Post 13 in a series. When Green Turns Brown is an examination of a small town’s digester-energy project, in which Whitewater, Wisconsin would import other cities’ waste, claiming that the result would be both profitable and green.
Recap: On 2.20.14, and again on 3.4.14, vendor Trane presented a proposal for an energy-savings contract for Whitewater (a proposal for Whitewater to save money by reducing energy consumption at city buildings).
Trane’s role in this energy-savings scheme is material and relevant to its work on a digester plan requiring waste importation into Whitewater. This is the same vendor, including some of the same vendor-representatives, advancing a seven-figure plan to the same city officials, as in the digester plan. (Another firm, Donohue, appears later, having been in behind-the-scenes discussions earlier. At this stage, however, Trane was the vendor for more than one city project.) The quality of the Trane’s work, and the quality of municipal diligence in evaluating Trane’s work, is on display here.
(Every question in this series has a unique number, assigned chronologically based on when it was asked. All the questions from When Green Turns Brown can be found in the Question Bin. Today’s questions begin with No. 128.)
128. In this, Trane’s third presentation, there’s still (legitimate) doubt about how Trane’s representative (Rachel) is describing distinctions between operational and capital savings.
What does it say about this vendor’s representatives that, three times in, there’s still doubt about basic terms?
129. Why is there no presentation of alternatives between an energy-savings performance contract and incremental repairs?
130. Regardless of whether the law requires a certain format for presenting costs and claimed savings, why can neither the vendor nor the full-time administration describe the totals succinctly? (That is, does anyone think that a legal requirement to state a certain way precludes an intelligible description?)
131. What does it say about City Manager Clapper’s administration that, three times in, there’s still doubt about basic terms in the energy-savings proposal? Did Whitewater’s full-time leaders not set expectations with this vendor about how to calculate and present cost estimates?
Council Discussion, 4.15.14 (Trane)
Agenda: http://www.whitewater-wi.gov/images/stories/agendas/common_council/2014/2014-0415a_entire_packet.pdf
Minutes: http://www.whitewater-wi.gov/images/stories/2014-0415.pdf
Video: https://vimeo.com/92172012
WHEN GREEN TURNS BROWN: Mondays @ 10 AM, here on FREE WHITEWATER.
Next: 2014 Borrowing Projects for Whitewater.