CGCI News
Page 24 April 2018
CGCI News
Charbonneau Golf Club , Inc .
Did you know Charbonneau has its Own Irrigation Water Company ?
Since the beginning days of Charbonneau in the 70s , the Charbonneau Golf Course , Inc . ( CGCI ) has provided irrigation water to homeowners and businesses within the French Prairie loop - essentially at no cost . As finances got tougher and the irrigation system became dated , the CGCI Board of Directors determined something needed to change in order to continue to provide reliable irrigation water . As a result , in 2008 , the Charbonneau Water Company ( CWC ) was formed as a separate subsidiary of CGCI and became subject to Oregon Public Utilities Commission ( OPUC ) rate regulation at that time .
CWC is responsible for the delivery of irrigation water to 14 homeowners association customers , including Charbonneau Country Club and the Charbonneau Golf Course at rates approved by the OPUC . CWC ’ s current weighted average rate for HOAs for last year was about $ 2.75 / unit including fixed charges .
To give you a comparison , City of Wilsonville residential rates for summer irrigation are more than double that amount at $ 5.76 per unit . CWC ’ s current rates have been in effect since 2008 .
The delivery of water is a capital-intensive business and often requires large expenditures to maintain and upgrade systems . Because CWC has generally been profitable and there had been no large , unforeseen expenditures prior to last year , we were able to accumulate cash reserves of more than $ 200,000 to address some of the irrigation distribution system needs .
A little over a year ago , CWC made its first major expenditure from its reserves and installed a new control panel at a cost of around $ 80,000 . This is the “ brains ” of CWC ’ s distribution system as it controls multiple pumps and balances pressure in our main distribution lines . The prior control panel was old , outdated and had been subject to failure when power surges occur .
While our preference is to use cash reserves for system improvements , like the control panel replacement , reserves also protect us from less profitable years and other “ unforeseen occurrences .”
We ’ ve had several unexpected expenditures in the last 12 months . We settled a tax issue with Clackamas County , repaired a pipe flange connector at our well site and removed and stabilized a landslide area that blocked the access road to our river pump . The outlay for these projects was in excess of $ 250,000 .
Being subject to OPUC regulations as a water company brings its own challenges and restrictions . To help us better understand our current position , CWC
The water for these sprinklers comes from the Charbonneau Water Company which is owned by the Charbonneau Golf Club , Inc .
hired a regulatory consultant this year to review our overall operation and provide us insight on how we should proceed . Bottom line , the consultant ’ s recommendation was to maintain our current course of upgrading our infrastructure and wait for a while to determine if a rate filing is necessary . If CWC were to file with the OPUC to change rates , there would be at least a year ’ s notice to all customers .
Several capital projects are scheduled this year to continue our investment in the CWC infrastructure . Some of these will not be visible as they relate to work done in the underground vaults and piping . A couple of other projects you likely will notice include the construction of a safety / security fence around the electrical boxes and control panel ( located next to the main irrigation pond ) and a fountain at the west end of the main irrigation pond to increase water circulation . We also are considering rebuilding the west pond intake structure in the main irrigation pond this fall . That project may be expanded to include both the east and west intake systems and a general cleaning and relining of that pond . If we choose to do the expanded project , we will likely have to borrow funds to complete this project as our current reserve funds would not be sufficient to cover that expenditure . CWC currently has no debt , but our regulatory consultant has suggested there may be an advantage to having some debt on the books from a regulatory standpoint .
Visit the Charbonneau “ Cubby Hole ” Library Located in the Charbonneau Country Club Clubhouse at the
back of the main meeting room ( next to the CCC offices )
Members of : Angies List BBB
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Come and enjoy books donated by
Charbonneau residents . No check-out system , simply find books you want to read and take them home with you . Bring back your books when finished or donate new ones . We also have : magazines , jigsaw puzzles , audio books and movies ! Open whenever the Charbonneau Clubhouse is open .
www . charbonneaucountryclub . com