Tag: SUMMER13

Summer Sewer Cap Began in May, Runs Through October

Typically, most of the water a household uses enters the sewer system as waste. However, in the summertime, many residents use water outdoors – to irrigate lawns and wash cars, for example – and this water never enters the sewer system. For this reason, HU sets a cap for the summer sewer rates, at 120 percent of the average of each customer’s winter usage. Customers are not charged a sewer fee for water used above the cap.

HU uses the months between November and April to calculate winter averages, and then caps each customer’s summer sewer rates at 120 percent of that figure.

HU customers who use a great deal of water outdoors year-round might consider an outdoor irrigation meter, says Customer Service Manager Terri Harris. The cost to install one-inch irrigation meter is $275. However, there is no sewer charge for water received through an irrigation meter.

Rate changes effective July 1

Base charges for water, sewer and gas services will increase effective July 1, 2013. The average residential customer will see a monthly increase of $.76 for water services; $2.82 for sewer services; and $1.88 for natural gas services.

Gas System Operator Tony Vest Retires

HU Gas System Operator Tony Vest will retire July 1. Vest started with HU as an installer in the water department in 1987, and later became a gas installer and a crew foreman before taking over the gas department.

HU’s Gas System has grown tremendously during Vest’s 17 years as Gas System Operator. In the 1980s, he reports, the system consisted of 45 miles of pipe and 443 customers. Today, there are 210 miles of pipeline and 4,200 customers. “We typically add 40-45 customers a year,” he explains.

One of the biggest changes to the gas system under Vest has been the cast iron pipe replacement program. “We had about 40 miles of cast iron pipe, which is vulnerable to cold weather and ground changes, which is why the DOT mandated that systems get rid of it,” Vest explains. “We bit off a section each year, and are now down to less than four miles of cast iron.”

Vest retired from the National Guard in 1997, and other than his time in the military has lived in Hartselle his entire life. He and his wife, Donna, have two children and one granddaughter.

“I’ve enjoyed my time here,” Vest says. “What will I miss the most? Working with the guys in the field.”

Tree Trimming Schedule Set for Fiscal Year 2014

Fifty percent of Hartselle’s storm-related outages are caused by trees and limbs falling across the lines, says Electric Superintendent Jonathan Hampton. “And over eighty percent of our non-weather related outages are caused by squirrels,” he adds.

To minimize damages from both, Hartselle Utilities has a system-wide plan to monitor and trim trees and remove brush within ten feet of power lines, says Hampton. “We’ve got to trim the trees – even if you don’t mind it potentially affecting your power, your tree might affect 300 more people,” he explains.

In June the Hartselle Utilities Board approved the Electric Department’s Line Clearing Schedule for Fiscal Year 2014, which begins in July. Throughout the next year, HU crews and contractors will be working in the Southwest quadrant of the city, west of Hwy. 31 and south of Nance Ford Road. They will place notices on doorknobs to let customers know that they will be in an area.

If you receive a notice – a bright orange door hanger from Hartselle Utilities – and have trees on your property near electric lines, it is likely the trees will be trimmed or removed. To understand the work intended for your property, call (256) 773-3340.

Planning can minimize the need for tree trimming, according to the National Arbor Day Foundation. Within 30 feet of power lines, only plant trees with a mature height of less than 20 feet tall. Flowering dogwoods and crabapple trees, for example, won’t get tall enough to interfere with Hartselle Utilities’ power lines.

In addition to the 30-foot perimeter for shorter trees, trees with a mature height of over 40 feet
should be planted at least 60 feet away from power lines, according to National Arbor Day Foundation guidelines. This will minimize damage to power lines from trees knocked down during bad weather.

In addition to causing outages, trees near power lines can pose safety hazards. Here are some tips to keep you and your family safe:

  • If a tree branch breaks off and lands on an electric line, call Hartselle Utilities immediately at (256) 773-2533.
  • Do not touch the branch or wire.
  • Don’t cut down trees or branches near power lines.
  • Stay clear of power lines when removing any object caught in a tree.
  • Never let your ladder touch a power line.
  • Power lines are not insulated. If you touch a power line, you will be severely injured or killed. Always assume a power line is energized and dangerous.
  • Make sure children do not climb trees that are anywhere near overhead power lines.
  • Before planting or digging projects, always call call Alabama One Call toll free (7 am – 5 pm): 811 or 1-800-292-8525 for free help in identifying underground pipes or lines.

SNAP: Community Cooperation Has Big Results for Hartselle

SNAP-AerialAn ambitious concept that began with a group of civic-minded community leaders in 2006 is nearing completion. The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the entryway to the John Mark Stallings Special Needs Accessible Playground of Morgan County (SNAP) was held in May, leaving one final section to be completed, hopefully, in 2014.

The boundless playground, designed specifically for the estimated 1,700 special needs children in Morgan County, includes a swing area, playground, splashpad and pavilion. The most recent addition is the $56,500 entryway, with a lighted clock tower and backlit LED logo. The entryway also houses the plaque dedicating the playground to John Mark Stallings, beloved son of Gene and Ann Stallings who, despite having Down Syndrome, impacted and inspired thousands of people during his 46-year life.

Over the past six and a half years, volunteers from the Hartselle Civitan, Kiwanis, Rotary and Lions clubs, along with the City of Hartselle, United Way, Hartselle Medical Center, Wal-Mart, the Volunteer Center of Morgan County and the Morgan County Association of Volunteer Fire Departments have worked together to raise over $450,000 for SNAP, according to project manager Bob Francis. At last count, 389 individuals and organizations have donated money, products and services to the project. “When you take into account the in-kind services from so many individuals and companies in our area, the value of this playground to our community is over $800,000,” Francis explains, “and that’s something our community can be proud of.”

The final section of SNAP will be a second playground area with an estimated cost of $215,000. “We hope to have that completed in 2014,” says Francis, who has managed the project since 2006. He points out that the time frame for completion is largely dependent on how fast the organization can raise the funds needed.
“This is a place where all children, both special needs and non-special needs children, can come and have fun,” Francis says.

“It only takes one of these children coming out here and smiling – that’s the reward for having done it,” he says.
To donate to the SNAP playground project, visit snapplayground.org/donate or send money to P.O. Box 512, Hartselle, AL 35640.