Council to Residents: 'Plug Into Choice'

The city council selected not one, but two winners Tuesday of the that started more than two months ago.

Concepts from residents Dave Johnson and Jim Paradowski were combined to create the winning logo, which was shrouded by black fabric before Mayor George Pradel dramatically unveiled it at the council's regular meeting. The all-green design depicts a cursive "n" with an electrical plug on one side and a leaf on the other. The featured catch-phrase "Plug into choice," was Johnson's contribution.

"We've got some good recognition from the field about electric power," said Councilman Robert Fieseler, who added that he's a proud member of the city's Smart Grid steering committee. "… I really believe this is part of doing right."

Johnson and Paradowski were among more than 100 artists and designers who submitted their interpretations of how Smart Grid will empower electric customers to take charge of their energy use. More than 2,000 Internet votes were cast to select a winner after the , according to council documents.

Smart Grid is a $22 million utility improvement plan slated for completion in by 2012. Grants from the U.S. Energy Department are footing half the bill, and the other half will be paid for through 20-year municipal bonds, according to council documents.

The council approved in September the —it came with a price tag of $135,000—to help educate residents about the project. But the pricey, out-of-towner was highly debated.

When discussion then moved to a $15,000 fee for creating a logo, Councilman Grant Wehrli drew the line.

He suggested asking residents to put their design skills to the test—so the city did.

"We need to keep the consumer in mind, not the profitability," Wehrli said Tuesday night, in reference to the overall program.

The total budget for the three-phase public education aspect of the initiative is about $390,000, according to council documents. That's about $70,000 less than the budget that was originally proposed. Phase 1 of the three-phase project will begin in October and run through June 2011.

The overall goal is to provide increased reliability and technology to Naperville residents, who will be able to track their utility use online at any time and cut down on use if necessary, council members have said. The improvements also may yield savings on electric bills.

Fieseler championed Tuesday the city's recent drafting of a "consumer bill or rights" that will keep energy users "at the helm" of Smart Grid. It outlines the rights they will have when it comes to information, options, data security, and privacy.

"It also creates assurance that the city will never ration electricity," he said, adding that consumers will be able to choose a traditional, fixed price approach to their power. "Residents have the right to be informed."