Agency 23: Utilities
The Utilities Agency is the twenty-third agency in the community. The agency forms part of the Infrastructure Bureau, together with Agency 22 (Transport) and Agency 24 (Raw Materials). The three agencies control the infrastructure used for transport, utilities provision, and raw materials extraction.
The agency’s primary role is facilitate the community’s access to utilities including power, water, and waste disposal and recycling..
All communities endeavor to be self-reliant with respect to electricity and water. In the case of electricity, while each community has its own grid, each apartment building has a fuel cell which works as a
The Capital Bank Agency (agency 8) receives investment in the form of partnership interest from limited partners, which it in turn invests in community agencies, including the Community Land Agency. The agency uses these funds for operations, including down payments for the loans it needs to acquire land, and delivering chargeable services to participants. From its revenues, it pays the Capital Bank a return on its investment, which in turn enables the bank to pay limited partners superior returns on their investments.
What and how utilities are provided
Th Utilities Agency facilitates participants’ access to a host of utilities including water, electricity, natural gas, and waste disposal. The agency provides the infrastructure that enables the utilities to reach participants. Domestic heating will be electricity-based. Natural gas, as used today for cooking, heating, or other purposes, will primarily be used to produce energy.
Electricity
Electricity is delivered to participants’ apartments and businesses through a central grid that the agency sets up with the help of contractors. The grid helps stabilize power distribution, such that low or high consumption can be balanced effectively. The agency does not produce power, however. Instead, vendors produce electricity and use the agency’s infrastructure to distribute it, at a fee. The agency’s power grid provides evacuation centers to take up power once produced, transmission lines, and distribution centers.
The source of this power could be nuclear, hydro, geothermal, coal, or natural gas. This bulk power, while supplied to every user, and stabilized by the grid, provides only a small proportion of the total consumption.
A greater percentage of power is produced through fuel cells that are installed in every building. The NewVistas concept contends that fuel cells relying on cold fusion will be able to power entire apartment buildings and industrial blocks, and produce sufficient excess power to minimize the reliance on other power producers. Cold fusion refers to the process of inducing nuclear fusion at low temperatures (at or near room temperature). This means power can be produced at low costs, and can be decentralized sufficiently to have every building, in effect, having its own cold fusion nuclear reactor.
At a time when energy issues, so vital for economic production, are easily politicized, cold fusion may provide NewVistas communities with a way of creating enormous energy without the current constraints, but also a way to export large amounts of power to neighboring societies, thereby contributing to economic prosperity beyond their boundaries.
Fuel cells can also use natural gas. The fuel, when burned properly, produces carbon dioxide, water, and energy. In the community, carbon dioxide is not released directly into the atmosphere. Instead, it is channeled to greenhouses, and vertical farms, where it is a useful additive. Through other chemical processes, the carbon dioxide may be additionally processed, releasing oxygen into the atmosphere, while carbon is used as a fuel, or a soil additive. Water, another byproduct of the burning of natural gas, is harnessed and used domestically, or for farming and industrial processed.
Water
Just as is the case with electricity, the community has a centralized water management system. This system’s primary aim is to stabilize water production, since water is produced through several methods. First, naturally occuring fresh water is obtained from rivers, boreholes, freshwater lakes, and even dams specifically configured to harvest rain water, in places where this is legal for private usage.
Secondly, water is processed through desalination, either from seawater, or secondary processing of borehole water that is tapped from saline aquifers.
Thirdly, various community domestic and industrial processes produce significant amounts of water that can be channeled to domestic and industrial use. For instance, fuel cells produce significant amounts of water which can cover a big part of an apartment building’s water needs. Water is also recycled, mostly at source – through innovations such as Refresh Shower, water is not only reused as soon as it is consumed, but the overall water use is minimal compared to modern showers. This concept can be expanded to cover other water uses, including kitchen sinks, washing machines, and dish washers.
Refresh Shower and other applications rely on reverse osmosis to remove impurities from water. The impurities are then processed through pyrolysis to produce carbon, water, and other chemicals. While carbon and water can be reused either at source or elsewhere in the community, unusable substances are transported to landfills.
Waste processing
Waste is produced in all aspects of community life, whether it is as a byprouct of industrial processes, excess at home, or waste water. As much as possible, this waste is processed and recycled, either to serve the same needs – water, for isntance – or taking on other roles, including the use of carbon dioxide in food production.
The community operates landfills and sewers, which remove what cannot by processed sustainably or economically. However, the greatest proportion of waste produced is recycled locally.
