I am Tom Panetta and am running to be re-elected to the Lewes Board of Public Works. The last three years have been very rewarding to me personally and I believe my expertise has helped to improve the operation of the BPW.
I spent 30-plus years in the nuclear and electrical transmission/distribution industry. In addition, I have been a member of the City of Lewes Planning Commission for over six years. My time working for both the city and the BPW has given me an in-depth knowledge of how both entities operate.
In my first three years on the Lewes BPW Board of Directors, some of my personal major accomplishments include:
I was the lead from the board of directors assisting the staff in:
• In-depth analysis of the BPW electrical system using Sargent and Lundy engineering
• Developing a bid package for the installation of a solar farm
• Developing a bid package for procuring and operation of a battery system to enhance the reliability and reduce cost for the electrical system
• Led the Root Cause analysis for the Waste Water Treatment Facility failure in December 2019, which was then accepted by the entire board
• Participated with staff and the BPW engineer in an analysis of the risks at the WWTF
• Worked with staff to ensure the lessons learned from the WWTF were implemented throughout the remainder of the BPW utility operation.
As a member of the board, the BPW had some major accomplishments:
• Purchased the Jones Farm with the city and county to protect the BPW water wells and preserve the land as open space
• Updated the BPW 10-year strategic plan for its operation
• Performed a human resource review of the BPW policies and salary structure.
There are several key issues to ensure that the BPW is properly positioned for the long term; they include:
• The impact of sea level rise - as the chairman of the sea level rise subcommittee of the Lewes Planning Commission I am ideally situated to ensure that the city’s ordinances and the BPW policies are coordinated
• Stormwater management - this is another area of shared responsibility between the BPW and the city. Pervious coverage and subdivision design falls under the LPC and the drainage systems are the responsibility of the BPW
• Ensure that our utilities are sized correctly for both future growth and the changes that are coming due to things like electric vehicles
• Resolve the ongoing disagreement between the BPW and the city. I wish I could report that this issue has been resolved, but unfortunately it is still ongoing. The BPW and the city have operated perfectly well under two separate state charters for over 100 years; there is no reason we cannot continue to operate that way with both entities focusing on their respective areas of expertise.
Unfortunately given that we are still under COVID restriction, our ability to meet in person is still limited this year. The Greater Lewes Civic Coalition is sponsoring a Candidates Forum via Zoom. The BPW forum will be at 6 p.m., Thursday, April 15; the city forum will be the following night at 6 p.m., Friday, April 16.
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