Hall trying to resolve Dover power plant cost woes
The acting superintendent of the Dover Light and Power Plant addressed council for approval of expenditures and provided an update on insurance coverage for last year’s generator fire.
Jason Hall, acting superintendent of the Dover Light and Power Plant addressed council for approval of expenditures and provided an update on insurance coverage for last year’s generator fire.
Hall asked for approval for sole source parts and repairs without bidding from Babcock & Wilcox and Detroit Stoker, the only company that makes the parts needed. A quote from Detroit Stoker came in at $31,847, but Hall said he was advised other parts would be needed. A revised final quote from Detroit Stoker came in at $52,979.
Hall asked for approval up to $75,000, saying he is concerned that once the equipment is torn apart, other expenses may crop up. He said the parts could be available before the annual shutdown.
Hall said the B&W portion of the request is to replace coal hopper doors and to perform combustion tuning to keep the boiler running at EPA compliance levels.
Hall asked for approval of an emergency ordinance to pay $39,140 in cost overruns incurred Industrial Management Controls in 2021. He said the situation is that IMC has done virtually all of the control work in the plant, and EPA reports are required by Jan. 31, something IMC would typically do.
Hall said he is having a hard time obtaining the data needed because IMC is no longer in the plant. When he asked IMC if they would come help, Hall said the representative said he would come in once the overages are paid.
Hall referred to an ordinance approved this year reducing approved expenditures with IMC from $200,000 to $50,000 because the vendor would no longer be on the premises every day as they were under former superintendent Dave Filippi.
Hall said he would reach out to see if other companies can perform the work IMC did at the plant, but it would take “years” for them to obtain the knowledge IMC has. However, Hall realized the need to diversify suppliers and agreed to look into it for the future.
Law Director Doug O’Meara asked if Trinity Environmental had the ability to gather the information. Hall said he spoke to TE and it was a possibility, as was the possibility of showing employees at the plant how to perform the data retrieval in the future.
City Auditor Nicole Stoldt said she did not believe IMC knew, as opposed to the other vendors, that they were going over budget. She also said she was concerned if the bill went unpaid it would affect the city’s debt-to-credit ratio and, if they turned the bill over to collections, it would affect the ratio for any future debt obligations. Stoldt said she and Hall have proposed budget cuts that could cover the payment to IMC.
Kevin Korns asked if anyone else knew about the overages last year, and Stoldt replied that, in addition to herself, others who knew were Filippi, Hall and the mayor.
Council member Gina Space asked if approving expenditures after the fact was permitted or a regular occurrence, as had happened in 2021 under Filippi. O’Meara explained it was permitted, but the length of time these overages were not brought to council was irregular.
Hall said, “There's always been a lack of communication between our department, council, the auditor, the mayor and the law director. And we're trying to fix that. I've probably called the auditor's office and spoken to her more times in the last three months than I have in 16 years. It's just that we’ve got to be transparent. The right hand's got to know what the left hand's doing, and we're trying to fix that. I'm doing the best job I can.”
The proposed ordinances were moved out of committee to be voted on at the regular council meeting following adjournment.