Environmental Regulations Groundbreaking for the OUC Administration Building.
In the ‘50s and ‘60s, the federal government enacted environmental legislation that would have a lasting effect on public utilities. The Air Pollution Control Act of 1955 — the first federal legislation involving air pollution — funded research for scope and sources of air pollution. The Clean Air Act of 1963 was the first federal legislation regarding air pollution control. It authorized the development of a national program to address air pollution-related environmental problems and authorized research into techniques to minimize air pollution.
OUC Helps Support City Services In 1966, OUC transferred $4.18 million to
sewerage and sanitary facilities, street paving,
the City of Orlando, which amounted to more
cleaning and lighting, parks and playgrounds,
than 50 percent of the City’s operating
traffic engineering, airport operation, health
budget. Power and water contributions
department services and many more
helped provide police and fire protection,
community services.
In 1968, the Florida State Board of Health
Mapping a System of Pipes, Power Lines, Plants and Substations One of the most significant accomplishments
The Air Quality Act of 1967 authorized enforcement procedures for air pollution problems involving interstate transport of pollutants and authorized expanded research activities.
OUC Water Department Chosen Best in State populations of more than 25,000, the state
chose OUC’s water department as the best
board of field sanitary engineers judged the
large-city operation in the state for the previous
Orlando plant tops in product quality, employee
three years. After inspecting private and
professionalism, preventive maintenance, safety,
municipal facilities serving areas with
cleanliness and emergency planning.
OUC Opens New Administration Building
easily. It needed not only the appropriate
On April 18, 1968, OUC opened its new,
of the late 1960s was the improvement of
technology, but also required that people
eight-story, $3 million Administration Building
Building will give the Commission a greater
OUC’s electric mapping system. Up to that
change longstanding habits.
and Customer Service Center at the corner of
operational capacity, a needed capacity
time, most of the feeder circuits and electrical
The mapping system process was continually
Manager, “The new Administration
Orange Avenue and Anderson Street. The
with the advent of Disney World, Florida
switching capabilities had resided in the minds
upgraded and improved as time and technology
new facility, which would serve as OUC’s
Technological University and the new Naval
of a few people and hard copies of maps. But,
advanced to the point where even field
home in downtown Orlando for the next 40
Training Center. These additions to our
as OUC grew, better documentation was
personnel have access to mapping and
years, housed all of the Commission’s
economy will put increasing demands upon
needed. This process, however, did not come
switching procedures via portable computers.
administrative personnel, as well as business
OUC to supply efficient, low-cost electric
and accounting divisions.
and water services to a wide variety of new
According to Curtis H. Stanton, OUC Executive Vice President and General
Information Technology: From Spiral Notebooks to Mainframes Logging information into spiral notebooks was standard procedure when OUC first began operations in 1923. In 1966, that all changed, as the utility installed the first stage of its new $600,000 data processing system. The basic units of the new system, the IBM-360, were installed on the seventh floor of City Hall until the Commission’s new building was complete. B.L. Cording, OUC data processing division director, told the Orlando Morning Sentinel that “the IBM-360 is a vast, powerful system that will simplify OUC’s programming effort and will allow maximum utilization of equipment and provide continuous availability of necessary information.” (Orlando Sentinel, 1966)
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industries, businesses, public institutions and residential areas.”