Taps & Jets, Volume 90, No. 1

&

inside this issue

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Vol. 90

No. 1

A publication for current and retired employees of the Metropolitan Utilities District

pg. 2 // Heat the Streets

pg. 10 // Historic flooding

pg. 4 // Promotions and transfers

pg. 13 // Retirements

pg. 6 // A day in the life of Field Services

pg. 15 // Minne Lusa wins award

pg. 8 // Kudos

pg. 16 // 2018 division highlights

Employees ‘Heat the Streets’ in cold temps

VOL. 90 No. 1 Spring 2019 TAPS & JETS is published quarterly for current and retired employees to inform them about the District, activities and accomplishments of its employees. Your comments are welcome.

Please send comments and suggestions to: TAPS & JETS, Metropolitan Utilities District, 1723 Harney St., Omaha, NE 68102-1960; email tracey_christensen@mudnebr.com or call 402.504.7215.

Follow us on Twitter (@mudomahane) and Facebook (facebook.com/mudomahane) for alerts, photos and news.

Board of Directors: Chairman Tim Cavanaugh, Vice-Chairwoman Gwen Howard, Jim Begley, Tom Dowd, David Friend, Jack Frost, and Mike McGowan.

President: Mark Doyle Editors: Jessica Heidebrecht, Claire Smith

On the cover...

Crews build a barricade at the Florence Water Treatment Plant intake station March 15.

Cements blocks, plastic wrapping and sandbags were used to protect the low service pump building and the electrical equipment from potential flood waters. Photos and story on page 10.

(Photo by Claire Smith.)

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Taps & Jets

The annual Heat the Streets Run and Walk for Warmth was on March 2 at Stinson Park in Aksarben Village. Despite the cold temperatures, many participants came for the 5K run and one-mile walk. At press time, the event had raised more than $75,000 for energy assistance.

Opposite page, from top: Jon Zellars, Purchasing; Mark Myers, Accounting; and Masa Niiya, Marketing & Rates, participate in the one-mile walk; Nancy Ross, Engineering, high-fives Sniffy at the finish line; runners make their way through Stinson Park; and Gwen Howard, M.U.D. Board Vice-Chair; Bintou Taal, Information Technology; and State Senator Sara Howard. Gwen and Sara were co-chairs for the 2019 event.

Above, left: Stephanie Lemonds, Accounting; Annette O’Brien, Customer Accounting; Jo Stephens, Accounting; Castro Okuom and Terry Huismann, Information Technology.

Above, right: Raied Stanley, Sr. VP and CIO; and Andy Randall, Engineering.

Below, left: Jim Shields, VP of Water Operations, and Tim Jones, from The Salvation Army’s social services team, race to finish the one-mile walk.

Below, right: Andy Melville, Engineering & Construction, and his family braved the cold to participate in the 5K run and one-mile walk. His wife, Amy, placed second in her age group and his son, Aaron, placed first in his age group.

Spring 2019

3

promotions & transfers

Tim Anderson

Greg Andrade

Jon Bazar

Mark Brandt

Padmaja Chigurupati Scott Clark

Russ Clevenger

Gas Maintenance Worker

Supervisor, Construction Center Stores & Service Yard

Crew Leader

Machine Operator I

ERP Technical / Functional Analyst I

Crew Leader, General Maintenance

Frank Colabello

Paul Contreras

John DeSantiago

Michael Dvorak

Andrew Elvig Cossette Todd England Water Distribution

Marketing & Rates

Allen Gansemer

Gas Leak Assistant

Gas Maintenance Trainee

Field Foreman

Pipe Layer Welder

Water Maintenance Trainee

Contractor Representative II

Crew Leader

Ron Henderson

Steve Houston

Scott Hubbard

Michael Jacobson Jessica Martin Field Services

Water Quality

Shawn McMahon

Cole Meader

Machine Operator I

General Maintenance Mechanic

Group Leader

Customer Service Technician - Fitter

Biologist II

General Maintenance Mechanic

Pipe Layer Trainee

Laura Milenkovich Michael Moore Dispatch Office

Stores

Chris Muhlbauer

Masa Niiya

Joe Nuernberger

Brian Paskach

Felipe Rangel

Communications Clerk II

Material Handler

General Maintenance Mechanic

Director, Infrastructure Integrity

Senior System Administrator

Machine Operator I

Water Maintenance Trainee

Gas Distribution

Gas Distribution

Construction

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Taps & Jets

Stores

Gas Distribution

Water Distribution

Construction

Field Services

Construction

Water Distribution

Construction

Construction

Marketing & Rates

Information Technology Construction Crew Leader

Water Distribution

Information Technology Construction

Water Pumping

Construction

Construction

Water Distribution

Paul Romero

Shawn Sarvis

Jerry Seffron

Laura Shaffar

Chris Simpson

April Straughn

Bob Taylor

Pipe Layer Welder

Utility Locator

Utility Worker

Communications Clerk II

Machine Operator I

Water Plant Engineer

Design Engineer

Joe Thiessen

Kris Thompson

Lynn Thompson

Ja’Nelle Traylor

Chris Walter

Dallas Wilson

Crew Leader

Senior Plant Engineer

ERP Technical / Functional Customer Service Specialist - GIS Clerk IV

Field Foreman

Crew Leader

Construction

Construction

Plant Engineering

Plant Engineering

Construction

Dispatch Office

Information Technology Customer Service

Construction

Meter Reading

Water Pumping

Engineering Design

Construction

Celebrate our Graduates!

