Board Members present: Sandra Bishop, Vice President; Dorothy Anderson, Susie Smith, Peter Bartel.
Others Present: Randy Berggren, JoAnn Andersen, Jim Origliosso, Tom Buckhouse, Cathy Hamilton, Garry Kunkel, Dick Helgeson, Lamonte Smith, Tom Martin, Mike Logan, Gale Banry, Gary Jackson, Jim Maloney, Mat Northway, Bob Lorenzen, Scott Spettel of the EWEB staff; Sara Patton, NWEC; Patrick Lanning, guest.
Vice President Bishop called the Regular Board Meeting of the Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB) to order.
AGENDA CHECK
Vice President Bishop requested that Agenda Item 11, Renewable Energy Project Acquisition immediately follow Agenda Item 6, Northwest Energy Coalition's (NWEC) Eagle Award.
APPROVAL OF CONSENT CALENDAR
Vice President Bishop indicated that the following items were included on the
Consent Calendar:
Commissioner Anderson moved, seconded by Commissioner Bartel, to approve the Consent Calendar. The motion passed unanimously.
CORRESPONDENCE
General Manager, Randy Berggren reviewed a number of informational items, copies of which were included in the meeting agenda packet, including:
Mr. Berggren reviewed draft agendas for the next Board Work Session and Board Meeting.
ITEMS FROM BOARD MEMBERS
Commissioner Anderson announced that the Downtown Visioning Group had scheduled a special public meeting on June 24 concerning how the downtown area, the EWEB Headquarters and Agripac sites might be developed in the future. Noting that during its last meeting the group talked about possible alternate uses (housing, retail, office, government, cultural) of the EWEB Headquarters site, Commissioner Anderson said she would like to comment on her dissatisfaction with the group's process, which does not take into account the constraints associated with development of the EWEB site. She said the June 24 meeting will allow interested citizens to join in the discussion.
Vice President Bishop requested that staff provide the Board with copies of a recent newspaper article regarding the possible future uses of the EWEB Headquarters site.
PUBLIC INPUT
There was no public input.
NORTHWEST ENERGY COALITION'S (NWEC) EAGLE AWARD
Northwest Energy Coalition (NWEC) representative Sara Patton presented the coalition's annual Eagle Award to EWEB in recognition of its regional leadership with respect to conservation.
Commissioner Smith acknowledged the Bonneville Power Administration's (BPA's) contribution to EWEB's successful conservation programs.
RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECT ACQUISITION
The Commissioners and staff continued discussion of this matter which was initiated during the preceding Board Work Session. Referring to a memorandum entitled Renewable Resource Projects, copies of which were included in the meeting agenda packet, EWEB Power Resource Analyst Jim Maloney presented a brief overview of staff's recommendations to the Board with respect to each possible renewable resource acquisition project. The Commissioners asked a number of clarifying questions.
Commissioner Bartel moved, seconded by Commissioner Smith, to approve the staff recommendations included in the June 13 memorandum entitled Renewable Resource Projects. The motion passed unanimously.
FILLING VACANT COMMISSIONER POSITION
Noting that Commissioner Mike Dyer had resigned from the EWEB Board, Mr. Berggren said the Board, according to its Bylaws, had the authority to appoint a replacement Commissioner, and that the appointment must be made within 90 days. He said the City Recorder would then formally swear-in the new Commissioner.
Commissioner Bartel moved, seconded by Commissioner Smith, to appoint Commissioner-Elect Patrick Lanning to the EWEB Board, effective immediately. The motion passed unanimously.
SUPPLEMENTAL BOND RESOLUTION
Referring to a memorandum entitled Amendment to the Supplemental Bond Resolution, copies of which were included in the meeting agenda packet, EWEB Treasurer Jim Origliosso explained that the closing of the water bond sale was to occur in the early morning of June 20. He said the prior supplemental bond issue approved by the Board called for the President of the Board to sign the facsimile of the Bond instrument with co-signatures by Randy Berggren and him. Mr. Origliosso stated that when staff informed bond counsel that Commissioner Mike Dyer had resigned from the Board, the bond lawyer requested that general counsel review the bylaws to determine how this matter should be addressed.
