No word from BEGWS on electric upgrade
By ROB PRICE THE COURIER-ADVOCATE

BATH - A proposed multimillion dollar upgrade of the local electrical infrastructure remains in limbo as Bath Electric Gas and Water Systems reviews the proposal with the utility's engineers.

Matthew Benesh, director of utilities for BEGWS, told Bath village board members last month the utility continues discussions with Massachusetts-based PLM Electric Power Engineering.

Those talks follow the village board's refusal in December 2007 to support a request from BEGWS to finance a $9 million electric upgrade. Board members asked Benesh, instead, to consider a smaller project in keeping financially with an initial $5 million price tag for the upgrade.

The board also requested an opportunity to meet both with Benesh and the utility's engineering firm. Since that December meeting, however, Mayor David Wallace says he has heard nothing from the utility regarding a joint meeting.

In an interview last week with The Courier, Wallace noted the village agreed last year to issue municipal bonds to pay for a proposed $5 million upgrade. Since that period, however, the projected cost of the project has nearly doubled, with Benesh citing soaring prices for electrical transformers, a major feature of the infrastructure plans.

The village needs the upgrade, according to Benesh, because of rising electricity use that threatens to exceed the amount of electricity BEGWS is able to distribute.

Wallace agrees the electrical improvements - at least in some form - are necessary. "The purpose of the bond nobody disagrees with," he said.

"We have to have an upgrade of the system, so we can increase the amount of electricity available. We're not at the crisis stage yet, but it needs to be addressed."

The mayor added he continues to wait for a joint meeting with BEGWS and its engineers.

I have not heard back from anybody about a scheduling of that meeting," he said.

Benesh last week told The Courier he had planned to meet recently with PLM engineers, but the meeting had to be canceled because of winter-time illnesses. He declined to discuss the specifics of any discussions between the utility and its engineers, citing the unresolved nature of the issues.

Wallace's next step: An appearance at the next meeting of the Bath Public Utility Commission, whose members are appointed by the village board and which is responsible for overseeing BEGWS. I do have concerns that I want to address with the commission," he said. "I intend to be at the next meeting."