The focus on recycling creates some interesting scenarios that will require community-specific solutions. for instance, with virtually no water leaving apartments and factories, flow in sewerage pipes, which relies on this water, will need to rely on other methods, such as pumping, or a more enthusiastic focus on recycling even the hardest of substances. With enormous amounts of cheap power, this may be possible, and eliminate the lng-term use of sewers or landfills.
In the meantime, however, the community facilitates waste removal services at a price to businesses and apartments.
Businesses run by limited partners produce electricity and offer it competitively to participants. Electricity is mainly generated through nuclear energy, which is cheaper and safer. Every apartment has a backup fuel cell that generates power using natural gas. The backup is automatically plugged in if there is too much demand, or a vendor is unable to meet demand for a short time. The grid also helps in storing power during low demand.
Irrigation is more water-intensive than industrial or domestic consumption in the community. The water supply system accommodates this with larger capacity and dedicated supply lines. Where possible, recycling is also employed in agriculture, especially in aquaculture and related farming technologies.
Roles of the agency
- Facilitate provision of utilities to participants
- Training
Utilities’ provision
The Utilities Agency facilitates participants’ access to utilities. The agency, through contractors, sets up the electricity grid, water supply systems, pipelines, and other systems that vendors and apartments use to provide utilities to participants. The agency also coordinates with waste removal businesses to provide businesses and residences with streamlined services. With the assistance of contractors, the agency maintains the systems and improves them as necessary for optimal performance.
Vendors lease the agency’s infrastructure to provide services. for instance, a power-generating business will hire the grid to supply electricity. It will also use this system to collaborate with other producers with a view of balancing power supply, efficiency, and reducing wastage. the agency will ensure that there is sufficient collaboration to safeguard the community’s interests.
Training
The agency endeavors to train participants on the right ways of processing waste, to ensure it can achieve its objective for recycling or otherwise reusing waste. The agency offers extensive training to participants on the proper use of utilities, not just to ensure prudent use, but to also enable them to extract maximum value from them.
Farmers are trained in irrigation efficiency, which is a key element in sustainable water management. Modern irrigation techniques are highly wasteful, with less than half of the water used making it to the root system where it is needed. With proper techniques and expertise, the agency can still be able to empower farmers to farm crops deemed too water-intensive, especially in water-insecure areas.
How the agency works
Background on presidencies
Every presidency in the community presidency is a four-member entity whose members represent one of the four major demographics: partnered males (A), partnered females (B), single females (C), and single males (D). However, a president serves the whole community in their role, rather than only their own demographic. Presidents’ diversity and commitment to serve all is provided for in the community bylaws and ensures that all access services without any discrimination.
These four major demographics are evenly split in ordinary society, with each group accounting for between 23 and 27% of the population, and with regular fluctuations as people’s status changes. The community appreciates that discrimination across all social categories happens based on partnered or single status, other social categorizations notwithstanding; partnered males are likelier to dominate other demographics, especially single males and single females. Partnered females are also likelier to have better outcomes in careers and leadership than single females.
The community’s infrastructure promotes equal access to economic and social resources and opportunities. The composition of the community as a whole and those who serve it in the community public service is closely monitored to prevent numerical domination, which can lead to nepotism or unequal access.
The recruitment to be a participant, and to serve in the public service carefully considers other social categorizations, to ensure racial, ethnic, religious, and sexual groups are well represented in the community as they are in the society in which a community operates. These considerations inform the constitution of the community public service. The diversity in community public service, which is provided by bylaws, is aimed at creating a community that is blind to all other considerations besides service to participants. The service is therefore designed to be free of discrimination.
Agency presidency, bureau board, and demographic presidencies
The Utilities Agency is served by an agency presidency of four presidents. The presidency sets the agency’s overall strategy and operating policies. It also sets up an automated system through which the agency interacts with participants. Adjusts the strategy, policies, and automated system as needed to better serve the community.
As part of the Infrastructure Bureau, the Utilities Agency presidency forms a 12-member bureau board together with the agency presidencies serving the Transport and Raw Materials agencies. The board is a check and balance tool for individual presidents and agencies, especially on decisions that have far-reaching implications for the community. In the initial period, as a community is formed, the board plays a critical role in the acquisition, zoning, and development of land for various uses.