Mr. Origliosso said that Jodie Mooney of the Calkins firm reviewed the bylaws and cited the authorities of the Vice President to "act in the absence" of the President as sufficient authority. Subsequently, the bond attorney from the Ater Wynne firm indicated that closing could go forward as planned with the understanding that the Board would ratify the specific authority of the Vice President to act in this instance during the June 20 Board Meeting.
Mr. Origliosso requested Board approval of the amendment to the supplemental bond resolution that specifies that Vice President Bishop was empowered to sign the facsimile bond and any other documents required for the closing.
Commissioner Bartel moved, seconded by Commissioner Anderson, to approve the supplemental bond resolution specifying that Vice President Bishop was empowered to sign the facsimile bond and any other documents required for closing. The motion passed unanimously.
UMATILLA PROJECT
EWEB Power Management & Planning Manager Scott Spettel requested that the Board authorize staff to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between EWEB, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and the City of Hermiston, Oregon, which allows EWEB and the other parties to "flesh out" the details of a project that would later be brought to the Board for review and approval.
Commissioner Smith stressed the importance of having "demonstrable benefits" of the project to the citizens of Eugene.
Commissioners asked a number of clarifying questions concerning the MOU.
Commissioner Anderson moved, seconded by Commissioner Smith, to approve the Initial Development Agreement, dated June 12, 2000, and authorize the General Manager to sign the final version of the MOU, following appropriate legal review of the document. The motion passed unanimously.
LANE TO IRVINGTON TRANSMISSION LINE
Referring to a memorandum entitled Lane to Irvington Transmission Line, copies of which were included in the meeting agenda packet, EWEB Civil/Mechanical Senior Engineer Gary Jackson explained that the purpose of this presentation was to provide an opportunity for the Board and staff to discuss the route selection process for the electrical transmission line with respect to:
He said it was important to note that construction of the new line was not anticipated until sometime after a five-year planning horizon. He recalled that staff recommended that preparatory work be completed over the next three budget years, in advance of development of the surrounding properties.
Mr. Jackson explained that the Lane to Irvington line was incorporated into EWEB's long-range facilities plan in the 1960's. He said the proposed line was a "backbone" transmission loop that will one day be required to serve planned distribution substations (Hilyard, Barger and Airport) in the westerly portion of EWEB's service territory. Mr. Jackson said EWEB staff has worked with City and County planning agencies to forecast customer growth and demographics in the West Eugene area. He said engineering studies indicate that the additional transmission capacity will be necessary to reliably serve projected growth. Mr. Jackson said the new line would be approximately six miles in length, depending upon the final routing. He said it would originate at Bonneville Power Administration's (BPA's) Lane Substation located just Southeast of Fern Ridge Reservoir. Mr. Jackson said Lane is one of two bulk power substations that serve Eugene, Springfield, and the surrounding area. He said the other end of the line would terminate at EWEB's future Irvington Substation at Irvington Road and Northwest Expressway.
Mr. Jackson explained that the route evaluation team has completed a comprehensive evaluation of the various route alternatives. He said route segments have been combined into approximately 25 total routes consisting of overhead, underground, and combinations of the two. He said it was reasonable to expect that by the time construction of the transmission line occurs, public pressure may dictate undergrounding all or a portion of the route. As such, two separate analyses were preformed: one for the construction of an overhead line, the other considering the impact and potential of undergrounding all or portions of the line. Mr. Jackson said staff has tried to identify the best overall routes that provide EWEB with the greatest amount of flexibility in pursuing overhead and undergrounding options in the future.
Mr. Jackson presented a brief overview of the proposed public involvement process related to the West Eugene Electric Transmission Line, noting that it would include
He said the proposed public information schedule was, as follows:
Commissioner Bartel expressed concern regarding the proposal to hold open houses during the late summer months, as many people are on vacation during that time, but agreed to leave the scheduling of the meetings up to staff.
Members asked a number of clarifying questions.
ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT CALENDAR
There were no items removed from the Consent Calendar.
The meeting adjourned at 10 p.m.
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Assistant Secretary President