CU restructures TecHouse, offers users little explanation

Abrupt changes in the organizational structure at City Utilities' TecHouse - a one-stop shop for developers and builders - have some businesspeople concerned that the convenient and well-utilized resource may no longer be either.

Opened in 1996 in southeast Springfield, the TecHouse provides a number of services, ranging from engineering-design assistance to utility cost estimates to plat reviews. By all accounts, the 2655 S. Blackman Road facility is a modern-day convenience embraced by the building community.

CU spokesman Joel Alexander said builders and developers were notified of the TecHouse changes through the Springfield Contractors Association late last month. SCA Executive Director Sheryl Letterman said she asked Alexander to furnish her with specific language about the restructuring, which she, in turn, included in the association's current newsletter.

"Builders and developers visiting the CU's TecHouse will notice some changes in the coming weeks," Alexander wrote. "These changes are being made to continue providing the best service possible to all CU customers, and to be positioned to respond as efficiently as possible during these economically challenging times."

CU's director of economic development, Dean Thompson, will be moving to the TecHouse to oversee the developer services group, which consists of manager Mike DeLong and his staff, according to the information.

Additionally, several employees in the electric, natural gas and water engineering groups will be reassigned to their respective departments in separate buildings throughout town, Alexander told Springfield Business Journal. After restructuring, Alexander said there would be a net gain of two TecHouse staff members for a total of 19.

Bill Nesbitt, president and owner of Nesbitt Construction Inc., said he doesn't understand why CU would break up the TecHouse staff.

"The big recipients of this thing are the architects, engineers and developers who are going out there trying to get a new project off the ground," he said. "Everybody's under one roof (at the TecHouse)."

Nesbitt's theory is that cost-cutting measures at CU prompted the move, yet he hasn't seen any justification.

"Probably somewhere there's a bean counter that has decided that they could house these guys in some of these old buildings that they already own," Nesbitt said of the publicly owned utility. "We can't save enough by grouping the engineers to make it worth the inconvenience to the public. ... There couldn't be a good reason to change it. If there is, and they're not willing to share it with the public, then I can't think it's that good of a reason."

Ed Alden, vice president of construction for Stenger Homes, was sympathetic but concerned about how the changes might affect building and development projects he oversees.

"We don't want to revert back to where we were before the TecHouse," Alden said. "If it reverts back to the way it was prior, I'd be disappointed. But also, on the other hand, I understand City Utilities - like everybody else - (has) to figure out how to most cost-effectively utilize their resources and still provide the best service they can to their clients."

Alden said the changes sounded as though they would have more of an effect on larger development projects with new infrastructure than on individual home builders. He's hopeful there won't be much disruption at all.

"They've made that so easy that now we're spoiled," Alden said.

Alexander declined to comment further or to make a CU official available for an interview, although he did provide SBJ with a statement intended to offer more insight into the changes.

Alexander's statement said the reorganization should allow CU to provide the "same level of service to all customers," and that relocating some TecHouse engineers would "allow them to devote more time to the entire system."

Alexander also indicated that grouping Thompson, DeLong and developer services at the TecHouse offers some strategic advantages, specifically "the ability to have staff in place to discuss and oversee larger-scale projects that builders and developers may be considering bringing to Springfield."

He concluded, "While construction numbers are down, we feel that this is a good opportunity to reorganize and position staff in areas that can benefit from their expertise. This reorganization will enable us to have a larger pool of design resources to draw upon when development picks back up, allowing for a faster turnaround time and better customer service."

Since 2003, the TecHouse has been testing the effectiveness of wind and solar energy. That program, however, is not of sufficient size to provide energy to the general public; one wind turbine and two solar panels along U.S. Highway 65 provide only a portion of the electricity demand for just the TecHouse.

In December 2007, a state audit of CU noted that controls and procedures over payments collected at the TecHouse needed improvement. The audit specifically mentioned discrepancies among receipt slips and fee waivers that were not approved by the general manager or his appointed representative.