Within the bureau board, three presidents from the same demographic form a demographic presidency. There are four such presidencies in the bureau. The demographic presidency works on matters of common interest to a demographic, that cut across the three agencies. The demographic presidency also plays an important role in the mentorship and training of new presidents.
| Demographic presidency A | Demographic presidency B | Demographic presidency C | Demographic presidency D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agency presidency, Transport (22) | 22A | 22B | 22C | 22D |
| Agency presidency, Utilities (23) | 23A | 23B | 23C | 23D |
| Agency presidency, Raw Materials, (24) | 24A | 24B | 24C | 24D |
Limited partners and branch presidencies
Limited partners and dependents
A limited partner is the basic unit in the community. A limited person, usually above 18 years old, but sometimes as young as 16, has been admitted into the community and has invested $20,000 as partnership interest, for which they earn a return. This is regarded as one unit of partnership interest.
Over time, a limited partner can add more units of partnership interest, as their business prospers. The more partnership interest units a limited partner has, the more the return they receive from the Capital Bank.
A dependent is a minor, or a person living with a disability, under the care of a limited partner. In some instances, a dependent may be a fit adult, who for various reasons is supported by community agencies, and assigned by contract to a limited partner. Limited partners are responsible for any legal agreements that their dependents enter into, either with community agencies or other participants, and therefore have the right of attorney.
Together, limited partners and dependents are referred to as participants. Participants who are dependents, because they are still minors, can start a business when they reach 12 years of age. This allows them to save up and invest $20,000 into the community by their 18th birthday, and possibly as early as 16.
Limited partners and their dependents reside in apartments (village buildings). Each apartment has 4 floors, with each floor containing 16 apartments. Each floor has floor has 7 – 12 limited partners, with each limited partner having 1 – 3 dependents. Each floor therefore has around 25 residents. With four floors, each building has approximately 100 residents. An apartment building also forms a branch.
Limited partners and unit
A limited partner is the basic unit in the community. A limited partner, usually above 18 years old, but sometimes as young as 16, has been admitted into the community and has invested $20,000 as partnership interest, for which they earn a return from the Capital Bank Agency, which invests other community agencies. This is regarded as one unit of partnership interest. Over time, a limited partner can add more units of partnership interest, as their business prospers. The more partnership interest units a limited partner has, the more the return they receive from the agency.
A dependent is a minor, or a person living with a disability, under the care of a limited partner, and who has, in any of these cases, given their power of attorney to the limited partner. In some instances, a dependent may be a fit adult, who for various reasons is supported by community agencies, and assigned by contract to a limited partner. Limited partners are responsible for any legal agreements that their dependents enter into, either with community agencies or other participants. Together, limited partners and dependents are referred to as participants.
Participants who are dependents, because they are still minors, can start a business when they reach 12 years of age. This allows them to save up and invest $20,000 into the community by their 18th birthday, and possibly as early as 16. Limited partners and their dependents reside in apartment buildings (village buildings). Each apartment building has five floors, with four containing apartments. An apartment building also forms a branch.
Captains and branch presidencies
Of the approximately 100 residents in a branch, around 40 of them are limited partners.They are divided into 4 units, each of which has 10 limited partners and their dependents. The limited partner membership in a unit is diverse, containing different social groups that are reflective of the society within which a community operates.
Additionally, a unit contains members of the four main demographics: partnered males (A), partnered females (B), single females (C), and single males (D).
The 4 demographics in the branch form 4 groups, as follows:
- Group 1: partnered males and females
- Group 2: single females and males
- Group 3: partnered and single males
- Group 4: partnered and single females
Within each group, there are different subsets, known as classes, based primarily on age. There is a class for Nursery (0-2), toddlers (3 – 5), young children (6-9), pre-teens (10-12), teens (13-18), young adults (19-31), adults (32-72), and empty nesters (73+).
| Meeting week | Class 1 | Class 2 | Class 3 | Class 4 | Class 5 | Class 6 | Class 7 | Class 8 |
| Week 1 and 3 | All partnered adults | All single adults | Teen boys and girls | Pre -teens | Young children | Toddlers | Nursery | |
| Week 2 and 4 | All males | All females | Teen boys | Teen girls |
Further details on the composition of units, groups, classes, and branches, and their meeting schedules, are detailed here.
Recruitment and diversity
Captains are responsible for recruiting limited partners into the community through their council and by extension, branch. A captain does not recruit limited partners only from their demographic. Instead, they work to ensure that their recruits are diverse, considering social categorizations, gender, and social status, in addition to demographic groups.
Captains work in concert with their fellow captains in the branch presidency, and other presidencies in a village and district to ensure that the district is as diverse as possible. They are guided by present data on how diverse their district, village, and branch are, and what needs to be focused on to improve. They are also guided by community bylaws, which expressly require diversity as shown by demographic data about a population from which the community intends to recruit limited partners.
