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6.1. ERMUSR 06-11-2013 Elk River e Municipal Utilities UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING TO: FROM: Elk River Municipal Utilities Commission Troy Adams, P.E. —General Manager John Dietz—Chair Al Nadeau—Vice Chair Daryl Thompson—Trustee MEETING DATE: AGENDA ITEM NUMBER: June 11, 2013 6.1 SUBJECT: Staff Updates —General Manager DISCUSSION: On May 28th the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (MMPA) unanimously approved ERMU's request for membership. Next, MMPA will file the agreement with the State. I will likely be attending the June MMPA board meeting as a voting member representative. At some time this spring, something became lodged in a gate of the Lake Orono dam. Aryes Consulting, the company the City hired in 2012 to do a full dam inspection, was brought in to camera and/or dive and help determine what was restricting the gate from closing. It was determined that a willow branch was lodged in the gate. Staff was able to flush the branch free without needing to send in a diver. Unrelated to the branch issue, ERMU had planned to hire a consultant to update the Dam Emergency Action Plan(EAP). This was a follow up to the inspection the City had done last year and was a budgeted item for ERMU. The dam is currently listed as a Class I High Hazard dam with the DNR, one of 25 in the state. The DNR had requested that the Dam EAP be updated. The current Dam EAP was developed in 1990. Barr Engineering has begun work on the new EAP. For the past 6 months, I've spent considerable time working with Sprint on contracts and plan review for the upcoming antenna upgrade to the Auburn, Gary, and Johnson Street water towers. The work will only result in additional lease revenue for the Auburn Street water tower. The work on the Auburn Street water tower is ready to begin pending the full annual lease payment and performance bond. The other two towers are still held up in contract review. During this process, ERMU was contacted by Verizon who is interested in attaching antennas to the Gary and Johnson street water towers. Verizon consultants have already conducted a site inspection with David Berg, ERMU Water Superintendent. Peter Beck, ERMU legal counsel, has been working with me on updating our non-exclusive tower attachment agreement template for use with Verizon. lin PU / EREI 11 Page I of 2 NATURE E1 Public Power Provider P o n f ,r o T o S r,vr Last year I had discussed conducting a strategic planning session with the Commission. The Commission directed me to bring back examples. I would like to schedule a weekday afternoon in August to have a strategic planning session workshop with the Commission to review some options and get direction. I attended a meeting with Great River Energy(GRE) regarding the Midcontinent Independent System Operator(MISO) requirements related to the revised Capacity Agreement for our diesel power plant. The MISO capacity market changed this planning year to a year-ahead market and the process for submitting the required information has substantially changed. ERMU staff is working through the logistics for how our engines would be called on to run. Based on this summer, our agreement with GRE may need to be revised for the next MISO planning year. Our agreement has an evergreen annual term. The 2013 budget included one staff and one commissioner attending the American Public Power Association Nation Conference. None of the commissioners were able to attend this year. We had discussed at a previous commission meeting the possibility of sending a second staff member in lieu of a commissioner, but after subsequent staff discussion decided against that. As it turns out, the hotel at which the conference is being held was already booked. The money budgeted for this conference will be carried forward for next year. Just a reminder of a few upcoming event dates: GRE Annual Meeting June 12 MMUA Annual Summer Meeting Aug 19-21 w. Page 2 of 2 1PO t E 0 E 1 B Y NATURE Reliable Public Power Provider POWERED To SERVE Elk River Municipal Utilities UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING TO: FROM: Elk River Municipal Utilities Commission Theresa Slominski —Finance and Office Manager John Dietz—Chair Al Nadeau—Vice Chair Daryl Thompson—Trustee MEETING DATE: AGENDA ITEM NUMBER: June 11, 2013 6.1 SUBJECT: Staff Update DISCUSSION: We had 2,019 credit card payment transactions in May, compared to 2,037 in April. The fee for May should