Book To Shed Light on Manassas Utilities' Success, History

The City of Manassas is recognizing the upcoming 100th anniversary of its utilities department by releasing a book.

The city has been providing electricity to the citizens of Manassas for nearly a century, and the idea for a historical book came from current Utilities Manager  Ana Davis. Davis has enlisted the help of Manassas Museum Historical Interpreter Lisa Sievel-Otten to dig up archived pictures and old meeting minutes in an effort to highlight the overwhelming success of the city's utilities department over the years. 

Davis said the goal of the book is to give credit to those in the past that helped make the department so successful. 

"It's all about educating, it's all about telling our story...showing where we came from and where we are going, and what does our vision for the future look like," Davis said.

Davis points to recent weather event "Snowmageddon" that tested and shook other local utility companies, "but we never even flickered."

It was during that time that the utilities department was featured in a Fox 5 News report, highlighting the city's ability to keep the lights on during the storm, while other jurisdictions dealt with electrical company failures that left customers in the dark for days and even weeks.

"We are special and we really are," Davis said.

Davis said having tree-trimming and other maintenance programs in place is instrumental in the department's success.  She said it also helps that 80 percent of the city's utilities are underground.

"The underground is more expensive to maintain, and it's harder when you have to find an underground fault, but it is more reliable especially when a snow storm comes around," Davis said.

Davis said she started the process of putting the book together in the fall of 2010 because she wanted it to be ready before the department marks its 100-year anniversary is 2013. She said she hopes to have the book finished  by the fall of 2012.

"There's a lot of history that we need to dig up," said Davis, who came up with the idea for a book.

Davis said she will be receiving input from utility commission members who have served for "awhile," including one member who is a former deputy utilities director.

Davis said she hopes to be able to give the book away to residents at local events, .

"We are working to have our open house for 2013 be really special," Davis said.