PUD line crew changes
PUD moving line crew for efficiency
Chelan County PUD
News Release
3/7/2008
Chelan County PUD announced Friday that it plans to consolidate the
Leavenworth line crew with the Wenatchee-based line crews for efficiency and
cost-savings. Three linemen will report to work in Wenatchee beginning March
17.
The Leavenworth PUD office will remain open, with vehicles and equipment
stationed there. Superintendent Randy Noland will remain in charge of the
office, supported by two customer-service representatives, a meter-reader
and a service lineman who will act as the first responder to power outages
in many instances, doing an initial assessment of what work is needed.
“Our judgment and our experience tell us that this will be more
cost-effective and more efficient,” said Jack Winter, executive manager of
Utility Services for the PUD. “We are seeing that technology investments
and planning improvements on behalf or all of our customers are necessary to
meet customer expectations. People in the upper valley should have the same
level of service or better as a result of these changes.”
Winter explained that having linemen stationed in Leavenworth doesn’t
necessarily provide faster response because a foreman for the line crew
often has to drive up from the Wenatchee area when there is an outage. In
addition, after-hours emergencies are generally responded to initially with
PUD servicemen, and their priority is to ensure the scene is safe for the
public and our employees. Having a service lineman remain in Leavenworth as
a first-responder will still allow a quick early assessment of any problem,
he said.
The PUD has now divided Chelan County into two service territories for crew
response, one served by the Chelan office in the northern part of the county
and the other served out of the Wenatchee headquarters and covering the
Wenatchee Valley to Lake Wenatchee and beyond. Crews may be assigned to any
region when there is a need.