The Brainerd Public Utility Commission Tuesday morning heard an update on issues the Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport utility extension project has been experiencing.
During his report, superintendent Scott Magnuson touched on some of the leaks which have been afflicting the project since the start of the year.
"It's not going very good," Magnuson said.
The line put in place by Tom's Backhoe Service has had a couple of leaks in the past month, Magnuson said. Construction took place this summer but the airport has yet to connect its portion of the project to the line which runs out to the airport along Highway 210.
When completed, the project will bring BPU water and sewer service to the airport. Tom's Backhoe Service this past summer completed the city of Brainerd's portion of the project, while Ryan Contracting completed the airport's portion.
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The water main has been leaking and the system has had a hard time holding pressure, Magnuson said. This is odd, he said, because the system passed pressure tests last fall.
"Now all of a sudden it's like Swiss cheese out there," Magnuson said.
Leaks should not be caused by the ground shifting or moving, Magnuson said. The contractor is finding loose bolts along the line, he said, which is odd.
It's been helpful to have no one hooked up to the water lines, Magnuson said, as it makes it easier to detect leaks. Issues first started popping up in January, he said.
In other business, the commission briefly discussed the status of the utility's economic development rate program, which was approved by the commission in January 2016. The rate gives large electricity users a rate discount during their first five years as BPU customers.
Secretary/finance director Todd Wicklund provided a list of BPU customers which have taken advantage of the rate. There are 12 customers using the rate, four of which are restaurants, three of which are manufacturers and two of which are delivery services.
Commission President Dolly Matten asked about the inclusion of Bill's Gun Shop & Range, which is located in Baxter. She said she thought the rate was designed to entice businesses to locate within the city of Brainerd.
The BPU service territory includes portions of Baxter, as well as parts of some townships, Wicklund said. The rate has to apply to customers throughout the service territory, he said, not just parts of it.
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"Either they're a customer of BPU or they're not," Wicklund said. "We do serve parts of two cities."
The rate applies to customers in two service classes: general service demand and large light and power. Over the course of five years, general service demand customers will save an average of 13 percent on their electricity costs. During the same period, large light and power customers will save an average of 9 percent on their electricity costs.
The effective start date for the rate is Dec. 1, 2015, which means the rate takes effect for new customers which start after that date.
