Gardner City utilities staff report mixed reliability metrics, outline water, wastewater and electric projects

Staff presented operational metrics and a series of infrastructure updates to the Gardner City Utilities Advisory Commission on Nov. 7, describing mixed reliability trends and multiple projects in design or construction.

On reliability, staff compared third‑quarter 2024 results with 2023. "The CAIDI in 2023 was 19 minutes; 2024 0 minutes," Unidentified Speaker 1 noted, and another metric rose to 76 minutes in 2024 from 40 minutes in 2023, a change commissioners asked staff to explain in monthly detail. For October 2024 staff reported a small number of customers affected (13) and several indexes near target levels; year‑to‑date figures were generally lower than 2023, prompting staff to say, "we're looking a lot better." Commissioners requested more granular monthly data to explain spikes in outage duration.

On water and wastewater operations, staff said they completed 15 water distribution repairs affecting 35 customers and completed eight sanitary sewer repairs (the report showed eight callouts but displayed four customers affected in one table; staff said they would investigate the discrepancy). Staff purchased a sanitary sewer CCTV camera in 2024, inspected about 257 manholes (approximately nine miles of pipe), and plan to advertise multiple projects for 2025 including manhole frame and lid replacement in identified basins.

Project updates included: • Substation work — procurement for Substation 1 transformer was awarded to a Korean supplier (referred to in the packet as KOC); Substation 4 design and procurement are underway with construction expected in fall 2025 with coordination with Evergy. A newly arrived motor control center is being installed by contractor HPI with an estimated 10–15 day timeline to completion. Remote configuration of an automated padmount switch is pending Novatech integration into SCADA. • Water projects — Cane Street waterline replacement (a Transite/asbestos‑containing line) was completed over the summer. A preliminary design for a water transmission line is expected to produce an RFQ by December. Design and permitting for a new Hillsdale Lake intake structure are underway with Burns and Mcdonald leading design and an anticipated permitting timeline that could be driven by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. • Wastewater projects — Windwood Park relief sewer construction was advertised in September and awarded to Site Right Construction on Nov. 4; construction is scheduled to begin December 2024. The Cedar Nile lift station and associated force main are approximately 75% through design; right‑of‑way acquisition and advertisement will follow environmental approval, which staff estimated could take three to 12 months. Kale Creek Water Resource Recovery Facility Phase 2 construction started about a month to six weeks earlier and is slightly ahead of schedule after mass grading encountered soil rather than the expected rock.

Staff also described tools used for inspection and diagnostics — ultrasonic leak detectors and flow meters deployed under manhole lids — and clarified those are distinct from the CCTV inspection camera used for visual inspection of manholes. The commission had no further business and adjourned after a motion at the meeting’s close.

Next steps: staff will investigate the reported data discrepancy in the sewer repairs table, provide monthly detail to explain the increased outage duration metric, and proceed with advertised construction schedules as permitting and contracting allow.