Council Reviews Electric System Master Plan

By Beth Waddle

Thursday night’s storm elicited chuckles from those gathered for the Osawatomie City Council work session and meeting as the overhead lights flickered amid discussion of the future of the city’s electrical service.

Donald Gruenemeyer and DeAnn Dotson of Sawvel and Associates Inc. were on hand to deliver their report on the Electric System Master Plan. Retained by the city last year to prepare a 20-year plan, the firm’s report included a review of the existing power transmission and distribution system, power supply resources and the power supply plan, as well as recommendations for improvements to the system.

Gruenemeyer indicated that the city should consider its ability to supply power in the event that one of the two power substations were out of service and reported that, if that were the case, the peak demand would exceed the capacity of the city’s remaining transmitter. He also reported that though the equipment is in good condition considering its age, it should be modernized to increase capacity and reduce losses. Recommendations include adding a third substation and upgrading the distribution system to a higher voltage at a cost ranging between $5.2 and $7.2 million dollars.  Councilman Mike Moon inquired about the city’s ability to implement such improvements without raising rates.  Dotson, who recommended financing the project over 30 years with tax exempt bonds, indicated that such improvements would be spread out over a period of 10 years and that increases, though necessary, could be gradual.

Mayor Phil Dudley thanked Gruenemeyer and Dotson for their report and indicated that future meetings would be utilized for consideration of the city’s priorities concerning the Master Plan.

Shelagh Wright, executive director of the Osawatomie Chamber of Commerce, presented the Chamber’s annual report and expressed her appreciation for the council’s support and funding over the past year.  The report highlighted numerous Chamber events, Economic Development activities and other accomplishments.  In her report, Wright summarized, “The board and I have worked hard this year to build the Chamber through activities, visibility, fiscal responsibility and community involvement.”

Also on the agenda was an update of the 2012 Budget. The council will soon publish the proposed budget and projected mill levy in preparation for a public hearing.  The hearing will be held at the council’s next work session at 7 p.m. Aug. 25.

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Posted by admin on Aug 3 2011. Filed under News and Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry