Wahkiakum PUD busy with projects

The 2013-2016 strategic plan was reviewed at Tuesday’s Wahkiakum PUD Board of Commissioner’s meeting at Commissioner Gene Healy’s request.

Also, the Director of the Chamber of Commerce, Ashley Turner, stopped by to enumerate the successes of the last year at the chamber, and to list the projects they had completed for their contract with the PUD.

In an interlocal agreement with the Wahkiakum School District, the PUD will replace a light pole near the football field at the high school. PUD General Manager Dave Tramblie reported that the replacement pole had arrived and that he was currently trying to coordinate with a vendor to find a truck that was large enough to set the lofty pole.

Tramblie also shared that the PUD’s portion of the new ferry project was underway. The water lines have been installed and crews have set the poles for the electric system. They will string wire and install transformers in the near future, which will put them ahead of schedule.

Tramblie asked to revisit the policy for retired water meters. The current policy charges $20 to reconnect the water within 60 days and $250 after that. He proposed that they change the policy to $50 a month after 60 days, with an eventual cap at $250.

“What are the costs attendant to taking the water meter out of service and putting it back into service?” Commissioner Bob Jungers asked.

“It’s administrative time in the office to process the service order, and then we send it out to the crew, so we have crew time and truck time to read the meter,” Wilson said. “Then they come back in and process the paperwork again. We also flag the account to show it’s retired and we send a crew member out to make sure there has been no use, to physically turn of the water and padlock it.”

“The fee is designed to recoup lost revenue from having meters turned off, Wilson added. “That was the original intent.”

“I wouldn’t mind seeing it a little more lenient,” Jungers said. It does seem kind of punitive for the first six months to back charge the whole fee, but I haven’t had time to think this whole thing through.”

Tramblie said there was no rush and the commissioners tabled the policy for later discussion.

The meeting was closed for an executive session to discuss potential litigation.

The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 18, at 8:30 a.m. in the PUD meeting room.