Loading...
6.1.a. ERMU 01-13-2015 Elk River 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: January 13, 2015 6.1 a SUBJECT: Staff Updates—General Manager DISCUSSION: • January 13 is an important and sad date in ERMU's history. On this date in 1921, F.D. Waterman passed away. Waterman as a private businessperson incorporated the Elk River Power and Light Company in June of 1915. As described in A History of the Elk River Municipal Utilities, written by Charlene Roise and Deanne Weber, "Many stores and businesses closed during his funeral two days later to allow all to pay tribute to the man who had brought power to Elk River. In addition, according to a contemporary newspaper account, `as the words of eulogy were being spoken over [Waterman's] body at the church, the power wheel at the power plant was shut down and for fifteen minutes the wires and motors which he had first furnished with electric energy were cold and dead." • I have been working with Suzanne Fischer, the City of Elk River Community Operations Director, on her initiative to develop guidelines for equipment sharing. Suzanne is overseeing the creation of an operations committee that will represent operational utilities and city department which will review/maintain the equipment list and sharing guidelines. This committee will also be a platform for improved coordination at an operation level between the utilities and city departments. I am excited about this because of its proactive approach to improving our local government operational effectiveness. This will also be great for developing future leadership from within. • I have been asked by the American Public Power Association to be a speaker for their Spring Education Conference. They would like me to give a presentation on the Performance Metrics and Incentive Compensation Policy that we'd developed in 2012. There will be a conference call in late January to discuss the details before committing. • The Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association will have their 2015 Legislative Conference February 4-6. If you are interested in attending, please let me know as soon as possible. IIN POWEOEO er Page 1 of 2 NATURE Reliable Public N �V Power Provider P O W E R E D To S E R V E 123 • The MMPA Board of Directors met on December 16, 2014. At the meeting, the Board reviewed the featuring of its Hometown BioEnergy facility on the cover of POWER Magazine's December 2014 as a Top Renewable Plant award winner for 2014. The award recognizes MMPA's innovation, community focus, and support for renewable energy. The Board also discussed the completion of the Agency's purchase of a six mile transmission line in Anoka. • Interviews for the Purchasing Specialist position may be held as early as the week of January 19. The Assistant Electrical Superintendent position approved with the 2015 budget was posted internally on January 5. The internal promotion related with this Assistant position will likely result in cascading effect creating a vacant apprentice lineworker position. This was intentional and the vacant apprentice lineworker was not budgeted to be backfilled in 2015. Separate from the Assistant position generated vacancy, there is another vacant lineworker position that has been open since Ed Zurn left ERMU in late 2014. This position is still in the 2015 budget but management has decided to wait until closer to construction season in 2015 before posting the opening. ATTACHMENTS: • 2015 MMUA Legislative Conference Brochure r rYowERED BY Page 2 of 2 INATUPE Reliable Public Power Provider P O W E R E D To S E R V E 124 Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association Lc?giIativQ Conference February 4 - 6, 2015 Mark Your Crowne Plaza Hotel s Suites Calendar Bloomington, Minnesota MMUA's Legislative Conference is the municipal utility community's primary opportunity to inform and influence state lawmakers. In 2015,the House moves to Republican control,while the Senate remains under Democratic control. It will be a busy session for MMUA,with each house likely pursuing its own agenda and a wide variety of proposals under consideration. We will have to work hard to make sure that our voice is heard above the noise of a long and likely contentious session. Remember, numbers count and we need your help.A strong turnout will ensure that our message is heard. We've made some changes to our day on the Hill to accommodate the h, renovation project at the Capitol, because there is no meeting space oy i f�i' l•'? available to the public during ? ._/ construction.We'll conduct our { member visits during the afternoon '` '; .. G rather than the morning, and we will F ' m conclude the day with a reception at ,.'' (" zi j . the Kelly Inn near the Capitol. Be /����„�" sure to invite your legislators to join / ^-- . � //////il/,1 us at the reception for some social ;., - „ ' time.l r . r.- _ -.. >t b fir Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association And the conference is not just about visiting the Capitol. We have a full . A • 3025 Harbor Lane North, slate of informative sessions to bring 01011 0• Suite 400 you up-to-date on our industry and Plymouth, MN 55447 $ www.mmua.orq where it's headed. I 7' • I, Please take time to review all of the _ • �.