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HomeMy WebLinkAboutreporter.feb06© City of Georgetown, 2006 VOL.4 • NO.2 A Publication of the City of Georgetown February 2006 Clean Energy From the Wind City of Georgetown electric cus- tomers may be pleasantly surprised to learn that a small but growing por- tion of our energy supply is generat- ed by West Texas wind farms and other renewable sources such as hydroelectric dams. Georgetown’s electric utility does not generate its own power, but purchases electricity through a contract with the Lower Colorado River Authority, the largest public power supplier of renewable energy in Texas. Most of LCRA’s electricity is pro- duced by natural gas- and coal-fired generation plants. However, five per- cent of LCRA’s power generation capacity comes from renewable, zero- emission energy sources, including three wind farms and six hydroelec- tric dams. Wind farms in West Texas produce about two percent of LCRA’s total power generation, and it is a sector that is growing rapidly. Spurred by rising fossil fuel produc- tion costs as well as improving indus- try technology, wind power genera- tion in the U.S. has grown tremen- dously in the last 10 years. According to the American Wind Energy Association, wind energy suppliers nationwide expected to bring online a record amount of new generation capacity in 2005. Currently, Texas is second only to California in wind generation capacity. According to Mike Mayben, energy services manager for Georgetown Utility Systems, electricity from renewable sources such as wind is likely to be an increasing part of Georgetown’s energy supply. “Higher natural gas prices and envi- ronmental concerns about coal con- tinue to fuel the growth of the wind power industry,” says Mayben. With the passage of Senate Bill 20 by the Texas Legislature in 2005, the renewable energy target in Texas now stands at 5,880 megawatts of capacity by 2015. Including projects expected to come online by the end of 2005, wind generation capacity in Texas is currently 2,000 megawatts. More than 90 percent of that capacity is the result of wind farms that were constructed and began producing electricity in the last five years. LCRA has been in the wind energy business since 1995 when, supported in part by LCRA, the Texas Wind Power Project in Culberson County came online as the first commercial wind generation project in the state. In the last 10 years, LCRA has signed contracts with two additional West Texas wind farms: Delaware Mountain Wind Farm to produce up to 30 megawatts, and the Indian Mesa Wind Farm to produce up to 51 megawatts. LCRA’s current total wind generation capacity is 116 megawatts. LCRA is currently in the process of increasing wind power capacity by as much as 250 megawatts. With new wind generation facilities and new transmission lines from West Texas— getting wind power to our region is still a challenge—Georgetown’s wind energy balance could increase signifi- cantly in the coming years. Patty Eason, City Council member from District 1 and member of the Georgetown Utility Systems Advisory Board, says residents talk to her regu- larly about renewable energy. “The City and the GUS board are always asking how we can increase green energy for our citizens,” says Eason. “People definitely want it here.” Although Georgetown does not gen- erate its own power, Eason says our utility still can exert its influence as a buyer in our contracts with our wholesale electric suppliers. For more information about wind generation projects, visit the LCRA web site at www.lcra.org, or the web site for the American Wind Energy Association at www.awea.org. A growing industry in Texas These 10-year-old wind power turbines in Culberson County began a new generation of renewable energy in Texas. Wind turbines generate zero- emissions electricity and help to balance price volatility from the use of natural gas in energy production. Discover the latest news about the city at www.georgetown.org Elizabeth Moon’s novel The Speed of Dark has been chosen as the Georgetown Reads! selection for 2006. Georgetown Reads! is an annual program that gives all the city’s readers the opportunity to read and meet in groups to discuss the selected book, which was chosen by a city- wide vote. The Speed of Dark won the prestigious Nebula award for a science fiction novel and was a finalist for the British Arthur C. Clarke award as well. Moon is a local author well known to science fiction readers, as well as the mother of an autistic teenager. She has had a varied career as a member of the Marine Corps, draftsman, and sign painter and was Georgetown Reads!SPECIAL EVENTS Georgetown Reads!The Speed of Dark Feb. 7 at 2 p.m.Book discussion at Georgetown Public Library Feb. 23 at 4 p.m.Southwestern University in F.W. Olin Building, room 105: Moon will give a presentation on the book, followed by question and answer session Mar. 7 at 7 p.m.Georgetown Public Library: Health care professionals Nancy Marsh and Valerie Harbolovik, who work with identifying autistic children, lead a topical discussion on the book. Their goal is to teach autistic children and their families the life skills to allow maximum integration into society. Mar. 21 at 7 p.m.Book discussion at Georgetown Public Library Mar. 22 Book discussion at St. John’s at 6:30 p.m.United Methodist Church Apr. 11 at 7p.m.Autism is a World documentary film showing at Georgetown Public Library All events are free and open to the public. For details about these and other Georgetown Reads! events, visit the library web site at www.georgetowntex.org, or contact Kate DiPronio at (512) 930-3551. Warning Sirens Sandra Lee, City Secretary Started with City in 1988 Education, Background, Key Training or Experience: I was always interested in being a “secretary.” I began working as a secre- tary while hubby finished at Texas A&M, in 1965. I contin- ued to work as a secretary until the first son was born in 1967. Then, raised three boys, return- ing to work as a secretary in 1982, when the youngest son was nine years old. I became my husband’s secretary when he opened his construction compa- ny in 1985. I came to work at the City of Georgetown in 1987, as a “temp.” I applied for a position as the Secretary to the City Manager in April, 1988, and the rest, as they say, is history. Employee Profile Most memorable moments on the job? Being appointed by the City Council in December 1993 to be the City Secretary. What do you like best about working for the City? Working with all the different people: fellow employees, City Council members, and citizens. Favorite things to do in your free time? I love to be with my family, work in my garden, and go shopping in Georgetown. active in community affairs as a volunteer in the Florence EMS, City Council, and library board. Her next book, Engaging the Enemy, will be out in March 2006 and she is actively working on the next. The Speed of Dark, set in the not too distant future, depicts an autistic adult who must decide whether to participate in a medical experiment to reverse his autism. It is a gripping exploration into the world of Lou Arrendale. He leads a productive life, has friends, meaningful work, and the possibility of love. Now he must decide if he should submit to a procedure that might change the way he views the world and the very essence of who he is. Elizabeth Moon The Georgetown City Reporter is a publication of the City of Georgetown Public Information Office located in City Hall, 113 E. Eighth Street, Georgetown, Texas, 78626. For questions or comments, contact Keith Hutchinson, Public Information Officer for the City of Georgetown at (512) 930-3690, or by email at pio@georgetowntx.org. The City of Georgetown’s outdoor warning sirens are tested every Wednesday at noon. On Wednesdays when there is inclement weather, tests are not done in order to avoid confusion between real alerts and system tests. In a real emergency, the warning system is activated to alert people that are outdoors to take cover. The sirens are used to warn people about the threat of severe weather or other public safety issues such as a chemical spill. If you hear the siren, take cover and check with the local news media for more information. OUTDOOR WARNING SIREN LOCATIONS: Ninth and Forest Streets Paleface Drive and Reinhardt Boulevard Interstate 35 north of Leander Road James Street and 13th Street (on water tower) Central and Williams Drives (Fire Station 2) Wastewater treatment plant in Berry Creek north of Briarcrest Drive Texas Drive and Sun City Boulevard (Fire Station 3)