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Minutes - 01/20/2011 - Board of TrusteesMINUTES OF THE JANUARY 20, 2011 SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PRESIDENT AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF OAK BROOK APPROVED AS WRITTEN ON FEBRUARY 22, 2011. CALL TO ORDER The Special Meeting of the Village Board of Trustees was called to order by Village President John W. Craig in the Samuel E. Dean Board Room of the Butler Government Center at 7:03 pm. 2. ROLL CALL Village Clerk Charlotte Pruss called the roll with the following persons: PRESENT: Trustees Stelios Aktipis, Mark Moy, and Gerald Wolin. ABSENT: Trustees James Carson (arrived at 7:46 pm), Moin Saiyed and Elaine Zannis. IN ATTENDANCE: David Niemeyer, Village Manager; Blaine Wing, Assistant Village Manager; Robert Kallien, Community Development Director; Sharon Dangles, Finance Director; Thomas McEllin, Fire Chief; Thomas Sheahan, Police Chief; Michael Hullihan, Public Works Director; and Mark Sterk, Village Attorney. COMED RELIABILITY REPORT Manager Niemeyer stated he and President Craig discussed creating an ad hoc advisory committee of 3 to 5 Homeowner Presidents, with assistance from Manager Niemeyer and Attorney Sterk, to review all the ComEd issues that have come up in the last several months. He also stated that the Committee will review the issues and suggest any additional steps that ComEd may want to take to improve electric reliability in Oak Brook. He asked Homeowner Presidents who are interested in serving on the committee to see him after the meeting. Representatives from ComEd presented the Village of Oak Brook Reliability Review Report. Highlights of the report include: Programs to Maintain Reliability To maintain high levels of system reliability, ComEd implements several annual cyclic system performance programs. The programs are: • Circuit Patrol (Feeder Inspection) — Visual inspection of each circuit every 4 years to identify any damages • Vegetation Management — Complete circuit trim every 4 years based on tree growth analysis • Tap Fusing — Review circuit configuration to verify all overhead branches are fused at the mainline • Post Storm Patrol — Visual inspection of damaged circuits and equipment, and tree issues after a storm to identify and fix any problems • Capacity Planning — Annual review of all circuits and substation components to monitor peak loading of the distribution system and develop load growth forecasts VILLAGE OF OAK BROOK MINUTES Page I of SPECIAL MEETING OF JANUARY 20, 2011 June and July 2010 Storms Imnact on Oak Brook • Oak Brook is served by 2 ComEd stations and 36 circuits • June Storm — 46 outages affecting 3,312 customers caused by tree contact, lightning, and high winds • July Storm —14 outages affecting 539 customers caused mainly by flooding ComEd Review of the Storms • Circuit Patrol — Identified equipment issues • Vegetation Review— Assessed any potential tree conflicts • Operational Review— identified opportunities for technological improvements Results of Storm Review • Tree Trimming — Additional tree trimming to help prevent tree - caused outages • Fault Indicators — Installation otgdditional fault indicators to help locate outages, which in turn, reduce outage duration • Lightning Arrestors — Installation of additional lightning arrestors to prevent lightning strikes from causing outages 4. RESIDENTNISITOR OUESTIONS AND COMMENTS ON COMED RELIABILITY REPORT Trustee Aktipis suggested that a plan be developed for underground wiring. Trustee Wolin stated that Oak Brook is on an older system and asked if ComEd is patching or replacing major components of the system that Oak Brook is on. The ComEd representative stated they are doing both and that there is not a program that states equipment should be replaced based on age. Trustee Aktipis asked if there is a way to determine how Oak Brook's electricity reliability is compared to other communities. The ComEd representative stated Oak Brook is a little above average when it comes to outages. Trustee Wolin asked ComEd to explain the cost and how existing wires can be buried. The ComEd representative explained what needs to be done to bury existing wiring and stated that there is an expense to the requestor to do the work. The representative stated the cost could be in the millions and needs to be a joint effort. Trustee Moy asked if there is a fundamental problem with the system and how can ComEd address that rather than do what they proposed which seems as a band aid solution. The ComEd representative stated that replacing the entire system cannot be justified and is not a smart business decision. He also stated that ComEd is regulated by the ICC. He further stated that what may seem as a band aid fix are actually enhancements to the system. Resident Harry Peters stated that he is not impressed with ComEd's or the Village's sense of urgency in regards