City of Evanston Utilities Commission met Feb. 14.
Here is the minutes provided by the commission:
1. DECLARATION OF QUORUM
A quorum being present, Chair Shure called the meeting to order at 7:17 a.m.
2. APPROVAL OF THE JANUARY 10, 2020 MEETING MINUTES
Mr. Everhart moved to approve the minutes, seconded by Mr. Skey, all approved
3. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
a. Net Zero Energy Resolution
Mr. Jensen reported that the Zero Emissions Strategy RFP that City staff issued has been closed, and proposals were due on January 31st. The City received three proposals which staff has begun evaluating and the firms have been invited to an interview. He said pricing should come in pretty close to the budgeted amount. Staff will potentially make an award recommendation by March.
b. Municipal Electricity Supply
Mr. Jensen said he has been negotiating with Dynegy to get some quotes for the City’s electrical supply. He asked for six different prices from them for six different groups of buildings/accounts, and received pricing for 6-months, 12- months, 24-months and 36-months. He will be recommending that the City go with the 6-month option for the existing accounts, the unclassified and the default, and hold off on the franchise which he will revisit again when he has more information. Mr. Jensen hopes to have an agreement signed by next month’s meeting and then he will start thinking more about the RFP structuring. He made a tentative recommendation to the Assistant City Manager to hire an energy advisor short term for assistance.
c. Aggregation Contract
Mr. Jensen said the City is still waiting for pricing from Dynegy. He had to go back and ask for some revisions in their first iteration two weeks ago. The initial pricing he received was a little lower than what the City is paying now. He was hoping to bring the municipal electricity supply agreement extension and the aggregation contract extension to council at the same time but the aggregation contract is taking a little longer than expected.
d. ComEd Franchise Negotiations
Mr. Skey provided some background on the City's Franchise Agreement with ComEd, under which a certain number of City buildings receive "free electricity" in exchange for allowing ComEd to do business in Evanston. The current Franchise Agreement is coming up on its term in the fall, and the City has begun the process of exploring issues of importance for the negotiation of a new Franchise Agreement. So far, that effort has been undertaken by a Utilities Commission committee of Mr. Skey and Mr. Partel, working with Mr. Jensen. That committee has met several times to discuss the structure of a new agreement, how the City could be compensated for the benefits it is giving ComEd , and what other energy-related items or benefits could be included either in the new Franchise Agreement or a separate Partner Agreement with ComEd. Mr. Skey described a telephone conference that the committee had with the City of Chicago's lead lawyer and Assistant Deputy Commissioner who are handling Chicago's franchise renegotiation with ComEd to compare notes and useful information on what each City is doing. Chicago's lawyer made the committee aware of what was a very informative webinar on utility franchise agreements, the materials from which were subsequently circulated to the Commission members by Mr. Nieuwsma. Mr. Partel and Mr. Jensen discussed some of the key franchise considerations, as well as questions about potential broader public participation. Mr. Stoneback noted potential participation in an expanded negotiating committee that could include one or more of the City's alderman. Mr. Jensen and Mr. Stoneback indicated that these issues would be considered further by City staff and discussed further at the next Commission meeting.
e. Storm Water Management Plan
Mr. Stoneback said the City received nine proposals, which is more than he anticipated so the schedule may be delayed a little as staff reviews all of the proposals.
f. Street Lighting Study
Mr. Stoneback said the City still has not received the street light pole yet but the manufacturer has promised to have it ready by the end of February. He expects a quick turnaround on the acceptance of it.
g. Historic District Solar Permitting
Mr. Shure reported that a representative from the Preservation Commission said they will do some cutting and pasting from all of other guidelines on using solar panels in historic districts and will present something at the next meeting on February 19th for the Task Force’s review and input.
h. CARP Implementation
Mr. Shure reported that Mr. Nieuwsma said they do not have all of the players in place yet and there is a push to get more players involved and come up with a schedule and list of responsibilities. The next CARP meeting will be in March.
4. NEW BUSINESS
a. Nicor gas meter replacement
Mr. Shure said a number of residents have been contacted by Nicor to have their meter replaced. Mr. Stoneback said that he did not receive any information from Nicor about what is driving this but noted that most gas meters have already been replaced and moved outside by now.
5. STAFF REPORTS
Mr. Stoneback reported the following:
a. Monthly utility reliability report (electric system outages, basement backups, water main breaks, service repairs)
There was nothing overly concerning in the staff reports this month. There was only one power outage of a short duration. All basement backups listed were determined to be private lateral issues. The normal number of Sewer Service Repair Permits were obtained.
b. Water & sewer fund capital improvement project status 30” Downtown Feeder Main Rehabilitation
A significant Change Order will be brought to City Council in February to incorporate an alternate bid for open-cut water main replacement in areas where it may be cheaper than CIPP lining rehabilitation.
Howard Street Corridor
This is a big project scheduled to be bid in March 2020 with construction to begin after July 4th and streetscape project will begin in 2021.
Large Diameter Sewer Rehabilitation – Greenleaf
The City obtained funding through an IEPA revolving loan. The project is expected to be advertised in March in anticipation of receiving funding.
Stormwater Master Plan On February 4th, the City received nine proposals for this work. City staff will review proposals and recommend award to the City Council in March.
Treated Water Storage Replacement
Favorable weather has allowed work to continue with smaller wall and column pours, in preparation of the next major concrete deck pour scheduled for March over Northwestern University’s spring break. The large crane is scheduled to be demobilized early in February. Installation of major ventilation components and painting are complete for the electrical room at the Water Plant.
c. Skokie rate litigation status
Evanston won the federal case and Skokie is appealing the decision. Skokie and Evanston are now in federal mediation. There is a state court hearing scheduled for later this month and the state will decide on Skokie’s request to dismiss the case. Mr. Stoneback doubts that the case will be dismissed.
d. Lincolnwood water project status
Temporary road restoration work is underway. Remaining work is on hold while Nicor relocates a gas service that was mismarked in the field. Remaining work items include a pipeline crossing on Oakton Street, pipeline testing, installation and integration of the meter vault and bulk water fill station, and restoration.
e. Morton Grove/Niles water main/pumping station status
The Morton Grove/Niles pumping station is in operation. They sent a letter to Chicago giving them 30 day notice and will start receiving their full daily demand of water from Evanston only in March.
6. ANNOUNCEMENTS / COMMUNICATIONS
a. Forthcoming Public Works Agency activities relative to the Utilities Commission
Mr. Stoneback reported that the state has granted the communication companies the authority to place small cell antennas for their 5G service on any municipally owned facility. Residents will start seeing small cell antennas on top of davit street light poles and traffic signal poles. There are also several locations where they plan to take down a Talmadge light pole and put up a 30-foot pole to put their equipment on top of, and at 16-feet will put an arm off the side of it and put the Talmadge fixture on it. He said this will really become a challenge to try to control and regulate, but the City’s hands are tied by state law.
7. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 a.m.
https://www.cityofevanston.org/home/showdocument?id=55468
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