Details Of Power Outage Shared In City Meeting
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Mayor Tommy Reynolds shows an attachment from a utility pole in the city that was the culprit in a power outage on Nov. 4. The power line detached from a sleeve used in a previous line splice and the line fell to the ground, striking a utility worker.
WATER VALLEY – Water Valley Electric Department Superintendent Brandon Richardson provided details about an outage on Nov. 4 that left portions of the city without power for over three hours. Speaking at the monthly city aldermen meeting on Nov. 5, Richardson explained that the outage stemmed from the replacement of two utility poles on Wagner Street in connection with a project to construct a fast charging station for electric vehicles on Main Street.
Richardson said the plan was to keep the lines energized while replacing the two poles but when one of the power lines was disconnected, a sleeve used for a prior line splice did not hold. The energized line fell to the ground, hitting a vehicle and striking a worker on the shoulder.
“It wasn’t wet, and thankfully it didn’t shock him,” Richardson said.
Richardson immediately went to the substation to cut off the breaker, cutting power to the line. He noted that when crews work on the old lines in the city, outages will occur.
“With what we have to work with, as old as it is, it is 110 percent safer to kill it,” Richardson noted.
“Safety is first,” Ward Four Alderperson Nicole Folson noted.
“We want to thank you for your actions that you took. We know you had the city in mind, you had your people in mind, and you had the citizens in mind and we do appreciate you,” Alderman-at-Large Herbie Rogers added.
The power pole replacements are funded by a grant the city received from Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to build the rapid charging station. The work was contracted out to Grays Power Supply.
Richardson also received approval from aldermen to advertise for proposals from outside companies to provide assistance for emergency repairs or other work on the city’s power grid. He explained that outside help could be beneficial in the aftermath of a major storm or other calamity.
“As it stands, we are basically down to four people,” Richardson said about his crew, adding the labor shortage “ultimately boils down to money.”
“Everybody knows my brother and I work here together. Our family is getting older, it may be a day when a line hits the ground and we have a family emergency,” Richardson noted.
• Other activity in the meeting included:
Calhoun Street resident Elizabeth Smith questioned city officials about the proposed construction of a micro-solar farm in the city. Smith’s barrage of questions included why city officials did not hold public hearings on the project, why information has not been provided about how the savings from purchasing electricity from the solar farm at a reduced rate will benefit customers, how will the solar panels be disposed of after they reach the end of life, and the potential overall environmental impact.
Citing research, Smith said studies indicate that by the year 2050 the discarded solar panels will take over the plastic waste of the entire world by more than double.
“The city has been awarded four to five million dollars, apparently it has been broken down in funds that will come from the feds and the state,” Smith added.
Mayor Tommy Reynolds noted that the city has received $4,585,000 that will help fund upgrades to the city’s electric grid.
“That has absolutely nothing to do with the 12 acres for the little solar plant,” Reynolds explained. “Industry pays for that, the city does not pay for that,” Reynolds explained.
The mayor noted that the annual savings will tally around $90,000 to $120,000, savings generated as the electricity purchased from the micro-solar farm will be less expensive than electricity purchased from the city’s electricity provider, Tennessee Valley Authority.
The mayor also explained that the city-owned electric department benefits everyone in the city.
“The electric department is us, us in this town. They are not somebody out of Mars. They are your friends, they are your neighbors,” Reynolds told Smith. “And everything this board does is adopted in public meetings.”
• Received a report from Keli Lindsey, the new manager of the Water Valley Main Street Association (WVMSA). Lindsey shared that WVMSA received $20,000 from a Small Town Revitalization Grant for planned improvements in the Pocket Park on Main Street. She assumed duties at the beginning of the month
“I am looking forward to continuing the great progress that has been made,” Lindsey also told alderpersons.
• Approved a recommendation from the Water Valley Main Street District and Historic Preservation Commission to reappoint Mickey Howley and Nicholas Trépanier for another three-year term. Cinnamon Foster shared the request, explaining that both commissioners were willing to continue serving.
Foster is the city’s Certified Local Government Coordinator, duties that include serving as a liaison between the commissioners and city officials. Other commissioners are Leigh Ann Black, Robbie Fisher and Emily Fransee.
