Your PUD PUD News Line

4/18/2006

Commissioners to introduce general manager candidate

PUD commissioners Monday voted to introduce one general manager candidate to Chelan County customer-owners and PUD employees at upcoming public meetings.

Commissioners are tentatively planning to have the general manager candidate in Wenatchee to meet employees and the public on Thursday, April 27. Details on times and locations for the meetings have not been finalized, but plans are to have a meeting for employees to meet the candidate in the early evening (perhaps 5:30 p.m.) followed by a public session at 7:30 p.m. Final details will be announced early next week. Commissioners want to hear comments from customer-owners and employees before extending any potential offer of employment.

On Monday, commissioners discussed two candidates, calling them “Candidate A” and “Candidate B,” and noted their respective communication and management skills.

In a motion to introduce Candidate A to the public and employees, Commissioner Ann Congdon noted that no decision or offer has been made. The motion passed unanimously.

Commissioners noted Candidate A’s strong financial background, effective leadership skills and visionary qualities.

Commissioners are working to fill the vacancy created when former General Manager Charlie Hosken left the PUD in November.

PUD bonds refinanced

On April 3, commissioners authorized the chief financial officer to enter an interest-rate swap on a share of the PUD’s bonds.

A swap allows the PUD to refinance or issue debt at a variable rate that is then swapped to fixed interest payments for the life of the debt, obtaining lower interest costs on the debt.

Staff chose bonds totaling $137.5 million for swap transactions, with projected savings in today’s dollars of around $27.5 million.

Click here to learn more about swap transactions.

Chelan County PUD earns two awards from National Hydropower Association

Chelan County PUD has been recognized as one of seven outstanding stewards of America’s rivers and for collaborating on a notable public education program for fourth-graders.

In the Public Education category, the District received a Hydro Achievement Award from the National Hydropower Association (NHA) for collaborating on the River of Power program with the Wenatchee School District.

In the category of Outstanding Stewards of America’s Rivers (OSAR), the PUD was one of seven utilities nationwide recognized for programs that care for fish and the environment in exceptional ways, specifically for its ongoing Habitat Conservation Plans for the Rocky Reach and Rock Island dams.

River of Power is a fourth-grade program developed by the Wenatchee School District and the PUD. Teachers spend several weeks in the classroom each spring teaching about electricity, about hydropower production, and about the history of the Columbia River before all students spend a full day at Rocky Reach Dam doing science experiments, artwork and writing about energy and the river. More than 1,350 students have been through the program in its first three years, and plans are to expand the program to other schools in Chelan County.

OSAR awards (Outstanding Stewards of America’s Rivers) are presented annually to utilities that demonstrate exceptional commitment to preserving natural resources and protecting the environment. It is the second year in a row that Chelan County PUD has been honored. According to NHA, the seven notable examples are among many actions taken daily by hydroelectric operators around the nation to protect and enhance the natural environment while generating clean, domestic energy.

Stay in touch with your PUD

We’ve made it easier to get important information about the PUD on one page. Go to our Web site, www.chelanpud.org, and click on the PUD logo at the top of the page to visit On the Record. This page also includes more information on the search for a new general manager.

Residents of Chelan County can now find out in seconds if they are in a fiber-optic build zone. Click on the map to access the PUD’s fiber-optics mapping feature.