Grand Marais Public Utilities Commission lineman Matt Bronikowski and Line Superintendent Mike Taylor pose with the safety award their department won from the American Public Power Association for 2010. The award recognizes the department “for meritorious achievement in attaining a low accident frequency during the year 2010.” This was a first-place award for systems with fewer than 15,000 worker hours of exposure. Not pictured is lineman Jeff Eliasen, the other member of the crew.
If a title were to be given to the items of business at the April 6, 2011 meeting of the Grand Marais Public Utilities Commission (PUC), it might be “Awards,” because that’s about all that needed to be discussed.
Water/Wastewater Superintendent Tom Nelson reported that for the twelfth time in 20 years, his department received a Minnesota Wastewater Treatment Facility Operational Award for outstanding operation, maintenance and management of the system. The award letter states, “This award recognizes you for ensuring: . that your facility was overseen by a properly certified operator; . that your facility did not exceed the effluent limits contained in your permit; . that all of your required monthly and annual reports were timely and complete; . that your facility did not experience any bypasses, enforcement actions or inspections identifying significant compliance concerns.”
Electric department award
The electrical department received an award from the American Public Power Association. The award recognizes the department “for meritorious achievement in attaining a low accident frequency during the year 2010.” This was a first-place award for systems with fewer than 15,000 worker hours of exposure.
“I’m pretty proud of this award,” Electric Superintendent Mike Taylor told the PUC board, “because it means none of us has been killed or injured.” The crew is made up of Taylor and two linemen, Matt Bronikowski and Jeff Eliasen. The crew is sometimes called out to deal with outages during nighttime storms, Taylor explained, a circumstance that always involves danger. Bronikowki and Eliasen do a good job of following safety practices, he said, adding, “It’s pretty safe if you follow the rules.”
Essay contest winners
The last item of business was the announcement of the winners of the PUC essay contest. Three essays were received, and the commissioners read and ranked them without knowing who had written them. Winning scholarships of $500, $300, and $200 from the PUC were Daniel Ditmanson, Dene Taylor, and Clay Gruber- Schulz, respectively, for their essays on the value of the local utility company. Ditmanson’s essay will be sent to Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency for the next level of competition.
Leave a Reply