City officials in Canandaigua have begun talks about replacing lead or galvanized-metal water-service lines and relaunching an expired community electricity-buying program.
The City Council’s environmental committee met on January 17th to discuss the expired Gateway Community Power program, which saved participants in Canandaigua over $300,000 in its first 18 months. The contract, which also included the village of Victor and the town of Brighton, ended earlier than expected, and the three municipalities have been working to seek a new bid to continue the program for a relaunch this summer.
The three municipalities partnered with third-party administrator Joule Community Power to start the Gateway program in 2021. It allowed all three to pool local electric demand in order to leverage the collective buying power of their residents and small businesses in an effort to secure more favorable terms on their energy supply, protect consumers, and support renewable generation sources.
The City Council’s ordinance committee also met on January 17th and continued a discussion that began in October 2022 on mandatory inspection of water-service lines at the time of a property transfer. City staff is recommending a new ordinance that requires the inspection and certification of the water service upon the transfer of property. If a water service is found to be composed of lead or galvanized metal, it must be replaced at the expense of the homeowner prior to the transfer of the property, according to the proposed new ordinance.
Discussion of these programs and ordinances will continue at the February 21st and February 17th committee meetings respectively.
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