NORTH WEBSTER – Lakeland Regional Sewer District board voted on one of two options for residential electric hookups for grinder pumps Monday. The option the board chose would require sewer district customers to install a line between a power supply and breaker box to run the grinder pump in front of their property. The district would provide the pump and a power supply running from it to a nearby electric panel on a post. The alternative plan, DLZ Indiana LLC project manager Casey Erwin told the board, would require property owners to install an underground conduit from their property toward the grinder pump. The contractor who installs the grinder pump would then string the electric line through it. Erwin said there are benefits and drawbacks with both plans as far as costs and level of coordination required. The location of perhaps 20 percent of planned grinder pumps will likely be changed once installation starts, he said, making it hard to anticipate where to install electric lines; property owners must have their lines installed in time for the pumps to be tested, a window of time that will vary by location; and underground electric lines would make maintenance more difficult for system operators in the future. The board recently began looking at requiring property owners to supply electricity for grinder pumps as a cost-saving measure, saying it will save the district $2 million in installation costs and avoid an $80,000 premium to contract with an energy provider. The savings are expected to translate into $8 less on sewer customers’ monthly bills. Another cost-saving measure the board heard about Monday is that Barbee Christian Church Camp is expected to request exemption from the system, which would cut out a $55,000 to $75,000 cost to reach the camp with sewer lines. After discussing the pros and cons of the two electrical hookup options, members voted on the first option presented. Board President Jim Haney said he would like DLZ to install the electric panel posts ahead of time if possible in order for property owners to get a head start on their end of the line. Haney was re-elected as board president earlier in the meeting. Mike DeWald was again named treasurer and Greg Mitchell secretary, and Bob Marcuccilli was voted as vice president.
