April 25, 2023- ROCHESTER, MN— Rochester Public Utilities (RPU), with partners Maier Tree & Lawn, Rochester Parks & Recreation, and Sargent’s Gardens will host the 21^th Annual Arbor Day Celebration on Friday, April 28 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Three Links-Silver Lake Park, located at 840 7th St NE in Rochester.

The fun and free community event will feature a variety of activities, music, and displays that will include: A tree giveaway (while supplies last), a free lunch of hot dogs, corn on the cob, chips, cookies, and soda will be provided (while supplies last). Tree experts will also be on hand to answer questions on tree planting and care, along with many other vendor activities and information.

Children will be able to enjoy the apple toss game, tree cookie stacking, tree ring toss, tree medallion necklaces, and much more!

At noon, an awards ceremony will honor Rochester elementary school students who were selected as finalists of the 2023 Arbor Day poster contest, as well as this year’s overall winner, Sophie Liu, a 5th grader at Washington Elementary. Sophie will receive a $100 Target gift card, her winning poster will be featured in RPU’s 2024 calendar, and a tree will be planted in her honor at Washington Elementary School. This year’s poster contest theme was “Trees Clean the Air We Breathe!”

RPU line crews will also be partnering with Rochester Parks & Recreation on a tree planting for The Right Tree in the Right Place program on Friday, May 5. This is an annual event to plant the proper type of boulevard trees in different neighborhoods in Rochester.

Co-Sponsors of this year’s event include: ArborWise, Hy-Vee, Jim Whiting Nursery & Garden Center, Minnesota Energy Resources, Pepsi, Sekapp Orchard, and Seneca Foods.

In the event of rain, the celebration will be moved to Rochester Community & Technical College’s Field House. This announcement will be made on the RPU Facebook (Rochester Public Utilities) and Twitter (@rpualerts) accounts.

About Rochester Public Utilities

As the municipal utility of Rochester, Minn., for more than 110 years, RPU provides high-quality and reliable electricity to over 58,000 customers.  Water customers number more than 41,000.  RPU continually investigates innovative technologies to help customers realize the best value from the services they receive.  Current initiatives include photovoltaic offerings, wind energy, energy and water efficient equipment, and electric vehicle charging.

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March 20, 2023- ROCHESTER, MN— Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) is launching a Bring Your Own Thermostat (BYOT) program to help reduce energy consumption during periods of high demand.

RPU’s voluntary demand response program is designed to reward customers for reducing their electricity use during periods of high demand, while helping the environment and reliability of the grid.

Program participation requires customers to agree to brief, limited Peak Savings Events, which adjust their thermostats during peak electric demand periods from May 1 through September 30. Peak demand periods for adjustments typically occur on hot or humid days, but Peak Savings Events may also be called under other circumstances to reduce strain on the grid. Peak Savings Events will not occur on weekends or holidays.

Customers who install qualified smart thermostats will receive a one-time $50 enrollment incentive, in the form of a bill credit, and those that stay enrolled throughout the summer season will receive a year-end $25 bill credit.

“Our new BYOT program is part of RPU’s continuing efforts to take advantage of newer technologies. Smart thermostats are part of a growing number of energy efficiency tools developed in recent years, that can be monitored and controlled remotely by users,” explained by Patty Hanson, Manager of Utility Programs and Services at RPU. “The thermostats have been shown to reduce customer energy bills, and in large numbers, they could significantly reduce electric grid load, especially during hot summer months when air conditioning use is high.”

For additional program information, visit www.rpu.org.

Electronic version of news release can be found here.

About Rochester Public Utilities

As the municipal utility of Rochester, Minn., for more than 110 years, RPU provides high-quality and reliable electricity to over 58,000 customers.  Water customers number more than 41,000.  RPU continually investigates innovative technologies to help customers realize the best value from the services they receive.  Current initiatives include photovoltaic offerings, wind energy, energy and water efficient equipment, and electric vehicle charging.

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Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) will be drawing down Silver Lake on December 9^th. The drawdown is necessary to replace a hydraulic cylinder on the Silver Lake Dam. 

This drawdown has been coordinated with the Rochester Parks and Recreation Department and Minnesota DNR.

RPU’s drawdown plan is as follows:

• Friday, December 9^th start the drawdown.
• Monday, December 12^th lake level will be held at 969.0 MSL (~5.0 feet below normal summer pool) for 5 days.
• Saturday, December 17^th start to refill the lake level until it reaches normal elevation of 974.0 MSL.

The drawdown plan is subject to change depending on weather conditions.

RPU cautions the public from walking out into the exposed lake bed or ice. There could be unforeseen dangers associated with the freeze/thaw and possible muddy conditions.

About Rochester Public Utilities

As the municipal utility of Rochester, Minn., for more than 110 years, RPU provides high-quality and reliable electricity to over 56,000 customers.  Water customers number more than 40,000.  RPU continually investigates innovative technologies to help customers realize the best value from the services they receive.  Current initiatives include photovoltaic offerings, wind energy, energy and water efficient equipment, and electric vehicle charging.

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Click to view public notice published on October 8, 2022 in the paper of record.

Mask guidance has changed for anyone visiting government buildings or facilities in Olmsted County and the City of Rochester. Effective today, masks will no longer be required in them. Olmsted County and the City of Rochester still welcome the use of masks in local government buildings for whoever wishes to wear them and strongly encourage unvaccinated and immunocompromised individuals to continue wearing facial coverings. 

These changes are effective today because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated the COVID-19 Community Level for Olmsted County to “Medium.” Olmsted County and the City of Rochester have been following CDC recommendations throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to help guide decision-making on COVID-19 matters.

It’s important to note that masks are still required on Rochester Public Transit (RPT) buses and in RPT facilities by order of the Transportation Security Administration and the CDC. Masks will also need to be worn by individuals 2-years-old and up for direct patient care services provided by Olmsted County Public Health Services (that is because the CDC’s new COVID-19 Community Level recommendations do not apply in health care settings). Additionally, private businesses still retain the right to require patrons to wear masks inside stores and facilities.

“At Olmsted County, we have been vigilant about keeping our employees, clients, and visitors as healthy and safe as possible,” said Olmsted County Administrator Heidi Welsch. “We have appreciated the community’s compliance with these CDC guidelines.”

City of Rochester Administrator Alison Zelms shared, “The news of Olmsted County dropping to ‘Medium’ on the CDC’s COVID-19 Community Level tracker ushers us into a new, more optimistic, and welcomed phase of the pandemic where we no longer require masks to be worn inside our facilities. We understand that many in our community will continue masking and they are welcome to do so in all of our buildings.”

To view Olmsted County community levels and prevention steps, visit the CDC website.

https://www.rochestermn.gov/Home/Components/News/News/8629/1121