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provide General Electric switchgear. With the new equipment, the hydroelectric plant was
<br /> effectively retired: the switchgear did not include controls for the old turbines.77
<br /> The engine arrived by train in the summer of 1972. Two side-by-side flatbed trucks transported
<br /> the engine to the plant. Unfortunately,problems plagued the new operation from the start. In
<br /> addition to time and cost overruns by Worthington and the other contractors,the engine had a
<br /> cracked and leaking turbocharger, a faulty exhaust system, and damaged wrist pins,bearings,
<br /> and pistons. All in all, three years passed before the defects were fully remedied.78
<br /> By the mid-1970s, new power plants had come on line in the region, greatly increasing the
<br /> supply of relatively inexpensive power. Because power could be bought from larger networks
<br /> more cheaply than it could be produced on a small scale, Elk River's plant was maintained only
<br /> for auxiliary purposes. In 1978, Elk River joined eight other municipal utilities to for the United
<br /> Minnesota Municipal Power Agency, with members spanning the state from Grand Marais to
<br /> Willmar. Their union was intended to strengthen their position in negotiations with the UPA,
<br /> from which they all purchased power. To improve local distribution, the Utilities built new
<br /> substations in 1978 and 1984.79
<br /> The Utilities had been headquartered in a former city library for a number of years, sharing the
<br /> space with other city departments. In 1975, it expanded to occupy the entire building. A decade
<br /> later, it received a new garage/warehouse facility, erected by Elk River contractor John C.
<br /> Weicht and Associates for$101,372.80
<br /> Improvements were made to the water system as well. Contracts for a new well and related
<br /> facilities were awarded in 1974. Few additional changes were required by the water system until
<br /> 1985,when the Commission hired Hydro Storage, Inc.,to erect a new water tank for over half a
<br /> million dollars.81
<br /> In addition to electric and water services, Elk River Municipal Utilities has engaged in a variety
<br /> of activities for the benefit of the community: erecting civil defense sirens, contributing to the
<br /> purchase of a new fire engine, putting up Christmas decorations,maintaining street and park
<br /> lighting, and wiring schools and businesses. The company also began marketing and installing
<br /> security systems in about 1990.
<br /> Supervision of the Utilities changed several times during the decade of the 1980s. William
<br /> Patenaude retired in 1980, and was replaced by Edson Stansfield. Stansfield remained only six
<br /> years. He was succeeded by William Birrenkott, who was trained in both electrical engineering
<br /> and business administration. This combination reflects changes in the utilities industry, which
<br /> has grown increasingly professionalized as technical and business operations become more
<br /> complex. In the eight decades since electric lights first glowed in Elk River and the nearly fifty
<br /> years since the Municipal Utilities was created, both the industry and the community have
<br /> 77 Associated Consultants,"History";Patenaude,August 14, 1972.
<br /> 78 Associated Consultants,"History."
<br /> 79 Elk River Municipal Utilities Commission Minutes,January 4, 1978,and June 7, 1978.
<br /> 80 Ibid.,March 1975,and May,28, 1985.
<br /> 81 Ibid.,August 8, 1974,and July 1, 1985.
<br /> 91
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