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On Oct. 4, Hartselle Utilities General Manager Bob Sittason retired after 20 years with the company.
Sittason joined Hartselle Utilities in November 2004 as Accounting and Finance Manager. He was promoted to GM in 2012.
“It has been an honor, privilege and blessing to have served alongside the employees of Hartselle Utilities these past 20 years,” Sittason said. “I believe God opened these doors and I have tried to do my best in honoring and fulfilling that opportunity.”
In addition to continued rehabilitation of electric, water, sewer and natural gas systems, Sittason said HU has accomplished several critical and major upgrades during his tenure.
During Sittason’s tenure at HU, notable achievements include:
– Expanded more than nine miles, adding new customers and looping the system in the county.
– Installed at the Wastewater Treatment Plant, recycling water for use in the treatment process, reducing costs.
– Added infrastructure to remove debris from the treatment process.
– Replaced Tanner Heights creek crossings and old sewer mains throughout the city.
– Snow Hill area sewer system: Entire system replaced through a City Development Block Grant.
– Built a low-profile water booster station on Bethel Road to maintain adequate pressure, avoiding the need for a costly water tower.
– Snow Hill area water system: Replaced through the same grant used for the sewer system.
– Fiber Network for electric system: Built to enable communication between facilities and substations.
– Added a second transformer at the Primary Substation, costing around $800,000.
– Partnered with the City of Hartselle to install two downtown electric vehicle charging sites.
– Voltage Reduction Program: Implemented to save over $100,000 annually for Hartselle Utilities.
– Automated Meter Infrastructure (AMI) program: Launched to improve customer service with real-time data, enabling better utility usage.
– Maintained uninterrupted service during the pandemic, with employees adapting to keep operations running and customers supported.
– Responded to a tornado in March 2023, restoring power to 280 customers and replacing primary infrastructure within 48 hours, with the help of Decatur Utilities.
Former general manager Ferrell Vest will serve as the interim GM until the board can fill the role. Vest is well known both in the city and at HU.
Vest served as Hartselle’s Police Chief for six years before becoming City Administrator. He joined Hartselle Utilities in 2003 as HU’s Business Development Manager and was named GM in 2005, retiring in 2012.
Vest’s contract, which began Oct. 7, runs through Dec. 27.
Board president Mike Gunter said Sittason was a good fit for HU.
“Bob’s been with us for 20 years and we’ve had a good run,” Gunter said.
“He’s been very good for the company. He’s always had the people of Hartselle in mind with anything we did. He is efficient, easy to work with and a good, Christian man.”
Gunter said he and his fellow board members will be looking for a proactive individual who can get ahead of potential problems and who possesses a personality that fits with the community of Hartselle.
Information about the position, including how to apply, Vest said, can be found online at hartselleutilities.org. The application period closes Nov. 1.