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Fairfield City Schools
211 Donaid Drive • Fairfield, Ohio 45014-3095
Phone (513) 829-6300 • Fax (513)829-0148

January 16, 2013

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Todd A. Schnitchler
Chairman
Public Utilities Commission of Ohio
180 East Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43215
Re:

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PUCO Case Nos.: 12-1682-EL-AIR and 12-1685-GA-AIR

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Dear Chairman Schnichler:

As Superintendent of the Fairfield City School District, Butler County, Ohio, I am
pleased to express our satisfaction with Duke Energy as our supplier of gas and electric
service. The District operates nine (9) schools with a total of thirteen (13) buildings and
over one thousand (1,000) employees. We are highly dependent on a reliable supply of gas
and electric service. Unexpected outages can cause school closures with makeup days
required at considerable additional expense. Duke Energy has also been a valuable partner
with the District in its energy savings projects.
It is apparent to the District that Duke Energy has made the necessary investments
in the technology and infrastructure of its gas and electric systems to be able to provide a
superior level of service. As noted above, this is particularly important to the Fairfield City
School District - avoiding unexpected outages enables us to fulfill our educational mission
without additional costs.
In your deliberations, please consider the importance of the investments made and
to be made by Duke Energy in order to maintain its excellent service to its customers such
as the Fairfield City School District.
Sincerely,

Paul Otten
Superintendent
Fairfield City School District

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 City
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Fairfield
Januar>'15,201-^

Todd A. Sciinitchler, Chairman
Public Utilities Commission of Ohio
180 East Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43215
RE:

PUCO Case Nos.: 12-1682-EL-AIR and 12-1685-GA-AIR

Dear Chairman Schnitchler:
On behalf of the City of Fairfield, I am pleased to convey our positive experience with Duke Energy. Duke Energy has
been a vital provider of reliable gas and electric service in our community.
It is crucially important to the local economy to have afinanciallystrong electric and gas utility, a utility that has the
ability to invest in operating and maintaining increasingly complex electric distribution and gas delivery systems. In
our business, we are highly dependent on a reliable .supply of gas and electric service. Unexpected outages can have a
devastating effect on our ability to meet customer demands as we service critical facilities including a regional hospital
and other major businesses dependent upon our water and wastewater services.
Duke Energy is a leader in providing reliable sei-vice and a key partner during weather related emergencies to assist us
in getting power back on promptly. Through its Smart Grid and Accelerated Main Replacement Programs, Duke
Energy is building state-of-the-art systems designed to provide unsurpassed levels of reliability to all classes of
customers, from residential to commercial and industrial users. As noted above, this is particularly important for
Fairfield Utilities. Avoiding unexpected outages enables us to minimize water service inteiTuptions and reduce
inconvenience to our customers while maintaining compliance with strict EPA regulations.
In reviewing Duke Energy's requests in these proceedings, please understand how imperative it is to support a
financially sound technologically advanced utility in Southwest Ohio.

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Public Utilities Director
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Arthur E Pizzano, City Manager
Mark Wendling, Assistant City Manager
John C'lemmons, City Law Director
File