be $4,542.75. We had 65 people shut off on June 5th, with 47 paying and being reconnected within the first day. There were no "events" related to the shutoffs,just the usual frustration on the part of those being shut off It's always a difficult few days and ERMU staff did a great job in professionally handling the shutoffs. I attended an information session on Healthcare Reform,presented by our auditing firm, Abdo, Eick, and Meyers, with the focus of"What does the employer need to do to be prepared?" A take-away for me from the meeting was that our insurance broker is doing a great job in preparing us for this. Many of the necessary items the employer needed to do and have in place have been completed for us by our broker, or are already in the works. Additionally, a constant message received at any of the sessions, webinars, or email communications has been that health care insurance will be going up. To put everyone in the market and require insurance be provided to them will have to be funded from somewhere, and it won't be able to be subsidized from penalties assessed to companies not providing comparable insurance. The intent is to subsidize it with the penalties but the reality is not visualized by those in the insurance industry. I have been working with our new insurance agent to complete our insurance application for the 2013-2014 year. Previously, the City and Utilities were on a combined policy. This year, we are splitting out the City and the Utilities liability policies for ease of administration and premiums based on applicable claims experience. Our renewal date is July 1 and we will see how quickly the LMCIT is able to process it this year. Last year we received it in December. P I I I I E R E I B Y R.3 Page 1 of 1 NATURE Reliable Public Power Provrder r' , r 1 r o T c S r F .F Elk River Municipal Utilities UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING TO: FROM: Elk River Municipal Utilities Commission Mark Fuchs—Line Superintendent John Dietz—Chair Al Nadeau—Vice Chair Daryl Thompson—Trustee MEETING DATE: AGENDA ITEM NUMBER: June 11, 2013 6.1 SUBJECT: Staff Update DISCUSSION: • Had two house services that went bad when the ground froze and needed to be replaced. • Finished moving the transformer for Crossings Church; this was a project that started last fall. • Installed a new underground service and removed the lights, overhead wires and poles at Kuss ball field on Gary Street. • Had four new house services. • When we rebuilt some projects, the old poles still had communication wires on them. These communication companies are working on transferring the wires to the new poles. • Started working on Rawlings Street rebuild. We are removing rear lot overhead wire and installing front lot underground. • Started working on changing out a pole and some x-arms on GRE Drive that were bad. • Started working on changing out rusty junction boxes. • Started working on changing out fuse pads. This has been an ongoing project that had to be done because of our high fault current. • We had to lower a few spans of overhead wires on Parrish Ave. and on Co. Rd. 39 under GRE transmission lines to get the proper clearances. Page 1 of 1 PBWIaEI II�NATUREI Reliable Public Power Provider pr,,,, ,,, t o S r o v r Elk River Municipal Utilities UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING TO: FROM: Elk River Municipal Utilities Commission Wade Lovelette—Superintendent of Technical John Dietz—Chair Services Al Nadeau—Vice Chair Daryl Thompson—Trustee MEETING DATE: AGENDA ITEM NUMBER: June 11, 2013 6.1 SUBJECT: Staff Update DISCUSSION: The Locating department had a total of 547 locate tickets for the month of May; five of them being emergency tickets, eight cancelations, 10 meets, 491 normal, 23 updated tickets two boundary surveys and one Engineering DSG. In May, the Security Systems Department had a total of 103 phone contacts, 11 systems quoted, 10 system sales made, 13 installs completed, 42 service calls and 11 personal visits. It was a very busy month for the Security Systems Department. Meter Technicians continue with the meter reading, power bill, substation checks and off-peak issues. They continue to change out the three phase meters to radio read meters. Staff has responded to a couple of voltage complaints which ended up being on the customer side of the meter. The power plant staff did the annual Generator Verification Test Capability (GVTC) (formally called urge) run of the generators. The generators performed