Jamestown Board of Public Utilities holds monthly meeting (June 22, 2026)
The Jamestown Board of Public Utilities has approved replacing a District Heat Pipe along the Harrison Street Bridge.
The Board approved a bid by Wm. T. Spaeder Co., Inc. of Erie to replace approximately 220 feet of district heat pipe and 12-inch valve installation along the bridge near Institute Street. The cost of the project is $197,400.
General Manager Kris Sellstrom said the pipe has experienced many leaks in the past and the replacement will improve the reliability of the District Heating system. The work is expected to be performed later this summer with little impact to customers. The project is funded through the 2026 District Heat Capital Budget.
Sellstrom informed the board during their monthly meeting that all make ready work has been completed for the BPU Community Fiber project, “They installed over 600 new poles in just under 17 months, which is really impressive, pretty amazing. And, that’s on top of 2,000 plus different work orders that we had, including installing transformers, moving secondary wire with another telecom, and then some great work by the T and D group (Electric Division Transmission and Distribution Team). We’re very proud and excited for that accomplishment. We are involved in calls for other projects across the state, and the make ready work is the thing that stalled a lot of these projects. So, we’re in great position because of our team.”
Sellstrom added that 1,300 service drops out of 15,000 have been installed with just 25 households opting out at this point. For more information about the BPU’s Community Fiber program, visit https://www.jamestownbpufiber.com/.
BPU Business Development Coordinator Ellen Ditonto gave an update on the ReTool Conference held June 9. She said the conference was a success with more than 130 people attending from all over New York State including one person from Montreal, Canada. Ditonto said that she and Sellstrom received personal messages from the Consulate General of Canada. She said the Trade Commissioner, who works in the Buffalo area, attended the conference and is very interested in helping the BPU locate businesses to Chautauqua County as part of the I-Tech Corridor and Battery Corridor.
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