Monday, September 07, 2015

Past Bristol Virginia Utilities charter flights cost more than $21,000

Bristol Virginia Utilities chartered private planes for four trips over a 5-year period costing a total of $21,105, according to public records.

Two of the trips, one taken in 2008 and the other in 2013, were described as business meetings for economic development. However, two other flights traveled to and from Richmond.

Records reveal former BVU CEO Wes Rosenbalm, the utility’s chief financial officer and a former board chairman flew to Richmond on a September 2008 flight to receive the Virginia Governor’s Technology Award. BVU won the award for its expansion of OptiNet into rural counties in Southwest Virginia. Both Rosenbalm and former BVU OptiNet Vice President of Operations Jim Kelley were quoted in the 2008 news release about the award. The receipt for that flight to and from Richmond reveals the 317 mile round trip cost the utility $5,456.13.

The fourth flight, also to Richmond and back, cost the utility $677.98 per passenger, according to records. One of those passengers is now pledging to pay back his portion of the trip; a trip he now calls a glorified photo-op. We’ll tell you why seven people affiliated with BVU were on that flight, what they did while in Richmond and the total cost to you Tonight at 6.

In the meantime, BVU CEO Don Bowman says he doesn’t expect the utility to charter any future flights.

“While I wasn’t working at BVU during the past private airplane rental decisions, I can’t imagine any situation where BVU would need to use private planes in the future,” Bowman said. “I think the past plane use was closely associated with former BVU employees.”

Source:   http://wjhl.com

No comments:

Post a Comment