Last chance to sign up for next week’s Collections Seminar: MEUW is hosting its every-other-year Collections Seminar to share information about the rules and regulations for utility collections and provide attendees with some new tips and techniques to make the process effective and efficient. The program is planned for Tuesday, March 26, in Marshfield. The registration deadline is this Friday, March 22. More information and registration details are available here.
Deadline approaching to nominate someone for MEUW Honors and Awards: Annually, the association is proud to recognize individual contributions and achievements toward advancing public power through awards presented at the Annual Conference. We are currently accepting nominations in a number of categories. Full details are available at MEUW.org/awards. To nominate someone in your area, please complete the nomination form and submit it by Friday, March 29. Those nominations submitted by the deadline that meet specific criteria will be reviewed by the Awards Committee.
Join us for dinner in Black River Falls on April 4: We’ll be having a MEUW District Dinner at the Skyline Golf Course in Black River Falls on Thursday, April 4. All MEUW members are welcome to attend. You can register online at MEUW.org – just look for the link in the Events Calendar. The evening begins with a cash bar at 6 p.m., with dinner at 6:30 p.m. and a short program to follow. The cost of the meal is billed to each utility’s attendees after the event. We hope you can join us!
Operations training seminars planned for the spring: Based on member feedback and in keeping with our commitment to safety, MEUW has organized two upcoming three-day workshops that will feature hands-on, in-the-field training to build our municipal lineworkers’ skills. Here are the details:
- A workshop emphasizing 600 amp fundamentals and an introduction to a 24.9 KV system will be held April 29, 30 and May 1. Training will take place at Hartford Electric’s main office with some training assistance provided by Hartford line crew as they coordinate the hands-on field training.
- An Excavation Safety Workshop is being held at Waupun Utilities from May 6 to 8. This seminar will introduce the novice excavator to the basics of safe operation, maintenance, and inspection of mini-excavators, skid steering units, trenchers, cable plows, and tractor backhoes. The training also will enrich the seasoned operators’ knowledge of these expensive investments, providing new ideas and sharing personal experiences with the tricks of the trade.
Additional details about both of the workshops can be found on MEUW’s Website. Look for the scrolling banner or click on the date from the “Events Calendar.” Specific questions can be directed to Randy Larson, Electric Utility Safety and Training Coordinator, at (715) 559-7542.
90th Annual Conference less than two months away: Have you made plans to join us in Delavan for MEUW’s Annual Conference? Registration is now open (with “early-bird pricing”) for the event May 15 to 17 at Lake Lawn Resort. Come join your public power colleagues for networking, information sharing, an educational and engaging presentations from exciting speakers. And don’t forget the recreation time, the awards presentations and the association’s Annual Business Meeting. All the details are on MEUW’s Website at www.MEUW.org/annualconference.
Member Inquiry – Would your utility benefit from training a fellow MEUW member has planned? Marshfield Utilities is hosting a Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA) course, provided by Weidmann Electrical Technology Inc., on Wednesday, May 22, at their office. The session is being opened up for other municipal electric utilities to join.
DGA is widely accepted as the most reliable tool for the earliest detection of thermal (overheating) and incipient faults (arcing and/or corona) in transformers and load tap changers. DGA testing is recommended initially at the start of the maintenance program, and annually thereafter, or at any time unusual conditions occur.
The target audience for this training is Substation Technicians, Superintendents, Lineworkers, Utility Directors and Engineers. The course will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude by 2 p.m. Additional details can be found here.
The per-person cost of the training will be determined based on the total interested. Weidmann Electrical Technology will be handling the registration. If you’re interested in attending or would like to learn more, please contact Tony Nelson at Marshfield Utilities – Tony.Nelson@MarshfieldUtilities.org or (715) 387-1195, Ext. 2140.
In case you missed it – please respond to a Member Inquiry: Kaukauna Utilities (KU) is requesting information about MEUW members’ lease agreements with AT&T. Recently AT&T approached KU to renegotiate an existing water tower lease that expires in 2026. Driven by increased technology demands, AT&T is reportedly instituting a new program to evaluate terms and conditions of its existing lease agreements. The revised leases extend through 2046 with significantly lower lease payments and terms that mostly benefit AT&T. KU is interested in hearing from municipal utilities that currently have lease agreements with AT&T and whether any of those utilities has recently been approached by AT&T to renegotiate the terms. To share your insights, please click here.
Register now for Municipal Day at the Capitol on May 22: Registration is now open for this year’s “Municipal Government and Utility Day” at the Wisconsin State Capitol on Wednesday, May 22. Similar to events held in 2017 and 2015, MEUW is again partnering with the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, Wisconsin Rural Water Association (WRWA), the Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin, and Municipal Environmental Group (MEG) Water and Wastewater Divisions for a lobbying day to educate state legislators and staff and help to advocate for municipal needs, with focus on the critical role municipal infrastructure has on the state’s economy.
All city and village officials, as well as municipal utility managers, commissioners, and staff are invited to participate in this lobbying and networking event. The day will start at 9 a.m. at Madison’s Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, and will include group breakout topical briefings followed by advocacy meetings at the Capitol. The event concludes with a lunch and keynote presentation and is expected to wrap up by around 2 p.m. Gov. Tony Evers has been invited as the lunchtime speaker.
There is no cost to participate. Registration is at http://bit.ly/May2019LobbyDayReg.
Note that plans for a “Public Power Parade” that MEUW had been considering for this lobby day event will be deferred for a future legislative rally.
Updated Directory available: MEUW has published an updated directory of public power utilities in the state. The directory – which includes the name, phone number and email address of a key contact at each utility plus facts and figures about customer count and governance – is available electronically on MEUW.org. If you’d prefer a printed copy, please submit a request to the MEUW Office – via email to office@meuw.org or call (608) 837-2263.