JAMESTOWN – As precautions against COVID-19 are instituted nationally, in New York State and in the City of Jamestown, the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities (BPU) announces actions taken to help assure the health and safety of its customers and employees.
Because BPU officials realize that customers may suffer financial hardship as a result of Coronavirus protections, the utility has temporarily suspended service disconnections of customers. This means that customers need not be concerned about disconnection of electric and water services due to lack of payment at this time until further notice. Please note that regular billing will continue for all customers.
BPU customers are encouraged to utilize phone and online payment systems as well as drop boxes for checks and money orders only, located in the BPU vestibule at the top of the D driveway on Steele Street, on Tracy Plaza and in the Jamestown Police Department vestibule on Second Street. No cash payments are accepted in drop boxes. Payments are accepted by mail at P.O. Box 700, Jamestown, NY 14702-0700.
In keeping with public health guidelines, the BPU will take precautions to limit customer and employee exposure. For this reason, the Customer Service Lobby, 92 Steele Street, will be closed until further notice to prevent the spread of disease.
In addition, should BPU Customer Field Representatives be required to visit a home for service work, a series of questions will be asked before the representative will enter a home. Customers will be asked about recent travel, exposure to anyone who has traveled or exposure to the virus for anyone in the home. They will be asked that every person on the premises always maintain a personal distance of six feet or more; and that anyone on your premises who is or may be ill remains in a separate room from where our representative will perform service work. The field representative will not shake hands and will wear disposable gloves to prevent contact with possible contaminated surfaces.
If a customer is sick or quarantined and calls the utility for a service order or to report an electrical or water emergency, customers are asked to mention these conditions when you call the BPU.
Utility employees have been directed to take preventative measures to limit the risk of infection. These steps include frequent handwashing and use of sanitizer; avoidance of touching mouth, nose and eyes; keeping a safe distance from anyone sick or quarantined; and staying home if they are sick.
Non-essential visitors, vendors and contractors will not be permitted to enter BPU facilities until further notice.
BPU employees remind customers to be on the alert for possible scams dealing with the COVID-19 threat. While customers may call the BPU to make phone payments through our automatic system, the BPU will not call customers to demand payment or offer discounts for phone payments. BPU representatives will not call and ask customers to meet them with gift cards or cash at stores for BPU payment.
As BPU managers work to respond to national and local Coronavirus regulations, they are dedicated to providing continued, reliable service to customers, including the collection of garbage and recycling.
“We are focused on assisting our customers while working to preserve the health and safety of our employees who provide essential services,” states BPU General Manager David L. Leathers. “We realize that this pandemic requires flexibility, with ever-changing policies as stages progress. We assure our customers that we will do all we can to continue serving them dependably and to react and respond to outages and service emergencies in a timely manner.”
Does that mean that u guys would have to turn the water back on to the people that don’t have any knowing they need water to keep clean ?
You going to wave late payment fees at least
So what you just drop a money order in the drop box? I never used the drop box or pay with a money order?