PG&E still setting into new location

PG&E Lemoore Service Station, designed by TETER, is featured in The Hanford Sentinel 

Published On October 5, 2018
Written By Chelsea Shannon, Staff Reporter

LEMOORE — Pacific Gas and Electric Company has moved into its new Lemoore location.

PG&E staff showed city and county officials around the new site Thursday to let them see what the PG&E main outpost for Kings County looks like and how it will operate.

PG&E workers in Lemoore primarily serve the area around Lemoore and Coalinga. After some review, officials at PG&E determined that the city of Lemoore was experiencing more growth than Coalinga so they decided to make Lemoore the main outpost.

Denny Boyles, a spokesperson for PG&E, said the other Lemoore location, off of 19th Avenue and north of Cinnamon Drive, was difficult to maneuver with certain equipment because of the houses built around the location.

So after about a year of construction, PG&E is still getting settled in its second Lemoore location in the Lemoore Industrial Park.

Scott Rose, director of electrical operations, said that the prior Lemoore and Coalinga locations will remain semi-operational but the main outpost for the area will be the new location.

Boyles said that the company decided to invite city and county officials out to see the facility to continue their relationship.

Rose said that city and county officials were essential in getting this project done.

Lemoore Assistant City Manager Michelle Speer said that although the city is not involved with the private companies business directly, it is nice for them to know what they are doing. She said that often residents or other potential businesses will want to know what is going on and that with tours like these, city officials can know and potentially aid in the creation of community and business partnerships.

“It is important for the city to show that we are business friendly,” Speer said.

Tom Baker, the supervisor for the Lemoore-Coalinga area, said the facility meets their needs. During the tour, he showed the meeting room, office space, warehouse and other employee amenities like the break room and a wellness room.

One of the things Baker pointed was that in many of the office space rooms there were large windows that pointed out to the yard, which was important to him and other supervisors.

Habib Larijani, the project manager for PG&E, also pointed out that many of the desks were ergonomically structured so that employees can stand.

Larijani said that with the office the company wanted to have the ability for employees to communicate better which is why it has more of an open floor plan.

Baker also pointed out that the room where the tour began and ended was the storm room. He said that should a natural disaster occur, PG&E staff would be able to gather at the Lemoore location and obtain resources or the Lemoore crews would have what they need to take to an emergency if needed.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2458 or chelsea.shannon@lee.net