Paris, Tenn. – In the final meeting of the Paris Board of Public Utilities Board of Directors, held on Tuesday, July 28, the Board approved a motion to transfer the Rural Economic Development loan and grant to Paris Utility Authority.
The final item of business for the City of Paris BPU Board of Directors was the approval of a resolution concluding the business of the City of Paris Board of Public Utilities. The resolution was read aloud by Board Secretary Bethany Edwards. Moving forward all business will be addressed and voted on by the Paris Utility Authority Board of Directors.
Immediately following the final Paris BPU Board Meeting, the Paris Utility Authority Board of Directors met and began the meeting with the approval of a resolution receiving the Rural Economic Development loan and grant from City of Paris BPU. Three different loans are currently in place through this funding to promote economic development in Paris and Henry County.
At the June meeting of the Board, bid opening for the Eagle Creek Substation Power Transformer Project took place. There were eight bids placed for the project ranging from $1,319,870 to $2,261,000. The bids were thoroughly evaluated by Fisher & Arnold, the engineering consultant on the project and Paris BPU. The Board approved Fisher & Arnold’s recommendation to accept the low bid of $1,319,870 from Virginia Transformer Corporation that includes unloading, assembly and a 60-month warranty.
On July 16, bid opening for the Clifty Creek Basin Project took place. There were two bids placed for the project ranging from $4,464,208.06 to $6,321,464.75. The bids were thoroughly evaluated by Jacobs Engineering, the engineering consultant on the project as well as Paris BPU. The Board approved their recommendation to accept the low bid of $4,464,208.06 from Portland Utilities Construction, LLC from Portland, TN.
The Board voted to approve the updated Sewer Use Regulations (formerly Sewer Use Ordinance) presented by Paris BPU President & CEO, Terry Wimberley. The Regulation was amended to include revised local industrial discharge limits enforced under the Paris BPU pretreatment program. These limits are reviewed and revised every five years and have been approved by TDEC.
In other general business, the Board voted to approve the quarterly write-off of delinquent accounts in the amount of $7,834.76. The Board was also presented debt obligation forms for their review. Additionally, the Board approved a motion for Paris BPU to participate in the Safety Partners Matching Grant Program. Paris BPU applies for this grant annually and uses these funds to assist with the purchasing safety equipment vital to ensuring Paris BPU employees can continue providing reliable utility services to Paris and Henry County safely.
Wimberley concluded the meeting with his President report noting, the increase in COVID-19 cases in and around Henry County and changes Paris BPU has made in response to this increase.
“Our role in the community as essential service providers is not one we take lightly,” said Wimberley. “From day one of this pandemic, we have closely monitored the virus and its spread in Henry County. As numbers in our community continue to rise, we made the decision to close our lobby to the public to protect both community members and our workforce. Additionally, I have asked each of my managers to identify ways to improve the health and safety of their department and my managers began rolling out those changes this morning.”
Meeting attendees were all required to wear mask during the meeting and while entering and leaving the Paris BPU Electric Warehouse. Additionally, efforts were made to ensure social distancing guidelines were followed.
The next meeting of the Paris Utility Authority Board of Directors will take place on Tuesday, August 25.
Photo: Board members and BPU officials observe social distancing. Meagan Hart photo.