very well. Power plant staff completed the building safety checks and engine run reports to GRE. Steve and Jeff are running the bore rig installing new primary cable and new house services to capital projects as well as replacing existing services that failed over the winter. lA PONFEI BY F �3 Page 1 of 1 NATURE! Reliable Public Power Provider Elk River Municipal Utilities UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING TO: FROM: - Elk River Municipal Utilities Commission David Berg—Water Superintendent John Dietz—Chair Al Nadeau—Vice Chair Daryl Thompson —Trustee MEETING DATE: AGENDA ITEM NUMBER: June 11, 2013 6.1 SUBJECT: Staff Update DISCUSSION: The Water Department has been cleaning and exercising gate valves, while repairing if needed. They have finished about 80 so far. They are also starting to paint some hydrants and had to repair two that were hit. Angela has been working with a couple of associations to get them to purchase SMART irrigation systems to help conserve water. Two of the associations are looking positive. Eric is working closely with the painting crew at the Freeport Water Tower to make sure they are keeping everything clean and safe and to learn the process. He is also working with the company that is installing new antennas on our water towers. Housing construction has started to pick up and we have delivered more new water meters so far this year than last. The summer is looking positive for new construction. I have attached an article on groundwater sustainability. A new report from the Freshwater Society concluded that groundwater pumping in Minnesota has increased by 2.8 billion gallons per year from 1988-2011. That ends up being a 31 percent increase over that period. In relation to that, Eric and I attended a seminar on the Mt. Simon aquifer that was very informational. It appears that a lot of cities and utilities have the same interesting—where is our water going? The DNR is trying to determine where the biggest recharge areas for the aquifer are and how we can further conserve water. I have attached a few educational flyers from the seminar. ATTACHMENTS: • Freshwater Society Report Examines Groundwater Sustainability • Mt Simon Aquifer Map & Graphs WI � J 3 Page NATURE F Reliable Public Power Provider P -;w i s r T S rnvr Freshwater Society report examines groundwater sustainability htto://freshwater.o rq/ The following is adapted from the website above. A new report from the Freshwater Society concludes that Minnesotans are over-using groundwater in ways that could leave the state short of water. "Minnesota's Groundwater: Is our use sustainable?"estimates that total reported groundwater pumping in Minnesota increased by about 2.8 billion gallons per year from 1988 through 2011. That adds up to a 31 percent increase over that period. By comparison, the state's population increased 24 percent in the same period. Agricultural irrigation,the second-biggest use of groundwater and the fastest-growing use, increased an estimated 73 percent during those years. Pumping by city water systems,the biggest single use, increased an estimated 33 percent. The Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Metropolitan Council's top water planner warn that current pumping levels are unsustainable or close to becoming unsustainable in some areas. According to the Freshwater report, the shrinkage of White Bear Lake over the last decade illustrates that unsustainability. On a related note, Freshwater Society is sponsoring a free public lecture on the groundwater/surface water/wetlands connection on June 6th, 2013,from 7-9 p.m. at the U of M St. Paul CampusStudent Center Theater.The talk, titled Not Just for Scientists Anymore: Why the Public Should Care about the Connection between Groundwater and Lakes,Streams and Wetlands, features Don Rosenberry, a U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist who was part of the research team that studied the dramatic decline in White Bear Lake For more information, to register for the lecture or to download the report, visit the webpage above. Elk River Municipal Utilities UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING TO: FROM: Elk River Municipal Utilities Commission Tom Sagstetter- Conservation and Key Accounts John Dietz—Chair Manager Al Nadeau—Vice Chair Daryl Thompson—Trustee MEETING DATE: AGENDA ITEM NUMBER: June 11, 2013 6.1 SUBJECT: Staff Update DISCUSSION: • Due to scheduling conflicts, Vance's lifetime achievement celebration will not