Tammy Cheek News Herald
Members of the
Lenoir City Utilities Board are trying to give industrial
companies a break. Monday, the board voted to reduce its rate to
those customers, contingent upon the state's approval.
Presently, the rates are $8.12 per thousand gallons for
industrial customers inside the city and $10.50 for outside
customers. The board agreed to change the rate for industrial
customers to $5.70 per thousand gallons for both inside and
outside customers. "We need to get a handle on the industrial
rate," General Manager Shannon Littleton said. He warned with
the rates as they are, LCUB could los industrial companies,
which has already happened. "I think we can demonstrate this is
a sufficient rate," Littleton said. "This change comes after a
great deal of work," Mayor Matt Brookshire said. "The Economic
and Community Development Agency helped to do this. Since we
first passed the (current) rate some time ago, we wanted to give
some relief."
The mayor praised all those who spent so much time to get the
rates down. Along the same line, the board voted to approve a
wastewater discharge contract with Wamplers and Family Brands.
As with the rates, the contract will be contingent upon the
state's approval.
In other business, the board approved several awards of bids for
various projects. Among those awards, the board approved Yates
Construction as the lowest and best bidder to construct
transformer pads at the Solway substation. The company's bid was
$46,872.
The board also approved tree trimming contracts to the following
companies to do work at the following sites: Galloway
Construction LLC, $119,890 at Manis 214, $44,886 at Cedar Bluff
224 and $47,698 at Solway 224; Asplundh Tree Expert Company
Inc., $28,898.40 at Ebenezer 244, $49,289.60 at Lenoir City 264,
$29,289.60 at Lovell 244, $7,322,40 at Lovell 274, $26,352.60 at
Lovell 284, $13,907.20 at Lovell 234, $14,644.80 at Northshore
234, $71,530.80 at Eaton 224 and $18,306 at Watt 214; Lancaster
Tree and Lawn Service, $28,560 at Ebenezer 224; and ABC
Professional Tree Service, $4,500 at Manis 224. The total cost
is $545,392.20.
Additionally, the board awarded landscape maintenance and mowing
contracts to the following companies, listed as lowest and best
bidders: Lasting Impressions Lawn Care for work at the warehouse
on 900 Nelson St. at $218 per week, gas department properties at
$29 per week, sewer department properties at $176 per week and
electric department properties at $396 per week. They also
awarded a bid to Thomas Complete Lawn Care for work at water
department properties at $200 per week.
Another bid awarded went to Service Electric Company for
substation transformer pad construction. The bid was $159,620.
In other business, the board:
• Approved a
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Generation Partners Pilot
agreement, which will become effective in August.
• Authorized the
electric department to purchase the following materials, 500
GE-210 from 2S Class 320 amps for $77 each, 500 SP-2386-K4
adapters for $60 each, 5,000 GE 1-210 meters for $26.70 each;
5,000 Centron meters at $26.75 each, 5,000 Tantalus modules for
Itron at $26.70 each; 5,000 Tantalus modules for GE at $82.25
each and 250 Tantalus 220 MHZ transceivers at $315 each.
• Approved the
purchase of a Ford F-450 cab and chassis from Ted Russell Ford
for $28,130.
• Agreed to
combine revenues for the water and wastewater departments to
support the solvency of the wastewater department. The board
also voted to combine the checking
accounts for the two departments into one joint account.