Houses on Walnut: As I write this letter, the last house on Walnut Street was removed from our utility property. We now have the property on our block open for use.
Wells sites: Progress to raise the elevation of the two well sites just south of our service center has been supported by the mild winter. The well buildings will be completed this month. Both wells were required to be raised above the flood plain. The flood of 2010 would have damaged the pumps and potentially contaminated our wells if not for sand bagging efforts. This project will be completed for a cost of about $400,000. Half the cost is being funded by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The DNR funds qualifying flood plain removal projects. These two wells provide about 7% of our water supply.
HVAC: Visitors to our customer service center have noticed that we have been under construction for several weeks. We have been replacing the heating ventilating and air conditioning system (HVAC). The old system was destroyed by the flood. The new system is located on our roof. This system will include a ventilation return system, and ducting, which improves air quality and temperature control. Our ceiling tiles were removed so the return air ducting could be installed. I want to thank our customers and especially our employees for putting up with the construction efforts.
We plan to have this completed by the time you see this letter.
Commission Room: The flood affected many aspects of our operations and work locations. Our main training and meeting facility, known as the Commission Room, was damaged. We decided to repair this room even though it may be flooded again. We don’t have the opportunity in our facility for a similar meeting room until the re-purposing project construction in two years. The concrete walls and metal studs will make it both inexpensive and easy to repair if another flood occurs. We have been using the Fire Hall for meetings and plan to have the Commission Room ready for use in a couple weeks.