�.. To register contact Rita Kelly -information provided. It contains -. Direct:763-746-0707 Fax:763-551-0459 everything you need to register with E-mail: rkelly(ammua.orq MMUA and the Crowne Plaza Hotel. 125 2015 Legislative Conference Tentative Program WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5 (continued) 8:30 MMUA Board of Directors Meeting 1:15 Shuttle Buses to Front Steps of Capitol 12:00-5:00 Registration Desk Open 1:30-4:00 Meet with Your Local Legislators 1:00-2:00 Ethical Leadership 4:00-6:30 Legislative Reception 2:00-2:45 Minnesota Energy Policy in an Era Kelly Inn Hotel of Divided Government 6:30 Shuttle Buses return to Hotel 2:45-3:15 Refreshment Break 3:15-4:00 Renewable Energy Transmission Integration Study FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6 4:00-4:45 Clean Power Plan, State Plan 8:00-8:45 Cold Weather Rule Process 8:45-9:30 Regulatory Compliance Annual Reporting THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5 9:30-10:00 Refreshment Break 8:30-9:15 E21 Initiative - Reforming the 10:00-10:30 IPL-SMEC Utility Business Model? 10:30-11:15 Issues Roundup 9:15-10:00 Women's Economic Security Act 11:15-11:45 Rally Recap 10:00-10:30 Refreshment Break 12:00 Hotel Check-Out 10:30-11:15 OSHA 269-Highlights of Changes Made and Accident & Illness Reporting 11:15-12:00 Rally Briefing 12:00-1:00 Luncheon Buffet at Hotel 126 2015 Legislative Conference MMUA Registration Information Registration Fee $250 on or before January 20, 2015 $300 on or after January 21, 2015 Fee includes: conference tuition, 3 refreshment breaks, 1 luncheon buffet, 1 reception and bus transportation. Transportation Bus transportation will be provided for your visits to the Capitol on Thursday. The bus will leave from the front door of the Crowne Plaza hotel starting at 1:15 pm. Bus will depart from the Kelly Inn at 6:30 pm. Spouses We do not include meals for a spouse or significant other at this meeting, but we do encourage them to come along and enjoy the Mall of America, IKEA and other points of interest in the area. Contact Rita if you would like to arrange for an extra meal. Special Diets Special dietary needs can be arranged by contacting Rita at 763-746-0707 or rkelly©mmua.orq. Refunds A refund will be given on advance registrations if the MMUA office is notified by 4:30 pm on January 20. A cancellation fee of$25 per person will be charged. Hotel Reservation Information Crown Plaza Hotel & Suites 3 Appletree Square (1-494 exit on 34th Avenue South; corner of 34th &American Blvd.) Bloomington, MN 55425 Reservations You may call directly to make reservations. Call 1-877-810-5190 and reference GROUP CODE: MMUA or Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association to get our discounted rates. Click HERE to book your quest room online! Enter your arrival date, departure date, number of people and number of rooms, then click CHECK AVAILABILITY(don't enter anything else— information will automatically populate to the discounted group block of rooms). If you plan to arrive earlier than February 3 or stay later than February 6 you will need to call to make reservations. For assistance with this, contact Linda at 952-876-8707 or Ikf(&,cpsuitesmsp.com. Cut-Off Date Tuesday, January 13, 2015 Reservation requests received after this date will be accepted on a space and rate availability basis. Room Rate King or two double beds is $117 +tax Check-in Time: 3 pm Check-out Time: 12 noon Questions If you have any questions or problems with your registration or reservations please contact Rita Kelly at MMUA for assistance. You can reach her by phone at 763-746-0707 or email rkelly(a)mmua.orq. 127 2015 legislative Conference 4201 Date: February 4-6, 2015 Mr Location: Crowne Plaza Hotel & Suites 3 Appletree Square Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association 1-494 & 34th Avenue South 3025 Harbor Lane North,Suite 400 Bloomington, Minnesota Plymouth, Phone 763-551-1230 Fax 763-551-0459 www.mmua.org Attendee Information Registration Fees Name: $250 on or before January 20, 2015 Name(2): $300 on or after January 21, 2015 Name(3): Conference fee: $ Name (4): x Number of Attendees: Utility: Total Due:$ Address: Payment City: State/Zi p: ❑ Check Payable to MMUA ❑ Bill Utility/Company Main Contact: ❑ Purchase order# Email: Phone: REFUND:A full refund (minus $25 per person processing fee)will be given on advance registrations if the MMUA office is notified by 4:30 pm on January 20, 2015. PHOTOGRAPHS: By registering for this conference, I authorize Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association (MMUA)to photo- graph me at this event and use such photographs in MMUA marketing pieces(both electronic and print). I understand that I will not be paid for giving this consent. QUESTIONS: Please contact Rita Kelly by email rkellymmua.orq or phone 763-746-0707. Register by e-mail: rkelly(c�mmua.orq Register by mail: Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association 3025 Harbor Lane North, Suite 400 Plymouth, MN 55447 Registration Register by phone: 763-746-0707 Deadline is January 20, 2015 Register by fax: 763-551-0459 128