Here's a peek into CWLP's photo album . . . a pictorial record of some of the recent events and activities in which the utility and our employees have been involved.

CWLP plants Trees of Knowledge at Enos School
For the eighth consecutive year, CWLP, along with the Mayor's Office and the Department of Public Works, celebrated Arbor Day with a local school. During Spring 2007, the students of Enos Elementary focused on

learning about trees and their importance to the environ-ment. Art classes were devoted to designing tree posters and a winner from each class received a $25 U.S. Savings Bond. Funding for the poster contest was provided by Nelson Tree Service, the company respon-sible for CWLP's line clearing work. On Arbor Day, students and faculty gathered on the school's east lawn to listen to presentations by City representatives, sing songs and plant two trees donated to the school by CWLP.

On behalf of Nelson Tree Service, City Arborist Mike Dirksen presented Principal Boatman with a check for $250 to be used to fund prizes for winners of the school's tree poster contest. Sitting far right, Mayor Tim Davlin's Communications Director Ernie Slottag and CWLP Public Information Officer Amber Sabin watch the presentation.

Ground broken for new power plant
Braving freezing rain and sleet, Springfield Mayor Tim
 Davlin and General Manager Todd Renfrow helped

Breaking ground: (l-r) Howard Barton, Presi-dent of Kiewit Indus-trial Co.;  General Manager Renfrow; Mayor Davlin; Doug Scott, Director of the Illinois EPA; and Bob Cunningham, who was General Superinten-dent of Generation when Dallman 3 was built.

break ground for CWLP's new 200-MW power plant on Thursday, November 30. When completed, the new plant—dubbed Unit 4—will replace two aging turbine generators at the Lakeside Power Station, which is scheduled to close in 2010. Unit 4 will be the first coal-fired base load generating unit to be built by CWLP since Dallman 3 was placed into service in 1978.

CWLP employees play Santa for sick kids
As part of its "Wee Treasures" campaign, employees from CWLP's Customer Service Office raised more than $2,000 to purchase DVD players, DVDs, toys and games for St. John's Children's Hospital. Commercial Office Wee Treasures Committee members Ramona Yuskanich (second from left), Susan Thompson and Shannon Knox, presented the gifts to Peggy Curtin, Execu-tive Director of St. John's Hospital (far left) on December 12, just in time for the holidays. The generous donation means every pediatric patient room will now have a new DVD player. Money for the campaign was raised through bingo games, a chili cook-off, individual donations, and the support of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Northender's VFW Post 10302 and Circuit City.

Late-autumn ice and snow storm
creates headaches for crews, customers
One of the worst ice storms to hit Springfield in decades was responsible for knocking out power to close to 40,000 customers in the waning hours of November and early days of December 2006. Trees and power lines across the city snapped under the weight of anywhere from one-quarter to one-half inch of accumulated ice. The problem was exacerbated by an additional four to five inches of snow that fell once the ice storm ended. Damage was so extensive that, despite struggling around the clock, crews were still working to get the last 100 or so customers back on line as late as Tuesday, December 5. As soon as all CWLP customers were taken care of, a number of CWLP crews and trucks were dispatched to Decatur to help Ameren restore power to residents there.
 

Crew retrieves solar panels
Several years ago, CWLP, in cooperation with Community Energy Systems and the American Public Power Association, installed an array of photovoltaic panels on the roof of the Fifth Street Renaissance (FSR) homeless shelter. In addition to helping the not-for-profit agency reduce its energy bills, the
installation provided valuable research data for CWLP regarding the pros and cons of site-based solar power systems. Earlier this year, FSR purchased and moved to a new facility, requiring the
utility to remove the solar panels from the old building. With the help of Electric Division crews and bucket trucks, ESO manager Bob Croteau (bottom photo) disassembled and retrieved the arrays and their related components. The panels have been temporarily stored until a decision is made about where they should be installed next.

Ribbon cutting marks official opening
of new ESO, Community Relations location
In early June, Mayor Tim Davlin (second from left) and CWLP General Manager Todd Renfrow (right) helped CWLP Energy Services Mana-ger Bob Croteau (far left) and Sandy Robinson, director of the City's Office of Community Relations, cut the ribbon to mark the grand opening of ESO's and Community Relations' new location at 231 S. 6th St.
    The ground-floor reception area that provides entry to both agencies will serve as a one-stop location where city residents and visitors alike can obtain City service and  tourism information and pay their CWLP bills.
    The Energy Services Office, which provides information and programs designed to help CWLP customers use energy and water more efficiently and economically, is located on the 2nd floor of the building, which is located on the northwest corner of Monroe and S. 6th Street.
    For more information about the Energy Services Office and its programs, click here.