The captain serves as a service extension of the Residential and Mediation Agency, though they also act as an interface between participants and other community agencies. For agencies that do not have bureau presidencies, such agencies in the Economic and Public Administration Bureaus, captains come in handy in helping participants navigate these agencies’ automated system and other relevant tools used by the agency to deliver services.
The automated system is designed to help participants with all the help they need in matters related to various agencies, including the Reesidential and Mediation Agency. However, should they run into problems, captains assist them in navigating the system, or direct them to relevant contractors who help them at a fee.
Automated system
The Utilities Agency uses an automated system to interact with contractors and where need be, participants. The system handles requests for maintenance, coordination between various vendors, and troubleshooting, among others. Through the system, the agency can discover problems with its systems, and secure the services of contractors as needed.
Contractors and branch/village presidencies also engage with the agency through the system, unless in specific instances when they need to personally engage with the agency presidency. Such engagements happen from Monday to Thursday every week, for 45 minutes from 8:00 to 8:45 AM.
Contractors
The Utilities Agency relies on contractors for much of its work. Contractors, who are limited partners in the specific community, are hired to set up the automated system, survey and zone land, and make it fit for construction. They also set up the various systems needed to facilitate access to utilities by the community, including the power grid, water systems, localized waste management and disposal, landfill management, and natural gas.
While the agency’s automated system is equipped to assist in maintenance, to the agency’s systems, contractors are needed to carry out the actual work, including plumbing, electrical works, and similar work. Each time a contractor performs some work concerning the agency, they prepare a report. The report helps the agency presidency pinpoint any issues with the automated system or other systems that it runs, and correct them in time.
Inter-agency cooperation
The 24 community agencies form three columns of 8 agencies each. There is loose collaboration between the agencies in a column. The Utilities Agency forms part of the second column.
The agency receives loans to set up systems for utilities from the Capital Bank (agency 8). The bank also invests capital in the agency. It receives a return on its investment in addition to loan repayments.
The Utilities Agency works with the Commercial Agency (agency 2) in the development of hubs, their mirrors, and industrial buildings, ensuring these installations have sufficient utilities’ acccess. The Legal Affairs Agency (agency 14) assists contractors as they sign contracts to provide services to the Utilities Agency and participants.
Presidencies’ offices, meetings, and quarterly conferences
Offices
The Utilities Agency presidency has permanent offices in District Building 23’s first floor, on the western side. Facing them on the eastern side are the offices for trustee presidency and Regulatory Bureau presidency serving the agency and District 23.
Trustees and the regulatory bureau presidencies alternate their offices. Trustees have the offices in building 23 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while the bureau presidencies use the offices on Mondays and Wednesdays, as shown in this timetable:
| Building 11/ Governance, IT, and Security | Building 23/ Utilities | |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Trustee presidency | Regulatory Bureau presidency |
| Tuesday | Regulatory Bureau presidency | Trustee presidency |
| Wednesday | Trustee presidency | Regulatory Bureau presidency |
| Thursday | Regulatory Bureau presidency | Trustee presidency |
The first floor’s layout is as follows, including other public servants who serve District 23.
Working hours and meetings
Agency presidents, trustees, and regulatory bureau presidents work in their offices on a full-time basis. To allow for this, they are required to be at least 50 years of age, be experts in NewVistas concepts, an be semi or fully retired from their business. This allows them to dedicate much of their productive time to serving the community.
Other presidencies work from Monday to Thursday, from 8 – 8:45 AM. their offices are converted for this purpose, and can thereafter be used for other activities, such as office space for participants, hotel rooms and hospital consultation rooms. On Thursday, each presidency (four presidents serving A, B, C, and D) meets for a 45-minute meeting from 9:00 to 9:45 in the morning.
On the last Friday of each quarter, between 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM, each demographic presidency meets. The three-member presidency discusses common bureau matters that are of interest to the demographic they serve. On Saturday, again between 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM, the whole board meets, where the presidents present their input from the previous day’s demographic presidency meeting, and prepare for the quarterly conference. The aim is to have a cohesive presentation during the quarterly conference but tailored to specific demographic interests.
Quarterly conferences
Quarterly conferences are held on the last Sunday of each quarter, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, with a lunch break in between. During quarterly conferences, each demographic presidency sits together in the same row.
