In the Russellville Electric Board’s most recent meeting Nov. 15, REB general manager Charles Canida gave a status update on the project to build a 40-by-100 metal building to house equipment and storage.

Bidding out the construction was previously approved at the Sept. 20 meeting.

Canida reported the following bids had been submitted for the project:

• CNM Testing, Florence, $3,320. Canida said this bid is “kind of out of the guideline” compared to the advertised request for the project. “The best I can tell from what they submitted, it was for testing of the concrete and, possibly, the ground,” he continued. “That’s the best I can make out of the bid.”
• Hovater Metal Works, Russellville, $153,000 for a four-door building or 158,000 for a five-door building.
• Wallace Backhoe Service, Russellville, $175,931.88 for a four-door building or $180,179.86 for a five-door building.

The board agreed with Canida’s recommendation to go with a four-door building, under the rationale that a four-door layout will provide more space between the bays. REB member James McDuffa made a motion to approve Hovater Metal Works for the project “since it’s the cheapest,” and the board approved.

Canida said Hovater Metal Works is required to start the groundwork within the next 30 days.

Regarding a potential expected timeframe, Canida said he had “put some feelers out on how long it’s taking to get metal buildings now,” and from what he’d been told, “it shouldn’t be any problem to get the building in by March.”

“March seems like a long way,” added Canida, “but, at the same time, it’s considerably shorter than what the lead time used to be on metal buildings. So, that would give time for the slab and groundwork to be done.”

YEAR-END BONUS FOR JOINT OFFICE EMPLOYEES

Canida reported that in 2021, the board approved a $500 year-end bonus for the joint office employees, “same as the other two boards, gas and water.”

“We have a total of six joint office employees,” he said. “The water board has already approved their portion at their last meeting. The gas department approved, and already paid, their portion to the joint office employees back around the end of August.”

Board secretary/treasurer Bill Jackson made a motion “to follow suit with the other two boards,” and the board approved the motion.

DOCUMENTATION REQUEST POLICY

In other business, the board also discussed its documentation request policy.

Citing increased cost of office supplies, the board voted to increase the fee for documents from 50 cents per page to $1 per page.

“It’s not something we’re making money off of anyway. It’s just to recoup our cost and our office expenses as far as paper and printer cartridges,” Canida noted.

Requests for documentation or records are to be made through the attorney of the Russellville Electric Board, Bedford, Rogers & Bowling. Copies of documents or records provided to an individual or entity will be provided by the attorney. Under the revised policy, the copying and processing fee is $1 per page with a minimum fee of $3 per request, as well as a researching fee that will be assessed at an hourly rate, “in addition to any copying, processing and researching fees that may be assessed by our attorney,” according to the policy.

NEXT MEETING

The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 20.

Meetings are held in the conference room of the Russellville Electric Board warehouse, 1012 Jackson Ave. S.