September 17, 2024—Starting September 23, Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) will close parts of Slattery Park to ensure safety for the RPU Duct Bank Project.

The project will allow RPU to serve load growth in the southern part of Rochester and Downtown Rochester. The duct bank phase of the project will provide pathways for electric distribution circuits that can deliver electrical energy along its route. As part of this project, other City infrastructure will be installed or upgraded along the route to limit near-term future disturbances.

The closure outline:

• The closure will extend off 9^th St SE into the park
• The west side of the park will be closed off heading south along the west side of the baseball fields
• At 10^th St SE the close will extend to the east across the Bear Creek bridge and will terminate on the east side of the bridge

Barricades and signage will be placed around the affected park spaces and left for the remainder of the work. A date for reopening the space has not been determined and depends on weather conditions leading up to winter.

The bridge to the north, approximately 1,300 feet long, will remain open during construction for access into Slattery Park from the east.

For more information and to view the project storymap, please visit the city of Rochester, MN city projects website- https://city-projects-rpu.hub.arcgis.com/.

About Rochester Public Utilities

As the municipal utility of Rochester, Minn., for more than 120 years, RPU has provided high-quality and reliable electricity to over 59,000 customers. Water customers number more than 42,000. RPU is governed by a five-member Utility Board and the Rochester City Council. 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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June 26, 2024 – Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) is partnering with the State of Minnesota’s Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) to implement two habitat-friendly pollinator corridors in Rochester. This three-year pilot project is all about transforming two transmission corridors into long standing pollinating habitats that incorporate native vegetation that supports pollinating insects, mitigates erosion and sedimentation, and ensures the integrity and resiliency of Rochester’s landscapes while protecting habitat and water resources.   

The goals of this three-year pilot project are to determine if creating pollinator habitats at other RPU facility locations are:

1. A cost-effective method for replacing existing land management practices.
2. Successfully increasing and maintaining native plant species.
3. Reducing soil erosion and improving water quality.
4. Creating pleasing aesthetics.
5. Connecting habitat corridors.  

Integrated vegetation management (IVM) for utility transmission corridors, also known as ROWs (rights-of-way), can be cost-effective solutions while supporting environmental conservation.  IVM practices reduce the need for pesticides, promote healthy ecosystems, and better control of invasive species.

“It’s exciting to be building sustainable landscapes that will support wildlife habitats for pollinating insects” said RPU’s Interim Director of Customer Relations Patty Hanson. “You hear so much about the declining bee population, this agreement gives us the opportunity to do something about it”.

“The Habitat Friendly Utilities Program is an exciting new initiative for BWSR.  Thousands of acres of ROWs transect Minnesota and can provide important travel corridors for wildlife. Through efforts like the pilot projects with RPU, we can establish quality native vegetation along ROWs that provide multiple benefits including pollinator habitat as well as increases in carbon sequestration and improved water management,” said Jason Beckler, BWSR’s Ecological Science Conservationist. 

For more information about Rochester Public Utilities and its environmental stewardship efforts, please visit www.rpu.org.

About Rochester Public Utilities

As the municipal utility of Rochester, Minn., for more than 120 years, RPU has provided high-quality and reliable electricity to over 59,000 customers. Water customers number more than 42,000. RPU is governed by a five-member Utility Board and the Rochester City Council. 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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September 29, 2023 – ROCHESTER, MN – Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) is celebrating Public Power Week, Oct. 1-7, along with 2,000 other community-powered, not-for-profit electric utilities that collectively provide electricity to 49 million Americans.

“This year, we are focusing on how RPU is building for the future to ensure reliable, affordable, sustainable, and customer-focused service to our community for many years to come,” said Tim McCollough, RPU General Manager. “That means we’re working hand-in-hand with customers and community leaders to make sure our utility reflects the long-term goals and needs of members of our community.”

“Since we operate right here in Rochester and serve our friends and neighbors, we care a great deal about things like customer service, helping folks save energy and money, providing reliable service, and keeping the community safe,” said McCollough. “We are proud of the work we do in Rochester.”

RPU invites community members to participate in a variety of Public Power Week events.

Activities include:

• Visit the RPU Service Center for a FREE LED bulb during the month of October (while supplies last, one per household)
• Follow RPU on social media to win giveaways all week long
• Special goodie bag giveaway for children visiting the RPU Service Center during the month of October

Follow us on social media as we celebrate the week and tell us what local ownership means to you.

Today, RPU has over 200 employees that continue to serve our community.

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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.

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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