Quarterly conferences are held in District Buildings 5 and 17. Each building has a lower and higher assembly court. The different demographic groups use the assembly courts as follows:
| Building | Assembly court | Demographic |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Lower court | Partnered males (A) |
| 5 | Higher court | Partnered females (B) |
| 17 | Lower court | Single females (C) |
| 17 | Higher court | Single males (D) |
Branch presidencies do not attend quarterly conferences. Instead, they follow the relevant proceedings online alongside other participants.
Each of the four assembly courts has seats for 480 presidents representing the respective demographic. In the diagram below each of the 4 courts is illustrated. The ceiling of each court has an elliptical arch that enables agency presidents, who are the only ones who make a presentation during the conference, to speak without the need to amplify their voices. The 480 seats are easily rotatable to enable presidents to face whoever is speaking.
Each of the four courts has an identical arrangement and number of seats. The exact arrangement of each court can therefore be illustrated using one court, in this case, building 5’s lower court that is used by partnered males (A).
Within an assembly court, the 480 presidents are arranged in terms of demographic presidencies of 3 Infrastructure Bureau’s demographic presidency for partnered males (22A, 23A, and 24A) sits as highlighted in the graphic.
Some additional notes/definitions from an earlier version of this page:
- Access to public facilities is considered a key element in maintaining a community’s quality of life. In some quarters, it is even considered a civil right. Participants will have access to the facilities they need for leisure, sport, and for health issues (Ghasemzadeh, R. and M. Kamali. “Accessibility to the public facilities: a mean to achieve civil rights of the people with disabilities in Iran.” Iranian Rehabilitation Journal 6.7 (2008): 73-82).
- There is a strong link between physical exercise and health. The provision of facilities is therefore not only for the direct benefit of providing recreation, but also for health reasons, besides cultural exchange (museums and other cultural centers), and professional discourse. People who live in communities where they have access to such facilities are likely to be healthier (Eriksson, U., D. Arvidsson and K. Sundquist. “Availability of exercise facilities and physical activity in 2,037 adults: cross-sectional results from the Swedish neighborhood and physical activity (SNAP) study.” BMC Public Health 12.607 (2012): 10.1186/1471-2458-12-607).
- By involving the community in the development of public facilities, the community is able to develop facilities that a majority of participants can actually use. The process also garners wider support in the community, and ultimately helps fulfill the objectives of the agency. Some public facilities, such as parks may have a historical or sentimental value to participants. Their development must therefore consider their viewpoints (Kansas, University of. Community Tool Box. Kansas City: University of Kansas, 2018).
- In developing public facilities, it is important to consider community demographics, such as increase in population, the age groups of residents, culture, among other characteristics that could have an effect on preferred and needed public facilities. Public facilities that are developed with such considerations are utilized optimally, and are more beneficial to the participants (Anchorage-Municipality. Public Facility Planning. 2019. 07 07 2019).
- The management of public facilities is guided by international standards. The standards enable benchmarking and establishing best practice in facility management. The community will develop its own standards that aim to improve on the international standards (ISO 41001), to enhance usability and manage running costs (Tranchard, S. New ISO standard in development to facilitate facilities management. 21 09 2016. 07 07 2019).
- The development of public facilities must consider the ease of access to everyone with an interest in accessing them. Some of the factors to consider include age, people living with disability, or with other health conditions that demand special accommodation. With easy access to these facilities, the community can realize their full potential, both socially and economically (Ghasemzadeh and Kamali; and Hayati, A. and M. Faqih. “Disables’ accessibility problems on the public facilities within the context of Surabaya, Indonesia.” Humanities and Social Sciences 1.3 (2013): 78-84).
- Public facilities are not only good for their functionality. They are sometimes a testament of a community’s economic and social prosperity, or lack of it. Many times however, they display a community’s culture and influences, and the artistic impressions that define the community. The Public Facilities Agency will therefore develop facilities that embody the values of the community even as it focuses on their usability and impact on the community (Zhou, L. “Research on the Design of Public Facilities in Urban Environmental Art Design.” International Conference on Arts and Design, Education and Social Sciences (2017): 225-230).
- The return on investment used to develop public facilities cannot be quantified on financial terms only. The public facilities generate more than the rents the leasing Agency receives. They have cultural, health and recreational value too. Therefore, while the Public Facilities Agency repays the loans used to develop these facilities, it generates invaluable benefits to participants in other ways. Performance measurement tools should however be employed to have a clear quantitative and qualitative idea of the return (Pichova, S. & J. Stejskal, 2015. “Return-on-investment of public investments to systems which provide public services? a case study,” ERSA conference papers ersa15p1399, European Regional Science Association).