Meeting of Commissioners of
Public Utility District No. 1 of Clark County, Washington
July 16, 2019
A meeting of Commissioners of Public Utility District No. 1 of Clark County was held at the Electric Center, 1200 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver, Washington, on Tuesday, July
16, 2019.
Present: President Nancy Barnes, Vice President Jane Van Dyke, Secretary Jim Malinowski Commissioners, CEO/General Manager Lena Wittler, Director of Finance Melissa Ankeny, Director of Water Doug Quinn, Director of Engineering Cal Morris, Director of Information Services Mike Harris, Director of Energy Resources Dan Bedbury, Director of Customer Service Lisa Fix, Director of Operations Gene Morris, Director of Communications Erica Erland, Loss Control Manager Carly Nelson, Fleet Manager Paul Chamberlain, Energy Services Project Manager Matt Babbitts, Senior Legal Counsel John Eldridge and Assistant to CEO/General Manager Margaret Anderson.
Press Representatives: Jeff Mize – Columbian
Others Present: Don Steinke, Alona Steinke, Dale McLain, Lucile McLain and Carl Lepper – JD Power (Materials A)
At 9:00 a.m., President Barnes called the meeting to order for the transaction of formal business. Commissioner Barnes noted a quorum was present and the agenda (Materials B) was approved as submitted.
Consideration of the Minutes of July 2, 2019
There were no changes or corrections.
Public Comment – Non Agenda Items
Member of the public Don Steinke shared his thoughts on Senate Bill 5116 and energy waste in Clark County.
Consideration of Accounts Payable
The board, by a unanimous vote, approved the following payment amounts as listed on the Letter of Transmittal dated July 11, 2019 from the District Auditor (Materials C):
Electric Revenue Fund – $20,607,019.32
Water Revenue Fund – $3,062,871.89
Generating System Fund – $3,329,913.47
For a total of $26,999,804.62
J.D. Power Presentation
Carl Lepper, J.D. Power Utility Practice Director, addressed the board (Materials D). Mr. Lepper gave an overview of the categories included in the 2019 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study and discussed where Clark Public Utilities ranked in each of those categories both in the West and nationally. He congratulated the utility on being named highest in customer satisfaction among mid-size utilities in the West, for the twelfth year in a row. Mr. Lepper also shared that J.D. Power will be moving its study to a calendar year and updates will be made to the survey itself in the coming year.
Consideration of Bid Award No. 575 – Distribution Wood Pole Replacements
Materials and Purchasing Manager Cathy Wannamaker reviewed the memo dated July 16, 2019, detailing the bid results (Materials E). Commissioner Malinowski moved to recommend that Bid No. 575 be awarded to the low evaluated bidder, DJ’s Electrical, Inc., in the amount of $320,160.00 plus applicable taxes. Commissioner Van Dyke seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.
Consideration of Bid Award No. 578 – OH & UG Construction Services
Materials and Purchasing Manager Cathy Wannamaker reviewed the memo dated July 16, 2019, detailing the bid results (Materials F). Commissioner Van Dyke moved to recommend that Bid No. 578 be awarded to the low evaluated bidder, Christenson Electric, Inc., in the amount of $926,280.35 plus applicable taxes. Commissioner Malinowski seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.
Electric Vehicle Program Update
Energy Services Project Manager Matt Babbitts provided the board with an update on public Electric Vehicle (EV) chargers at the Electric Center and Operations (Materials G). The existing chargers have experienced reliability issues and extended downtime, which has impacted usage by customers and employees. Mr. Babbitts shared that staff is recommending the utility move to a new vendor to provide Level 2 EV charging at both locations and noted that the Level 3 fast EV charger at the Electric Center has already been replaced by the current vendor Blink.
Commissioner Malinowski moved to replace the existing Level 2 EV charger infrastructure at the Electric Center and Operations, with new Chargepoint Level 2 EV charging units to be installed by Christenson Electric, via the CPAAS product. Commissioner Van Dyke seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Following the motion, Mr. Babbitts provided the board with an update on House Bill 1512 allowing Washington State public utilities to offer incentive programs to support electrification of transportation. Staff will keep the board informed during rule making and utility program design.
Commissioner Reports and Comments
Commissioner Barnes reported on her attendance at the Columbia Springs Board Meeting.
Staff Reports
CEO/General Manager Lena Wittler congratulated Erica Erland on her recent appointment as Director of Communications. Ms. Wittler also introduced Carly Nelson as the new Loss Control Manager, she replaces Sharon Crouch who retired mid-July.
Public Comment
There were no additional comments.
Other Business before the Board
The board recessed to executive session at 11:10 a.m. in accordance with the Open Public Meeting Act, RCW 42.30.110 (1)(g) – to evaluate the qualifications of an applicant for public employment or to review the performance of a public employee. It was noted that no action would be taken and the session would last until 11:30 a.m.
Commissioner Barnes reconvened the public meeting at 11:45 a.m. and there being no further business to come before the Board, the was meeting adjourned at 11:45 a.m.