Fairmont Public Utilities is undertaking an enormous project this spring that will require the assistance of city residents. We hope they take note and lend their cooperation.

The city is going to replace all of the electric and water meters in town over a period of five years. Load management devices and lift station monitors also will be changed out. It all gets started when the weather allows.

The reason behind the $2.5 million project is improved and necessary technology. What the city has now is obsolete and not supported technologically.

The new system will streamline meter-reading, with meters and radio towers functioning together to automatically send results to City Hall just after midnight on the first day of the month. Currently, technicians must walk or drive through neighborhoods to collect the data via radio device. The process can take up to two weeks.

The daunting challenge involved with all of this is getting the meters swapped. Technicians will need access to homes. Notifications are being planned, so we encourage local residents to keep an eye out for them. Residents will then need to work with the Public Utilities department to schedule a visit, and to be sure to be at home at the needed time.

We appreciate the hard work and planning that has gone into this project, which represents a beneficial upgrade for Fairmont’s future.