By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green is taking stock of its utility services to make sure they can handle growing demands.
Big picture, utility officials want to study the city’s electric grid for current and future needs. Small scale, they want to repaint the light poles downtown.
And beyond city limits – while not involving electricity – Bowling Green utilities officials have been working with the Northwestern Water and Sewer District to provide water and sewer services to the proposed $750 million data center being built north of Bowling Green.
District President Jerry Greiner and engineer Tom Stalter on Monday thanked city officials for working to meet the water and sewer needs of the proposed data center in the area of Ohio 582 between Ohio 25 and Interstate 75. The plans call for a total investment of $240 million for the purchase of about 750 acres and $510 million for the buildings, machinery and equipment.
“We think it’s great for the region,” Stalter said. “We’ve been talking with the city about capacity.”
During Monday’s meeting, both proposals for the electric study and the downtown poles were approved by the city’s Board of Public Utilities.
The board voted to spruce up about 400 decorative poles in the downtown area, costing an estimated $175,000 to $200,000.
The poles were installed during the downtown improvement project in 2000. According to Utilities Director Brian O’Connell, the poles were last painted around 2013. After 11 years, they are showing signs of corrosion and weathering, and need cleaning and repainting, he said.
Included in the project will be the green street light poles, traffic signal poles, pedestrian signal poles, bollards and bike racks. The poles are located between Ridge Street and Ordway Avenue, and between Church Street and Prospect Street.
“They’re a big part of what makes the downtown unique,” O’Connell said.
The city’s electric capital reserve fund included $100,000 in the 2024 budget. The public works department budget included similar funding. It is anticipated that cost sharing will pay for the project, O’Connell said.
The board also approved the spending of an estimated $100,000 to study the ability of the city electric grid to meet current and future demands.
The 2024 budget for the city’s electric capital reserve fund allocates up to $5.6 million for critical updates to substations, distribution systems, and transmission lines. According to BG Assistant Utilities Director Jim Odneal, the updates are driven by multiple factors including the Abbott Labs project, expanding business areas north and east of the city, and the need to replace or repair aging infrastructure.
“Aligning these necessary updates with a long-term strategic plan is essential, especially since it’s been over five years since our last comprehensive study,” Odneal said.
The proposed study will look at load growth expected in future years, to ensure the city can continue to provide reliable service. The evaluation will include a load forecast, contingency analysis, fuse coordination, fault analysis, project identification, equipment age analysis, land and environmental impact studies, and capacity studies.
“It’s been pretty busy with economic activities,” Odneal said, discussing the need for a system wide study. “So we can grow with intention, rather than just react.”
The city’s 2024 electric division budget has adequate funds to cover the study, Odneal said.