be a formal event. • Landfill expansion is moving very slowly. Waste Management has had a management change at the Elk River Landfill and this changing staff has delayed any progress in the expansion so far. • Worked with Water Department to purchase rain barrels that will be sold to ERMU customers for $70. This program was very successful and will be offered in 2014 again. ERMU staff sold 27 rain barrels this year. • Attended staff training for Energy Efficiency Management. This is a certificate program that is sponsored by APPA. I have successfully completed the exam and need to complete a program business plan to obtain the certification. • Hosted Princeton Middle School for tours of the Elk River Landfill Gas to Electric Plant and the Wind Turbine. There were a total of over 130 students and faculty that attended this year. • Hosted Anoka Hennepin Technical College for a tour of GRE, Landfill Gas to Electric Facility, and Haubenschild Farm. The focus of this tour was careers in energy and environmental sciences. • Attended a Cyber Security informational meeting sponsored by the FBI and Michele Bachmann. The information focused on protective measures for securing sensitive information. For the utility this includes SCADA data and personal information maintained by ERMU for billing purposes. The focus was on isolating systems from outside access through password protection and tracking access by employees to sensitive data. This is called data access logging. This is relatively new technology, but many large companies are implementing to track when and where employees access data. • Graduated from Leadership Elk River. This was an excellent introduction into the Elk River Community and allowed me to build relationships with local business leaders. an Page 1 of l inEliii il t MATURE Reliable Public Power Provider P o ... . r r, T ._. S r x.r ELK RIVER MUNICIPAL UTILITIES EDUCATION / SEMINAR REPORT DATE June 5th, 2013 EMPLOYEE NAME Tom Sagstetter TITLE OF EDUCATION/SEMINAR Energy Efficiency Management Certificate Program ORGANIZATION SPONSORING EDUCATION SEMINAR APPA DATES ATTENDED May 6th through May 10th. LOCATION Anaheim , CA WHY DID EMPLOYEE CHOOSE TO ATTEND To learn how and what other utilities around the country offer in terms of electric efficiency programs. WHAT INFORMATION WAS LEARNED BY ATTENDING Utility overview- How different utilities are governed and regulated by state and federal agencies and organization's. How regulatory activity impacts day to day operations in reliability and in efficiency program requirements. Gained an understanding how energy is provided to the customer from generation resource mix to the different types of transmission and distribution systems that serve customers. Efficiency Program Overview - Develop programs that meet the utilities needs and provide the customers what they want. Utility goals are to decrease peak demand and energy consumption with minimal customer impact. The customer wants reduced energy use (lower bills), positively impact the environment, and do the correct thing for future generations (green house gas reduction). The success of programs comes from education and customer awareness. Market new programs and successful programs often and boldly. Trade partner education is as much a key as employee education. Identify goals - Understand the customer load profiles and find a common ground between utility goals and customer goals. Make achievable goals that can be measured. Constantly evaluate programs to increase participation and cost effectiveness. Review often and improve. Always have an exit strategy. Customer Strategies - Make it as easy as possible for customers to participate within policies and rules. WAS INFORMATION CONVEYED TO SUPERVISOR AND CO-WORKERS AND TO WHO The information was conveyed to management and staff at weekly meetings. More details will be presented when the business plan is completed within one year of the course. 10 _ CPAT RE ELK RIVER MUNICIPAL UTILITIES EDUCATION/ SEMINAR REPORT DATE S"- Z 2 - / J EMPLOYEE NAME St' z5F--- TITLE OF EDUCATION/SEMINAR /7x714 w« ORGANIZATION SPONSORING EDUCATION! SEMINAR "Oa/9 DATES ATTENDED s - /`y - 1 3 y LOCATION //[4 ;r S-14/1 WHY DID EMPLOYEE CHOOSE TO ATTEND Le=irk /Me SLa cvarm:r4-<J S ,v /b� j NT INFORMATION WAS LEARNED BY ATTENDING // cycl 615c-,1 (".tl1 .,n e .•5 ea y- O:'1 -T./i ei r,e C5 /Ji)cee.e CinCeS ✓ Pre i,ve riu,t; Y f'/c y WAS INFORMATION CONVEYED TO SUPERVISOR AND CO-WORKERS AND TO WHO tz. s SIGNATURE