(PHOTO BY BRENNA WHITE / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE … BPA board members (L TO R) Karen Ford, Jim Salsbury, Dick Long, Bob Eyre, and Annette Schreiner discuss their future roles serving on the Committee of the Whole.
By: Brenna White
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
The Bryan Board of Public Affairs convened for its regularly scheduled meeting on June 3 at 5:00 p.m. in the Bryan Municipal Utilities Board room.
All board members were present, including Chair Annette Schreiner, Vice Chair Bob Eyre, and members Dick Long, Jim Salsbury, and Karen Ford.
Following the call to order and roll call, Director of Utilities Derek Schultz had some sad news to share concerning one of the esteemed workers of the Municipal Utilities Department.
Patrick M. Wilde, an arborist and gifted mathematician, passed away unexpectedly on June 1. He devoted 15 years to the City of Bryan as a communications technician and was well-regarded by all. Schultz expressed his deepest condolences and asks for a moment of silence in the room.
With no public concerns presented during the designated hearing period, the board moved on to a series of resolutions and motions.
One of the primary items addressed was a resolution recommending that the Bryan City Council reject all bids received for the sale of the Communications HFC System.
This was prompted by a single bid lower than expected, which was received during the public bidding process.
After review and reevaluation, the BPA made the decision to keep the underground conduit, as obtaining its current assets and value seems more beneficial at this time. Their current approach is to keep, maintain as needed, and possibly entertain future bids when the time comes.
The board also passed a resolution to establish a new “Committee of the Whole” structure for its internal organization.
The change aims to enhance efficiency and compliance with Ohio law by consolidating oversight and communication. The new structure includes each BPA board member becoming chairman for one of the five categories, as follows:
Annette Schreiner, HR; Bob Eyre, Communications; Dick Long, Water; Jim Salsbury, Electric; Karen Ford, Finance.
Board members approved the measure and subsequently set the positions for the Committee.
Additionally, it was voted to cancel the next regularly scheduled BPA meeting, originally set for June 17, 2025, due to scheduling conflicts.
As part of its ongoing fiscal duties, the board approved semi-monthly disbursements to support municipal utility operations.
The meeting concluded with an opportunity for comments from the Board and staff. Schultz reported updates to the water treatment plant studies.
After a review of the capital budget and projected timeline, the study is expected to begin in August of this year. With no further business, the BPA meeting adjourned at 5:14 p.m.