POINTS OF INTEREST FROM THE MEETING OF ELECTRICAL COMMITTEE

LAKE TYEE                JANUARY 29, 2010

MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE:  

Allen Ward, Janet Walsh, Richard Zegers, Dan Pfluger, Tracy Skinner, Brian Esau, Bill Aldrich and Pat Sweeney.  North Sky also had two representatives, Chris Roethle and Barry Eronson, in attendance to answer questions and provide informational support.  Labor and Industries was invited to attend the meeting but were unable to send a representative.

Members introduced themselves and gave brief description of their backgrounds and their goals as members of the committee. The group agreed that the electrical project needs to move forward but that the majority of lot owners could not afford the currents assessment so we need to come up with a plan that can accomplish both.

Discussions were opened for comments and questions.  Members raised questions about the scope of work and the possibility of changing the execution of the master plan.  Discussions were had about the high voltage system and the chronic repair history.  Questions were asked about working on the primary high voltage system first and working on the secondary system at a later time.

Chris from North Sky commented that if you replace the primaries as they are, it would be difficult to replace the secondary.  You should replace the vaults and primaries as specified.  It will be easier to replace the secondaries with vaults and transformers in place per the Master Plan.  The group agreed with this comment.

North Sky went on to explain that they have a good working relationship with Potelco and that Potelco has a very good understanding of  the current system in Lake Tyee since working on site and with the most recent outages.  Both were there after this power up when 4 lots had no power,  North Sky and Potelco were out to find and solve the problem, at no cost to Tyee.

A question asked about funding the project.  It was suggested that a special assessment would be done to cover the primary work only.

Question was asked about how approachable L&I would be about doing just the primaries at this time.  Chris from North Sky felt that L&I would work with Lake

Tyee as long as Lake Tyee addressed the primary system and the safety issues.

All members agree that the primary has to be replaced.  It was agreed that North Sky would do an overlay of the existing plan to replace just the primaries and check the pinch points and connections to existing panels.  Some panels may need to be replaced at the same time.

CONSENSUS OF THE GROUP:

1.  
   1. The existing engineered plan by North Sky is the design that will remain the Master Plan.
   2. Lake Tyee must address the safety issues throughout the park.
   3. The committee will look at switching the execution of the plan to replacing the primaries first, per the Master Plan specifications, once North Sky does the overlay and designs the bridge work from the new primaries to the existing secondaries.
   4. Propose that we would put the revised plan of replacement of primary only out for re-bid.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE BOARD

1.  
   1. We instruct North Sky to do the overlay and design bridge work from the new primary to the old secondaries.   North Sky will not charge to do the overlay but there may be a small fee for engineering.
   2. We need to address electrical safety issues and violations throughout the park and take necessary action.
   3. Discuss rebidding primary work only at this time.

Next meeting of the committee will be February 13, 2010.

HISTORY OF WHERE WE HAVE BEEN WITH THIS PROJECT  -  written by Pat Sweeney in the Fall of 2007

Over the past few years the frequency of power outages at Lake Tyee’s facilities have increased significantly.  The system was designed in mid 1970’s and is now failing.  

Last summer, after one of the power outages, Lake Tyee received an unsolicited bid from a contractor to replace the entire High Voltage System for $2.4 million. The Board of Directors decided not to accept the bid and step back and consult an Engineer that was familiar with facilities like Lake Tyee.  North Sky Communication was consulted to do a complete inventory of the High Voltage System at Lake Tyee, make recommendations of a path forward and present their finding to the board and lot owners.

This study was completed and presented to the lot owners at the September Lot Owners Meeting.  A number of issues were identified in the study that are currently being addressed.  One of which is the scope identified in the Phase I Construction Package. Additional Engineering will be needed to complete the final design of the New High Voltage System.  All of the work identified in the Phase I Construction package is part of the New High Voltage Package Design.

The Lake Tyee Staff is completing other items identified in the initial study with help from one of the lot owners who is experienced with this type of work.  Hopefully this will minimize the cost of some of the repairs.

The final design of the new system will be completed in the first half of 2008.  Once the design is complete, an estimate will be completed to determine what the approximate value of the New High Voltage System will cost.  We are hoping it will be below the unsolicited bid received last summer. We have asked the Engineer to divide the work into three or four packages that could be bid out to contractors at different times.  The intent was to spread the work over three to four years to minimize the impact to the lot owners.  This work will need to be funded with Special Assessments that will be determined once the Engineering and Estimate Phase is complete.

Many will argue that by spreading the work over three to four years the cost will be more.  It is our thinking that if we completed the work all at once, we would need to secure a fairly large loan and the interest on that loan would be a large number.  We also thought that it would be unfair to the lot owners if we assessed the total amount of the cost in one Special Assessment. Either way, the reality of the situation is that the High Voltage System we have today is failing and needs to be replaced. We will continue to try to find the most economical and sensible solutions for this issue.

I hope this helps explain where we are today and where we think we are going.  I will continue to update this website as we move through this project. At the last four Lot Owners Meetings I have given updates on the project and will continue to do so.

