Latest news with #JasonRyan
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Look inside the new luxury 'treetop' hotels opening in Wisconsin Dells
Announced last summer, the Treetop Villas at Mirror Lake, a new resort in Wisconsin Dells, will officially open on June 2. Additionally, the Dawn Manor Restaurant, located next door, opens on May 23. Both the restaurant and "treetop" hotel are new projects from Uphoff Resorts, and will be managed by St. Paul-based Morrissey Hospitality. The "treetop" accommodations aren't full-on treehouses like the famous Tree Hotel in Sweden. They are, however, elevated and have trees running through the cabin designs in addition to an impressive view of the surrounding natural scenery, including Mirror Lake. View the 21 images of this gallery on the original article The Treetop Villas are a set of four luxury cabins, three of which have two bedrooms and a sleeper sofa that can house up to six guests. The fourth unit has four bedrooms and allows for up to 10 guests. All four spaces include a kitchen, gas fireplace, and wardrobes with ski and snowboard equipment. Additionally, each rental has a deck with lounge seating, a fire pit, and a lake-facing hot tub. 'The Wisconsin Dells area is famous for having unique lodging options, so we strove to create a guest experience that truly stands out from the rest,' says Jason Ryan, senior architect and partner of ADCI, which designed the rooms. 'Each treehouse was meticulously placed to utilize the natural cliffs and preserve as many trees as possible, giving the guest the best views into the natural surroundings." Rooms at the Treetop Villas, which are located at 413 S. Burritt Ave. in Baraboo, start at $250 per night in the two-bedroom accommodations and $1,250 per night in the larger one. While the address says Baraboo, it's just a five-minute drive to the heart of the waterparks in the Dells. Nearby, the same groups have opened the Dawn Manor Restaurant, a relocated Victorian estate that overlooks the lake. The three-story restaurant offers period-themed dining (and a gift shop, because this is the Dells). It was relocated from its original site a few miles away and reconstructed with seven themed spaces throughout the building. Each dining room pays "respect to the various people who came to know and be a part of the history of the manor," the company says in an announcement. That includes The 1855 Room on the main level, which pays homage to the year the home was built. 'I feel like I've played a small part in preserving history that would have otherwise been lost,' says Steve Uphoff, CEO of Uphoff Resorts. 'This has truly been a passion project, with every detail thoughtfully designed to honor the eras of the past. Creating this unique dining experience gives guests the chance to see, feel, taste and breathe in the history of this home for the first time and let the legacy live on.' View the 18 images of this gallery on the original article The menu was constructed by co-culinary director Jayson Pettit and executive chef and co-director Justin Daper. They've crafted a modern American menu that includes a beef and bacon meatloaf, prime rib, and a burger. Meanwhile, the bar program was developed by the Minneapolis-founded Tattersall Distilling, which is now primarily based in River Falls, Wis. The menu mixes classic cocktails and signature drinks. It also features three custom spirits from Tattersall that are exclusively available at the Dawn Manor: Vanderpoel Gin, Straight Rye Whiskey, and, since this is Wisconsin, a bottled Brandy Old Fashioned.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CenterPoint Energy settles rate case, will lower power costs for customers
More than six months after CenterPoint Energy came under fire for its response to Hurricane Beryl — and its proposal to raise its rates — Houston's main electricity company announced Wednesday that it reached a settlement that will lower customers' bills. Instead of the proposed rate increase that the company had requested shortly before Beryl made landfall, most CenterPoint Energy customers will have their average bill reduced by about $1 per month moving forward — pending approval from the Public Utility Commission of Texas. Centerpoint withdrew its rate increase proposal on Aug. 1 amid the Beryl backlash. 'Following customer feedback and constructive discussions with intervening parties over the last several months, this plan keeps our customers at the forefront and supports CenterPoint's ultimate goal of building the most resilient coastal grid in the country," Jason Ryan, CenterPoint's executive vice president of regulatory services and government affairs, said in a Wednesday statement. CenterPoint faced public outrage and sharp criticism from Texas lawmakers after more than 2 million households and businesses lost power after Beryl struck the city, prompting a public apology from the company's CEO. At least 23 people in Texas died from the storm and associated power outages. Beryl also caused about $1.2 billion to $1.3 billion in damages to CenterPoint's electrical infrastructure. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott criticized the utility for its response to Beryl, which left hundreds of thousands of customers in Houston without power nearly a week after the hurricane struck. In July, he said the state may have to reconsider how much territory CenterPoint could serve if the company didn't 'fix its ongoing problems.' CenterPoint serves more than 2.6 million customers across the greater Houston area and coastal communities like Galveston. In addition to calling on CenterPoint to create a detailed plan about how it would restore power, the governor also asked the PUC to investigate the utility's response. The PUC presented their findings in a November report that said customers had trouble getting reliable information during Beryl and recommended that lawmakers pass legislation requiring utility companies to provide information about power restoration during outages. The same investigation also recommended more than a dozen improvements to CenterPoint's emergency plans, communications and vegetation management. The PUC announced in November that it would also hire an outside company to audit CenterPoint, with results expected in April. In August, Attorney General Ken Paxton also opened a criminal investigation into CenterPoint to examine allegations of fraud, waste and improper use of taxpayer funds. After Beryl hit, CenterPoint President and CEO Jason Wells vowed to improve the company's communications and the electrical system's resiliency. In early August, CenterPoint launched a new outage tracker. The previous tracker had been offline for several months before Beryl struck. During its Beryl response, CenterPoint also faced criticism for not utilizing massive generators designed to help during extended power outages. The PUC had allowed CenterPoint to charge its customers to help pay for the $800 million needed to lease the generators and make a profit. In Wednesday's statement, CenterPoint said it 'would make no revenue or profit off of the temporary emergency generator proposal,' suggesting that customers would no longer be on the hook to help pay for the generators. The change comes after lawmakers, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, called on the PUC to block CenterPoint from passing that cost onto its customers. CenterPoint is also proposing moving the emergency generators to the San Antonio area for two years starting this spring to help the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the state power grid, address any potential energy shortfalls this summer. The proposed change is subject to approval from ERCOT. Disclosure: CenterPoint Energy has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
Associated Press
29-01-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
CenterPoint Energy reaches settlement agreement with parties to lower bills for customers in its 2024 Houston Electric Rate Case
Settlement expected to result in approximately $50 million less revenue annually and a reduction in electric customer bills by about $1 a month for most customers while also continuing to deliver support for significant local economic growth and upgrades across Greater Houston area Combination of rate case revenue reduction and other financial commitments, including some 2024 foregone storm recovery costs, would roughly equal the same amount that has been billed to CenterPoint customers for the temporary generation costs since 2021 Company would make no revenue or profit off of the temporary emergency generator proposal to help ERCOT and State of Texas which would have otherwise been paid by all customers across the state including CenterPoint customers HOUSTON, Jan. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- CenterPoint Energy (CenterPoint) announced today that it has reached a settlement agreement with parties to its 2024 rate case for its CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric business (Houston Electric), including the City of Houston and other regional municipalities. Subject to Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) review and approval, the settlement is expected to result in approximately $50 million less annual revenue to CenterPoint through roughly 2029, and an average decrease of approximately $1 a month for most customers or approximately 2 percent of the monthly bill of residential customers that use 1,000 kWh per month. A rate case for Houston Electric occurs approximately once every four years and is part of an open and transparent regulatory process in which rates are set by the PUCT. 'All of us at CenterPoint are committed to continuing to work to meet the needs of our customers and providing the reliable, safe, and affordable service that they expect and deserve. Our settle agreement with these parties would reduce the amount of revenue that CenterPoint receives, and customer bills would decrease, while also addressing the significant investments we have made to strengthen our system for the benefit of our customers. Following customer feedback and constructive discussions with intervening parties over the last several months, this plan keeps our customers at the forefront and supports CenterPoint's ultimate goal of building the most resilient coastal grid in the country,' said Jason Ryan, Executive Vice President of Regulatory Services and Government Affairs. CenterPoint requested to temporarily withdraw its rate case in August to focus on the company's Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl. The company resumed talks in the fall and this settlement agreement reflects discussions with intervening parties. It also includes both an expected rate reduction for customers and a proposal for CenterPoint to reduce its overall revenue by approximately $50 million until the next rate case. Residential customer bills will be lower by approximately $0.82 a month. Small business customer bills will be lower by approximately $1.28 a month. Over the last decade, CenterPoint's rates have remained relatively flat on an average annual basis, well below annual inflation, which averaged around 2.8 percent during that timeframe. The portion of