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Century Targets More Commercial Gas Meter Replacements To Boost Revenue
September 16, 2019
The Town of Century has completed the emergency installation of four commercial gas meters and will soon replace eight more in an attempt to increase their gas department’s troubled bottom line.
In August, the town declared an emergency and approved a no-bid proposal presented by now-interim town manager Buz Eddy for $4,750 to G.P.’s Gas Appliance Repair and Piping, LLC in Baker and $35 an hour to consultant Vernon Prather for the four meter replacements. No quotes or bids were obtained from any other company.
The town replaced the natural gas meters at Century Coin Laundry and Self Storage, the Southern Panhandle Cafe, Food Giant and the Sunrise Donut Shop under the emergency purchase. The four meters were faulty and not properly recording gas usage, according to the town.
Now, town is wrapping up a audit of their natural gas system route books, ensuring that each address with gas service is receiving a bill. Those that are receiving service but not being billed will be required to submit a deposit for service or their gas meter will be locked.
The Century Town Council has also authorized a request for proposals and advertising to find a contractor for eight additional commercial meter replacements.
The contractor will inspect and facilitate gas meter replacements at the following locations:
- Century Health and Rehabilitation, Industrial Boulevard
- The Sandwich Deli, North Century Boulevard
- Hudson’s Grocery, North Century Boulevard
- Century Millworks, Industrial Boulevard
- Campfire USA, Industrial Boulevard
- Escambia County EMS Post, Industrial Boulevard
- Lakeview Center, Industrial Boulevard
- Century Community Center (Ag Building), Industrial Boulevard at West Hwy. 4
The gas meters will be provided to the contractor by the town, with the contractor providing pipe fittings and calibration test ports.
NorthEscambia.com photo.
Comments
20 Responses to “Century Targets More Commercial Gas Meter Replacements To Boost Revenue”
@df I’m not sure what cgi you use, but the one I use is to be calibrated every month. But you can also purge the gas line with air to remove natural gas, inert gas works best tho. Either way sounds like century has been robbed blind. State taking over will just pass the company to another company close to fix the problems. And from my understanding there are 100’s of people not paying their gas bill because there are no records. I was also informed that century’s gas system is outdated and has to be replaced. Be looking for contractors in the next couple months rolling through replacing a lot of it!
You have to purge the gas line with inert gas like Nitrogen , then use a calibrated portable gas detector to check LEL. Gas detector should be calibrated every 3 months.
OOPS! That comment was meant for “Well” & not David Huie Green! My mistake.
@David Huie Green— “$35 an hour to consultant Vernon Prather for the four meter replacements”. Just how does one consult replacing meters? I read today about the horrific gas explosion in Maine that was fatal to a responding fireman. I assume changing meters could be dangerous, & wonder, that after shutting off the supply to the meter, how the gas already in the meter area, is safely vented out. I can see where this would take expert trained workers, who earn their pay, but where does a consultant fit in? Does he turn a wrench or give advice to the workers?
REGARDING:
“Aren’t the problems obvious by now?”
Now that a couple of big ones seem to be being addressed, yes.
Earlier? They didn’t act like it.
AND
“Does the Mayor have any responsibility?”
Much. But now some of the responsibilities seem to be taken seriously and addressed…by others.
David for the responsible acting responsibly
Whether you like the idea of the $35 an hour consultant / interim city manager or not…..
He knows about running a city government and he’s starting to hold people accountable.
One of the things that has been missing and one of the reasons Wally jumped off the ship.
Have your 35 dollar an hour consultant check out the 1.5 million missing in gas funds 3 million in general fund 25 different checking accounts this was the state audit findings anyone gone to jail yet or just skip town anyone care 4.5 .million missing this is the state audit WHERE IS WALLY didn’t show up to meetings why keep paying him part of his job
Looks like they are putting a band aid on a flesh wound while the town bleeds out from a severed artery. What about identifying all the dead beats that have not been getting a bill, and collect from that 50%. Further, any city staff or Council members that are receiving free gas should be put in jail.
Why would they be paying $35 an hour for a consultant? Aren’t the problems obvious by now? What is his job? I can see paying the people doing the ACTUAL LABOR being paid for doing the actual meter replacements.
Those listed as done or about to be done, were most likely paying at least something. I would think that a priority would be those that have been paying nothing at all.
Does the Mayor have any responsibility?
All commercial business. If I open a business In Century I get a cuter discount on the gas? Sign me up!
It’s been a good 2 weeks for Century . … what a difference an experienced professional makes……….
Install all the meters that have already been purchased prior to sourcing additional meters. The meters won’t generate revenue so long as they set in a garage or warehouse. Seems like an easy enough subject to understand, yet is totally lost on the city of Century.
Just a note…
They are fixing the symptoms and not the cause of the problems. Do not be fooled into thinking everything is okay.
Discernment!!!
And this couldn’t have been done before now? Who the heck was running this place? This is just crazy folks.
Did the long term employees just not care or is/was there some other problems that not have been made public? Other than “Where’s Wally”, who else would have been responsible for this? Who knew what and when?
It’s all in the details…..
They really should lock the meters FIRST as they have been receiving free gas for a long time. When people don’t have gas they will be quick to contact the office instead of the other way around. Everyone in the city of Century should know by now that they are facing disconnection. Why give them more time?
What about all the money that disappeared from the gas department and now he quit and moving to another town and all our money is gone looks like someone would be asking where is our towns money and a guilty person runs do the math
why was this not being done as part of a everyday work assignment? who was in charge? why do we have the same people running the towns business?
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