This March turned out to be a whole lot easier on City of Grand Marais linemen than last March. On Wednesday, March 3, 2010, Electric Superintendent Mike Taylor reminded the Public Utilities Commission of the conditions a year ago during his report on the work of the department in 2009.
Transmission lines went down last March in a severe ice storm that caused damage and long outages throughout the county. They went out again in October in a big windstorm. The year brought a total of four transmission outages (two of them scheduled) and 23 distribution outages of five minutes or more.
Thebackup power plant in Grand Marais is kept in shape for situations like these. In a written report, Taylor wrote, “Engines are exercised monthly the first Wednesday of each month for one hour.”
Some customers were out of power for up to five days after the October storm, Taylor reported. Two crews from Elk River Utility helped the local line crew get things back in order. The most damage was to overhead secondary lines feeding homes, Taylor said. The storm caused an estimated $50,000 in damages. “We can’t predict when we’re going to have storms,” Taylor said.
Safety—for employees, consumers, and the environment—is taken seriously. No accidents were reported last year. “Tailgate” safety meetings are held before each job. Equipment is tested regularly—from breakers and relays to tools and rubber goods—according to local, state, and federal regulations. Air quality, emissions, and hazardous waste reports must be completed.
In 2009, the crew installed 4,000 feet of underground line along Bents Road and 800 feet along Old Shore Road. They cleared 800 feet of right-of-way east of Devil’s Track River, 3,500 feet along Old Shore Road, and 3,000 feet in Creechville. “These improvements and [this] right-of-way clearing will improve the reliability of [the] Grand Marais distribution system,” Taylor wrote.
One customer suspected his or her meter was faulty when electric bills seemed too high last year. The meter was replaced and tested by a metering company, which determined the meter was accurate.
“What are we going to do each year to improve our services?” Taylor asked. His department tries to identify and upgrade areas most in need of service. They try to notify people well before planned outages and upgrades, he said. He believes their response time is “pretty good.”
Last year brought two involuntary disconnects, Taylor reported.
Taylor was please to report that city employee Jeff Eliasen will finish an apprenticeship in May after completing a four-year lineman program and will be taking a test qualifying him to be a journeyman.
Collaborations
» An agreement two years in the works for Qwest equipment on city poles has been signed, Taylor said. “It means money,” said Billing Clerk Jan Smith.
» A contract with Pete Gresczyk of G & G Septic was prepared for PUC approval, Water/Wastewater Superintendent Tom Nelson reported. Gresczyk was purchasing a lot in Cedar Grove Business Park where he would construct a building to house septic tanks that will store waste before it can be transferred to the municipal septic facility in Grand Marais.
“I think it’s not only good for us,” said Public Utilities Commissioner Hal Greenwood, “but it’s good for the county, too.” The county has been in need of more septic storage sites. “The city, the county, everybody wins on this one,” Greenwood added.
“The attorney turned my two pages to eight,” Nelson quipped, “but he used bigger words!”
» City Administrator Mike Roth said that with the announcement of Cook County Highway Engineer Shae Kosmalski’s resignation, he would be coordinating the pursuit of a joint maintenance facility. The city, the county, the Minnesota DNR, MnDOT, and Arrowhead Transit have all agreed to pay an engineering firm to come up with initial designs and cost estimates, but Cook County Schools (ISD 166) has opted out in the midst of a budget crisis.
“We know we want to move forward,” Roth said. The city would like to stop using its Public Utilities Department buildings in the Grand Marais Recreation Area in order to make better use of the park.
With the school dropping out of the project, the city’s share of the $8,000 engineering fees will be greater. Roth said the next phase of the project would involve “some really hard decisions.” Even paying the entire $8,000 would be worth it to the city, he said.
Commissioner Greenwood said he would like to see a joint maintenance facility located in Cedar Grove Business Park.
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