"STORY IN YOUR EYES" moody blues
Someone in another post question if the residents got a "partial" hearing on our city fathers and mothers sending AMP-OHIO over 2.1 million dollars to if your honest, to stop the bleeding. There were a few comments from the front table that "we're saving the city money." All your saving is the interest on two million dollars waiting for a court decision that doesn't look to promising presently.
I and many others have had a hard time explaining what "stranded costs" meant? Plus the standard answer it's in litigation.
The ordinance claim that the payment be made at Council's request.. I'm guessing in executive session? Then it was shoved into the last ordinance of the year. No three readings. with the claim of it being an emergency.
Plain Dealer, News-Herald never questioned the administration on over two million dollar's leaving the city coffers?
Then on the front page of the little weekly paper the The Lake County Tribune an article written by Marian McMahon (no relationship to former city manager) entitled "Stranded costs to be paid upset residents" In it she told the story of the city's involvement with stranded costs.
She then took the time to explain in the article (Note: Regarding stranded costs: utility companies have argued, since they were required to build new electric plants to meet actual and future needs of customers but customers were no longer required to purchase electricity from a particular supplier, utilities building plants could not count on recouping their investments, which were then "stranded" Ohio law gives the utilities the chance to collect those stranded costs.)
Now AMP-OHIO talked us along with many other of their community members to finance a new electric generating plant in Meigs County, Ohio Other towns with municipal power like Painesville will finance as well as be customers of and AMP-OHIO will oversee building and operation of this plant. The cost of the plant tripled in cost leaving AMP-OHIO on the hook for costs? Well not really. Now because of the "take or pay" contract signed by Painesville with AMP-OHIO we as well as the other communities they are on the hook. Our share presently 2.1 million plus legal fees.
Now we can all say we all make mistakes....... At the same time AMP-OHIO with all this was going on AMP-OHIO got Painesville involved with another power plant Prairie State which was sold to Painesville as a "Turn Key ready operation."
Prairie State As best as I can figure out Painesville will send $200,000 per month to AMP-OHIO our cost of power will cost close to $58.00 per MWH. and we can use it at that high cost or sell it on the open market presently at $30.00per MWH.
I can't swear by these figures and getting information is near impossible. As you can see Painesville could lose a ton of money.
Speaking of money, Painesville's Electric Fund cut a check to AMP-OHIO for 2.1 million. Payed cash for the new substation 3.2 million and the Finance Director claims we still have over 12.2 million in the electric fund? Anybody but me thinking about being overcharged?
Last year we also sent out our number one turbine and had it reconditioned for over $250,000 O.K. why do that and not generate power at the Electric Plant. What does that staff do all day?
In the coming council meeting we as residents must ask the administration, "what's the plan?"
ALL HAVE A HAPPY AND EXPENSIVE NEW YEAR!
posted by terminator1 @ 6:31 AM
22 Comments
22 Comments:
At 11:08 a.m. Friday, Geneva resident Brian L. Walters, 41, was pulled over by the Ohio Highway Patrol for a marked lanes violation on Route 528 southbound in Madison Township.
What a lame excuse for pulling someone over! This is one of the many reasons, I hate police!
" Stranded Costs " has 3 paramaters.
One which you note in the contract to pay for a plantthat was never built and all the communities got royally screwed.
2. Selling excess power purchased but unable to use at a financial loss to unload it. Galion is experiencingthis right now.
3. Unable to sell excess power at any costs and having to eat the entire amount. Galion will experience this as more solar and wind power comes online and more energy efficient appliances and electronics come into use.
http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20121231/NEWS01/312310029/Citizens-sue-Galion-over-charter-abolishment-issue
AMP lost big in the first go round again BECHTEL over the Meigs county fiasco ... all but one of the merits of their suit was thrown out.
What does your Painesvile electrical workers do all day ? Probably the same thing Galion workers do. Play cards, drive around aimlessly, do their grocery shopping, visit the shopping malls, watch movies at the theatres and go to the bars ... on the city clock.
11:48 Maybe Brian's eyes told that state trooper something was amis? What was Brian transporting at the time? 15 pounds of what?
6:37 Hang in there Galion. This is far from over.
Last night I listened to a one hour program on: The Economist. They interviewed Marvin Odum, President of Shell Oil, Fred Krupp president of the Environmental Defense Fund and Christine Todd Whitman, co-chair Clean and Safe Energy Coalition. Marvin Odum reviewed what Shell Oil has in development to get the US on an independent energy track. All panelist agreed 30% will come from renewable sources in the next 3-5 years. Wind generated energy is at the bottom of the list. Fracking will continue but there will be big changes to protect the environment. France and most of Europe has banned fracking. The majority of electricity will come from homeowners and companies selling home based generated power back to the grid!!! Solar is said to be on the brink of a major break through with cold climates able to benefit from solar. Hydrogen is expect to be huge and nuclear will still be around.
