Last Updated on June 27, 2016 by cassnetwork
Here’s your weekday update with Michelle Dials for Cass County Communication Network for Monday, June 27, 2016. You can listen with the link above.
POWER OUTAGES FRUSTRATE RESIDENTS
Some Logansport residents expressed frustration after experiencing multiple power outages Sunday afternoon. LMU superintendent Paul Hartman says crews shifted the load and removed some tree limbs from lines.
POWER DISCUSSIONS MOVING FORWARD, USB MEETING TUESDAY
Local leaders are still working to decide where LMU will get the electricity it sells to its customers in the coming years. The Logansport City Council and Utility Service Board met in executive session last Wednesday. Mayor Dave Kitchell said in a news release that city officials will seek additional information from a vendor, and McCullough Research will be asked to review three proposals for purchased power agreements.
An Indianapolis firm, Lewis & Kappes, was commissioned to evaluate the six proposals LMU received, and a news release in April said the firm had indicated that multiple proposals of the six presented can be considered viable alternatives for LMU when its current PPA expires at the end of 2018.
LMU shut down its coal-fired generating plant early this year because of looming EPA regulation deadlines. LMU currently purchases all of its power from Duke Energy, which is one of the six entities interested in a new long-term agreement with LMU. LMU is contractually obligated to notify Duke Energy by Dec. 31, 2016, if it will not renew its contract past 2018.
According to minutes from the May 24 meeting of the Utility Service Board, LMU’s electric rates have dropped by 30% due to the generating plant’s closure and resulting fuel cost reduction. While the third and fourth quarter may see a 1% increase, rates should stabilize for the next couple of years as fuel costs from MISO are passed on. At that meeting, USB members pointed out that LMU essentially provides the lowest industrial rates in the area, based on 2016 electric rate comparisons. (See a PDF of the minutes here).
The Utility Service Board will hold their regular monthly meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 28, in the LMU Board Room on the third floor of the Logansport City Building. The agenda includes the wholesale power proposals, a financial update and an update on the LMU generating plant. That meeting is open to the public.
CITY COUNCIL TO HOLD MEETINGS
The Logansport City Council’s Finance Committee will meet at 6 p.m. tonight, and their agenda includes the capital improvement plan, reinstatement of the deputy mayor position, issues related to the 18th Street project and other financial issues that may need to be addressed. That meeting will be held in city council chambers on the 3rd floor of the city building, and is open to the public. The regular city council meeting for July will be Tuesday, July 5, due to the Independence Day holiday.
Also this week, a quarterly meeting will be hosted by Logansport City Council Ward 1 representative Dave Morris and at-large representatives Kevin Burkett and Terry Doran. The meeting will be held at the Penman Building on Smith Street, across from Huston Park, and begins at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 30. The Logansport Street Department superintendent, Tony Shanks, will give an overview of the responsibilities of his department, and what residents might do to assist them. All are invited to attend.
POLICE SEEKING INFO ON SHOOTING
Anyone with information about an incident that occurred early Friday morning on the- River Bluff Trail is asked to contact Logansport Police at 574-753-4101. Police were called to the trail around 3:44 Friday morning and located a male victim who had sustained two gunshot wounds to his abdomen. The victim was taken to Logansport Memorial Hospital and lifelined to Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne. The incident occurred between the Cole Bridge and the west end of the trail.
FOSTER PARENTING INFO SESSION
The Cass County office of the Department of Child Services will hold an information session on foster parenting Monday, June 27 from 5-7 p.m. Prospective foster parents can stop by any time during these hours. The Cass County DCS office is located at 1 Cass City Center — the PNC Bank Building — Suite 300, in downtown Logansport.
FREE BICENTENNIAL CONCERT JULY 3
You can find details on local Independence Day celebrations including festivities in Walton, Twelve Mile and Logansport, on CassCountyCalendar.com. One special event taking place this year will happen Sunday, July 3. The Cass County Bicentennial Committee will present a free concert, Encore on the Sagamore at Little Turtle Waterway Plaza in downtown Logansport. Beginning at 6 pm, local folk rock band, Sparrow 5 (with Lewis Cass teacher Matt Barnett), will perform on the Cass County Community Foundation Stage. At 7:30 pm, the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra, led by Maestro Nick Palmer, will perform a variety of pops and patriotic tunes, highlighting Indiana themes and songwriters. This Sunday presentation is a part of the Cass County Arts Alliance’s Summer Sundown Series. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own picnic baskets, chairs, blankets, bug spray and sunblock. The park will be sprayed for mosquitoes early that afternoon to deter them. The Cass County Bicentennial Committee has been funded by the City of Logansport, Cass County Commissioners, and the Cass County Community Foundation in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Indiana’s Statehood.
Inspiring Corporate by Scott Holmes is licensed under an Attribution License
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