Our summer issue will recognize employees and their children who earned high school, technical college, undergraduate or graduate diplomas.

Photo deadline is May 15th.

Email high resolution photos to: tracey_christensen@mudnebr.com Please include: name, school or college, degree/major (if applicable), date of graduation, parents’ names.

or mail to: Tracey Christensen, 1723 Harney St., Omaha, NE 68102 (Photos will be returned. Please include return mailing information.)

Head-and-shoulder shots preferred.

Questions? Email or call Tracey at 402.504.7215.

Spring 2019

5

A day in the life of Field Story, photos and layout by Claire Smith, Communications Intern

Gas leak detection often occurs by simply smelling the mercaptan odor in a general area. But for four District employees, technology is helping with leak detection, sometimes before anyone can even smell it.

As part of his daily work, D.J. Klusaw, Field Services, drives the streets in the northeast quadrant of Omaha with a special sensor on the front of his vehicle.

“It intercepts the gas and then I have a computer that picks it up and registers it,” said D.J. “It lets me know how much gas is there.”

To make sure the sensor is accurate, D.J. drives between 15-20 miles per hour. Otherwise, the sensor could miss a potential gas leak.

“Our older gas survey detection equipment required operators to travel at speeds of less than 5 mph,” said Ed Buglewicz, VP of Field Services. “With the new devices, speeds can be higher, allowing the survey process to move along much quicker.”

Depending on the level of present gas, a grade is assigned to the leak - grade three, grade two, 2P and grade one. Each grade has an associated timeline. The smaller leaks, grades two or three, are monitored for one to three years.

“For a 2P, which is a 2 priority, you have seven calendar days to get it done,” said D.J. “With a grade one, we have to notify Construction that day.”

Before crews start digging into the street, sidewalk or lawn, pinpointing the exact source of the leak is critical. Using a post driver and a combustible gas indicator, D.J. and the other customer service technicians can narrow down the leak location by testing where the highest levels of gas are detected.

“There are PPM (parts per million), LEL (lower explosion limit) and straight gas measurements,” said D.J. “When you start getting straight gas, that’s when it gets dangerous.”

Several factors can make this process more difficult, however. During the winter, leaks are more difficult to detect, due to frost in the ground. Visual clues of potential gas leaks, including patches

D.J. draws out the location of a gas leak near the intersection of 45th Street and Woolworth Avenue as part of the paperwork required when documenting a gas leak.

6

Taps & Jets

Gas leak detection requires many tools including a

of dead grass and green soil are seen in the summer. Gas density also impacts leak detection. Since gas is lighter than air, a leak at the bottom of a hill might present higher levels of gas at the top.

“Wind direction plays into it a lot too,” said D.J. “Sometimes it changes four times a day, so you watch peoples’ smoke stacks.“

Using many tools to dig through the frozen ground, D.J. finds the stop box to a home with a frozen meter and water damage.

QA

Services

with

D.J. Klusaw Hometown Omaha, NE

First Job

Henry Doorly Zoo

Best advice

Live everyday like it’s your last.

Mentor who helped the most in my career My dad.

About my family Wife and two children.

Pet peeve

People who aren’t organized. post driver, a combustible gas indicator and a gas detection sensor on the front of the vehicle.

These factors sometimes make D.J.’s job a bit tougher, but each day brings different tasks. Along with surveying and detecting gas leaks, D.J. also receives emergency orders for both gas and water issues.

“Some days you’ll spend all day there trying to pinpoint a leak.,” said D.J. “But there are other days you survey all day and don’t have any major leaks. It’s always something new, so it’s fun.”

During early spring, more emergency orders are made, since pipes begin defrosting and the mains crack due to the thawing and shifting ground.

“When people call in leaks, we check all the mains and service lines,” said D.J. “The more questions you ask, the quicker you’ll get to the bottom of it.”

For every gas leak detected or called in, D.J. and the other Field Service

employees must check the building’s foundation, the service line, the meter and the main.

“This job is about keeping everybody safe,” said D.J. “If a leak is at a house, we don’t leave until we know the gas levels are safe.”

As Omaha continues to grow, the demand for customer service technicians like D.J. increases.

Favorite vacation spot Mexico, or any international location.

Outside interests Fishing, being outdoors.

Favorite food BBQ

Favorite band / music Variety of music

Favorite place to eat

“D.J. is devoted to protecting our customer-owners,” said Ed. “He makes the proper decisions when grading discovered leaks and is quick to call for immediate repairs if warranted.”

Lo Sole Mio

With the four gas detection technicians today and the additional two in the future, every gas main in the greater Omaha area is checked at least once per year, with older cast iron mains checked twice.

Favorite sport / team

Something I’d like to accomplish Win the lottery.