One of my major complaints with the AMP contract...... We will never be able to sell power back to the power company. I voiced this concern to council and was told it will never happen. City Manager told me this too......
We must find leaders with a vision for the future. We must elect leaders with a vision.
Why is Joe Hada still President of council? He was instrumental in getting this city into this mess! Step Down Mr Hada, please for once do the right thing and step down.
Are you still proud of you vote? We are far from out of the woods with the AMP deal. Litigation will go on for 3-5 years, we will get a bill for that. And a bill for Prairie State and a bill for clean up. And bills for anything else AMP tosses on the pile. We are writing the checks, not Joe Hada.
Well, I can't speak for anyone else but I was pulled over when northbound at I-90 and Rt 528. There was a car, in front of me, turning left to go west on I-90. I went to the right to go around him/her. I was pulled over for "passing on a marked surface". At no time was anyone in any danger. I was amazed that there was even such a charge. Actually I was stunned at the charge and I assure you that I had nothing illegal in my car or on my person. A classic example of a police officer with nothing to do.
Sandy don't expect to here an apology or resigantion from the Councilman who "Proudly" pushed through these deals. He was sold a bill of goods and fear from AMP-OHIO.
In a short few year affordable solar panels will be installed on new and old homes alike taking you off the grid.
What will Painesville do with all the power they have purchased. In the energy field only a fool would get involved in a 40-50 year contract.
The fact is both AMP-OHIO and Peabody Energy knew this.
Before this is all over I see all kinds of legal barrles.
If this Prairie State project was so great, Why can't anyone SELL there stake in the project?
The only reason I see that Joe Hada is still President of Council is that without Joe how many of them would be up there sitting with him?
Sandy, not to make your day but....
do you remember the deal for power we agreed to with AMP-OHIO from 2015 thru 2020?
There was certainly no excuse for Joe Hada, Rita McMahon, or anyone else on council to vote for these AMP deals. Even as they were stupid enough to think they were good deals, there were many citizens who were pointing out the ridiculousness of getting into a 50-year coal (or any other kind of deal for 50 years) in this time in history when such rapid changes are coming in the field of energy. AND they got us into a COAL deal, which many citizens pointed out was an EXTRA hazard. And a take-or-pay?! The citizens knew it was all a bad deal, but council and McMahon (except for Flock) were determined to get us into this mess, and they did (with Joe Hada stucking his chin out and PROUDLY voting for these abominations, to "show" the citizens. Well,they showed us alright -- the only problem is that WE are the ones who are paying for it, too.
These were such obviously bad deals, but council and McMahon just went right ahead, despite all our warnings. It just makes me wonder what was in it for them, you know? It was just so obvious to everyone else that the deals were so bad that it was insane even to consider them. It just makes me wonder what was in it for them, and I would love to see investigations go far enough to check out EVERYTHING.
And I see McMahon's retirement didn't last long. Didn't she say she wanted to spend more time with her family, and now already she has landed another job, because they said she did such a good job running Painesville. I had to read that article twice -- are they kidding -- she did such a good job running Painesville??? She left because here feet were getting hot from being so close to those coals, and someone hired her because she did such a good job? It just all leaves me wondering.
6:27 What you have to remember is the reason Rita McMahon operated this way was becase JaHada and his friends let her.
What did any of them know about electricity?
Morning! I brought that deal up at a council meeting and was promptly and curtly told to sit down. I saying things that were false. Whatever.....
We have a council meeting coming up on Monday night, guess it's time to start sitting on those blasted benches again. Somebody needs to held accountable for this mess! Please write letters or attend. Now this is what I would call a state of emergency foe the city!
The only advantage I can see with Rita in her new position might be to help the city tear the old hotel down. Maybe she can divert funds to demolition or maybe the bridge to no where..... More money there than here in the city.
This brings to mind something that has puzzled me for a LONG time.
Why does Lake County have, or need, a Port Authority??
As far as I know we have just one port in the County which existed long before the need for a bureaucratic "authority" came to be.
It really comes across as more of a way to reward old cronies for work they did previously and to hide things from the tax-payers.
For example, the old Harvey HS property. Why does the Port Authority have to obtain the land for LEC?? Why can't LEC just buy the property on its' own?
