Kanarraville board approves switch to Zenner transmitters for water meters

The Kanarraville Town Board voted Dec. 12 to adopt Zenner transmitters for the town's water meters after a presentation from Peterson's Plumbing representative Brad. The vendor told the board the Zenner mesh system would be more durable for the town’s topology and could be brought online in stages once collectors are installed.

Brad said the company had been testing the product and expected a mesh-network rollout could be completed at a cost that would keep town expenditures within the previously discussed $25,000 planning envelope. He also said Peterson’s would provide a credit (cited at roughly 13,397 on the quote) and supply materials to shorten lead time. “So the solution that I've been trying to work for for you guys is a company called Zener,” Brad said during the presentation.

Board members asked how readings would be collected and whether the system would integrate with the town’s billing software. Brad said the radios would form a daisy-chain mesh to collection points in town and confirmed the company would work with the town’s billing vendor on the interface and integration. He said collectors typically support thousands of connections and that the company could provide local training and assist with initial setups.

After discussion, a board member moved to proceed with the Zenner transmitters; the motion passed by voice vote. An agenda item summary recorded that the vendor would provide lead times and an implementation schedule to town staff following the meeting.

The board recorded next steps as (1) ordering the initial collectors and radios, (2) scheduling vendor-led or vendor-assisted training, and (3) coordinating integration with the town’s billing system. The vendor committed to providing arrival estimates and working with staff on power and mounting locations.