Rather than replacing the natural gas system at Elk Ridge Mobile Home Park with propane tanks, a new natural gas system will be installed, BPU learned during its Nov. 6 meeting. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
Elk Ridge Mobile Home Park residents seemed to breathe a sigh of relief after learning the mobile home park’s proposed propane conversion project has been abandoned. The news was shared during the Nov. 6 Los Alamos County Board of Public Utilities meeting.
Representatives from Yes! Communities, which owns the mobile home community, made the announcement. Vice President of Acquisitions and Capital Projects Mike Askins explained it had been brought to their attention that Elk Ridge’s existing natural gas distribution system was nearing the end of its life.
“Working with the County, we proactively started investigating alternatives to replacing the gas lines including the potential option of converting to propane if the lines could not be replaced,” Askins said.
“Based on our due diligence, which has been going on the last couple of months, which included surveying residents’ appliances, meeting with local propane distributors, engineers and utility companies, we concluded that replacing the existing natural gas lines is the best option to go for the residents,” he said.
Moving forward, Askins said Yes! Communities will work with the Department of Energy (DOE) and Los Alamos County to replace the gas lines. Right now, he added, they are interviewing engineers to do the layout of the new gas distribution system according to the County’s specifications and are reviewing the scope and work for the design along with DOE and the County. Askins said the project will be done next year.
“Our goal is to minimize the impact and cost to all residents associated with the project, if there is any cost at all to the residents,” he said.
It was confirmed during the Nov. 6 meeting that the existing natural gas system will not be shut off during this winter. For the County’s part, Department of Public Utilities Manager Philo Shelton reported that the leak detection survey at the mobile home community was finished during the last week of October and no leaks were detected. Also, he said the County will continue to do the leak detection surveys at the end of each month until the natural gas replacement project is completed.
Several Elk Ridge residents expressed their appreciation to the County and to Yes! Communities for responding to their concerns about installing propane units and for deciding to replace the natural gas system. But they still had questions and concerns about the project.
Residents said they wanted more communication and information about the project. They wondered about the cost, if residents would be asked to cover the costs and how the project would address gas lines that were directly below homes.
Shelton and DPU Utility Manager for Gas, Water, and Sewer Services Clay Moseley answered some of the residents’ questions.
Shelton said the concept is to install the new gas lines in the roads. The majority of the existing lines are outside the mobile home park, some are on DOE-owned land and possibly under homes. He said lines under homes would be identified and the homeowners would be notified. Once the project is done Shelton said the new gas system would be turned over to the DPU, which would own and maintain the system.
“We will get the whole system consistent with all the developments that we do throughout the County … bringing it up to standards,” he said.
Moseley offered more details.
He said the roads will be excavated and traffic control will be provided to allow homeowners to reach their residences.
“Gas lines are a lot easier to install than say water or sewer … gas lines are a lot smaller, they don’t have to be buried as deeply, the trench size is a lot smaller, they tend to go a lot faster,” Moseley said.
Moseley said the new system will be phased in while the existing system is still online. The new gas lines will be installed in parallel. The switch over should happen in a day.
“It will be done in parallel, and the disruption will be fairly minimal to your gas service,” he said.
Regarding gas lines directly underneath homes, Moseley said DPU workers identified 25 units that had gas lines below them. Most barely go underneath the home, he said, although the Yes! Communities office in Elk Ridge sits right on top of one. A list will be put together of those effected homes.
Residents are encouraged to contact Customer Care at 505.662.8333 for more information.