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HomeMy WebLinkAbout7 General Manager Updates General Manager's Updates September 6, 2023 Electric Utility In anticipation of the retirement of Joe Horvath, Electric Utility Director after more than 24 years of service with the District this fall,the District launched a recruiting campaign for Joe's successor. WBCP executive recruiting services were contracted to launch a regional advertisement and recruitment for the position. We are excited to announce that following the comprehensive recruitment and interview process Jared Carpenter has accepted an offer for the District to serve as the next Electric Utility Director. Jared joins the District with more than 20 years of experience in the energy sector. Most recently,Jared held the position of Manager of Utilities Administration for the Port of Oakland Public Electric Utility. Previous experience also includes a range of roles as an engineer and consultant,with extensive work in system engineering and planning, energy efficiency programs, power purchases, sustainability planning and regulatory compliance. We are excited to have Jared join the team and look forward to the many benefits his experience and leadership will bring to the District's electric utility. Electric Utility One-Shot Configuration • Electric Utility Operations staff have implemented the "one-shot" circuit protection configuration as part of the District's wildfire mitigation plan during high fire risk conditions. While the area experienced a much longer winter and wetter spring than normal, local area weather services and fire protection districts have advised the beginning of wildfire season is upon us. The District is asking our rate payers to be aware of the wildfire season and be prepared in the event of an extended power outage due to NV Energy's PSOM protocol during high fire risk weather events. We will continue to keep the public informed as more information becomes available to us. The District's "one-shot configuration disables automated circuit re- closers, often resulting in more frequent isolated outages in trade for higher safety thresholds to prevent potential circuit faults igniting wildfires. Electric Infrastructure Improvement Protects Currently in Progress • Bridge Street Undergrounding Project • West River Street Undergrounding Project • Pole Replacement Project • Pole Inspection and Treatment Project • Martis Valley Substation Upgrade Project (Preliminary Design) • Mapping and Staking Project Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) The District continues to work with Aspen Engineering in the development of the District's first IRP. Staff hosted a the first project milestone meeting with Aspen Engineering to review the preliminary draft report on the District's forecasted loads and power procurement portfolios over the next 5-10 years. The meeting was an opportunity to review and discuss assumptions incorporated in to the energy Page 4 of 85 resource and demand forecasts models. We anticipate the next review in late September, and will keep the Board posted as we move along. Water Utility Year to Date Water Deliveries The water demand for 2023 has been less than both the prior year and three-year average.Typically, water demand correlates with the ambient air temperature when temperatures are high demand is generally high.This year the temperatures have been down, and this is demonstrated in the graphic below where the demand has been down. 300,000,000 Water Production (Gallons) 250,000,000 200,000,000 150,000,000 100,000,000 50,000,000 0 January March May July September November ■2023 Production ■2022 Production ■3 Year Average Figure 1 Water Sales and Demand have been lower than normal for 2023 The Water Department is in full construction mode this summer, currently managing five different projects: Tank(6170 Tank#2) This project consist of installing a 2.5 million gallon welded steel tank adjacent to the existing tank at the 6170 site.The contractor has concluded the first milestone which consisted of the following: • Excavation of the site • Installation of underground piping • Pouring the ring wall and center support structures The second milestone is installation of the water tank. Approximately two weeks ago the first load of steel was received at the 6170 site, the contractor has installed both the floor and the first of four rings. Page 5 of 85 The steel for rings two and three has been delivered and is currently being installed. The fourth ring and roof will be delivered in two weeks.This project is approximately 50% done, which is on time and on budget. � -- ---- -- � - Pump Station (Pioneer Trail Pump Station) Page 6 of 85 The pump station being constructed below the 6170-tank site is also the start of the Pioneer Pipeline Project.To facilitate the pumping of water through this pipeline the Pioneer Pump Station needs to be constructed.The contractor completed the first milestone which consisted of preparing the site (removal of existing trees) last fall. Construction this spring was delayed due to the abnormally high snow runoffs. Once construction started the contractor began on the second milestone which consisted of the following: • Excavating the site • Installing underground plumbing • Installing the pump cans • Installing all electrical conduits • Pouring the foundation The contractor is expected to finish the second milestone during the first week of September. The third milestone consist of the following: • Installing the CMU (concrete masonry Units) block building • Framing the roof and installing the roof system • Installing doors and windows to ensure the structure is weather tight prior to first snow The fourth milestone will consist of the following: • Pump Installation • Electrical equipment • SCADA • All other equipment needed to make the station operable. Currently this project is about a month behind schedule due to delayed starting times and is expected to be delayed another month for electrical supplies. Staff is still confident that this project can be concluded prior to the January 01, 2024.This project is on budget. Page 7 of 85 �. � •Ry S {l.•: .G S V - _ yN R MIX am7 : Y r w_� ll 4— ✓, it Yaw Y Pipeline Projects Pioneer Trail Pipeline Project The Pioneer Pipeline Project calls for the installation of a 16" pipeline and electrical conduits from the Pioneer Pump Station to Tahoe Donner subdivision along Northwoods Blvd. This project required the closing of the Trout Creek Trail at the beginning of the summer season.The contractor graciously worked with staff to ensure the trail was reopened prior to the 41" of July holiday weekend.The contractor is going to need to close the trail again after the Labor Day holiday. At this point the contractor is still ahead of schedule and is expected to complete this project during the month of September.This project is on schedule and on budget. Overall project called for approximately 8200' of 16" main and the contractor has over 7000' in the ground. This project is approximately 90%complete. Glenshire Pipeline Project (Contract A) The District's engineer identified sections of pipe in Glenshire for replacement due to the useful life of the asset expiring and/or increased leaks.At this time the contractor has finished installing all of the main pipelines associated with this contract and will have installed 80%of the service laterals and hydrants by the time of the Board Meeting.The overall project in Glenshire is 80%complete.The pressure reducing station in Prosser Lake view has not been started, however it is expected to be finished this construction season. Ski Slope Pipeline Project(Contract B) Contract B is another section of pipeline along Ski Slope Way that needed to be replaced due to age and/or increased leaks.This project had significant delays in the beginning due to the high snow fall in the area. Staff is anticipating that all main pipelines associated with the first section will be installed by the board meeting on September 61". However, no service laterals or hydrants have been installed. Staff is meeting with the contractor on September 01, 2023, to receive an updated schedule to ensure that the first part of this project can be completed prior to the October 16, 2023 deadline.This deadline is imposed by the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board.The overall project is about 55% complete. The second segment will not be constructed in 2023. Community and Customer Engagement: • On September 22nd the Town of Truckee recognized Joe Horvath's retirement following many years of public service with a proclamation awarded by Town Council and the key to the city. Staff was in attendance at Town Hall in support of Joe as he was recognized for his more than 24 years of service as the District's electric system engineer, engineering manager and Electric Utility Director. • The District has been a supporting member of the Tahoe Institute for Natural Science (TINS)for several years. The District's General Manager now is a member of the TINS Board of Directors to further support the mission and vision of education and engagement in the natural sciences. Page 9 of 85 TINS annual fundraising event, Guitar Strings vs Chicken Wings is being held on September 81h at the Palisades Tahoe Village in Olympic Valley. • Truckee Rotary • Placer County Water Agency District 5 Public Water Utility Meeting (August 22nd) • Local Area Utility General Managers Meeting (August 2nd) • Truckee Biomass Feasibility Study meetings (August 29th) • Truckee Donner PUD Community Circles the week of September 10-18 (see below) • Truckee Tahoe Workforce Housing Association o TTWHA continues to develop housing assistance solutions for local workforce. For 2023 the TTWHA is expanding the scope of services offered beyond local public agency workforce needs to the larger local workforce population. The expansion of services is intended to enhance the long term sustainability of programs through a broader range of funding opportunities and measureable impacts to our communities. In July,TTWHA Executive Director of TTWHA, Emily Vitas announced her plans to step down from her position to pursue other opportunities for her and her family. TTWHA has announced the selection of Emily's successor, welcoming Heidi Allstead as the new executive director. Heidi comes to TTWHA with extensive leadership experience working with regional non-profits and JPAs. Emily intends to remain connected and involved with TTWHA in support of achieving the long term strategic goals, but from more of an advisory role. • West