CC Minutes - 06/09/99 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Joint Work Session Board of Commissioners/City Council June 9, 1999 Page 3 Ms. Wright stated that current EWEB Year 2000 compliance priorities were to complete critical equipment projects; to finalize product and corporate contingency planning; to develop definitive staffing plans for the transition period; to test systems independently and in cooperation with regional partners; and to complete critical business system updates and installations. City of Eugene Communications Director Phil Weiler referred to information regarding the City's Year 2000 remediation work distributed with the agenda of the meeting. He reviewed efforts to identify objects affected by the problem, the work of a Year 2000 Management Team, development of contingency planning, updating of the City's Emergency Plan, Interagency Coordination, and Public Outreach. Mr. Weiler said that current City Year 2000 compliance efforts were directed toward completing contingency plans for all services, developing backup communication plans, finalizing staffing plans, and completing the outfitting of the new City Emergency Operations Center at the Sheldon Fire Station. Councilor Nathanson asked if the scheduled time for beginning operation of the City's Emergency Operations Center on December 31 was early enough. She said both the City and Utility were to be complimented for good Year 2000 related outreach programs, but asked if additional efforts would be made in December to help citizens become more aware of appropriate preparations for potential problems related to the end of the millennium. She asked for a description of Year 2000 testing to be done by the City and EWEB. Mr. Weiler stated that the City's Emergency Operations Center would be capable of opening earlier than anticipated, if worldwide events warranted doing so. He said the City hoped that a special December Year 2000 preparedness media campaign would not be necessary because earlier efforts would have fully prepared citizens. He described the Community Emergency Preparedness Training program carried out by the City. Ms. Wright said EWEB would carefully monitor Year 2000 difficulties encountered by other utilities throughout the world to determine if additional readiness measures needed to be prepared. She described Year 2000 "table top" contingency testing exercises of EWEB and the City. She said EWEB officials had confidence that all local and regional utility-related Year 2000 compliance concerns were being met. She described the unique north-south orientation of the western region power grid, and stated that hydroelectric power generation was the least likely to be affected by Year 2000 difficulties.