Electricity rates going up slightly

Electricity rates going up slightly

By SUE WATSON
Staff Writer

John Collins, general manager of the Holly Springs Utility Department, said electricity rates will increase soon by about 3 cents per thousand kilowatt hours, an upward quarterly fuel cost adjustment imposed by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Customers won’t notice much of an increase in their monthly bill, he said.

Collins reported on construction progress at the Coldwater Electric Substation at Mt. Pleasant to the Holly Springs mayor and board of aldermen.

Dirt moving for site preparation and other work out on bid had to be revised in scope due to bids running substantially over engineers’ estimates for the job.

Collins said Mid-South Consultants recommended not to rebid the job but to scale down the scope in order to keep work rolling on schedule.

The board of aldermen voted to accept a bid of $92,052 from Bain and Sons. Work pulled out of the contract included delaying the draining of a pond on the property because water will be needed during construction; soil testing; installation of a silt fence and additional grading - all to be done by HSUD instead of the contractor. Bain and Sons was the low bidder before the scope of work for site preparation was reduced, bidding $175,309. Argo Construction had bid $204,211.

Construction of the substation is scheduled to be finished by next summer. Bids for the work are to be opened July 11, Collins said.

In sewer works, Don Hollingsworth, public works director, said the old Chatham Heights sewer system built in 1962 and serving one-third of the city, won’t be designed for repair until the utility gets a closer look at what is underground. The old lines are between 10 to 20 feet in some places and a number of manholes cannot be found, he said.

So the city will use television cameras to examine the sewer for places where it is damaged and to locate lost manholes before repairing it. The sewer winds its way across the southeastern portion of the city to Craft Street and then on to the lagoon west of town.

Hollingsworth estimated the cost to television and to clean the sewer will run about $25,000. But the area will operate off the old sewer line while work on the new one is in progress.

In other business, the board of aldermen:

approved a setback variance on an existing lot for Tom Stewart.
received some revisions on the architectural contract for the new police station.
approved a change order for $90,000 on the Lund building at the Holly Springs Industrial Park.
authorized Ricky Shoffner to take bids on a new trash pickup truck. The old vehicle is wearing thin but will be kept for a back-up, Shoffner said. During the growing season the city needs to run two trucks, he said. The truck won’t be purchased until next budget year.
approved an ad valorem tax exemption for Maury Manufacturing.
authorized the police chief to apply for a grant to hire a resource officer for Parks and Recreation.

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