customers' electric bills that covers CenterPoint's system was just under $50 a decade ago, and it remains approximately $50 today. In 2024, CenterPoint's rates were the lowest among its peer utilities in Texas. Investing in the Greater Houston Area's Electric Grid CenterPoint's 2024 rate case is intended to support the capital investments that the company has made to expand and improve the Greater Houston area's electric system. To help meet the region's growing electric demand, CenterPoint has invested approximately $8 billion in its grid since the most recent rate case in 2019. Among these investments were: Installing nearly 2,200 miles of new distribution lines and more than 100 miles of new transmission lines to meet the needs of a strong economy; Constructing six new distribution substations and two new transmission substations to support regional growth and increased load needs; Interconnections for 25 new generation resources for the grid; Elevating 11 substations to aid in flood mitigation and improve the resiliency of CenterPoint Energy's system; and Installing 437 Intelligent Grid Switching Devices to help prevent and reduce sustained outages, resulting in more than 80 million minutes of customer outages avoided in 2023. These investments preceded the actions that CenterPoint has taken to strengthen the grid, improve communications and expand local and emergency partnerships as part of the Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative launched in August 2024. For more information about CenterPoint Energy's electric rates and investments in the Greater Houston area grid, please visit CenterPoint's proposal to help ERCOT would also help reduce customer bills In December 2024, CenterPoint Energy proposed a unique solution to help mitigate the Electric Reliability Council of Texas's (ERCOT) regional energy shortfall in Central Texas which is projected to begin in the summer 2025 while also lowering Greater Houston-area electric customer bills. CenterPoint's proposal would send all 15 large emergency generation units to the San Antonio region for two years starting in Spring 2025. During that time, the company would make no revenue or profit off the proposal to help ERCOT and the State. Greater Houston Area electric customer bills would be reduced around that same time. This proposal is subject to ERCOT board approval. To be clear, CenterPoint would receive no revenue or profit from ERCOT for the time period after the units are in San Antonio being dispatched by ERCOT. CenterPoint would also not charge Houston-area customers for costs associated with these units after the time period when they are in San Antonio being dispatched by ERCOT. The combination of rate case revenue reduction and other financial commitments, including some 2024 foregone storm recovery costs, would roughly equal the same amount that has been billed to CenterPoint customers for the temporary generation costs since 2021. The company would make no revenue or profit off of the temporary emergency generator proposal to help ERCOT and State of Texas which would have otherwise been paid by all customers across the state including CenterPoint customers. CenterPoint's Role in the Texas Electricity Market CenterPoint is an electric transmission and distribution company in the Texas market. The Company does not own any power plants in the state; does not generate any electricity in the state; and does not purchase electricity on behalf of customers in Texas. It also does not have any electric customers in Texas outside the 12-county Greater Houston area. About CenterPoint Energy, Inc. As the only investor-owned electric and gas utility based in Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is an energy delivery company with electric transmission and distribution, power generation and natural gas distribution operations that serve more than 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio and Texas. With approximately 9,000 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit Forward-looking Statements This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this news release, the words 'anticipate,' 'believe,' 'continue,' 'could,' 'estimate,' 'expect,' 'forecast,' 'goal,' 'intend,' 'may,' 'objective,' 'plan,' 'potential,' 'predict,' 'projection,' 'should,' 'target,' 'will,' 'would' or other similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements, which include statements regarding expected annual revenue decreases and future bill impacts, are based upon assumptions of management which are believed to be reasonable at the time made and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual events and results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Any statements in this news release regarding future events that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement contained in this news release speaks only as of the date of this release. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the provided forward-looking information include risks and uncertainties relating to: (1) the impact of pandemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) financial market conditions; (3) general economic conditions; (4) the timing and impact of future regulatory and legislative decisions; and (5) other factors, risks and uncertainties discussed in CenterPoint Energy's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 and CenterPoint's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2024, June 30, 2024 and September 30, 2024 and other reports CenterPoint Energy or its subsidiaries may file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
