Community Turns Out for Centennial Celebration

PWP celebrated its centennial in style May 13

The festivities topped off our spring effort to collect letters, essays and mementos to include in the time capsule, which will be opened again in the year 2106. Ten winners of PWP’s 4th grade essay contest and more than a dozen winners of our community “Letters to the Future” contest stepped up to the podium that day to place their entries into the three-foot-long time capsule.

The canister was also stocked with memorabilia from throughout the community including the newly published history book “Celebrate Pasadena’s Vision: 100 Years of Community-Owned Power,” letters from Pasadena’s mayor and other dignitaries, a note from the 2006 Rose Queen to the 2106 Rose Queen, messages from our community’s world-class institutions, printed materials from Pasadena Public Library and much more.

The time capsule is safely tucked inside a 6,500-pound native black granite boulder near the fountain at the southeast corner of Fair Oaks Avenue and Glenarm Street at our Glenarm Power Plant, reminding generations to come of PWP’s enduring service.. 

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Small Rate Increases Fund Big Improvements

Built more than five decades ago, Pasadena’s power system is aging and no longer keeping pace with city growth.

To ensure a safer, more reliable power supply for generations to come, the Pasadena City Council approved the 20-year Power System Master Plan in 2004. Millions of dollars in improvements now underway include new circuit breakers, more capacity at the Santa Anita substation, 34 kilovolt protection and control equipment, more frequent maintenance work and much more.

The Water System Master Plan adopted by the City Council in 2002 calls for $235 million in improvements over the next 18 years, with many projects now underway.
To fund these ambitious plans, a recently approved two-phase electricity rate increase will generate $11 million annually for power system improvements. The water rate increase will generate $2 million annually for upgrades to the water system.

The first rate increase took effect on July 1. A typical residential customer using 500 kilowatt hours (kWh) per month will see an increase of about $12 on the bimonthly electric bill.

The water rate change will mean an increase of about $3.50 for the typical residential water customer who uses 15 billing units (11,220 gallons) bimonthly.

Even with these necessary increases, PWP is proud to keep water and electricity rates in line with neighboring utilities while investing in Pasadena’s continued prosperity.

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What a Difference a Year Makes

It has been a year since the community witnessed the grand opening of Arlington Garden. The once vacant lot at Arlington Drive and Pasadena Avenue has been transformed into a California Friendly™ Mediterranean demonstration garden.

Owned by the state of California and leased by the city of Pasadena, the 2½-acre property has been planted with more than 800 plants and trees over the past 12 months including palm trees, an orange grove, olive allée, lavender garden, California poppies, pepper trees and more.

The garden is maintained and supported by the non-profit group Arlington Garden in Pasadena with generous help from local residents, Pasadena Beautiful Foundation, the Parks and Natural Resources Division of the Pasadena Public Works Department and Pasadena Water and Power.

Be sure to stop by whenever you’re in the neighborhood, walk along the pathways and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Be sure to pick up a yellow information flyer at the southwest corner of the fence surrounding the property to learn how to donate your time, dollars and garden fixtures and who to contact for more information.

Join us Saturday, July 15, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. as we celebrate the garden’s progress; you’ll be among the first to see plans for the next phase. Admission is free.

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Customer Assistance is Streamlined

For decades PWP has been proud to provide financial support for low-income and elderly residents and people facing financial emergencies. Last year PWP was able to help more than 4,000 individuals and families meet their monthly expenses.

With the new Electric Utility Assistance Program (EUAP), our assistance programs will
be easier to understand and more customers will be able to participate. Income eligibility requirements have been increased for this important program, which is now available to residential customers ranging from single-person households earning up to $24,250 per year to an income of $42,200 for a household of six.

The new program provides a flat $5 per month bill credit to customers who meet these
low-income eligibility criteria or who use medically necessary, doctor-prescribed, electrically powered life support equipment ranging from respirators to kidney dialysis machines.

Through the EUAP Pasadena Cares program, customers who are disabled or 62 years or older and meet low-income eligibility criteria will receive credits for the Public Benefits Charge on their bills in addition to the EUAP Basic Benefit. Qualifying seniors and disabled customers will continue to be exempt from Pasadena’s Utility User Tax.

If you are enrolled in PWP’s Utility Assistance or Lifeline programs already, you will be automatically enrolled in the new EUAP. For detailed eligibility guidelines and assistance in signing up, call 744-4005.