By Shannon McFarlin WENK/WTPR News Director
Paris, Tenn.—Customers of the Paris Board of Public Utilities (BPU) will begin using its temporary business office to pay bills at the end of April, when renovations of the public utility’s downtown office building in downtown Paris begins.
Renovation of the downtown office has been planned since September to provide better security, improved customer service and better internal proficiency. As has been previously reported, estimated cost is $580,000.
Temporary office space will be utilized across the street from the BPU offices on E. Washington St. (in the building where the former Renaissance boutique was located). The BPU is leasing the building and has been performing renovations for the past few months so that temporary office space can be located there.
BPU General Manager Terry Wimberley told board members today that bids for the renovations to its office building will be sent out on Monday and opened on April 19. “We will review them and have a recommendation for the board at its next meeting April 24,” Wimberley said.
Construction at the main headquarters will begin in mid-May, but the temporary offices will be open for business April 23.
The move to the temporary headquarters will occur over the weekend of April 21-22, he said.
Eight employees, including security personnel, will be moving to the temporary headquarters and perform customer service there. The main BPU headquarters will be locked while renovations are ongoing.
In other business during a mostly routine meeting, the board approved a resolution recommending the refinancing of the Series 2008 Bonds which were used to fund the installation of the automated electric metering system now used by BPU.
Wimberley noted that the bond issue totalled $6 M for a period of 15 years “and we’re ten years in now”, which means the bonds are now callable.
The current interest rate environment provides an opportunity to refinance the bonds in order to realize debt service savings, he said. With refinancing, an estimated $45,000 in savings could be realized.
Upon Wimberley’s recommendation, the board agreed to ask Paris City Commission to authorize issuance and sale of bonds not to exceed $1,625,000.
If it appears that the bond reissuance would not be positive for the BPU, it will not be finalized, he said.
Photo: The BPU customer service office in the building at the corner of Washington and Poplar Streets, across from BPU. (Shannon McFarlin photo).
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