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Pertaining to Saint Paul Regional Water Services 10-year Capital Investment Plan.
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WHEREAS, the Board of Water Commissioners of the City of Saint Paul has provided drinking water and related services to the City of Saint Paul and surrounding suburban communities since the 1800's; and
WHEREAS, the Board provides this service to 417,000 customers at 94,000 accounts across its service area; and
WHEREAS, the physical assets and infrastructure required to collect, treat and distribute reliable, quality drinking water to these customers is extensive, with many being either past or nearing the end of their useful life; and
WHEREAS, the Board has invested $10-15 Million annually in the past to replace and update its aging infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, the Board contracted with two consultants in 2013 to perform asset assessments of its above-ground and buried infrastructure assets with the goal of developing a long-term replacement program; and
WHEREAS, the resulting reports indicate that, while the assets are aging, they are well maintained and functional, but that increased investment is necessary to ensure future reliability; and
WHEREAS, the Board concurs with its consultants' recommendation that increased investment is necessary in order to ensure the future ability of the Board to provide reliable quality water and services to its customers at a reasonable cost; and
WHEREAS, Saint Paul Regional Water Services staff presented to the Board a 10-year Capital Investment Plan that addresses projects identified by the consultants as being a priority for upgrade or replacement of facilities; and
WHEREAS, the projects included in the 10-year Capital Investment Plan would be financed by a combination of debt and revenue generated financing; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the Board of Water Commissioners hereby directs staff to incorporate the SPRWS 10-year Capital Investment Plan into Strategic Goal No. 3 of Saint Paul Regional Water Services 2013-2015 Strategic Plan, update of which is scheduled to be presented to the Board for approval in late 2015.