Baseball - Red Sox

Other careers I’d try: Pilot

Spring 2019

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kudos

Jerry Anderson

John Becklun

Leatha Bland

Dave Bojanski

Doug Brennan

Jorge Cardenas

Blue Claxton

Luke Colbert

Kyle Crum

Tony Dillow

Nick Foreman

Dave Graham

Linda Gravert

Joey Guyott

Oliver Hernandez

Jim Horan

Gene Jaworski

Andrew Johnson

Howard Krula

Al Kurz

Blaine Lazio

Bob McCormack

Kevin McWilliams

Cole Meador

Steve Meinders

Andy Melville

Rick Moreno

Jason Muller

Field Services

Construction

Construction

Construction

8

Customers recently wrote or called to praise the work performed by these employees.

Taps & Jets

Construction

Construction

Construction

Construction

Remittance Processing Construction

Construction

Construction

Water Distribution

Construction

Construction

Field Services

Field Services

Field Services

Meter Reading

Engineering & Construction

Construction

Field Services

Field Services

Field Services

Construction

Field Services

Field Services

Construction

Jesse Norman

Cliff Novy

Jeff Petry

Kim Plummer

Field Services

Construction

Paul Romero

Forrest Roos

Mike Schroeder

Dayton Seidenglanz Adam Sharp

Matt Shere

Construction

Construction

Facilities Management Construction

Construction

Construction

Customer Service

Construction

Brandon Pokorski Jason Querry

Construction

Water Pumping

Tyler Reed Construction

Dave Turnbo Field Services

Presentation at annual excavator conference The Excavation Safety Summit was February 20 at the Lancaster Event Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Jason Wicken Construction

Roger Williams Field Services

Doug Wulfekuhl Field Services

Dave Zapata Field Services

Shane Docken

Join IBEW Local 1521 in collecting donations for the 27th annual Letter Carriers’ Food Drive!

April 1 - May 8 Check your email and the March Employee Bulletin for more information.

Questions? Contact Teri Crowell at 402-504-7696 or 402-618-0442

As part of the program, Shane Docken, Safety & Security, presented a talk on trench safety.

The District also had a booth at the event promoting Nebraska 811 and safe digging.

The annual Summit provides a gathering place for those involved in the excavation business to support safety in digging and damage prevention. Various talks and presentations are held throughout the one-day event. Vendors are also present to showcase products and answer questions. This year, around 900 people registered for the summit, with 650 attending, due to winter weather.

Spring 2019

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Area Flooding Impacts Water Plants Photos courtesy of employees at each water treatment plant.

Platte South well field access roads were impassable during the flood, making wells unreachable. Many of the wells were cut off from electricity, but gas generators allowed them to continuously pump water to the plant.

As river levels began rising on March 15, employees in various areas throughout the District worked to prepare the three water treatments plants for flooding.

Well fields at Platte West in Douglas County flooded and access roads washed out while well fields in Saunders County remained dry behind the levees.

“All three water treatment plants continued operation and met the demands of our customers, averaging a total output of 65 million gallons per day, which is normal for this time of year,” said President Mark Doyle.

Crews filled sandbags at the Florence plant intake station and placed cement barricades around the low service pump station and electrical equipment. Large water containers filled the bottom level of the low service pump station to displace any water flowing in. At its highest volume, the river stayed several feet below the 2011 flood levels.

Management participated in daily meetings to stay updated on the forecast, planning and conditions at each plant.

Bill Sargent, Plant Engineering, stands next to sand left in the Platte South well field on March 19 after water receded.

At Platte South, electricians were on stand-by 24/7 to shut off electrical power to the well field, leaving the gas motors to continue pumping water to the plant. After the river returned to its banks, sand and other debris filled the area.

Once the Platte South well houses were accessible on March 19, debris and damage to access roads and well houses became visible.

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Taps & Jets

Access roads to the Platte South well houses washed out.

Construction crews are at each plant working on repairs and making sure each well location is accessible for maintenance.

“We appreciate the work of all employees who have contributed to keep our water safe and each plant operable,” said Jim Shields, VP, Water Operations.

On March 25, Platte West and contractor crews began rebuilding access roads to wells in the Douglas County well fields.

District to sell downtown building Board to vote on proposed new location After more than 92 years at 1723 Harney Street, the District made a historic decision to sell its headquarters to Douglas County and move to a new location within a year.

said President Mark Doyle. “Our future headquarters will also support our infrastructure replacement efforts, including ramping up our water infrastructure replacement work.”

At their January 2 meeting, M.U.D.’s Board of Directors authorized selling the District’s downtown city block and buildings to Douglas County for approximately $6 million and the purchase agreement is expected to be completed in April 2019. A separate lease agreement will allow the District to occupy the building through April 2020.

The District is committed to maintaining a downtown presence for payment kiosks and customer interactions. In March, the District signed a memorandum of understanding with OPPD to co-locate some of our Credit Services and Remittance Processing employees in their Energy Plaza main lobby off 16th Street. The transition is expected to occur before September 1.

“Our downtown facility has served our customers and housed our employees since 1926. Although this decision is bittersweet, it’s the next step in our longterm strategy to realign our organization, improve efficiencies and enhance collaboration among our employees,”

To help the District find a new headquarters, at their February 2 meeting, the M.U.D. Board authorized entering an agreement with Investors Realty to act as the District’s commercial real estate broker.

