LUTHERAN QUILTERS – Members of the Quilts for Comfort Group stand between pews draped with some of the 205 quilts they made, in the Sitka Lutheran Church Tuesday. The group made the quilts for five local non-profits and one in Anchorage. The remaining quilts are sent to Lutheran World Relief which distributes them to places around the world in need, such as Ukraine, as part of Personal Care Kits. Pictured are, from left, Helen Cunningham, Kathleen Brandt,Vicki Swanson, Paulla Hardy, Kim Hunter, Linda Swanson and Sue Fleming. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
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Daily Sitka Sentinel
SEARHC Outlines Idea For Electric Rate Cut
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
In its proposal for taking over health care services for Sitka, SEARHC says this option “ensures better electric rates” with a 15 to 30 percent rate reduction for the entire community.
Asked for the background for this claim, city Electric Utility Director Bryan Bertacchi explained that he and an outside engineering company have been working with SEARHC the past few months on design work to accommodate the electrical needs for the potential of a new 25-bed hospital and other infrastructure on the Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital campus on Japonski Island.
The SEARHC proposal to assume health care services for the entire Sitka community included a letter from Bertacchi stating that the additional electrical load of the new facility may range from 22 million to 45 million kilowatt hours per year.
“It will bring significant additional load into the community because it’s a large hospital,” Bertacchi said today. “They are also talking about going to all-electric heat; that could be a significant load in the community.”
Bertacchi said the current output of the electric utility is 107 million kilowatt hours a year, and the system capacity is 140 million to 150 million, depending on rainfall. If the city can sell the additional capacity to SEARHC, it will be able to reduce rates to other users, Bertacchi said.
“These savings would go to everyone in the community, including making all of our businesses more competitive. Fish processing, education, homeowners, retail business, and boat owners would benefit from this increase in electric load from the new SEARHC hospital,” Betracchi said in a letter to SEARHC executive vice president Dan Neumeister. The letter was included in the SEARHC hospital proposal.
“We could be looking at a 30 percent reduction in rates,” Bertacchi said.
In the letter Bertacchi also referred to the need for infrastructure upgrades and a new high voltage (69kv) substation on Japonski Island to accommodate the increased load of the new facility. He told the Sentinel today that SEARHC would pay for this installation.
“That will help everyone: the airport, the Coast Guard base,” Bertacchi said.
The city is working on a detailed study funded by SEARHC to work out the details.
Bertacchi said he doesn’t know how much electricity SEARHC is currently using, since there are multiple meters.
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20 YEARS AGO
March 2004
Advertisement: Tea-Licious Tea House & Bakery 315 Lincoln Street Grand Opening! Freshly Baked Scones, Cakes & Pastries Innovative Salads, Soups & Sandwiches Harney & Sons Tea. Lunch * Afternoon Tea * Supper.
50 YEARS AGO
March 1974
Photo caption: National Republican Chairman George Bush takes a drink of water offered by Jan Craddick, Sitka delegate, during the Republican convention held here. Mrs. Craddick explained to Bush that the water was from Indian River, which means, according to local legend, that he will return.