July 7, 2010

BPA commissions new electric switchyard

This spring, the Bryan Municipal Utilities completed construction of a switchyard to serve as an interconnection to First Energy and provide a second power supply source. Located at the corner of State Route 34 and County Road 15.75, the switchyard adds more reliability and voltage control to the electrical system and opportunities to generate power and perform maintenance.

During the regular meeting July 6, the Board of Public Affairs voted to commission and rename the switchyard Bechtol Switchyard in honor of former board member Lauren “Skip” Bechtol. Electric Superintendent Brian Carlin showed a timeline of construction photos, and BMU video department provided viewers with a virtual tour of the new facility. The video is also available on the BMU TV Web site: bmutv.com.

On Thursday, July 15 at 11 a.m., Bryan Municipal Utilities and the Bryan Board of Public Affairs will host a ceremony commissioning the new electric switchyard and dedicating it to Bechtol.

Skip Bechtol served on the Bryan Board of Public Affairs for more than 21 years before retiring in 2009. As a board member in 1981, Bechtol voted to construct a 10.5-mile, 138kV transmission line to connect to Ohio Power for primary power supply. The change from Toledo Edison to Ohio Power enabled the board to decrease electric rates by 23 percent and saved Bryan Municipal Utilities electric customers more than $1 million annually for the next 23 years.

Bechtol resigned from the board in 1983 in order to pursue an advanced degree in his professional field. Then in 1992, he volunteered his time to serve on and co-chair the Bryan Electric Reliability Review Committee.

The committee was charged with considering alternatives for maintaining reliability of the electric power supply for the city of Bryan and offering recommendations to the Board of Public Affairs. In August 1994, the committee recommended that the BPA pursue a second primary power supply source to provide more reliability.

Bechtol was appointed to serve on the Board of Public Affairs again in 1998, and he picked up where he left off, making the second interconnect high on his list of things to accomplish.

In 2009, while Bechtol was chairman, the BPA and First Energy finally came to an agreement on the long-sought second interconnect. The Board purchased property, and the Bryan electric department constructed the switchyard to provide Bryan with a back up power source.

Following the commissioning ceremony, Bryan Municipal Utilities will hold a lunch to honor Bechtol and recognize utility employees and area vendors for their roles in constructing the switchyard. Those vendors are American Municipal Power, Donaldson’s ACE Hardware, Farrell’s Lawn and Garden, Lingvai Excavating, MK Power Solutions, S & S Directional Boring, Spectrum Engineering, Strait-Line Fence, and Thiel Supply Center.