We met with three contractors to review the “Issue for Construction” drawings and talk about the Phase I Construction Package on Friday, February 8th.  The contractors appear to understand the scope and we have asked that all bids be submitted no later than February 29th.  The plan is to open the bids March 1st.

We have also had preliminary discussions with the banks to secure financing for this project.  The bank has agreed to a line of credit we can draw from when we are ready to award the project.  Plans are in progress to send out information regarding the 2008 Special Assessment for the work that will be completed this year.  Once the bids are received and evaluated, the board will be sending out this information.

The balance of the Engineering Design work will also be included for the 2008 Special Assessment that will need to be completed in order to complete an estimate of the entire project.  The plan is to divide the balance of the electrical work into 3-4 packages so the work can be awarded and completed over the next few years.  The intent of this execution strategy is to lessen the impact on our lot owners.

The Phase I Construction Package has been awarded to Poltelco, Inc.  There are two contracts for this work.  The first contract is based on a lump sum bid Potelco submitted a couple of months ago and the second contract is a Time and Material Contract for work identified by North Sky Communications that needed to be accomplished to address some safety issues and other issues that were very difficult to scope in our initial lump sum scoping package.

Potelco has been released to start the procurement of equipment and materials and they plan to start the civil work at the lake in the next couple of weeks.  The intent is that the work on the system will cause very little disruption of power, and that prior to any outages, those lots effected would be contacted prior to the outage.  As in any construction project there are unknowns and we hope to keep surprises to a minimum.  We will be working with Potelco to determine the completion date of the work as they get delivery dates for some long lead materials.  North Sky Communication will also be working with Potelco to insure the work is completed according to the engineering drawings and that any modification to the drawings are captured for future reference as the project continues.

We have also released North Sky Communications to complete the balance of the design effort for the new HV Electrical System.  We hope to be complete with this work by the end of this summer.  North Sky Communication has agreed to split the design into logical construction packages that can be bid and completed over the next three to four years. At the completion of the design effort a cost estimate will be completed so we get a clearer picture of the total cost of the new system.  As we get this information we will be sharing it with the lot owners.

The safety of the Potelco workers and our lot owners is a major priority.  If you see the work crews on site, please slow down to insure we provide a safe environment.  If you come upon a obvious work site, please keep kids and pets away to insure their safety.  Thank you in advance for your help.

Potelco, Inc. mobilized June 2nd to start the installation of the Phase I Construction Package.  A pre-construction meeting was conducted at the lake the prior week with our maintenance personnel.  The duration of the project is estimated to be 4 weeks and the goal is to be complete prior to the July 4th weekend. We anticipate a short outage during this construction and the effected lot owners will be notified prior to this outage.  As mentioned in other updates, please keep kids and pets away from the construction sites and please proceed with caution as you drive past the construction site, as the safety of the workers and our lot owners is extremely important.

A kick-off meeting for the balance of the HV Engineering Package with North Sky Communication is scheduled for June 9th.  We anticipate this effort to be approximately 90 days to complete. The kick-off meeting is intended to insure that all parties understand the scope of this effort and the deliverables that will be produced during this phase of engineering.  One of the deliverables will be North Sky’s estimate for the material and installation of the entire system. North Sky will also work with the Labor and Industries Department to insure the design envisioned conforms to all codes and regulations required by L&I.

 Update 7/02/08

Potelco has made very good progress for the civil portion of the work.  We are now waiting on the switch and box to complete the project.  We received word last week that the delivery of the new switch had been delayed until October due to the downturn in the housing market.  The story we received was the manufacturer of the switch shutdown one of his production lines and failed to let his customers know of the delay in delivery .  We asked Potelco to look for alternatives to this late delivery.  They came back and said they could get a rebuilt switch in 5-8 weeks with a reduced cost. The warranty period on the rebuilt switch is 18 months versus 24 months on a new switch.  We released Potelco to proceed in the procurement of the rebuilt switch.

Once we receive the switch, we need to UL approve it prior to installation.  There is approximately one week of wire pulling and terminations needed and then an 8 hour outage to complete the project.  We will keep you informed as we move forward

North Sky Communication continues to work on the final design of the balance of the park and should be ready with the design and cost estimate sometime in September.

The new switch panel has finally arrived..  Potelco is in the  process of completing the testing of the panel and UL certification.  The current plan is for Potelco to remobilize the week of 9/23/08 and complete the Phase I Construction Project the first week of October. 

The new switch panel has finally arrived.  Potelco is in the process of completing the testing of the panel and UL certification.  The current plan is for Potelco to remobilize the week of 9/23/2008 and complete the Phase I Construction Project the first week of October.

Update 10/14/2008

Phase I of the High Voltage Electrical Upgrade Project for Lake Tyee Recreational Park is Complete.

Phase II

Update 2/04/09 

North Sky Communications has completed the Electrical Design for the park.  A meeting with North Sky is schedule for Tuesday, February 10th to review the design and make any final comments prior to the drawings being issued for construction.  The design will be divided into a number of construction packages with individual estimates for each package that can executed over the coming years.  The plan is to start construction on this year’s project in May and complete the project by July 4th.

