PORT ANGELES — More than eight months ago, the city of Port Angeles embarked on a $5.4 million project to replace its utility meters with computerized versions, called smart meters.
The project, approved in December 2010 and started last June, was supposed to be wrapped up last month, but few homes have received them.
The city and its contractors are grappling with how to make the system work.
The trouble, city Deputy Power Systems Manager Larry Dunbar said, is making sure the computers at City Hall communicate properly with the equipment in the field.
“We’re integrating these two systems, and it’s proving to be more time-consuming and challenging than we planned for in the schedule,” he said.
The new meters allow water and energy use to be read remotely at City Hall through wireless devices and fiber-optic cables.
Last summer, the city had 1,000 electrical and 1,000 water meters replaced to test the system as part of the project’s first phase, which remains incomplete.
The last of the city’s approximately 19,000 meters were supposed to be replaced in January.
Dunbar said other utilities have come across similar problems, and he is hopeful it can be resolved in about two months.
The goal is to finish the project by the end of the year, he said.
So far, the delay has not affected the cost of the project, and Dunbar said he doesn’t expect it will have an impact.
But as a result of the delay, the City Council on Feb. 21 approved an $850,000 payment to the city’s contractor, Mueller Systems, that was supposed to come after the completion of the project’s first phase.
Dunbar told the council the city is still withholding half of its payments to Mueller until the phase is completed but said the payment approved Feb. 21 was justified since both parties have contributed to the delay, and the company has had to stretch its dollars longer than anticipated.
“Mueller has taken longer in some areas, and the city has taken longer in some areas,” he said.
Phase one also has been expanded to include the installation of another 2,000 meters.
The council approved the move unanimously, though a couple of council members expressed reservations.
Mayor Cherie Kidd said she was “uncomfortable” with approving more funds to be spent when the project remains stalled.
“I question the wisdom of what we are doing,” said Councilman Brad Collins.
Dunbar said city staff members remain confident about the technology.
“We told everyone at the beginning what everyone was telling us: that this will be the hardest, and this is the hardest part,” he said.
“This is what everyone struggles with.”
The new meters, which are said to be more accurate, not only will allow the city to read electricity and water consumption remotely, but will allow residents to track their consumption throughout the day, rather than receiving a total figure at the end of the month.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
