Power board staff efforts draw praise

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 388, 28 May 1991, Page 2

Power board staff efforts draw praise

King Country Energy staff who worked on the Turoa reticulation project are to get personal letters of thanks from the board for a job well done.

Chief engineer Colin Martin told the May board meeting that the skifield supply was turned on on 10 May with the project being completed under budget. The new reticulation is to be officially turned on at a special ceremony on 22 June. The effort put in by staff was shown by the laying and jointing of the 300m section of cable in one day, after late delivery of the cable by the manufacturer. Mr Martin said so far only the cafeterias and other dorhestic connections had been made by Turoa, but five lift motors were expeeted to be load tested this Tuesday. Deputy chairperson Gordon Gower said the board should thank everyone involved for completing such a major project in such difficult circumstances successfully. "Up the mountain all sorts of things can go wrong." He said the board should do something extra for staff, as a means of saying thanks. Mr Martin said this had been pre-empted somewhat by a

"barbacue and a few beers" for staff, families and friends following the final outage in Ohakune last Sunday. But chairperson Ken Street said aside from that, each of the staff members involved should get a personal . letter from the board, thanking them for their efforts,. Board member Bill Peach suggested plaques could also be prepared for each depot, marking the successful completion of the project. A further letter to be sent by the board will

not be so fulsome, however. Members agreed that a letter should be sent to the cable manufacturer who badly let the board down with its delayed delivery of cable. Mr Martin said he has already written to the company expressing his disappointment, but the board felt it should be backed up by a letter "chairperson to chairperson" pointing out that King Country Energy may well look to international tendering for future cable supplies.