Senior Vice-President and Chief Information Officer Raied Stanley is

leading an “Office Relocation Steering Committee” to help oversee the move process. The committee includes representatives from functional areas, including union representation. Among other things, this committee will develop a master relocation project schedule and establish a budget for each stage in the moving process.

Committee members, senior management and several board members toured available buildings and Investors Realty provided property condition assessments on two of the finalist locations.

At the April 3 board meeting, management will take a recommendation to the board to authorize President Doyle to negotiate the purchase of the property at 7350 World Communications Drive. The board will discuss the recommendation in closed session and vote in open session.

Above: Crews fill sandbags at the Florence Plant on March 15.

Right: Concrete barricades covered with plastic and sandbags protect the low service pump station from the quickly rising Missouri River.

Water ran over F Street at the Platte West gate. Once waters receded, roads were found washed out and damaged.

Spring 2019

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new employees

Jacob Benak

Brian Brown

Justin Combs

Adam Gartner

Oliver Hernandez

Anthony Johnson

Michael Kalskatt

Pipe Layer Trainee

Buyer

Pipe Layer Trainee

Engineer II

Pipe Layer Trainee

Pipe Layer Trainee

Pipe Layer Trainee

Adam Kriegler

Joshua Peacher

Katie Pulte

Arturo Rocha

Joseph Simpson

Thomas Sneed

Justin Weber

Auto Service Person

Pipe Layer Trainee

Human Resources Generalist - Benefits

Pipe Layer Trainee

Pipe Layer Trainee

Pipe Layer Trainee

Pipe Layer Trainee

Construction

Transportation

Purchasing

Construction

Construction

Human Resources

Plant Engineering

Construction

Construction

Construction

Construction

Construction

Construction

Construction

Customer Experience Contest Winners

Nathan Williams Plant Engineering Engineer I

Above: Amelia Moran, Rena Bobier, LaSherrie Palmer and Zaira Cepeda-Uresti.

Right: McKenzie Quinn.

Amy Zamora Field Services

Administrative Clerk II

Four winners were selected in the fourth quarter “Complete the Puzzle” contest in Customer Services.

The senior clerk “Champion” winner was LaSherrie Palmer. Silver prize winners were Rena Bobier and McKenzie Quinn. Zaira Cepeda-Uresti was the gold prize winner.

The Diamond prize winner was Amelia Moran. This prize is given to the person with the most puzzle pieces at the end of the year. (Courtesy photos.)

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Taps & Jets

retirements Tim Bopp, plant maintenance person II, Water Pumping, retired March 22 with 28 years of service. Tim joined the District in 1990 as Tim Bopp a meter reader, Meter Reading. He became a pipe layer trainee, Construction, in 1991 and a pipe layer in 1993. In 1997, he transferred to Water Operations as a water plant maintenance trainee before being promoted to plant maintenance person in 1998. Tim was named water plant operator trainee in 2007 and advanced to water plant operator in 2008. In 2012, Tim became a water plant maintenance trainee, Water Pumping, and was promoted to plant maintenance person I in 2013 and plant maintenance person II in 2016.

Carl Forsman, odorant technician, Gas Production, retired December 28 with 40 years of service. Carl joined the District in 1978 as a special laborer, Construction.

Carl Forsman He was promoted to pipe layer II in 1981 and named machine operator in 1985. In 1989, he advanced to utility worker. In 2001 Carl transferred to Gas Production as an odorant technician.

Prior to joining the District, Carl worked at NAPA Auto Parts. He and his wife, Lucinda, have two sons.

Mike Gripp, foreman, mechanical maintenance, Facilities Management, retired March 2 with 23 years of service. Mike joined the District in 1996 as an electrician. He was Mike Gripp promoted to senior electrician in 2006 and to foreman, mechanical maintenance in 2013.

Wendell Johnson, senior painter, Maintenance, retired February 2 with 41 years of service. Wendell joined the District in Wendell Johnson 1977 as a laborer, Water Pumping. He was promoted to painter II, Maintenance, in 1978. He became a special laborer in 1980 before transferring to Field Services as a mechanic’s helper in 1983. In 1986 Wendell was named painter II, Maintenance, was promoted to painter I in 1987 and senior painter in 2002.

Wendell has a son, a daughter and four granddaughters. In retirement, he plans to spend time with family and watch his granddaughters grow up.

Evonne Lewis, meter reader - reread, Meter Reading, retired February 2 with 38 years of service.

Evonne joined the District in 1980 as a meter reader Evonne Lewis and was promoted to meter reader - reread in 2001.

Fucheng “Frank” Li, manager, Web/ABAP, Information Technology, plans to retire May 7 with 19 years of service. Frank joined the District in 2000 as a senior programmer/ Frank Li analyst and was promoted to manager, Web/ABAP in 2016.

Prior to joining the District, Frank worked in farming, construction and as a structural designer. After graduating college, he was a geophysical researcher and IT consultant. Frank earned his master’s degree from Dalian University of Technology and his doctorate from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

In retirement, Frank plans to travel and spend more time on home improvement and social activities. Frank and his wife, Hong Xu, have a son.

