FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
Aug. 13, 2018
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LAST WEEK
Call Center RFP Award
FMPA received five proposals last Wednesday in response to a request for Utility Call Center Support Services. The FMPA members participating in the joint bid selected ENCO Utility Services. The next step is to execute a Master Services Agreement, which should be complete in the coming weeks. Under the proposal, ENCO can provide call center support services for after-hours calls, rollover calls during business hours, outage calls, emergency calls, and utility crew dispatch. In addition, ENCO can provide value-added services, such as emergency notifications and payment processing. The bid process was structured to be compliant with federal procurement standards applicable to FEMA’s Public Assistance disaster grants. ENCO currently provides call center services for Newberry, Winter Park and Homestead. Contact: Sharon Samuels
Ductile Iron Poles Award
McWane Poles was selected for a contract to provide and deliver ductile iron poles to FMPA members following an invitation to bid. The bid documents are available for download from FMPA.com. Contact: Sharon Samuels
Farewell, Md Haque
Md Haque resigned his position as Operations Engineer. His last day was last Friday. We wish him all the best.
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THIS WEEK
Member City Visits
Jacob Williams, Frank Gaffney and Chris Gowder travel to Lake Worth on Tuesday for a presentation to the Utilities Advisory Board. Jacob travels to Williston on Wednesday to meet with City Manager Scott Lippmann. Ann Beckwith and Navid Nowakhtar travel to Bartow on Thursday to meet with Brad Hiers, interim electric utility director. Cairo Vanegas meets Friday with Tim Beyrle, director of system operations at the Utilities Commission of New Smyrna Beach, along with other utility staff members. Mike McCleary travels to Blountstown on Friday.
Substation Training Series
FMPA’s Substation Training series will be held Tuesday and Wednesday at Orlando Utilities Commission’s Engineering Building. The topic for this session is Substation Hazards and Controls. The hands-on course is designed to provide participants with in-depth instruction on substation-related topics and is tailored to the specific equipment of the attendees’ utilities. The training is full with 19 people registered to attend. Contact: Sharon Samuels
Crew Leader Roundtables
Regional crew leader roundtables will be held in Alachua on Wednesday and Havana on Thursday. There’s still time to register for upcoming roundtables in Homestead, Kissimmee and Bartow. Attendance at the roundtables is free, and lunch will be provided. Contact: Mike McCleary
Florida League of Cities Presentation
Jacob Williams travels to Hollywood, Fla., on Thursday for a presentation at the Florida League of Cities Annual Conference. The presentation, entitled “Solar, Deregulation and Electric Vehicles – A Municipal Perspective” will be part of a session called Florida Utilities Forecast.
Lineman Career Fair
Cairo Vanegas attends the Northwest Lineman College’s career fair on Friday in Edgewater, Fla. Students attending the career fair are currently enrolled in the college’s 15-week Electrical Lineworker Program and will be looking for groundworker and apprentice opportunities in the electric utility industry. Cairo will promote careers in public power.
Debris Removal RFP
FMPA is developing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for debris removal. Members are invited to participate in the collaborative initiative. Details on how to participate will be sent to FMPA members this week. Contact: Sharon Samuels
All-Requirements Project Weekly Load Statistics
The weekly update of the All-Requirements Project historical load graph will be posted later this week on the Portal. The graph is updated through Aug. 12. Contact: Jim Arntz
Special Dates
Congratulations to Sharon Adams, who celebrates 17 years with FMPA on Monday, Aug. 13.
Congratulations to Rattanak Srun, who celebrates six years with FMPA on Monday, Aug. 13.
Congratulations to Carter Manucy, who celebrates 22 years with FMPA on Sunday, Aug. 19.
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COMING UP
ARP Solar Committee
The All-Requirements Project’s Solar Participants Advisory Committee meets Aug. 23 at 8 a.m. at FMPA’s Orlando office. Contact: Susan Schumann
FMPA Governing Board Meetings
FMPA’s governing boards are scheduled to meet Aug. 23 in the Orlando office. The meetings are a week later than normal to avoid conflicting with the Florida League of Cities’ annual conference. The Audit and Risk Oversight Committee will meet at 8:30 a.m., followed by the Board of Directors at 9 a.m. and the Executive Committee at 9:30 a.m. Contact: Jacob Williams
Frontline Training Course
FMPA hosts a course from the Frontline Utility Leadership series Sept. 12-13 at FMPA’s Orlando office. The two-day session will focus on human performance. The training is designed to develop well-qualified and highly effective utility leaders. Registration is available online. FMPA and Florida Municipal Electric Association members receive a discount by entering the code FMPA18 at checkout. Contact: Sharon Samuels
Cybersecurity Summit
The American Public Power Association (APPA) will hold its first Cybersecurity Summit in Austin, Texas, on Nov. 13-14. The program is designed for those new to cybersecurity or those who want to get up-to-date on the latest trends and technology. Learn from leading experts and colleagues about the important priority of protecting our nation’s electricity infrastructure. The cost for APPA members is $645. Registration is available through APPA’s website.
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INDUSTRY NEWS
PSC Approves Duke’s Smart Meter Program, Including Customer Opt-Out Cost
The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) approved a plan last Tuesday for Duke Energy Florida to install smart meters for all its customers by 2022. Customers will be able to opt-out of the program and keep their current meters by paying a $15.60 monthly fee. Duke says the additional fee is to offset the cost of manually reading meters.
Duke Seeks Early Termination of Power Purchase from Biofuel Plant
Duke Energy Florida filed a request last week with the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) seeking early termination of a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Ridge Generating Station in Polk County. The plant uses waste wood and landfill gas as fuel. Under the plan, Duke would recover $34.5 million from customers to end the PPA that is currently effective through 2023. The utility says the move would save at least $37.6 million and reduce carbon-dioxide emissions. Duke asked the PSC to consider the plan at its October meeting.
Private Equity Firm Targets Purchase of Municipal Utilities
Bernhard Capital Partners met last week with Lafayette, La., City Council members to present a plan to purchase the municipal utility. Jeff Jenkins, a partner representing the private equity firm, said in a statement, “Lafayette is the only city that we are dealing with in the South where our plans for future investments in the community have leaked.” Jenkins said talks like the ones occurring in Lafayette are taking place with multiple utilities in the region.
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FMPA Weekly is published by FMPA for employees and governing boards of FMPA member utilities. Questions or comments about this newsletter may be directed to Jeff Grainger or Lisa Rienhardt in FMPA’s Public Relations Department.
Want more background on the names and terms used in this newsletter? Check out FMPA’s Glossary, which features some of the most frequently mentioned committees, companies, places and terms, or contact the person named in each FMPA story to learn more.
Have a question, comment or story idea for the newsletter? FMPA welcomes your feedback at any time. Contact: Jeff Grainger or Lisa Rienhardt
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Florida Municipal Power Agency
8553 Commodity Circle
Orlando, FL 32819-9002
Tel 407 355-7767
Fax 407 355-5794
www.fmpa.com
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