The Rochester Public Utilities Board convened to approve the agenda, review a historic fuel oil operation during a regional cold weather event, and receive strategic updates on 2026 initiatives across all utility divisions. The meeting highlighted the Board's response to an energy emergency resembling Winter Storm Uri, the progress on lead service line replacements, and major planning for future power capacity.
Regional Energy Emergency and Fuel Operations
Water Division Initiatives
Power and Transmission Initiatives
Asset Management and Infrastructure
Corporate Services, IT, and Customer Relations
P.M. and this meeting of the Rochester Public Utilities Board is now called to order. A quick reminder as we get going that this meeting is recorded, and a recording will be available on the city's website immediately following the meeting or sometime thereafter. Our first uh item today is the approval of the agenda. May I have a motion to approve the agenda as presented? I'll move the agenda. Second. We have a motion. We have a second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed. The agenda is approved. Now we'll move quickly to item number two in our agenda. This is our safety moment with safety manager Mr. Bob Cook. Thank you so much, Bob. I decided that the song I heard most words was baby is cold outside. You're certainly applicable. I admit I never heard of so many different songs. Steve Cold I've shocked in a saw some people work shorts. And well, I know that people are more resistant to the coal than maybe I am. I thought this would be pretty dangerous. So every year, according to the CDC, more than a thousand people die from exposing extreme coal and micro. Yeah. It's important don't have many if they don't have extreme expeditions. They have during normal activities like driving walking, working outside, shuttling, whatever. So I think that happened to anybody. And coal doesn't just affect color, it affects judgment, coordination, reaction time. Your body gets cold, blood full contribution to your hands feed and face. That's when numbness sets in. This is why cold weather is strongly linked with slips, falls and vehicle accidents. Hypothermia is especially dangerous because it's often hard to recognize science and uncontrollable shivering, confusion for speech and fatigue. People experiencing hypothermia often don't realize how serious it is. They may think they're just tired of cold and keep going and delayed deadly. Frostbites and other risks sometimes underestimate back to my story about the resource. Once frostbite sets in, tissue damage can be permanent. Uh, there's many people who had serious ammunition. Cold weather also increases the risk of over exertion injuries, especially from activities like shuttling snow, early winter people suffer heart attacks, serious injuries because they push too hard for cold conditions of all taking breaks. Those basically three things we can do. One is the rest of conditions, short. Second, slow down third sleep, travel card, and all of that. And third, watch out for each other. This is something that's pretty problem at the workplace. Cold stress training is you know, watch your buddies, make sure that they're not solved. So cold weather injuries are preventable, but only if we respect it. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you so much, safety manager cook.