Tom Miller, field foreman, Field Services, retired March 30 with 34 years of service.

Tom joined the District in 1984 as a laborer, Tom Miller Water Pumping. He was promoted to special laborer, Water Distribution, in 1986 and to hydrant and valve mechanic in 1988. Later that year, Tom transferred to Field Services as a mechanic’s helper before becoming a customer service technician trainee in 1990. He advanced to apprentice customer service technician in 1990, customer service technician in 1992, senior customer service technician in 1998 and field foreman in 2004.

Prior to joining the District, Tom worked at Omaha Steaks, the Stockyards and Mid Continent Bottlers. He has been involved in the La Vista Planning Commission for 12 years, the Salvation Army Night Watch for over 10 years and has also served on the FFF Credit Union Board of Directors for 20 years.

Tom and his wife, Barb, have a son, three daughters and 11 grandchildren.

In retirement, he plans to travel with his wife, hunt, fish and do yard work.

The couple lives at 7419 S. 94th St., La Vista, NE 68128; 402.331.5788; tomemiller4@cox.net.

Terry Slauter, building operator, Facilities Management, plans to retire April 27 with 39 years of service.

Terry joined the District Terry Slauter in 1979 as an auto service person, Transportation. He was promoted to special laborer, Construction, in 1979 and to pipe layer I in 1981. In 1982, Terry transferred to Facilities Management as a building maintenance mechanic, advancing to building engineer in 1984 and building operator in 1999.

Spring 2019

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Two senior vice-presidents retire Chief Operations Officer (COO) Ron Reisner and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Deb Schneider retired this spring from the District.

Reisner will officially retire May 21 with nearly 38 years of service. His last day at work was February 28.

Schneider will officially retire May 7 with eight years of service. Her last day at work was March 1.

pipe, reducing surface disruptions, while improving safety and efficiency, and incorporating cross bore inspections into our directional drilling program.

• Vacuum excavation which minimizes surface disturbance and concrete replacement.

• Capital Improvement Projects for the Florence and Platte South water treatment facilities and the Liquefied Natural Gas Plant, extending the use and improving the condition of these facilities for many years to come.

“Ron and Deb have both contributed greatly to the mission of the District to serve our community and helped build the foundation for our continued growth • Replacing our older cast iron water and success,” said President Mark Doyle. and gas mains.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, employees and our customer-owners, I Reisner is grateful to the many thank them for their dedicated service employees he worked with and learned and wish them health and happiness in from through the years and salutes those retirement.” who keep the water and gas flowing, even in the most extreme conditions. He Reisner earned a said, “Let’s not ever forget those who Civil Engineering are getting it done in the heat and cold degree from Iowa while being away from their families State University. on weekends and holidays, and while He joined the we’re sleeping.” He also wanted to stress District in 1981 in remembering, appreciating and taking Plant Engineering Ron Reisner care of those “who pay for the freight and advanced to at the District - our assistant superintendent, Construction customers.” in 1985. Ron was promoted to gas design engineer in 1987. He advanced Schneider earned to superintendent, Mechanical a Bachelor’s Service, in 1988, to superintendent, Degree in Business Gas Distribution, in 1992, and Administrationsuperintendent, Construction, in Accounting from Deb Schneider 1999. He was named vice-president, the University of Engineering and Construction in 2009, Nebraska at Omaha and holds a Certified and senior vice-president, COO in 2014. Public Accountant license.

Reisner has had experience in all She started her career at KPMG, a aspects of the District’s operations, large public accounting firm. Schneider from gas and water, to field service and then was controller for Creative construction. In reviewing the past 38 Financing before joining First Data years, Reisner identified several major Corp., where she served as senior vicemilestones for the District: president of Finance for 18 years. She was CFO, Treasurer and Secretary for • Directional drilling, which was introduced in the late 1990s, allows Transgenomic Inc., prior to joining crews to bore underground to install M.U.D. in 2011 as senior vice-president and CFO. 14

Taps & Jets

Throughout her District career, Schneider provided leadership in finance, rates, all areas of customer services, marketing, communications, purchasing and stores, business process improvement and field service operations. Highlights include: • Bringing the District back into bond covenant compliance on the water bond issuance and receiving two rating upgrades on the water company from Moody’s Investors Service and Standard and Poors rating agencies.

• Strong cash management which included achieving the District’s goal of 180 days in cash reserve, on both the gas and water sides of the business.

• Establishing the Other PostEmployment Benefits (OPEB) Trust in 2016 and properly funding it. The District has an OPEB funding policy in place and in 2019 will be funding the entire 100-percent annual contribution.

• Implementing GPS and Click software to improve emergency response time and offer two-hour appointment windows, significantly impacting our customer experiences.

• Working on new business opportunities, including compressed natural gas vehicles and the feasibility study with Lincoln Water System.

“Looking over the last several years, our employees have embraced the automation and process changes that improved customer service across the organization. They truly make the difference to our customers and without all of them, we would not be successful,” Schneider said. “I also would like to thank the board leadership for their open communication, and for supporting the OPEB funding which will allow the District to keep its promises to employees.”

