YEAR IN REVIEW … BPA Director of Utilities Derek Schultz gave the Bryan Board of Public Affairs annual reports for the Communications and Water Departments, and the board thanked him for how comprehensive the reports were.
By: Anna Wozniak
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
anna@thevillagereporter.com
The Bryan Board of Public Affairs met on February 6, 2024 at 5 p.m. Present were Board Chair Karen Ford, Vice Chair Annette Schreiner, members Dick Long, Jim Salsbury, and Bob Eyre, alongside Bryan Mayor Carrie Schlade, and City Treasurer John Lehner.
Bryan citizen Bill Metz then discussed video broadcasting concerns, as well as the spam email issue that has been persisting since the second week of January.
Some website errors were also brought up to the board’s attention, and member Dick Long shared that he was thankful for the feedback.
Metz asked for an itemized list with regards to how expensive the camera update is going to be, sharing that there may be more cost-effective options that have not been looked into.
The spam email issue is related to a Barracuda safety certificate that was not renewed due to costs. It was shared that a new safety certificate could be purchased, but that spam filtering will be an ongoing issue that will need to be addressed long-term.
The board shared that it was more than “just a financial issue” that caused them to choose to both discontinue the safety certificate and video transmission, and that the decisions made on both issues were also based on logistics with respect to outdated equipment and rising replacement and repair costs.
Without cable profits, the board no longer has the extra funds to support many of its prior purchases, and as such has slimmed down expenses, which encapsulated the discontinuation of both the video transmission and the Baracuda safety certificate.
A motion was then made approving a letter of support for the 50-unit senior living housing project that is currently seeking grant funding.
A change order upgrading to this year’s model for the purchase of an International-Terex Digger Derrick was approved, and Jimmy Dunning was promoted off of probationary status to a regular employee.
Mayor Carrie Schlade was named delegate and member Dick Long alternate for this year’s OMEA Board, and committee assignments for this year were also reviewed.These lists will be approved in resolution form at future meetings.
It was then that the Communications and Water Departments gave their 2023 report. The Communications Fund ending combined balance was $1,996,274, with internet sales totaling $622,726 and fiber optic sales at $127,176.
2023 saw communications with 1,087 total customers, and a sales revenue of $751,401, the lowest revenues seen, with a gradual decrease every year from 2020’s $2,307,208 of sales revenue.
It was detailed how HFC Internet continues to provide internet at two different speeds (30Mbps and 10Mbps) and ended 2024 with 1,064 customers.
Various fiber optic projects taken on throughout the year were then shared, including the solar field optic project, the Allied Moulded fiber interconnection, the power plant substation fiber optics, water treatment plant fiber optics, well water fiber network.
The BMU network saw a headend data center rebuild and upgrade, a Cisco Core network upgrade and replacement, Microsoft Office and Exchange upgrades, and an audio system replacement for BMU and Council Chambers.
The Water Utility saw an ending combined funds balance of $4,065,831 and a total annual interest payment on debt services of $175,930.58.
2023 saw water use decrease by 1.2% since increasing 10% in 2022, bringing 2023’s total utility usage to 362,066,306 gallons of water.
The Water Treatment Laboratory tested 449 bacteria samples, had their operators recertified, met all Ohio EPA requirements, and conducted regular Ohio EPA monitoring, with 2023 seeing a total of 487,924,000 million gallons pumped.
They cleaned the red sand filter, constructed the North Well Field and Well 7 backup generator, and conducted various upgrades throughout the year.
The work done in part by the engineering department was then shared, including the North Well Field generator, Well 5 conversion, Blakeslee Avenue project design, Navarra Ave 800-900 block design, West Edgerton Street to North Lynn Street pipe replacement, piping to the new Spangler’s Candy World, and much more.
The bills were then approved as presented, and it was shared that 1,846 of the new Badger water meters have been installed, with the project coming along nicely.
A bid for rental space was awarded to last year’s tenant, and the mayor then welcomed Bob Eyer back to council, as did everyone present.
The members agreed to look into some of the issues presented by Mr. Metz, and congratulations were given to Mr. Dunning on his promotion off of probationary status.
The Communications and Water Departments were thanked for their hard work throughout the year, and Director Derek Schultz was thanked for his comprehensive departmental presentations before the board voted to enter into a brief recess before entering into an executive session.