(PHOTO BY JENNA FRISBY / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
INTERNET UPDATE … Bryan BPA Board hears from Director of Utilities, Derek Schultz on the matter of the BMU Internet currently being serviced.
By: Jenna Frisby
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jenna@thevillagereporter.com
The Bryan Board of Public Affairs (BPA) held their regular bi-monthly meeting on Tuesday, July 16th in their board conference room located at 841 East Edgerton Street.
Their meeting was called to order by Chair Karen Ford at 5:00pm. The meeting then began with everyone participating in the pledge of allegiance. Roll call was then taken by City Clerk-Treasurer John Lehner.
Present at the meeting were: board Chair Karen Ford, vice Chair Annette Schreiner, Dick Long, Bob Eyre, Mayor Carrie Schlade, Director of Utilities Derek Schultz, City Clerk-Treasurer John Lehner, as well as several members of the community and local media.
Ford then asked if there was a motion to approve the minutes from their past meetings: both their special joint meeting dated June 26, 2024 and their regular meeting dated July 2, 2024.
Eyre made motion for the approval of those minutes as presented and Long seconded. All other board members were I agreement.
Lehner then gave his clerk-treasurer report as presented before the board. Schreiner motioned for the approval of that report before the board. Eyre seconded the motion, and the rest of the board was in agreement.
Schultz then presented the need for a resolution authorizing an agreement for filter rehabilitation at the Water Treatment Plant (WTP).
Currently, the WTP is in grave need of the rehabilitation process of draining the water out, removing the sand and gravel from the unit, repairing the places that need to be replaced, replacing the sand and gravel with new, and then refilling the unit.
The WTP had been rehabbed two other times within the past four years. Board described the issue as being part of “the nature of the beast”.
With the WTP being 50 years old and having an entirely steel floor that’s covered in water 24/7/365, rust is going to accumulate and it’s going to continue to be something that is ongoing in the future as well as long as they run from this WTP.
Lehner then read through two resolutions in regard to the WTP issue. Those resolutions were:
Resolution No. 15, 2024: authorizing an agreement with All Service Contracting Corp. for filter rehabilitation at the Water Treatment Plan, waiving the bidding process, and declaring an emergency. —Eyre motioned for approval, Long seconded and the rest of the board was in agreement.
Resolution No. 16, 2024: authorizing the transfer and appropriation of funds to the 525 water capital reserve fund. —Long made the motion for approval and Schreiner seconded with the rest of the board in agreement.
The board then heard a presentation from the Director of Utilities, Derek Schultz. Schultz provided a detailed presentation over the communication services that Bryan Municipal Utilities (BMU) currently offer to their customers.
However, despite even their loyalist of customers staying with then through all the years, they cannot get around the fact that their equipment is outdated, old, and beyond its means and capabilities of use.
If something were to fail right now, it would most likely mean that they service would go out for the customer, and the BMU would most likely not be able to get that service restored to the customer.
With no real way to stay in competition with the other providers in the area, Schultz was looking for which direction to take from the board.
Whether to borrow money and invest in new equipment, or whether to come up with an exit plan and strategy between them and their customers.
After some discussion and further details given, the board spoke that the direction they would recommend would be for an exit plan.
This would mean that potentially by the end of the year BMU would no longer be offering internet services to any of their customers.
After the presentation the next item on the agenda was effect of the semi-monthly disbursements. Those bills to be paid were motioned by Long and seconded by Eyre with no board disagreement.
Ford then asked if anyone had anything to bring before the board and went around the room with an open discussion.
Schultz mentioned that the work would be done starting July 29th out on the 100 block of Blakeslee Avenue between High and Parkview. T
he crew will be replacing about 800 feet if piping therefore it will take them between 4-5 weeks to have the project completed.
Mayor Schlade then mentioned some upcoming events happening. This Saturday (July 20th) the Allie Herman Memorial Run will be taking place. Spangler’s Dum-Dum’s turn 100 and they will be celebrating out at their factory at 1:00pm. The public is welcomed to join.
The Fountain City Festival will be presenting “Newsies” at the Bryan Arts and Education Center and there will be a Bryan Alumni Concert out at the Amphitheater on Saturday evening. So, a very busy weekend.
Next Saturday (July 27th) Bryan will be having their annual Flair on the Square, so yeah another event you don’t want to miss.
With no other business or items to be brought before the board, the board entered into a recess at 5:30pm before going into an executive session to discuss the employment and compensation of public employees. No action was expected to be the result of their executive session.
The Bryan Board of Public Affairs will hold their next regular bi-monthly meeting on Tuesday, August 6th in their board conference room at 5:00pm.