Grid Work Is Priority In City Meeting
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Making improvements to the city’s aging electric department grid received a big boost after the city was accepted in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program
WATER VALLEY – The Water Valley Board of Aldermen and newly elected mayor Tommy Reynolds rolled through a lengthy agenda during the March 5 meeting that included action on projects big and small. The strongest development discussed during the city meeting was acceptance in the Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program that will allow the city to leverage $1.6 million in grants already received for the electric department for additional matching dollars.
Reynolds explained that the city has been selected by Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) as one of 20 municipalities that will participate in the program, inclusion that came after multiple meetings as the deadline was approaching. Reynolds also said Water Valley was the last applicant accepted by TVA to participate in GRIP. The mayor added that one of his top priorities since taking office on Feb. 16 was improving the resiliency of the city’s electric grid.
“We talked with (TVA) and pleaded the case for Water Valley to participate. It was unlikely, they said, that we would be accepted because the deadline was coming up,” the mayor reported in the meeting. “I got a call from TVA late that afternoon, they agreed to accept our city in the GRIP program if we will ask for it,” Reynolds continued.
Reynolds next introduced Jeff Atwell, president of Starkville-based Atwell & Gent, P.A., a consulting firm that works with city-owned electric departments across the northern half of the state. Reynolds explained that Atwell can assist the city with the program.
Atwell told city officials that the GRIP program was launched in mid-2023 and noted the federal government’s program is incredibly complicated but TVA’s involvement makes it feasible. He added that the application process has been underway for over a year and Water Valley was fortunate to get accepted this late in the process.
“TVA tried to look at electric systems that are under-capitalized and are struggling financially. They were very selective on who they invited into the partnership,” Atwell explained. “When the mayor called, I really didn’t have much hope. It was serendipitous, a distributor dropped out at the last moment. This is a generational opportunity, you will never get another opportunity like this again,” he continued. “It is a 50 percent match, it is an opportunity to take grant funds you already have received and leverage them to basically double those grants.”
Next Atwell provided a brief overview of Water Valley’s electric grid.
“When we look at electric systems, we always want to be able to survive one piece of equipment being out of service whether it is for maintenance, failure, storm or whatever,” Atwell said. “We don’t want a substation transformer, a substation circuit breaker or the incoming transmission line to be the single point of failure. Unfortunately that is Water Valley’s electric system. There is one transmission line, one circuit breaker and there is one substation transformer. If any of those fail, you are out.”
Atwell also said if the city ordered a new substation transformer today to replace the current equipment, some that is 70 years old, it would take an estimated three or four years to receive it.
“Water Valley really needs to address the substation situation,” he added.
Aldermen unanimously adopted a resolution to participate in GRIP and to hire Atwell and Gent.
“I think this can be transformative for our city… we have to do what is best for the people. I appreciate everybody joining together for this,” Reynolds said after the vote.
Other projects approved by aldermen during the two-hour meeting included:
• Approved a request from Liz Reynolds for work at city hall including landscaping, improvements in the lobby, pressure washing the exterior of the building and replacing the fence around the heating and cooling units.
Liz Reynolds said work in the lobby would include cleaning the front door and installing new lettering, adding colorful pictures in the lobby, installing a bulletin board for notices and replacing the lighting and possibly the ceiling tiles. She said volunteer funding and labor will be utilized for the projects.
Work on the exterior of the building includes landscaping the brick enclosed area where the flag pole is located with the possible addition of a small bench for a seating area. Liz Reynolds said members of the Town and Country Garden Club including Patsy Humphreys, Jessie Gurner, Teresia Edgar and Zandra Walker will spearhead the landscaping work.
Other exterior work included putting a film over the garage door windows to hide the view of items stored inside the garbage bay on the northwest end of the building.
“You wouldn’t be able to see through it, it would make it look a little nicer,” she said.
Next on the list is replacing the wooden fence that shields the exterior HVAC unit.
“It just fell into disrepair,” she said. “I have a friend who does that kind of work who volunteered to do this.”
Liz Reynolds’ last suggestion was to utilize the concrete area in front of the garage doors for handicap parking, a job that would include pouring a small concrete ramp to access the existing sidewalk for wheelchair access.
“This will require a little more work, that it would be a little expense (for the city). I did want to point that out, it would be a future possibility for handicap parking,” she added.
Aldermen voted unanimously for Reynolds’ requests including adding the handicap parking area.
Liz Reynolds said the projects could take a few weeks or longer.
“Thank you, Liz, and thank you garden club,” the mayor told his wife following the request.
“Thanks mayor,” Liz Reynolds said, drawing laughter from the packed room during the jovial meeting.
• Heard an update on an effort to raise funds for a splash pad in the city. Lindsey Faust is coordinating the effort and reported two-third of the funding has been raised from private donors. She is working with an architect for input on the location of the splash pad, or a water play area for children.
Faust said maintenance is minimal and research continues to identify a design with minimal problems.
“The rest we will go out and raise,” she added about the remaining cost estimated at $90,000.
The splash pad would be constructed on city-owned property and donated to the city upon completion. Aldermen provided verbal nod to proceed with the project.
• Scheduled a public hearing on April 25 at 6 p.m. at city hall in connection with a flood control project in the city.
“This is about the flood control project that we have been working on about two-and-one-half years now that will hopefully come to fruition. It will be approximately seven million dollars that could help address some of the flood needs in our community,” Reynolds explained.
