CCP 03-17-1997 - Laserfiche WebLink

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~ - - - 4. Minneaoolis e- Minneapolis converted to a Schlumberger Neptune Telephone Read System about three . years ago. Brian Karkula, Minneapolis Meter Department Manager, stated the day Mr. e. Stafford spoke with him they had 80,000 phone read meters installed at that time and had 7,000 billing problems. Some of the other problems Mr. Karkula indicated were: . I. Difficulty in wiring finished basements. (Some couldn't be) 2. System is affected by lightning. I 3. System has caused malfunctions in medical alert systems. 4. System has caused malfunctions in security alarm systems. I 5. Some residents refused permission to hook up to their phone lines. 6. Transient resident customer base always changing phone numbers. 7. Some residents don't pay phone bills resulting in disconnect. I 8. Some residents don't have phone. Mr. Karkula also indicated he would have preferred the Sensus System, but had little I input. He recommended that whichever way Arden Hills proceeds, they at least use radio read technology on commercial/industrial accounts. 5. New Bril!hton I New Brighton has the Sensus touch pad system. According to Ted Wolkerstorfer, Public Works Superintendent, they are satisfied with their system and after studying the .J financial aspect of the meters, New Brighton had decided the pay back on radio or phone read would take to long to justify the extra investment. Mr. Wolkerstorfer indicated that ... one person now reads meters about 10 days each month. .. e- CommerciallIndustrial Meters . The Commercial/Industrial (C/I) users account for approximately 50 percent of the water used in Arden Hills and are monitored by approximately 250 meters. Most of these meters are the - original meters installed when water was hooked up to the buildings. This indicates a high - percentage of these meters may be reaching the end of their life expectancy. During third quarter 1996 meter readings, the Public Works staffrecorded all of the meter makes, sizes, approximate age, and the ability to upgrade or not. As of now, the City has used Badger brand meters exclusively, however a few other brands have been privately installed as part of a construction project or other circumstances. Some of these newer Badger meters are capable of being upgraded to the radio read technology just by replacing the head (the digital readout portion) of the meter and installing a radio read system on the existing meter. A radio transmitter connected to the new meter head is then mounted close by on a pipe or wall. In this scenario, the water does not have to be turned off and the upgrade can be completed in a half hour. The older and the non-Badger meters would need to be replaced and fitted with the radio read accessories. This would be more work involving a short water shut off and could take one (1) to 4 A- --