by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

The vote count at the Jan. 28 Sewanee Utility District Board of Commissioners meeting showed Doug Cameron as the winner of the commissioner race. A record high of 56 customers voted. SUD Manager Ben Beavers said, “Customers commented they were pleased we had three good candidates. It brought people out.” Cameron earned 60 percent of the vote.

“We’re happy to have Doug’s experience coming back to the board,” said SUD Board President Charlie Smith. Cameron previously served two four-year terms on the SUD board, five of those years as president.

In regular business, Beavers reported on the Hydrant Survey conducted by SUD’s summer intern. The intern checked for leaks, tested flow and residual pressure, and took photographs to aid in identifying hydrants’ locations. In conjunction with the project, the hydrants were also flushed, which is an annual requirement.

The issues the intern documented included leaks, missing caps, difficulty opening, need for painting and other maintenance. Asked about the most important thing he learned from the survey, Beavers said, “The hydrants are in worse shape than I thought. Many of the hydrants we do not routinely open every year. We need to move hydrant maintenance up on the list. My goal is to have all the hydrants fully operational in three years.”

The intern earned $10 per hour. SUD has 208 hydrants. The information gathered cost SUD less than $5 per hydrant.

“The summer intern program was a great success,” Smith said. “The hydrant survey was a good value for our money.”

“It’s cheaper to fix a hydrant than replace one,” noted Commissioner Randall Henley. Beavers estimated repairing a hydrant cost $500, while replacing a hydrant cost $1,600.

Looking to future summer intern projects, Beavers proposed additional Geographic Information System mapping of the utility’s infrastructure; promotional photos and videos for the SUD website; website and social media data collection to learn what people are interested in and what they expect from SUD; and programming to educate customers, future customers, future commissioners, and future employees interested in a career in water utilities.

Beavers recommended giving hiring preference for intern projects to qualifying high school and college-age dependents of SUD employees.

Turning to a discussion of future capital expenses faced by SUD, Beavers said the next big expense would be membranes for the water plant. The membranes were scheduled to be replaced this year, according to Beavers, but tests showed them still functioning at an 80 percent recovery rate. The manufacture recommendation is for replacement at 30 percent recovery. Beavers estimated it would be five years before the membranes needed replaced, cost $60,000.

Smith reported he contacted State Representative Iris Rudder asking for her assistance in securing an amendment to the act prohibiting commissioners from serving more than two consecutive terms. Smith requested the legislature strike the clause to enable qualified commissioners to continue serving on the board. Smith will also contact State Senator Janice Bowling.