River Street Streetscape Project o District continues to collaborate with Town of Truckee on this project. The District's major contribution is partnering in cost sharing opportunities for undergrounding of overhead electric utilities and water pipeline alignments. • River Street Revitalization Steering Committee o The second Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for September 5th at 5pm. The District's General Manager has been asked to serve on the committee as a representative of potential land partners. Strategic Planning • The week of August 131h, General Manager attended the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) 2023 Annual Conference. The four day conference was held in Jackson Hole Wyoming. The conference schedule included a variety of presentations on energy procurement planning, carbon reduction strategies, integrated resource planning,finance and emerging technologies. The conference concluded with governing board meetings for each of the UAMPS member projects. • The District has coordinated public outreach through social media, press releases, and printed media, informing our crate payers of the Community Circles scheduled for the second week of September. Rate payers and community members are being asked to register for their preferred locations and dates (see below) Page 10 of 85 Dear TDPUD Customer, Registration is now open for TDPUD's Community Circles public input meetings. Come have your voice be heard! TDPUD is hosting a series of community meetings to gather input from the public on the proposed updates to our strategic initiatives. The TDPUD Board of Directors is planning for the future and pursuing strategic initiatives that explore how to best utilize our expertise and services to improve our community and the quality of life in Truckee. The proposed initiatives focus on community broadband, service reliability and safety, net carbon reduction and local watershed stewardship. Most importantly, these initiatives are meant to benefit the community, so they need to align with our customers'needs. Community input will be crucial as we decide how to invest in Truckee's future, which is why we're hosting multiple public meetings called Community Circles. What issues matter most to you? What long-term goals and projects do you think we should prioritize? We invite you to come to our Community Circles meetings, where we will be listening to the community and gathering feedback on these topics. We will be hosting a total of seven Community Circles from Sept. 10-19. These meetings are organized by neighborhood, but if you cannot make your specific neighborhood's meeting, feel free to attend whichever meeting works best for you. Click here to register for one of our seven Community Circles, and learn more about our strategic initiative update at tdpud.org/ourfuture. Administrative Services Department Customer Service • NISC RemitPlus in house check processing implementation has begun. Live in October • Backflow device reporting and billing is being streamlined and automated between Syncta and NiSC. • New laptop devices are being deployed for Customer Service staff, 1st phase of the migration from VDI Thin Client to Microsoft 365 deployment ( IT project) • Staff to begin testing NiSC Service Order Stacking feature to reduce duplicative tasks and increase efficiency/turnaround. • 6-month write offs are falling back to pre-pandemic levels (approx. 0.05%of period revenue) • Customer Engagement: o Smarthub 87%adoption rate, o Paperless billing 84%adoption rate Page 11 of 85 • Call Center Metrics—(7/1—7/31) 0 5.25 minute average inbound call length (5.0 last month) 0 1.75 minute average outbound call length (1.75 last month) 0 1050 inbound calls (1200 last month) 0 610 outbound calls (625 last month) • Customer Service Survey Score 0 64 of 72 or 89%were Very/Extremely Satisfied with their experience with customer support (95% prior quarter) 0 94%Yes, issue completed resolved. 92% prior quarter. o Survey respondent reason for call evenly split between: billing question, payment question, new service and water leak(Only 3 for power outage) Conservation • GHG Inventory completed, Board presentation scheduled for 9/6/23 • Customer Electrification Survey completed, Board workshop scheduled for 10/4/23 Finance and Accounting • NISC payroll employee self-serve (digital timesheets) implementation underway • NISC Connect Financials-HR Persona (cloud-based) six to eight week implementation scheduled for September, plan to go live in November or December.This cloud-based digital timesheets solution is a required upgrade and is similar but more user-friendly user interface and cloud- based. • NISC Mapping&Staking implementation is kicking off. One of the many benefits of this module will be the integration of business processes with the warehouse for better inventory and equipment management. Evaluating next steps to implement barcoding of warehouse inventory. • YTD (through July) 45 applications for residential new construction have been initiated.This is down 62%from 2022 and down 57%from 2021.Typically it takes anywhere from 1-2 years for a new construction project to completed. As of July 31st there are 111 active (application completed and fees paid) residential new construction projects. Page 12 of 85