The Superior Express -

The City of Superior Utilities will soon have a new manager but Superior residents won’t have to learn how to spell or prononce the manager’s name. Monday evening members of the city council approved offering the position held by the retiring Larry Brittenham to Andrew Brittenham and Andrew has accepted. He is expected to begin work in Superior April 6. Andrew is Larry’s son and a 2011 graduate of Superior High School.

Mayor Sonia Schmidt said four applications were received for the coming utility manager’s vacancy. Three of the four applicants were interviewed. A civil engineer, Andrew was the only applicant with experience in water, sewer, gas, electric and streets, all services which the Superior manager is involved with.

Currently he is employed as a regional manager for a company that works with utilities of all sizes in Indiana. He has been responsible for making sure the company’s clients are in compliance with state and federal regulations and assists the clients with state audits.

A graduate of Superior High School, he is married to the former Alison Hawley, a 2012 graduate of Superior High School. The Brittenhams have already spoken for a house here. He will be placed on Step 7 of the city salary schedule. After a six-month probation period, he will be paid $28.27 per hour.

Mayor Schmidt said Andrew’s father, Larry, was not involved in the interviewing process. After helping to write the utility manager’s job description, Larry did not see the applications and participate in the selection process which was conducted by the city’s personnel committee.

In other action Monday night, the council accepted the resignation of Darcie Tietjen, a utility office worker and adjusted job assignments. Danelle Whitmore will take Tietjen’s former job and Stuart Alsup will take Whitmore’s former job. This issue of The Express has a help wanted ad for a vacancy in the utility office. Tietjen will leave the city to accept a position at Concordia with the Farm Service Agency.

Plans to add wireless internet service at the city utility office have been tentatively approved. The office will have two internet systems, a wired and closed system for city use and the more public wireless system which presenters and customers may use. It was said many customers wanting to take advantage of the utility department’s e-pay service are coming to the office for help. This will allow them to connect to the internet and be walked through the setup process while visiting the city office.

The council approved seeking bids for the replacement of a water main which runs up Bloom Street between Second and Eighth streets.

Currently the city has a 4-inch ductile iron main running from south of the railroad tracks north to the hospital where it transitions to a 6-inch line. The 6-line goes to the cemetery and there reverts back to a 4-inch line which runs all the way to the Superior Country Club. There is also a 10-inch Transite line that runs alongside the 4-inch main between Seventh and Eighth streets.

Engineering work has been completed for the replacement of the mains from Second to a potential 17th Street but not all of the project will be undertaken this year. The work will be done in phases.

As the state highway department has plans to repair Highway 8 east of Superior this year and plans to overlay a portion of Highway 14 within the town next year, it will be necessary to coordinate the water main work with the highway projects.

While work this year will not directly impact the water main area, the work on Highway 8 is expected to increase traffic on Highway 14 and thus affect the water main replacement project.