6.1g ERMUSR 02-14-2023��i
Elk River
Municipal Utilities UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING
TO:
FROM:
ERMU Commission
Chris Sumstad — Electric Superintendent
MEETING DATE:
AGENDA ITEM NUMBER:
February 14, 2023
6.1g
SUBJECT:
Staff Update
ACTION REQUESTED:
None
DISCUSSION:
• Installed five new residential services, which involves the connection of a secondary line
once the customer requests service.
• Michels Utility Services installed joint trench utilities in the Evergreen Estates
development this past month. Common practice these days is for utilities inside most
residential developments to be installed joint trench, meaning the electric, gas, and
communication lines are placed in the width of one backhoe trench. Staff is working on
terminating the primary wire and installing the streetlights.
• The 2023 Public Power Lineworkers Rodeo will be held March 31-April 1, in Bonner
Springs, Kansas. Our Rodeo team members this year are Matt Zipp, Alex Paschall, and
Alex Bernier.
• Joe Schmidt, Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association's (MMUA) Safety Coordinator,
was here the last week of January and held safety meetings on bloodborne pathogens,
personal protective equipment, and reducing accidents and injuries.
• The County Road 35 overhead rebuild continues. Crews will be installing the new wire
this week.
• ERMU crews and Carr's Tree Service are performing tree trimming on the system.
• The 2023 National Electric Safety Codes handbook has been released. Every five years
this book is updated. On January 31, 1 attended a workshop hosted by MMUA on the
latest changes.
• Staff worked with Great River Energy twice this past month out at West Bank 1 & 2,
switching around load so they could perform maintenance on their transmission lines.
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• ERMU is working towards transitioning from CAD to GIS system maps in 2023. The
operations director and I started "proofing" a portion of these maps this past month.
• A handful of electrical boxes and streetlights were hit this past month during snow
removal. We have also spent some time digging out buried boxes that we need to have
accessto.
• Staff continues to work on winter maintenance of equipment and testing of hot stick,
hot line equipment, and grounds when they get a chance.
• New commercial service requests are starting to show up for the upcoming construction
season. We are putting together plans, pricing, and materials for them.
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