Minne Lusa project wins design award The Minne Lusa Pump Station Rehabilitation project, designed by HDR Engineering, was selected for several design awards from The American Council of Engineering Companies/Nebraska (ACEC/N). ACEC/N represents over 50 consulting engineering firms doing business in Nebraska.

The Minne Lusa project was a winner for the “Water/Wastewater” category and earned an Honor Award. These awards were presented at the annual ACEC banquet in February. In addition, as an Honor Award winner the project is entered into the National ACEC contest.

First built in 1889 and modified several times since, the Minne Lusa Pump Station had become a shell of its former self.

Originally built of sandstone masonry with a wood truss-framed room, the structure had a central tower rising more than four stories and an arched entrance with matching windows. Through the plant’s numerous updates, windows were filled and stucco covered the masonry.

Photo above by HDR.

After a $9.5 million transformation, the original brickwork was restored, the arched windows are open again and feature radial arches atop them. Electrical wiring, controls and pumps that had been in service for more than 70 years were replaced. The HVAC system and building envelope were overhauled to improve efficiencies. An ADA-compliant, handicap-accessible ramp was added to the facility’s north entrance to provide clear and easy access for the public, including tour groups.

The project team kept the District’s oldest and largest pump station open and operable throughout construction, producing a minimum of 100-million-gallons-per-day (MGD) over the summer and 30 MGD during the remainder of the year. The design team and contractors coordinated efforts, resulting in only two complete station shutdowns — for just a few hours combined — over the course of the project.

The project was completed on budget and ahead of schedule.

Spring 2019

15

2018 Division Highlights Accounting

Contractor Services

Customer Service

On June 25 we went live with the Vendor Invoice Management (VIM) product. VIM is a tool to assist in the electronic receipt, routing, processing and payment of vendor invoices. This product improves the control and handling of our invoices and should allow for better cash management practices on behalf of the District. Since “go-live,” we have processed 13,292 invoices.

UPS completed construction of a private compressed natural gas (CNG) station at the end of 2017. TruStar Energy designed and built the station which includes three compressors, two fast-fill dispensers, 30 time-fill dispensers, and the ability to fuel over 17.5 gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE) per minute. The fleet currently operates 38 natural gas semi-trucks that consumed over 1,190,000 GGE of CNG in 2018. That is equal to over 1,800 residential homes annual gas usage, making UPS the 11th largest natural gas customer for the District in 2018.

Our goal is to be proactive communicators and work with our customers to avoid disruption of service.

Construction We developed and implemented a Construction Equipment Operator course which has trained over 40 employees in several departments so far.

Construction crews installed 14,000 feet of 4-inch gas main to serve Mount Michael High School and future development along that corridor. We also installed over 26 miles of new subdivision gas main.

Customer Accounting In March, we began offering recurring e-check which means payment is automatically drafted from the customer’s bank account, each month, on the due date, without any further intervention needed from the District or the customer.

This replaced the traditional Bank Draft Program in August. Customers starting a new account can sign up for recurring e-check to waive their deposit.

In January 2018 we had 14,570 customers pay with recurring e-check, resulting in $2.3 million in receipts.

The cost to the District to process these payments was approximately $450.00.

This is a savings to the District of $4,000 if the customer had used the traditional Bank Draft Program or $10,000 if the customer had paid via credit card.

16

Taps & Jets

Metro Transit entered into a signed agreement for the building of a public/ private CNG station in 2018. The station will fuel nine CNG para-transits and 14 medium-duty CNG buses currently in operation. Metro is expected to begin operating nine, 60-foot articulating buses for their Bus Rapid Transit system. The total annual consumption for these 32 CNG vehicles is estimated at 340,000 GGEs, which is the equivalent of over 5,000 residential homes annual gas usage.

Dispatch Office Dispatch began to utilize a new notification system in June of 2018, allowing for multiple notifications to be done at one time, saving the dispatchers about 30 percent in time. In 2018, Dispatch sent out a total of 219 Color Code Events related to gas. Our area dispatched 10,632 gas, fire and carbon monoxide emergencies to the field, while maintaining a 97 percent rate of assigning a technician in less than 10 minutes. In 2018, 1,459 businesses were called as part of courtesy reminders to our customers, of which 75 percent paid within 72 hours of being contacted.

We researched several different companies and options to communicate to our customers that were behind on their bills. We selected a web-based service, One Call Now, to send payment reminder phone calls to our customers that were delinquent and up for possible disconnection of their gas and/or water service. In conjunction with Legal/ Compliance, IT and Dispatch we went live in January 2018. From January 30 through December 31, 2018, we made 42,375 total calls to customers.

Customers are thankful for the reminders, and we have not received any complaints. This is a quick, easy and cost-effective program that yields high returns in customer satisfaction.

Gas Operations Gas sales were 36.5 million decatherms (Dth) in 2018 which was the highest since 1974.

Central Plains Energy Project completed our fourth long-term prepay gas purchase, which will save our customers $7 million over the first 52 months of the deal.

January 15, 2018 brought a new peak gas sales day of 323,569 Dth, and the LNG Plant produced 41,000 Dth that day.

