Success Story: The City of Woodbury, Minnesota
The Unexpected Value Found in Preventative Maintenance
ABOUT MACON, IL
Macon is a small city of about 1,200 located in the heart of Central Illinois about 10 miles south of Decatur off Highway 51. The city is passionate about water, with its mission statement reading: “At City of Macon, we are committed to providing safe, high quality water services to our community, while maintaining a standard of excellence in customer service and environmental conservation.”. Although they may be small, Macon is a shining example of a water hero of a city, spearheaded by Frank Dunmire, the current Mayor and former head water operator, and one of Frank’s many mentees (and relative), Charlie Dunmire, the current Superintendent.
“Implementation was easy and [the software] is user friendly.”
Stringent regulations and thin funding options have both put rural systems in tight spot, now with many grants and loans now requiring a community to demonstrate asset and maintenance management as well as need, as part of the funding process. Digital systems (like asset management) historically have been daunting for small systems. Macon’s devotion to providing safe water to their community motivated them to find a better way to manage their assets. Since implementation, Waterly’s Assets application provides the assurance that maintenance goals are met, enables long-term Capital Improvement Planning, and allows for flexible and accurate reporting on their assets’ health and data.
AT A GLANCE
Prior to Waterly, the city had no reliable way to track what equipment was on hand; the health of assets was difficult to keep track of, and preventative maintenance schedules were almost impossible to manage. Without an easy means of entering information on the go, field notes and data had to be imported from the office, which added labor and complexity to an already slow process. The lack of a centralized system of record made collecting the valuable legacy knowledge from the experienced operator difficult at best. Driven by their passion to deliver clean, safe water to their community, Charlie and Macon knew they needed a better, simple system for keeping their assets organized and maintained.
PROBLEM ADDRESSED
SOLUTION USED
As experienced operators know, an investment of time, energy, and knowledge is needed to build a comprehensive asset registry and the related information. In this case, Macon was able to easily input their data while they also learned the software with the help of the Waterly team. Charlie shared that “implementation was easy” and that once they started looking at it, the software was accessible and “user friendly.” As with any good asset management system, it is vital that the initial setup is comprehensive and thorough to receive the most benefits from the program.
Following the preliminary setup, Charlie and the Macon team became more familiar with the application and its capabilities and, in time, began to incorporate it into their daily, weekly, and monthly schedules. One of the first benefits they noticed was that visual inspections were happening more frequently, and the team began to realize which assets needed more attention than others. These insights into an asset's health over a period of time allowed them to prioritize their activities, saving time and alleviating stress.
KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER AND SUCCESSION PLANNING
HEALTHIER ASSETS, HEALTHIER WATER HEROES
Additionally, Charlie emphasized that he appreciated "being able to access (the software) from anywhere". Not being tied to a computer made it easier for the team to take more accurate shift notes and access that information more effectively. He explained that carrying a tablet encourages more frequent and better-tailored note taking. Macon's asset information isn’t just better organized; it’s also increasingly complete and detailed, helping them take stronger, more informed action on asset health.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND JUSTIFICATION
OUTCOMES
With the information and reports provided by Waterly Assets, Macon can responsibly address utility rates and plan funding for critical infrastructure investments. The in-depth information provided supports their ability to qualify for revolving, and other specified loans that enable them to keep producing clean, safe, and affordable water for their community.
Now, Macon is able to better support new hires as older operators retire. With valuable legacy knowledge captured in Waterly Assets, new operators can get up to speed faster, enhancing service to the community. In fact, Charlie is currently working on an apprenticeship program with younger operators, with the goal of passing along his and others’ industry knowledge.
Through the proactive preventative maintenance calendar and reminders, Charlie and his team are equipped to assess asset health, and plan maintenance accordingly. Additionally, better management of assets and the never-ending list of "to-dos", provides the Water Heroes at Macon with an opportunity to plan and execute accordingly, with less stress and more time in their day.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
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