By Phil Sutin
Oct. 30, 2000 (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)—The public's overall performance rating of the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District improved by nearly 11 percent in the past year to reach its highest level. But the rating lags behind other utilities in St. Louis and St. Louis County.
Since 1996, Terry Jones, a pollster hired by the sewer district, has asked a sample of residents to give a number rating to his client, as well as AmerenUE, Laclede Gas Co., the St. Louis Water Division and the St. Louis Water Co. A rating of 10 was best and 1 worst. Jones then calculated the mean.
The sewer district's rating was 7.62 in this year's poll. The rating of St. Louis respondents was 7.76, and St. Louis County respondents gave a 7.57 rating.
Jones reported his findings to the district's trustees. Last year, the rating was 6.87. The district's low point was 6.20 in 1996.
The overall ratings of the other utilities were St. Louis water division, 8.67; St. Louis County Water Co., 8.48; Laclede Gas, 8.32 and AmerenUE, 8.07. The rating for the water division increased, compared with last year, while those of the other three utilities declined.
Last year, the sewer district added the Bi-State transit system, which is not a utility, to the poll. Its ratings are well below the others: 6.15 this year and 5.87 last year.
"The district has made enhancing its performance a priority every year," said Carolyn Seward, a trustee from St. Louis who heads the board's customer service committee.
Respondents gave a 7.46 rating for the district's treatment of cust omers, up from 6.85 last year. The rating for the reasonableness of the district rates was 7.25 this year, up from 6.79 last year.
The district has been running commercials on radio and television. The poll asked respondents whether they recalled them; 26 percent of city respondents said they did as did 29 percent in the county.
Telephone Contact Inc. of St. Louis surveyed 484 residential customers between Sept. 6 and 8 for Jones. The error rate is plus or minus 5 percent.
On other matters, trustees tentatively awarded a contract of $207,295 to Unnerstall Construction Co. Ltd. of Pacific to install 1,016 feet of storm sewers that range from 15 inches to 36 inches in diameter in Glendale. The company also would install inlets and manholes. The work w ould start at Hawbrook Road and go to Lockwood Avenue between Edwin Avenue and Sappington Road.
The project would ease flooding of nine properties on Edwin.
Construction is expected to begin in December and be complete by June 2001.
© 2000 St. Louis Post-Dispatch via Bell&Howell Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved.