Human Resources We completed the Collective Bargaining Agreement which became effective April 1, 2018. We also completed our first Wellness Assessment with over 40-percent participation.

Florence

Platte South

Platte West

Florence completed the Minne Lusa Pump Station improvements which included a new high service pump, electrical, HVAC upgrades and structural/ crane improvements as well as a significant architectural face lift.

On February 26, 2018 Platte South celebrated 50 years of operation. An open house was held for all District employees to celebrate Platte South’s golden anniversary.

184 employees and family members attended. Through the end of 2018, Platte South has delivered over 644.5 billion gallons of safe drinking water to the metro area.

Construction of replacement wells for PW91-03 in Douglas County and PW91-30 in Saunders County was completed and the wells returned to service in June 2018. Due to the elevation of the top of the well screens, the original wells were determined to be under the influence of surface water by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. The replacement wells were constructed to groundwater designation standards and the Platte West Plant maintains its groundwater designation for its source of supply.

Platte West completed its tenth year of operation in July. In 10 years of operation the well field has pumped approximately 120.9 billion gallons of water for drinking water production, or an average of 33.1 million gallons per day.

Plant Engineering

Information Technology

Marketing & Rates

All interior gas and water mains north of Pacific Street were installed and placed into service for the Heartwood Preserve project near 144th and West Dodge Road.

The development is being built on property previously owned by Boys Town, and is expected to be a mixture of commercial, residential and multi-family housing.

We worked with Customer Accounting to initiate recurring e-check payments in place of the Bank Draft program. IT also implemented the Vendor Invoice Management software which automated the entire process from invoice capturing to paying vendors. Invoices are stored in the Enterprise Content Management solution (Open Text) and integrated into invoice record in SAP. The system is capable of scanning and retrieving most details from the invoice which reduced errors and data entry time for accounts payable clerks.

The commercial gas development at Mount Michael Benedictine Abbey was a partnership between the school, M.U.D. and Northern Natural Gas (NNG). Mount Michael was the only customer served from a NNG branch line east of the Elkhorn River.

A new built-up roof was installed on the Operations Center. The existing roof was installed nearly 25 years ago. The new roof has a 30-year warranty.

Engineering Design We participated in the design and support of construction efforts in the Heartwood Preserve development. Engineering Design closely collaborated with Plant Engineering and Construction during this project.

IT collaborated with Stores to implement Inventory Manager on District iPhones.

With the elimination of the paper process, Stores has saved just over three personnel a day in administrative work. This project also helped them implement a change in process which requires all employees to have their ID ready and Order Numbers or Cost Centers ready for process. It has also helped with project accuracy and management.

To aid with the cost of construction, NNG provided $378,000 to construct the necessary gas mains and services to Mount Michael. NNG was able to eliminate a high-consequence gas main installed on the Elkhorn River bridge. The District was able to capture a new commercial gas customer and install gas mains in a future growth corridor. Mount Michael received newly updated infrastructure and transferred the ownership of their services to the District. The project was completed in October, on time and within budget.

Field Services The Field Service team was laser focused on the safety of our employees and customers. We made changes to our Gas Filled Structure policy to further protect our first responders by lowering the gas concentration levels from 25 percent Lower Explosive Limit (LEL) to 10 percent LEL. Implementing this change gives us more time to evacuate occupants and our employees to a safe location. We maintained a staff 24/7 to respond to over 10,934 gas and water emergencies with an average response time of 22 minutes 30 seconds.

We also expanded our refresher training by holding monthly sessions with all technicians to cover topics including gas regulation fundamentals, inside and outside gas detection, and Lemur mapping to cover shut-off locations for gas and water services.

Spring 2019

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Safety

Security

A full hazardous materials response team (HRT) was developed. Our HRT is comprised of water plant professionals specially trained during a 40-hour training course. Considered a technician level certification, HRT members assume a more aggressive role than a first responder level. Among other tasks, the HRT will be responsible for the following:

Security Supervisor Jesse Taylor spoke at the AGA Safety & Security Conference on Threat Assessment for Utility Workers in the field.

Assessing hazards and taking steps to protect employees and the public Personal Protective Equipment, clothing types and uses Basic search and rescue techniques Identifying and stopping hazardous materials leaks and spills Establishing a plan and effecting appropriate work efforts for each situation Proper disposal of any hazardous wastes The HRT will participate in four quarterly training events and one full-scale event every year to maintain the certificate. They must also enroll in the newly adopted Medical Surveillance Program, which consists of annual medical testing for each team member provided by the District.

District Security tested new V-5 Security Equipment in the remote Platte West well fields. This equipment provides for future cost savings.

Security measures were implemented at the Construction Center to provide continuous fire watch coverage of the facility in absence of District employees.

This resulted in the discovery of a CNG vehicle leaking fuel and numerous District vehicles issues, which were quickly fixed.

Meter Reading In January 2018, Meter Reading implemented the Atmospheric Corrosion and Gas Leak Program. It is designed to meet the State and Federal requirements of inspecting all District inside gas meters and piping at least once every three years for leaks and corrosion. Our division is responsible for scheduling letters, calling customers and investigative work, creating service orders, performing inspections, record keeping and reporting. There were 12,311 letters mailed which reflected 12,293 inside gas meters. Of those, 10,333 meters were successfully inspected. This program will remain in effect until all gas meters are relocated outside.

