Receiving Governor's Award: (from left) Lt. Governor Mark Schweiker, Paul Zeigler, Esq. and BH/BA's Neal Horst, P.E., Senior Vice President. Please click on the image above to see a larger version in a new window.

The Ridge Administration honored the Central PA Energy Utility Consortium with a 1999 Governor's Award for Local Government Excellence. The Award was presented for "Innovative Community/Governmental Initiatives."

The consortium received the award for the development of a joint purchasing group to reduce the cost of buying electricity, gasoline, diesel fuel, oil and natural gas for 334 participating members within Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry Counties. Those members include local governments, schools, hospitals, volunteer emergency service providers and other nonprofit institutions and organizations.

Working with the Camp Hill law firm of Zeigler & Zimmerman, PC, Buchart-Horn, Inc./BASCO Associates provides engineering consulting services for that energy user consortium, which teams energy buyers to maximize savings and purchasing power in Pennsylvania's new deregulated utility market.

Experience with consortium member participation in the October '98 bid for 153,600,000 KWH of electricity indicated individual member savings of 15-30% and savings for the entire group that exceeded $2 million.

The awards, presented by Lt. Governor Mark Schweiker during a celebration of Local Government Day in Camp Hill, showcase valuable service provided to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by local government officials.

Lt. Governor Schweiker chairs the Ridge Administration's Local Government Advisory Committee, comprised of municipal officials, legislative appointees and representatives of local government associations.