to this matter. He also stated that Forrest Glen was hit hard with outages due to the storms. He also stated that tree trimming was not completed in VILLAGE OF OAK BROOK MINUTES Page 2 of4 SPECIAL MEETING OF JANUARY 20, 2011 December as ComEd stated since there were crews in his area the day before trimming trees. He further stated that he wants ComEd to step up and take action. Resident Tracy Mulqueen stated that ComEd is one of Oak Brook's largest corporate residents and that the Village needs to look at what ComEd needs to operate and help them find solutions to the problems encountered in Oak Brook. Resident Peter Huizenga stated that Ginger Creek did not have any problems with power outages because their wires are buried underground. He also stated that he is not willing to pay for another subdivision to have their wires underground. He also stated that he is disappointed with ComEd for not defending themselves properly. He also stated that he feels that too much time has been spent on this issue and it's time to move on to other things. He further stated that electric aggregation is very detailed and requires a lot of manpower. Resident Baker Nimry stated that his house is also supplied with underground wires and he experienced many outages. He also stated that it took two years for ComEd to figure out that the cables in his yard were outdated and needed replacement. He also stated that power outages have been a persistent problem in Oak Brook for over 5 years. Resident Terry O'Malley stated that he is in the energy business and is an advocate of electric aggregation. He also stated that a lot of excess power runs through this area. He also stated that electric aggregation is not a solution to the problem because of the infrastructure. He recommends strategically placing generators in locations that experience a lot of outages as a solution to the problem. He stated businesses in the area already purchase generators as back -up for power outages. He also stated that doing this will create a competitive market price and will give residents different choices on who supplies their power. He also stated that the Village has the right to purchase generators and power grids as well. He further stated that this will generate a lot of competition for electricity supply and will also generate business for the Village. Discussion ensued. ComEd representative stated that their goal is to have as few outages and when they do occur, the goal is to get customers power as quick as possible. He also stated that all subdivisions in Oak Brook are designed with a loop system which means that if there is a problem with equipment in one system, homes on that particular system will be supplied with electricity from the other system. Discussion ensued. A resident requested contact information for situations as occurred in Ginger Creek where there have been multiple failures. Manager Niemeyer and the ComEd representative supplied the residents with contact information. Resident Fred Cappetta stated that loss of electricity is a serious issue. VILLAGE OF OAK BROOK MINUTES Page 3 of 4 SPECIAL MEETING OF JANUARY 20, 2011 5. HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION PRESIDENTS OPEN MEETING FORUM Manager Niemeyer stated that electric aggregation will be discussed at a later meeting. He also stated that the Bath & Tennis Club will be using multiple caters in the upcoming season rather than just using Callihan Catering. He also stated that a part-time catering coordinator has been hired and the goal is to book more day time events as in the past. Public Works Director Michael Hullihan discussed Emerald Ash Borer, Gypsy Moth and a grant application for $10,000 to aid in the removal of infected trees. Resident Charles Shemely asked why the ComEd presentation was scheduled at the same meeting as the Homeowners Association Presidents meeting. He stated that he looks forward to the Homeowners Association Presidents meetings and is disappointed that there is not enough time to discuss other issues. Community Development Director Robert Kallien discussed the Chambord (Chateaux Loire) annexation. He stated that the Village received a request from a homeowners association that would like to come to Oak Brook. Staff is analyzing the impact this request will have on the Village and will have a recommendation to the Board in a week or two. Resident Don Leone stated that in the future Homeowners Association Presidents meetings should be scheduled separately. He also stated that the Village should not be in the electricity distribution business. 6. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Trustee Moy, seconded by Trustee Aktipis to adjourn the Special Meeting of the Board of Trustees at 9:05 pm. VOICE VOTE: Motion carried ATTEST: /s /Charlotte K. Pruss Charlotte K. Pruss Village Clerk VILLAGE OF OAK BROOK MINUTES Page 4 of SPECIAL MEETING OF JANUARY 20, 2011