Your PUD
News Release
PUD land exchange with city for new substation site delayed
Chelan County PUD
News Release
7/30/2007
A plan to declare the site of the former Worthen Substation in Wenatchee surplus to District needs and exchange it for a city-owned site on Walla Walla Avenue to build a new substation was delayed a week.
PUD commissioners delayed action on the matter following a motion by Commissioner Werner Janssen to make the exchange contingent on the owner of the Ninth Street Trailer Park and the city finding a new home for residents.
Commissioners Randy Smith and Ann Congdon questioned if the PUD had any authority in the situation.
On May 7, commissioners stated their intention to declare the 0.23-acre Worthen Substation site (on Worthen Street, just south of Fifth Street) surplus and exchange it with the city of Wenatchee for a 1.08-acre parcel on Walla Walla Avenue next to Lowe’s. The Walla Walla Avenue site will be used for construction of a new substation to meet the demands of growth and riverfront redevelopment.
Commissioners voted 3-1 in favor of Dennis Bolz’s suggestion to delay consideration of the issue until next week’s board meeting. Congdon dissented.
They also agreed 4-0 to continue Monday’s hearing on declaring the Worthen Street site surplus until next week’s meeting.
Timeline for proposed 2008 rate increases discussed
John Stoll, Customer Service director, updated PUD commissioners Monday on work related to proposed rate increases for electric, water, sewer and wholesale fiber services.
“There are a lot of moving pieces to this,” Stoll said.
Rate increases of 5 percent for electric service, 9 percent for water and sewer, and 2 percent for fiber were proposed in June following nearly a year of strategic planning. If approved, the increases would go into effect Jan. 1, 2008.
In addition to public meetings and staff work to put the rate increases into place if approved, Stoll also outlined: proposals for notifying customers of a possible rate surcharge; work Customer Service staff is doing on a cost-of-service study; the process for changing how other customer fees and charges will be updated; and consolidating policies and service regulations.
Following the discussion, commissioners set the following special meetings to provide information about the proposed rate increases:
- Aug. 13 - 5:30 p.m., Wenatchee PUD auditorium.
- Aug. 14 – 5:30 p.m., Chelan City Hall
- Aug. 15 – 5:30 p.m., Leavenworth PUD office
A public hearing on the proposals will follow at 1 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 10, in the PUD board room, 327 N. Wenatchee Ave., in Wenatchee.
Second underwater power line planned for Lake Chelan
Plans for a second underwater cable to carry electricity from Manson across Lake Chelan to the south shore took a step forward Monday with commission approval to buy 3,400 feet of power line. Kerite Cable Service, Seymour, Conn., will provide the cable for about $382,800.
George Velazquez, project manager, said installing a second cable was found to be the most cost-effective way to increase reliability and meet load growth. The existing transmission line was installed in the 1980s. It delivers electricity to about 850 PUD customers and is at capacity.
The new line will lie about 200 feet deep along the same route as the existing line, running from Manson to near the yacht club on the south shore of Lake Chelan..
Installation is scheduled for spring 2008, pending approval of permits.
In other business, commissioners:
- Received an update on federal fuel diversity and fossil fuel generation efficiency standards. The Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act requires electric utilities to consider each standard and determine if it is appropriate to adopt. PUD staff are researching the fuel diversity standard and will have recommendations ready before a required hearing and board action in November. Since the PUD doesn’t have any fossil fuel generation, staff recommended against adopting that standard.
- Approved combining the preliminary budget filing date with the preliminary budget hearing to be done "on or before the first Monday in November." The change ensures more accurate information is presented in the preliminary budget filing by providing more time for preparation and review, said TJ Farrell, budget manager. This combination was approved by motion for the last two years and has worked well, Farrell said. A 1955 resolution had set the preliminary budget filing for the first Monday in September.
- Extended by eight months and approved $653,340 in additional work for upgrading the first generating unit in the Rock Island Dam Powerhouse 1 rehabilitation. Brett Bickford, project manager, said the biggest factor in the changes was the decision to replace, rather than repair, the bottom ring in the unit. The PUD and the contractor weren’t able to see the extent of wear and tear until the unit was taken apart. The cost will be covered by contingency funds in the project budget, which included funds for the possibility of replacing two major pieces of equipment not included in initial plans.
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The next regular meeting of the PUD commission is at 1 p.m. on Aug. 6, 2007, in the boardroom at PUD headquarters, 327 N. Wenatchee Ave.
Most PUD commission meetings are recorded, and a link to the audio is available on the PUD’s home page at www.chelanpud.org.
Kimberlee Craig
Public Information Officer
509-661-4320, direct line
509-679-6858, cell
kimc@chelanpud.org