New Search
Summary of Facilities Issues,,for EWEB Advisory Group <br /> <br /> from Glen Svendsen as of z~~Z> f1 <br /> Issue Summary <br /> • Steam Service <br /> The City of Eugene is concerned about EWEB's commitment to long-term operation of the <br /> district steam system. First, EWEB does not appear to be investing in the system. Two functions <br /> of the system have been abandoned: the condensate return system and the ability to generate <br /> electricity from the boilers. Additionally, EWEB staff at a recent Steam Customer meeting, <br /> presented several possible scenarios for the future of the system. One of the scenarios involved <br /> decommissioning the steam system.. <br /> The possibility of discontinuing downtown steam service raises serious concerns. Such a decision <br /> would drastically impact the downtown business community. The substantial cost of retrofitting <br /> heating systems could drive businesses from the downtown core. The City of Eugene would be <br /> forced to do major retrofits of the heating systems on the bulk of our downtown buildings. <br /> Finally, the number of users on the system will not grow as long as downtown building owners <br /> perceive a lack of long-term commitment. This means that the eiFiciency of scale will not help to <br /> moderate costs. <br /> • Master Bill Service <br /> The Master Bill from EWEB has been steadily declining in quality with every change in EWEB's <br /> billing system . The promise to maintain this service has not been fulfilled. We currently receive <br /> a compiled total, but the details are sent on over 300 individual bills. This information is often <br /> incomplete and inaccurate and is always cumbersome. <br /> We have, in the past, received a very good Master Bill which provided adequate detail in a <br /> convenient format. This detailed information is needed to provide verification of our total bill <br /> amount and of the accuracy of the electronic import file that we receive. The detailed master bills <br /> provides documentation for our Accounts Payable staff, and serves as a way to research billing <br /> issues prior to taking EWEB stafftime. This information is also used to verify that costs are <br /> charged back to building occupants correctly. The lack of this information is negatively impacting <br /> both work quality and workload for both organizations.. Acommitment was made by EWEB to <br /> resolve the issue within 6 months. At this point, 3 months later, no solution has even been <br /> identified. <br /> • Key Documents <br /> • EWEB Contacts <br /> Page. -8- <br /> <br />