City of Jamestown, NY, Board of Public Utilities “Jamestown: Up Close & Wonderful” October, 2011
Fall Flushing of BPU Water Mains Continues
through October
The BPU continues its fall sold in local supermarkets to assist in
flushing through most of ridding laundry of such stains. BPU
October. Customer Service is open 7 a.m.—
Traditionally beginning 5:30 p.m. weekdays at 92 Steele
flushing on a Saturday Street, down the D driveway.
night in Falconer, water Questions
crews normally flush all night into Sun- If you have any questions about
day until the Village is completed. flushing, please call BPU Communi-
Flushing in the remainder of the system cations Coordinator Becky Robbins at BPU Line Workers Assist
continues Sunday through Thursdays 661-1666. Long Island Utility during
for approximately three weeks. Hurricane Irene Clean-up
Why does the BPU flush water Thanks to our “Good Neighbor
mains? of the Month!” BPU line workers took two bucket
We flush water lines twice a year to trucks and a pick-up truck to assist the
keep our pipes clean, to achieve
Hurricane Irene clean-up in Freeport,
greater water flow through our mains
and also to keep hydrants operating in
New York, on the south side of Long
good condition. Serving our area for over 30 years Island.
Copiers and Document Solutions
BPU water crews flush by systemati-
Jackson Square – Jamestown Joe Arcadipane, Wayne Carlson, Mike
cally opening hydrants and allowing 664-3700 800-34AXIOM
water to run full force, flushing out sedi- Gregory, Phil Pantall and Erin Putnam
ments and minerals that have settled in Thanks this month to Axiom Business accompanied three line workers from
pipes. Machines for its donation to the BPU the Salamanca Board of Public Utilities
If we didn’t flush pipes, we would Good Neighbor Fund. on the weekend of Friday, August 25,
have to add rust-inhibiting chemicals to As the BPU is not permitted to give returning that Monday. They worked
our water which we have chosen not to away utilities, the BPU set up its Good 16 hours straight in one day of the
do. Neighbor Fund. The fund is for custom- weekend. Had the storm turned a dif-
What do I need to do ers (who receive no public assistance) to
about flushing? ferent direction, the Jamestown BPU
pay utility bills when sudden emergen-
To avoid drawing discolored water cies cause them financial stress. House employees would have been there for a
into your laundry and hot water sys- fires, illnesses, car repairs and job loss week or longer.
tems, avoid flushing toilets and running are examples of times when the Good
your water between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Neighbor Fund can help. Anthony Fiore, Freeport Superinten-
on the night your neighborhood is Applications for the Good Neighbor dent of Electric Utilities, sent a letter of
flushed. Fund are available at the Salvation Army gratitude to the BPU, stating, “Your
If you normally drink water during in Brooklyn Square and at BPU Cus- crews were a valuable asset to us and
the night, set aside water before flush- tomer Service. Applications must be we would not be where we are today
ing begins at 9 p.m. the evening your submitted at the Salvation Army which
street is flushed.
without their untiring help. Your
qualifies recipients. Aid from the fund is
If you avoid opening taps or flushing on a first-come, first-serve basis. At any
crews were very responsible, conscien-
toilets between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., you time money in the Fund may be depleted tious workers and you should be proud
may never even see discolored water and aid may not be available. of the way the represented your util-
in your home during flushing. Donations for the Good Neighbor ity.”
How do I know when my street is Fund may be made in several ways.
flushed? Gifts can be mailed or brought into BPU “We began Sunday morning with
The BPU posts daily flushing loca- Customer Service. A check written to the 4,300 customers without power and by
tions on its web site: BPU Good Neighbor Fund may be the close of Sunday, 4,000 customers
www.jamestownbpu.com, FACEBOOK mailed to the BPU at P.O. Box 700, were restored,” continued Fiore. “This
and Twitter pages. Jamestown, NY 14702-0700.
The daily locations also are adver-
was an amazing feat and as one TV
Customers may check a box on their
tised in the Jamestown Post-Journal, monthly BPU bill stubs indicating the
reporter told me it looks like a well-
the Jamestown Gazette, 106.9-FM, dollar amount to be donated or write the oiled army working here.”
SE93, WJTN, WHUG, WKSN, WRFA donation amount in the blank on the stub.
and on the Weather Channel. Then, add the gift amount to the bill pay- Freeport’s utility company paid for
If flushing is taking place in the vi- ment check. BPU workers to assist them.
cinity of your home, even if it is not on Business donors of $250 may become BPU Lineworkers Phil Pantall and
your specific street, you may experi- a “Good Neighbor of the Month,” placing Wayne Carlson are pictured above.
ence discolored water. their logo in the customer newsletter
BPU Customer Service Department which circulates to 20,000 households a
has a rust stain remover available for
BPU Community
month. Contact BPU Communications
customers who may get caught with a Coordinator Becky Robbins at 661- Blood Bank
load of laundry washed in discolored 1666. Drive:
water. Commercial products also are Gifts also may be made through the
Chautauqua Region Community Founda- 11 a.m.—3 p.m., Thursday, November 10
The BPU Yard Waste Site, tion, (CRCF) 418 Spring Street. The 17 Years and Older, Bring a Picture ID
Fluvanna Avenue, Free Lunch for Blood Donors
Foundation accepts gifts online at
remains open www.crcfonline.org and can handle gifts For an appointment, call 661-1666.
9 a.m.—1 p.m. Saturdays, made by credit card, cash, checks, life Walk-ins welcome.
weather permitting, insurance and securities. The CRCF may Enter the Visitor Door at the BPU,
through November 19. be reached at 661-3390. 92 Steele Street, down the D driveway.
