MOUNT VERNON — A letter sent out by American Electric Power may be causing confusion for city residents who are also receiving a letter explaining how to sign up for the city’s electrical aggregation program.
The city’s letters, with the city logo at the top and signed by Mayor Richard Mavis, went out this week. The program offers a 9 percent discount on transmission and generation rates through February 2014. Residents have until Dec. 23 to enroll.
The letter from AEP Retail Energy, which was received by at least one city resident, who gave it to the mayor, proclaims at the top of the page “Save up to 11 percent,” then explains in the letter that customers who sign up will pay 6.39 cents per kilowatt hour through February 2012. The price will then be 6.99 cents per kilowatt hour through May 2014.
In its current bill, AEP tells customers that, if looking at alternate suppliers, they should pay 6.79 cents per kilowatt hour or lower to save money.
The letter does not say what the city’s kilowatt/hour rate will be, but the 9 percent discount will not change during the specified agreement period.
In other matters, Mavis reported that curbs were being poured on McKenzie Street this week, so the contractor should be able to put in the road base next week.
He reported AEP has finished work on the bases for the street lights at the hospital crossover road project, and the sidewalks are finished, but one of the bases for the traffic signal has to be redone. That will mean that the road probably won’t reopen until late December.
“We prefer to have the signal operating when we reopen the road,” Mavis said.
Also, it had been planned to use thermoplastic for striping the road, but City Engineer Cameron Keaton said it needs ground temperature of 60 degrees or better for installation, so they will probably use paint for the intersection until spring arrives.
The sidewalk portion of the project on Division Street is complete, Mavis reported. The contractor is backfilling and dressing the new walk, but will soon be finished. The next phase of the project, the widening of the intersection with Mount Vernon Avenue, will not start until spring.
