Volt - 50 Amp plug-in. They are all
heavily wired to accommodate the high electric usage of today’s RVs. BPW
installed eight water hydrants, one at the entrance and one at each pad. An
anonymous donor contributed $750 to the City to pay for hydrants at each pad. BPW
also installed a “tower” at the sewer dump station for rinse purposes, which
allowed the dump station to be opened. This is the only RV dump station in Nemaha
County and it is now open for business.
BPW designed the
water and electric systems, provided purchasing and warehousing services, installation
services, electrical inspection, and plumbing inspection – all at no cost. (BPW
provides free electrical and plumbing services to all City of Auburn facilities.)
The City of Auburn paid the cost of material only. Camping fees are set by the City
of Auburn. The current rate is $10 per night. There is currently no cost to
use the dump station.
“Our
employees worked really hard in 100+ degree temperatures to complete this project before
the ball tournament”, said James Dietz, BPW General Manager. “I’m
really proud of them”, Dietz concluded.
BPW
RECEIVES APPA
“Having received the award again this year, demonstrates
our employees commitment to safety and we are very proud of that commitment”,
commented General Manager James Dietz.
American Public Power Association
(APPA) is the service organization for the nation’s more than 2,000 community-owned,
locally controlled, not-for-profit electric utilities. Each year APPA conducts a
Safety Contest to emphasize the importance of safe working habits, to recognize those
electric utilities whose employees achieve particularly safe operations, and to collect
statistical information about safety issues. The Board of Public Works (BPW) is
judged with all utilities with 25,000 to 49,999 worker-hours of exposure annually.
Awards are presented to contestants having the lowest overall incidence rate at the end of
the contest period. The rate is determined by adding all recordable injuries and
illnesses and computing the incident rate. BPW’s 17 electric employees worked
32,096 hours in year 2001, with no reportable injuries. In fact, BPW had no
reportable personal injury or vehicle accidents in any department in 2001. BPW also
received this award for Year 2000.
presents the award to the available Safety Committee Members,
(left to right) Milo Leslie, Scott Helms, Susan Jones, and Kevin Kuhlman.
Nelson conducts monthly safety training sessions for BPW employees
through the League of Nebraska Municipalities.
DATE:
JUNE 3,
2002
SUMMER
RATES BEGIN
The Board of Public Works (BPW) would like
their customers to know summer electric rates will go into effect when meters are read
beginning June 3. In the summer, there are no declining block rates which means, for
most customers, electric rates will be higher. Summer rates will continue until
meters are read beginning October 1.
The wholesale cost of electricity from
BPW’s primary power supplier, Nebraska Public Power District, is higher in the summer
and lower in the winter. Your BPW passes this price signal along to its
customers. If customers can cut back on electric usage in the summer they will see
the benefit with lower bills. On the highest usage days, BPW will again issue Peak
Alerts this summer. By reducing electric usage during peak times, customer can
help prevent rate increases.
BPW eliminated the declining block rate for
all water customers in January 2002. Customers, who in the past have used a lot of
water in the summer for lawn and garden watering, will notice a cost increase if the same
amount of water is used this year. BPW is offering free, high quality, low-flow
showerheads to its water customers to help customers conserve water and pay less.
For more information, call BPW at 274-4981.
DATE:
JUNE 3,
2002
FINAL TESTS COMPLETED ON
TERRACE HEIGHTS WATER MAIN EXTENSION
Willard
and Marge Kuhlmann have been developing the Terrace Heights Subdivision on the west edge
of Auburn. A recent improvement was the
completion of a water main project including the installation of approximately 1,060 feet
of 8-inch water main and two new fire hydrants. Tony
Hector and Keith Leslie were responsible for construction.
An Omaha
company has purchased property in the subdivision and is planning to construct three
all-electric four-plexes to be available for persons age 55 and above. This is part of a larger project, which includes
Johnson and Nemaha, spearheaded by the Nemaha County Development Alliance.
The developer paid all costs for the water
project. The Board of Public Works (BPW)
provided plan review and construction inspection. Auburn
now has 172 fire hydrants, which is about an 8% increase in the last ten years. They are operated and maintained by your BPW as
part of the cost of water service.