The project for this year has not yet been selected.  The following will be the criteria for selecting this year’s project:

·        Review all of the Construction Packages

·        Once the review of the drawings is complete and we understand where the highest probability of an electrical failure could occur, we will consider that section of the park a priority

·        We will be reviewing our budget along with monies saved from last year’s assessment against the estimate for the package we select.

·        Once we are sure we can complete the project within the budget we will proceed with securing a contractor to perform the work.

We conducted a kick-off meeting of the Phase II Electrical Upgrade Project at Lake Tyee on July 6th with Potelco and their subcontracotrs.  Potelco and their sub contractors mobilized 7/13 and have been working Monday thru Thursday the last couple of weeks.  We re approximately 2 weeks away from when we would cut over to the new system and complete any cleanup wook needed to complete the project tfor this year.  It was decided early int he project that in order to minimize the time of the outage we would procure approximately 60 new pedestals for this year's projectl.  Those pedestals would be installed as close to existing pedestals as possible and terminated with the new secondary wires prior to the outage.  The old pedestals will be removed after the outage and those in good shape and still code compliant will be reused in the future sections of the park.  All inspections by L&I will be completed prior to the outagel.  Just as a side note, L&I have been involed in this project throughout the engineering phase, and all the work that has beed done to date.  We should be getting close to being able to announce the cut-over date and I will communicate it as soon as I know.

Note:  This only applies to Lot Owners in Division 2C included in the 2009 Electrical Upgrade Project

 

Throughout the Park many of the meter pedestals are out of compliance with the NEC Code and L & I has stated that they will red tag until such time the corrections have been made. Specifically, the pedestals are NEMA3R outdoor type and lot owners have drilled into them breaking the watertight seals or modified the pedestals adding additional wiring and electrical load which may not meet the NEC standards.  When the electrician has replaced or modified the pedestal according to the NED and the engineer’s design, and called for inspection, they can only reconnect that which is legal.  Each lot owner should work with the electrician to bring their service up to code since the power cord between the RV and the pedestal belong to the lot owner and should not be the responsibility of the park.

 

North Sky has been working with both Potelco and L&I and have been making sure the work in being completed as per the drawing and according to the electrical codes.  They are also making sure they are capturing the As-Built Drawings that will need to be incorporated into the final drawings of the project.  As-Built Drawings are redlined drawings that represent any deviations from the drawings so we have a very accurate record of the work for future reference.   This issue may actually only affect a small portion of lot owners.  

 Update 8/20/2009

We are currently 60% complete with the 2009 Electrical Upgrade Project.  The majority of the underground excavation work is complete and the contractors are to start pulling wire for the Primary Electrical Project System starting Friday, August 21st.  In parallel with that activity wire pulling for the Secondary system will start early next week.  Transformers will be set soon and then terminations and check-out of the system will be conducted.  We are still formalizing on the dates for the final inspections.

A meeting was held with state electrical inspectors a couple of weeks ago and they set out the criteria they will be using to inspect not only the new construction but also the lots included in this section of the work.  It has come to our attention that many of the lots could have code violations based on the criteria the state has set out.  We have asked Rhema Electric to work up cost estimates (at their cost) for those lots that code violations have been identified.  Notices to those lot owners will be mailed out soon so that lot owners can work with Rhema or their own contractor to resolve thses issues.  Permits and inspections must be obtained to perform this work.  In no way are the lot owners affected obliged to use Rhema Electric.  The thought is it might be less expensive to have them complete the work since they are mobilized on site.  

The plan is to energize the new system and cut over the lot owners one at a time to minimize the outage time.  The old system will continue to be in service for 45 days after the Final Inspection to allow lot owners to complete the work on code issues and have their lot inspected.  Potelco will not be allowed to connect those lots that have code violations to the new system.  We continue to work within the budget and do not see any issues that might impact us at this time.  Like all construction projects, until it's complete we are still vulnerable to additional costs.

Update   9-15-09

On Wednesday, September 9, 2009 Lake Tyee experienced an electrical failure in the 3 phase circuit feeding the pump station at the east end of the lake.  A Potelco crew was unable to arrive on site until Friday  9/11/09 to initiate repairs.  During the cable testing process it was determined that the concentric neutral cover on the primary cable had eroded to a point where the testing equipment could no longer function properly due to the lack of a neutral return path which creates an unsafe condition in the field.  In additions, once the crew was able to isolate the fault and make repairs, during the testing phase the cable failed again.  The Potelco crew continued on in to the weekend trying to restore power to those areas that were still out. 

Unfortunately on Monday, the crew was still unable to make permanent repairs and it was determined that the age and deteriorate condition of the the cables was no longer able to carry any load without failing.

The most cost effective solution is to replace the primary cable now and rather than continue the process of field testing, splicing only to find that the cable will most likely fail again and continue to drive up repair costs. 

North Sky & Potelco recommended replacing the cable from the switch cabinet to the 3 phase junction box located next to the 3 phase transformer serving the pump station,approximately 3200'.