HomeMy Public PortalAbout05-22-1931 Office of Special Council Committee
City - of Richmond, Indiana,
-� -- - -Friday May 22nd, 1931. - -
- The Special Council Committee, Board of Public Works of the City of
Richmond, Indiana, met in regular session at the office of said Boar
on Friday May 22nd, 1931, at 9 o ' clock A.M. All the members of said
• Committee Messrs, Ilolza.pfel, Ford and Schnieder, being present , the
following proceedings were had, to-wit :
The minutes of the pi'eceedi.ng meeting were read and approved.
Upon the recommendation of the City Civil Engineer, the Committee in-
structed the Finance Department to pay to Boyd & Cook Company of Day-
ton, Ohi0, 0., 084.37 the 5% retained under their contract under im-
provement Resolution No. 901-1929. •
The Committee received bids under Improvement Resolution No. 919-1931
for the improvement of the alley between Northwest 6th & 7th Street
from 1st alley north of Pearl Street, north 220 feet and including a
circular driveway (52 ' in diameter) ; also the 1st alley north of Peal
Street , running west from the alley between Northwest 6th & 7th St.
to Northwest 7th Street , by constructing cement roadway the full
width thereof, as follows to-wit :
/7.) " Daniel G. Burkhardt, bid;
Alley complete including grate inlet with con. to sewer-. 220 sq-foot
" Lee Ridgeway, bid;
Alley complete inc.grate inlet with con. to sewer %----,23/1/3 sq-ft/
The Did of Daniel G. Burkhardt, being the lowest and within the es-
timate of the city civil engineer, the contract was so awarded.
The following communication from .u. C. Hess, Sup 't . , of Light Plant
was received, viz:
May 22nd, 1931
Special Committee of Council
- City.
Gentlemen : • •
, 111 The article appearing inlast night ' s Palladium and again
in this morning ' s Item with reference to the inspection of the 10 000, �J
K . .Turbine was very mi s-lead ing and clothed with an atmosphere of
suspicion.
It is unfortunate that the operations of our utility have
to be subject to such adverse publicity and I believe the present un-
rest on. the part of our consumers is largely due to such misrepresent-
• ation of the actual facts.
It is my purpose in this communication to review the facts
surrounding the inspection of this turbine so that your Cody will
have the whole matter clearly in mind.
In the" first place it is the practice of all utilities oper—
ating turbines of the Slue U1 tills .machine tU dismantle sa1'le fur a
• general inspection at least once a year and in most places this is
done twice a year. This fact has been called to your attention as
• well as the entire cbuncil ' s attention in several meetings pertaining
to Light Plant matters, but it has peen impossible. for us to make
such inspections of this machine since it was installed due to the
fact that we could not carry the load with Our other equipment . The
present depression and the consequent reduction in demand on our sta-
ll •
tion has made it possible for us to do without this machine for a
a J c the long enough period of time o give it general inspection that it
has needed for some time ; and you will recall that I have brought
this matter' up- before your body on several occassions and that you
authorized me to pick the proper time and proceed -with the inspection.
Furthermore, this matter was discussed during the hearing on the stand-
by Service Case Before the. Puolic Service Commission both here and at
Indianapolis and I testified that we expected to make the inspection i
some time during this month. Furthermore, as soon as definite. arrange!
ments had been made with the General Electric Company to have a repre-
sentative here to take charge of the inspection, I reported this to
your body in a regular meeting and you authorized me to proceed.
(See next page)
•
9
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Friday inlay 22nd, 1931.
We took the machine off the line about 11 o ' clock Friday hay
At your regular meeting on the nth I made a temporary report of Hess.
"what we found up to that time. Then at the regular Council meeting voR.
in open session. Monday night, the 18th, I made a complete report t. cont
ld
the entire Council and Mayor. Now I ' wich to report that we have
made the necessary repairs and adjustments and at this time have
the machine rolling setting in the new bearing and hope to have tin
same on the line functioning . as usual within a few hours.
Inasmuch as this inspection was not an unusual thing in operating
practice and inasmuch as the contemplated inspection was discussed
in so many regular open meetings- and inasmuch as a report of the
findings after the machine was opened was made in the regular meet
ing of: the Committee as well as a regular Council meeting; it did
not occur to me to take the matter up with the management of the
Palladium. However, I feel that due to the unfavorable publicity
that our Municipal Plant has had over the past year and due to the
' unrest on the part of our customers caused by this unfavorable puo-
licity, a general statement should be made to counteract the mis-
leading statement made in the Palldlum referred to above. Therefor-
I would suggest that your body make a statement to our customers
through the press in' an effort , to assure them that the 10, 000 K.W.
machine is in good shape and it is reasonable to suppose will give
adequate service and that our position as relates to giving . servic
is not any different now than it has been for' the last year and a
half.
The reference' made in the Palladium article about the trouble we
are having with the clocks was uncalled for, as I gave Mr. Pound-.
stone of the Palladium an explanation of this trouble, which was
carried in an article in the Palladium on the evening of May 20
which pointed out that this trouble had been existing for about a
month; therefore could not have been caused by the repairing of th-.
10, 000 K.W. turbine as this work was not started until a week ago.
•
Respectfully submitted,
B. C. Hess.
On motion the report was accepted and Ordered spread on the minute`
of this meeting, and the management of the Palladium and Item News
papers be ask to pnolish the report verbatim, together with a scat--
"ilent to be prepared by the Special Council Committee, and if said
,management refuses to print the same verbatim, it be tendered them
as a paid advertisement and if they still refuse to print the same,
i'Iir. Hess was authorized to have hand bills of the same printed ' and
distributed over the city.
•
The Committee fix Monday lay 2 th, 1931, at 7 :30 P./. for a meeting
of the Insurance Committee to meet in City Building.
- The Clerk was directed to return certified checks to the Combustio
Engineering Corp, and the Erie City Iron jorks, deposited with bid, .
on boilers for light plant, as their aids are to high.
Claims in amount of li, 117. 5v were allowed.
•
The Special Council 0omLittee, Board
ar ' ourned,
677
_'res' . o1 Board
Attest :
Clerk o1 Board