Measurement

Purchasing

Measurement implemented Click Dispatching to assign Field Meter Mechanics’ daily work orders. Click manages work orders by defining a specified time period to complete each assignment and organizes each mechanic’s work orders to optimize travel time from location to location. The implementation has allowed us to better manage resources and optimize productivity by assigning tasks to mechanics with the relevant skills to complete the order.

We processed 8,131 requisitions into 4,841 purchase orders with an invoice value of $22.4 million.

Stores processed 4,387 receivables valued at $8.4 million and processed 124,660 issues valued at $6.9 million.

Purchasing has worked with vendors of critical gas materials, which are in high demand nationally, to develop purchasing strategies and broaden vendor bases to maximize our ability to acquire materials to assure an undisrupted supply chain. In addition, we have documented lead times of critical materials which will be used to implement a more managed ordering system through SAP.

In 2018, with help from Information Technology, Stores implemented the SAP Inventory Manager Application allowing us to utilize technology and the District’s SAP platform to convert processes from manual to electronic and provide real-time inventory, transparency and improved customer service. This project has been a positive experience for Stores and the District’s internal and external customers.

Lastly, we have begun to review and revise purchasing standards to better define our role and to provide guidance, structure and control in the purchasing process.

In addition, Stores has barcoded all inventory. Team members now use iPhones to scan items and employee IDs at the time of an issue, return and receipt of material. These implementations have reduced errors, improved inventory tracking and control and reduced costs.

Other departments are now able to use Customer Relations Management system to schedule Measurement work orders within a booking window while on the phone with a customer. During the first year utilizing Click, we increased corrector maintenance order productivity from 221 in 2017 to 556 in 2018.

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Taps & Jets

Stores

Business Continuity

Water Distribution

We developed and implemented a Continuity Management Program in March.

All continuity management teams conducted additional training including scenarios. The Crisis Communication team participated in FEMA Basic Public Information Officer training.

We performed 878 shut-offs, worked 13,291 maintenance work orders and 722 emergency service orders in SAP.

We developed and tested an emergency communications program, including mass notification system, satellite telephones, GETS/WPS, water plant radios and an incident response regional radio system.

Communications between dispatch and key first responders has greatly improved response to gas and water emergencies and will be an asset in the event of a disaster.

We also commissioned 329,235 feet of pipe.

Water Quality We worked with Marketing and Rates to study the possibility of selling water to City of Lincoln and finished the first phase of the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule 4 for toxins from algae.

Glenwood assistance

Paul Otto and Jeff Vondra fill water jugs for residents.

The District’s emergency water truck is providing Glenwood, Iowa, residents with safe, clean drinking water after floods caused the town’s water treatment plant to shut down. Water Distribution employees are helping residents from noon to 7 p.m. daily until damage to the plant is repaired.

in memoriam

Darold Jordan

Zoltan Kerekes

Bill Kochanowicz

Darold L. Jordan, 97, died January 11. He was a claim representative and investigator, Law Department, when he retired in 1987 with 26 years of service. Darold joined the District in 1960 as a claims adjustor and advanced to claim representative and investigator in 1966.

Zoltan “Zolti” Kerekes, 83, died January 5. He was director, Water Quality, when he retired in 2001 with 35 years of service. Zolti joined the District in 1965 as a water analyst, advancing to chemist in 1969, supervisor of laboratories in 1983 and director, Water Quality, in 1988.

William G. “Bill” Kochanowicz, 75, died January 14.

He was vice-president, Accounting, when he retired in 2005 with 38 years of service. Bill joined the District in 1967 as an accountant II, General Accounting, and was promoted to accountant I in 1968 and to internal auditor in 1970. He advanced to personnel technician, Human Resources, in

Larry Troia

Vance White

1977, and compensation and benefits administrator in 1979.

Bill was promoted to chief accounting officer, General Accounting, in 1989. His title changed to vice-president, Accounting, in 2004.

Larry W. Troia, Sr., 74, died February 6. He was a pipe layer, Construction, when he retired in 2006 with 19 years of service. Larry joined the District in 1986 as a pipe layer trainee and was promoted to pipe layer in 2000.

Vance N. White, 76, died January 22. He was a customer service technician, Field Services, when he retired in 2004 with 37 years of service. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and worked for Peoples Natural Gas before joining the District in 1966 as a laborer, Construction. Vance was promoted to meter reader, Meter Reading, in 1967, and mechanic’s helper, Field Services, in 1970. He advanced to customer service technician in 1973.

Spring 2019

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1723 Harney St. • Omaha, NE 68102

PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO 101 OMAHA NE

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

2019 Employee Picnic Saturday, June 8

Unlimited waterpark and rides, volleyball tournament, dinner, Bingo, and more!

Park opens at noon, meal served 4-6p.m.

Full schedule available in registration link.

Register online at bit.ly/MUDpicnic2019 Reservations are required.

Deadline is May 15.

Cancellation deadline is May 22.

Questions? Contact Tracey at 402-504-7215.