Understanding Your Electric Bill &
the Fuel Adjustment Charge (FAC)
Electric bills can vary significantly from
month to month and are affected by
weather, appliance efficiency, home insula-
tion, days in the billing cycle and other fac-
tors. Your bill is for services that you al-
ready have used.
The Fuel Adjustment Charge (FAC) is one of the
BPU Participates in City Labor Day Festival charges on your electric bill. The FAC represents the cost
of our Niagara hydropower, the cost to transport the hydro-
The Jamestown Board of video showing the inside of power to Jamestown by National Grid, the charges by the
Public Utilities (BPU) partici- underground sewer lines. New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) and the
pated for the first time with a Other activities included a cost of the coal or gas needed to make electricity at the
tent at the Jamestown Labor recycling game for children, Jamestown plant. The FAC rises with the price of hydro-
Day Festival on Sunday, exhibits on BPU jobs; the power, gas and coal; and with fees charged to the BPU by
September 4, in Bergman importance of tap water vs. NYISO and National Grid.
Park. bottled water; rate compari- Similar to all winter periods, the Fuel Adjustment Charge
An exhibit on safety sons with other utility com- is expected to be higher in winter months due to increased
around work zones included panies; cost comparisons use of electricity by our customers. In the winter, most
a wastewater truck with a with other necessities; and heating systems use electricity to circulate the heat. We
safety zone set-up and a energy efficiency. also tend to spend more time indoors, running appliances
and lighting for longer hours. As a result of increased de-
Save Energy and Money this Winter with a BPU Winter mand, the BPU also will need to use more natural gas or
Weatherization Checklist! coal (fuel) to supply the increased energy. That’s why it’s
smart to conserve electricity, especially at this time of year.
Pay close attention to areas BPU Energy Efficiency Coordinator Dan Reynolds is
around window casings, rim available to answer questions about how to save electricity.
joists, faucets and corners. Hints for saving energy in the winter also are listed in the
article to your left. Reynolds may be reached at 661-1646.
6. Replace the batteries in BPU customers also should be aware of our “Good
your programmable thermo- Neighbor Fund” that benefits customers who may have
stat. If you don’t have a pro- trouble paying utility bills in an emergency situation. If you
grammable thermostat, con- receive no public assistance, you may be eligible for a one-
sider purchasing one as time payment, up to $150 in a year, toward your BPU utility
these thermostats can re- bills on a first-come, first-serve basis until funds are de-
The BPU offers winter duce your heating costs by pleted. Call or visit the Salvation Army in Brooklyn Square
weatherization tips for you, 10%. at 664-4108 to apply for help. (see reverse side article)
to get your home ready for
winter! Following these sug- 7. Make sure that heat regis-
gestions before winter sets ters are clean and not cov- Report Street Light Problems
in can save energy and ered by furniture; this will
money on your winter utility allow efficient distribution of As winter approaches and evenings
bills. heat. get dark earlier, it is more important than
ever to be sure BPU street lights are in
1. Remove all window air 8. Insulate all hot water good working order.
conditioning units or use a pipes that travel through un- The BPU sends out a night crew at
winter cover to reduce cold heated areas to reduce heat different times of the year to check the
air infiltration. loss. lights on all our streets. With thousands of street lights in
the BPU territory, however, you can help by reporting
2. Replace filters in forced 9. Install insulation gaskets lights you observe that may be burned out or turning off
air furnaces. This will re- on all electric outlets and and on.
duce the amount of work switches that are located on How to Report a Street Light Problem
that the furnace fan will have exterior walls. To report a street light outage, please call 661-1660
to perform. and follow the prompts and report the number of the utility
10. Schedule a home energy pole that holds the light. You may also report a street light
3. Inspect exterior doors for audit through the BPU to outage by going to the BPU web site at
weather stripping and door discover where you are los- www.jamestownbpu.com, click on “electric,” click on
sweeps; replace them if they ing energy in your home. “Report a Street Light Outage,” and send us the informa-
are worn out. New York State offers free tion. You always may report a street light problem at BPU
energy audits and the BPU Customer Service, 92 Steele Street.
4. Install window insulation offers rebates for work you Utility Pole Number Leads to Quicker Repair
kits on windows that are perform that has been sug- When reporting a street light problem, the repair can be
drafty. To further improve gested by the audit. made more quickly if you report the number of the pole
window seals, install locks which is written in orange and black on the pole. It is diffi-
and weather stripping to en- For general questions about cult to fix a broken light during the daytime when the lights
sure a tight seal. Check to energy efficiency and for normally are off and an employee is trying to count “the
make sure all storm windows information about BPU en- street light four houses down,” or some other description.
are closed and locked in ergy efficiency programs, The BPU tries to repair reported street light problems
place. contact Jamestown BPU within two-three days.
Energy Efficiency Coordi-
5. Inspect the exterior for nator Dan Reynolds at 661- BPU Water:
gaps that can be filled with 1646 or by e-mail: drey- Regulated, Economical, Better for the Environment
caulk or expanding foam. nolds@ jamestownbpu.com.
Bottled water is subject to less rigorous testing than
Garage Sale & Other Signs Don’t Belong municipal tap water. We test frequently, while filing and
on Utility Poles printing a state water quality report every year.
Tacks and nails on utility poles pose a safety hazard to At least 25% of bottled water comes from municipal tap
utility workers as they climb up and down the poles. water at 500 times the price. Plastic bottles require at
Ripped skin and cuts may result from these hazards. least a quarter cup of oil to produce & must be recycled.