Tornadoes devastate large areas of Springfield;
utility infrastructure suffers tremendous damage
Two F-2 tornadoes that cut a nearly 12-mile swath through Springfield on the night of Sunday, March 12, 2006, damaged over 1,700 buildings and wreaked an estimated $20 million worth of havoc on CWLP's infrastructure.
    The extent of damage to utility poles, transformers and substations was so great that the Dallman and Lakeside power plants were forced to trip off line, causing about 65,000 of our 69,000 customers to lose power.
 

Scenes like these were common throughout Springfield the morning after the tornadoes.

Fortunately, the availability of black-start generation made it possible for workers to bring the plants back online within a few hours, enabling power to be restored to about three-quarters of affected customers by early Monday morning. A few thousand others, though, weren't quite so lucky. Although line crews — including over 300
Crews, including hundreds from other utilities (like those from Kentucky's Owensboro Municipal Utility in the red trucks above), worked around the clock to repair the damage and restore service.

from other utilities that responded to CWLP's appeal for mutual aid — worked around the clock to clean up and repair the devastation, some customers living in or near the hardest hit areas were without power for up to a week.
     Utility officials say things could have been a lot worse, though, if not for CWLP's pre-existing emergency management plan, which kicked into gear even before the first tornado siren was sounded. This advance planning ensured crews would be ready to begin assessing damage and start the recovery and repair process as soon as the storms moved out of the area. In all, in the weeks following the tornadoes, crews replaced over 900 utility poles and more than a quarter million feet of electric wire and cable.

ESO Holds Low-Cost/No-Cost
Efficiency Workshops
Since early November 2004, employees of the Energy Services Office have hosted several Low-Cost/No-Cost Energy Efficiency Workshops for Springfield residents. The workshops teach do-it-yourself skills that enable customers to make needed efficiency improvements to their homes. Although open to all customers, the workshops are aimed especially at low- and fixed-income residents who can't afford to hire someone to make the improvements for them. Participants in the workshops, which focus primarily on improvements that cost little or nothing to make, receive a take-home "starter" kit of several of the efficiency products discussed during the program. Additional workshops are scheduled for the future.

Energy Services Manager Bob Croteau explains the best
uses for expanding foam caulk to two workshop attendees.

Energy Specialist Gary Hurley demonstrates the
difference between different types of weatherstripping.
 

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Digging History
In the course of doing their jobs, CWLP water crews have unearthed some pieces of Springfield's history. Two water mains, one of cast iron dating to 1892 and the other of wood from the early 1940s, have been excavated in recent months. The nineteenth-century main was uncovered at Color Plant Road, on the north side of town near the Sangamon River in the vicinity of Springfield's first water works plant. This was one of two original transmission mains that conveyed water to the city from the riverside plant. The wooden main utilizes wood stave construction wrapped in thin steel binding and coated with tar.  Originally installed during World War II to serve the U.S. Army Depot on the far south end of town, this piece was found during installation of water service to the new United Community Bank branch at Stevenson Drive and S. 6th Street.

A section of the World War II-era wooden water main can be seen
through this view from inside a cast iron main dating from the
mid-19th century.

It's In Our Fiber
CWLP's fiber optic network is the backbone of the utility's communications system. The utility first began installing fiber optic cable in 1993 and, by 1996, was utilizing the fiber network for data and voice communications between our major facilities. With over 100 miles of cable now installed throughout the city, CWLP also makes access to the network available to commercial customers at a price that is usually very attractive compared to what a private communications company would charge. Currently, several customers, including Springfield District 186, St. John's Hospital, and Sangamon County, take advantage of the City's fiber network. For more information about CWLP's fiber optic network, click here.

CWLP Communications personnel Jim Bowsher
(left), Randy Black (center) and Mark Seabolt
splice fiber optic cable in preparation for its
installation..

Mike Hickey mounts a splice to a support cable.

Last update: 05/01/08