Questions linger over HSUD crisis

Holly Springs Utility Department customers filled the seats at The Apothecary Friday, July 21, to get an answer on how long it will be before they have reliable electricity. The dire issue is causing misery to those dealing with the lengthy outages.

“I would like to hear some plan to correct this thing,” Joe Omedo said. “It’s been going on too long.” The State of Mississippi House members held an official field hearing to discuss the area’s utility problems and the recent challenges of the HSUD. This meeting was the first of three to be held.

A bipartisan panel, State Representative Rep. Chris Brown, Rep. John Faulkner, State Senator Neil Whaley, Rep. Jon Lancaster, Rep. Jerry Darnell, Rep. Bill Kinkade, and a representative from U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly’s office, came together to find out the challenges and to work toward solutions on the crisis.

“It’s a crisis here and we need to bring attention to this crisis,” Rep. Brown said. “We are here in a united effort to fix the crisis that vastly impacts the people of the HSUD who need reliable power. We are here to work together and to find answers. To find answers to help HSUD.”

HSUD is owned by the City of Holly Springs, and even though the citizens have continually come to city board meetings, the mayor and board of aldermen have not been able to resolve the misery of those affected by the outages for over a year.

The field hearing is to gather information about the HSUD crisis.

“Appliances and groceries have been lost,” Faulkner said. “This situation is a dire one.” Faulkner said it is crucial to stabilize this system so all customers will have dependable service.

Whaley thanked everyone for coming and Brown for allowing him to come and sit with the house meeting.

“This must be taken care of and must be resolved,” Whaley said. “Getting the facts for what has happened and what has got to happen to get this problem resolved.”

Kinkade expressed to the HSUD customers how dedicated the panel is to resolving this crisis.

“I work with these gentlemen on a daily basis and they can feel your heartbeat,” Kinkade said. “They know what goes on. We watch the weather, and the news, talk to our neighbors and friends, and monitor what goes on in our community.”

Kinkade said the response and help sent after the ice storm on Jan. 31 was a miracle.

“The gentlemen to my right and to my left sounded the alarm and the Legisture heard it,” Brown said. “The speaker of the house allowed this to happen because he is 100 percent dedicated to help and to be of the solution to this problem.”

Brown said that the problem will not be solved today, but this will start the process.

The panel stressed in their opening remarks the concerns of the customers and the importance of resolving this crisis.

“We are here today to discuss a serious matter,” Faulkner said.

For the past two years, the customers have experienced enormous power outages due to storms that have hit the area. Some outages have lasted for weeks.

HSUD’s former interim general manager, Don Warren and the assistant electrical superintendent Michael Howell were present to answer questions from the panel.

Warren, employed at HSUD for over 25 years, started as a groundsman and became interim general manager for two years (retiring in Dec. 2022).

Warren said the most significant challenge would be the right-of-ways and the second is getting experienced help.

“We are not getting anybody with experience,” he said.

Faulkner asked Warren about the problems with the ROWs.

“ROWs are clearing the lines and HSUD doesn’t have the workforce to do it,” Warren said. “We tried to do it inhouse, but it just didn't work out.”

Faulkner continued asking if HSUD had someone to cut the ROWs today and how long it would take to cut it completely.

Warren compared it to the last contractor hired to cut the ROWs.

“In five years, it’s time to go cut it again,” Warren said. “It’s a never ending job.”

Warren said that a few years ago, everything was good.

“Who is in charge of setting up those contracts for doing the ROWs?” Whaley asked.

Warren said the previous management.

“The ROWs are clearly a challenge,” Whaley said.

“How many connections are on the system?” Brown asked.

“A little over 12,000,” Warren said.

Brown asked about the systems upgrades, and Warren directed him to Michael Howell.

Howell has worked with HSUD since 1981.

Faulkner asked what the daily challenges are.

“Experience, equipment, and reconstruction,” Howell said. “We’ve got to do it.”

Howell said poles are rotten and stressed that the department has to get up-to-date.

“Out of 12,000 customers you have, how updated is the infrastructure?” Whaley asked.

“We can start by doing it. We don’t have the people to do it and we don’t have the equipment to do it,” Howell said. “It is going to take some time and some help. We’ve got to have help.”

Whaley said he appreciates what Howell is doing

“Talk about the reconstruction problem. With that problem, does it come down to manpower and resources available?” Whaley asked.

“Right,” Howell answered.

“Do you feel as if the contractors are being used probably as they should to take care of the issue?” Whaley asked.

“We haven’t had any yet,” Howell said.

“The only contractors we’ve had is to come in and help with the storm work,” Howell said.

Whaley asked if, on an average day, do they have related issues and problems.

“Yes, manpower and resources,” Howell said.

Whaley weighed in on Marshall County’s growth.

“Are we seeing the ability to get these new houses on line or is that service lacking as well?” Whaley asked.

“It is real slow,” Howell said. “People are out there waiting for new power and we are not able to get it now.”

“In your opinion would you say the current grid system that we have today is it equipped to handle the new houses or is there going to have be upgrades with the grids as well (needed)?” Whaley said.

“We have to upgrade, that is a priority,” Howell said.

Brown asked Howell how many linemen HSUD has working now.

“I would say about five or six,” Howell said.

“You are saying that the resources are not there to maintain the system,” Brown said. “What percentage of the outages are non-storm related?”

“Without the upgrades, we knew it was coming,” Howell said.

“If we (HSUD) don’t upgrade the system and don’t get the resources to take care of the repairs, do you see the system collapsing?” Brown asked.

“It’s collapsing now,” Howell said.

“This is not anyway to live,” Brown said.

Melanie Farrell, vice president of external strategy and regulatory oversight with the Tennessee Valley Authority, presented to the panel the list of improvements and financial reporting requirements given to the city.

Farrell reviewed the assessment with the mayor and board of aldermen at the March 7 board meeting, and hiring a qualified general manager was at the top of the list of recommendations. TVA specially cited HSUD’s response to the April 2022 thunderstorm and the Jan. 31 ice storm.

HSUD has not had a general manager for the last eight months and continues to have equipment problems, an insufficient number of employees (linemen and service men), and right-of-ways not being cleared of heavy vegetation for the past two-and-half years.

Brown asked Farrell if this is something she often sees with the 153 power companies TVA serves

“No,” Farrell replied. “This is not a situation that has happened overnight, but the severity of the conditions of system is not something that we see across the valley.”

TVA serves 10 million customers across the region and received 3,000 complaints from the HSUD service area.

“Our emphasis on our regulatory requirements is really largely been on that financial side of the business. But ultimately, that wholesale power contract gives the responsibility and accountability of operating and maintaining the system to local control,” Farrell said.

“So, we are not positioned to come in and take over, but we are partner with Holly Springs–long-term partners. That is why we are here. That’s why we are invested and ensuring that we are working with the leaders and legislators and offer what support we can to find a solution,” she said.

Brown closed the meeting by thanking everyone for coming.

“We heard from many people, federal, state, and local governments,” he said. “We have also heard some potential solutions. Today is a starting point. It’s not the end. Today we begin the process of ensuring the people of Holly Springs Utility Department that they will have the power to heat and cool and will have the lights they need for their homes and businesses.

“If we work together, we can fix it for the people in the HSUD and future generations. But this is the first step.”

Customers of HSUD gathered Monday, July 31, at Rust College to speak to the panel in a public comment setting. See in next week’s edition what the customers say about outages are affecting them.