You didn't have to be a rocket scientist to know that those electric deals were ridiculously bad. The citizens knew it. I personally watched in disbelief as they presented these deals to the public -- all the while being very careful to hide and evade the whole truth. I remember the many, many months of half-truths and lies in spite of the citizens doing everything possible to draw out the truths that they knew were being hidden by McMahon. Hada and his crew sat by and let all this happen, and helped her hide the truth with all its nasty details, when they knew the details were bad enough that they should try to keep them from the citizens of Painesville. She and they were masters of double-talking and evading. We need to play those council meeting tapes to the Feds. I have three words: investigations, investigations, investigations.
Go Sandy!
Jim, presently your guess is as good as mine. I guess were near the lake?
Presently your right about the old Harvey site, the downtown hotel, along with the COE manufacturing property.
I belive as a director on the Port Authority no salary is given. If that's the case their getting their monys worth.
Jim, why do you ask these questions on the blog? Or why ask Term? Why not GO to city hall for the answers? You could ask at a council meeting too. But a well informed citizen would have all the facts first before standing up in a meeting to ask such. Don't you think it's better to ask directly than this indirect route?
Sandy Miller- would you consider running for council? You seem to have a knowledge for ecology which is needed for the electric plant.
6:09 What makes you think City Hall knows?
Sandy Miller would NOT make a very good representative on city council. Why you ask? She would concern herself more with the financal and operational duties of a councilperson. She would do what she was elected to do.
Sandy wouldn't be thanking every employee for doing their job, or take time to present P.R. about pretty Christmas decorations. (Right after you voted to sent 2million+ out of city)
Some here believe that they live in Hudson and we have no real problems and don't need someone with common sense solutions.
6:09
Gee, I guess some folks have all the answers.
Since it is a County agency, why would I ask about the Port Authority at a City Council meeting?? Why do you think they would have any answer at all?
It really was more a rhetorical question. I can't think of any way that I can change the fact that the Authority exists. Can you?
Th question is asked here because there are people reading this who might "care" or they might not have thought of it in the past.
Are you wondering if I am an "informed" citizen? Probably a little more informed than you might suspect. I am not in the same league as Term but I know a few things.
Jim, you expect to much from our Anonymous readers here.
I willing to bet you know more of what's going on than many of our commentors.
Ouch- Talk about bite the hand that feeds you. You've insulted your co-bloggers on your own post. Hope the comment won't affect your numbers. Yes, Jim the city can answer your questions even if it is run by the county. That was a lame comment guess I didn't get the rhetorical part.
As far as the city P.R. didn't your Mom get a Pretty Painesville award? Another bite of the hand.
Back in the day I thought council would be an interesting place to be but after attending a few council meetings and sitting in a more than a few months of Streetscape meetings I don't think I have ever been so frustrated. As a business owner, if something isn't working I change it or sell my wares in a market that appreciates what I do. The ability to change quickly has kept me in business. Government moves so slowly.... Sometimes that is good but sometimes it is a huge problem when you mired down in the muck. When council was approached about AMP, residents were shut down. There was so much information out there, especially in Cleveland. There were good informative panels at Levin College at Cleveland State, not just one but many.
When we approached council about community gardens instead of mowing grass, again, shut down. I don't see many creative thinkers at city hall or sitting on council. The most frustrating part of this city....... We are the perfect population to have a major impact for our residents. I about tossed my compost when I sat at a council meeting and watched Angelo ask for a better recycling area behind the hotel. The city manager actually had the nerve to say...... Well maybe we shouldn't have recycling.
I have been to the city website in recent weeks and we have quite a few vacancies, including the top position. Mr Lewis and Cathy Biedermeir, both residents of Ashtabula county seem to be the last people standing. The only other person still on board .... Law director, Mr Gurley.
We sure need some young creative thinkers who have a stake in Painesville. Any ideas? I am not young or in town very much these days but thanks!
5:41 The numbers are still there.
AS far as my mother winning the "Pretty in Painesville" award.
Pretty much the same flower arrangment that Mom and Dad have had for 50 years? They did it because they loved doing it. After my father's passing in 2010. Mom still wanted the flowers presented as before. She enlisted my two ex-wives to do the project. Out of the love and respect for mom and dad they did a beautiful job. (Myself supervising strategically with my back to the nearest wall.)
I know these things are important yet I seem to believe those projects were handled of PADC? Not the city. 2 million down the drain,now let's talk about the pretty lights. Really?
I could care less about the awards, you are the one who brought up the fact the city hands them out. My point was, if they didn't your family would not have gotten one. They are nominated by neighbors in the community so what's the need to complain about it when you are a recipient?
1:20 The needs of this city should be more important than any award.
My complaint isn't with the award my problem is what's really important to improving this city.
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