(Above) RECC linemen Travis Boylen and Bill Hart replaced the broken suspension bell insulator on the transmission line feed- ing the Glenarm substation on July 12. The insulator is on the left end of the cross arm. (Left) A Bobcat skid steer tractor was pur- chased this spring, and was put to good use with its brush shredding attachment to clear the undergrowth in the transmission line easement for easier access to the poles. Page 2 June Board report Page 3 Local pork producers donate Pages 4-5 Director profiles - Mel Repscher - Ted Dowson Page 6 News & Notes Page 8 Capital Credit allocation for 2009 Volume 61, #8 August 2010 (Continued on page 8) e delivery system for electricity is a long chain, from the generating stations to transmission substations, through transmission lines to local substations, to distribution lines and transformers, and finally to consumers’ meters and into their homes. Any break in the chain can result in an outage for RECC members, for hundreds at a time or just one, depending on where that break occurs. Members in the Chatham-Auburn- Pawnee areas learned about the importance of each link in that delivery chain on Sunday, July 11, when a simple insulator broke on the transmission line running from a switching station on Springfield’s northwest side to the co-op’s Glenarm substation. e high-voltage line dropped into the underbrush below, tripping the fuse on the line and knocking out the Glenarm substation. It was a beautiful day, with light winds, so the electric outage at 4:30 p.m. was perplexing to members as well as the co-op crews. About 850 members were without power until linemen switched circuits to back feed the substation from the co-op’s substations at Lowder, Girard, Sicily and Taylorville. Power was Transmission line insulator causes outages
Transcript
(Above) RECC linemen Travis Boylen and Bill Hart replaced the broken suspension bell insulator on the transmission line feed-ing the Glenarm substation on July 12. The insulator is on the left end of the cross arm.
(Left) A Bobcat skid steer tractor was pur-chased this spring, and was put to good use with its brush shredding attachment to clear the undergrowth in the transmission line easement for easier access to the poles.
Page 2 June Board report
Page 3 Local pork producers donate
Pages 4-5 Director profiles - Mel Repscher - Ted Dowson
Page 6 News & Notes
Page 8 Capital Credit allocation for 2009
Volume 61, #8August 2010
(Continued on page 8)
The delivery system for electricity is a long chain, from the generating stations to transmission substations, through transmission lines to local substations, to distribution lines and transformers, and finally to consumers’ meters and into their homes. Any break in the chain can result in an outage for RECC members, for hundreds at a time or just one, depending on where that break occurs. Members in the Chatham-Auburn-Pawnee areas learned about the importance of each link in that delivery chain on Sunday, July 11, when a simple insulator broke on the transmission line running from a switching station on Springfield’s northwest side to the co-op’s Glenarm substation. The high-voltage line dropped into the underbrush below, tripping the fuse on the line and knocking out the Glenarm substation. It was a beautiful day, with light winds, so the electric outage at 4:30 p.m. was perplexing to members as well as the co-op crews. About 850 members were without power until linemen switched circuits to back feed the substation from the co-op’s substations at Lowder, Girard, Sicily and Taylorville. Power was
Transmission line insulator causes outages
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Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative3973 W. State Route 104
Board Of DirectorsJimmy L. AyersChairmanChris WilcoxVice ChairmanMel Repscher Secretary-TreasurerJohn A. BeattyAsst. Sec.-Treasurer
Clayton BloomeThomas “Ted” DowsonCassie L. Eigenmann Erv Shores
President/CEODavid Stuva
Rural Hilights (USPS 473-140) is published monthly for $3 per year by Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative Co. Publication Office, P.O. Box 19, Auburn, IL 62615. Periodical postage paid at Auburn, IL and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Rural Hilights, P.O. Box 19, Auburn, IL 62615.
Dana Smith, editor
Resume of MinutesRegular Board MeetingJune 28, 2010
The regular monthly meeting of the Board of Directors of Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative Co. was held at the cooperative headquarters at 7 p.m. on June 28, with eight members present while one Director position is vacant. Also present were President/CEO David Stuva, Manager of Office Services Dean Fuchs, Director of Member & Public Relations Dana Smith, Manager of Operations and Maintenance Lou DeLaby, Field Engineer & Purchasing Agent Martin Hinton, Executive Assistant Sandy Lex, and Attorney Jerry Tice. Elections for officers of the Board of Directors were conducted by Attorney Tice. Officers for 2010-1011 are: Chairman – Jimmy Ayers Vice Chairman – Chris Wilcox Secretary/Treasurer – Mel Repscher Assistant Secretary/Treasurer – John Beatty * The minutes of the May 24 regular Board meeting were approved as presented. * CEO Stuva invited representatives from the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA), President /CEO Ron Earl, Senior Vice President/CFO Bob Childers, and Man-ager of Governmental Relations and Commu-nications Doc Mueller, to discuss the various charges in the monthly IMEA power bill. * CEO Stuva and Lou DeLaby reviewed staff recommendations for the purchase of one or possibly two 5-MVA substation transformers for upgrades at Farmersville and Harvel. DeLaby said the smaller sizes of the existing transformers limit the back feeding capability between substations during larger outages. * Lou DeLaby reviewed the damage to the Glenarm substation from a lightning strike on May 24, and the replacement of switches and voltage regulators which will be covered by
the co-op’s insurance carrier. * CEO Stuva presented the IMEA report. * Chairman Ayers presented the AIEC Board report. * The Attorneys report was given by Attor-ney Tice and CEO Stuva. They reported that the Auburn Franchise expires in September, and the franchise rate in Auburn will change in October to match the rates in Taylorville, Chatham and Kincaid.
President/CEO’s Report CEO Stuva reviewed the following reports which had either been mailed or distributed to all directors and attorney: Member and Public Relations, Job Training and Safety, Meters and Outages, Operations and Maintenance, Engineering and Construction, Cash Disbursements Summary, and Check Listing. The Board accepted the reports. The financial and statistical reports for May were reviewed and accepted. CEO Stuva also: * Noted that sales for May were about 17 percent higher than budget estimates. * Reviewed plans for upcoming meetings. Board Action The Board acted on the following: * Approved the application for, or reinstatement of, membership and electric service for 28 persons. * Authorized management to purchase two 5 MVA transformers, with price limits, for cooperative substation upgrades. * Set a special meeting on August 31, 2010 to interview candidates for the vacant directorship in District 8. * Elected John Beatty as alternate director on the AIEC Board for the balance of the two year term of former Director David White. * Elected delegates to represent RECC at the 2010 AIEC Annual Meeting in July and the NRECA Regions 5 and 6 meeting in September. The meeting adjourned at 10:10 p.m.
Board report
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Local pork producers donate to Central Illinois Foodbank
Several local pork producers, including five RECC members, presented a significant donation of ground pork to Central Illinois Foodbank in Springfield on July 12th as part of the “Pork Power: Partnering to Fight Hunger in Illinois” Initiative. Six farmers together donated 22 pigs, which yielded more than 2,880 pounds of pork. Pork producers donating from RECC’s area were Dereke Dunkirk of Morrisonville, Phil Borgic of Nokomis, Paul Beeler of Raymond, and Allan & Dale Weitekamp of Farmersville. Ken Doyle of Gillespie was also a donor. In 2008, the Illinois Pork Producers Association (IPPA) launched Pork Power with the goal of helping fight hunger in Illinois. It provides a system for farmers to donate pork to food banks associated with Feeding Illinois, a partner to Feeding America – the largest hunger relief organization in the U.S. “We are pleased to have the chance to be a part of this important initiative,” said Dereke Dunkirk, current Vice-President/Treasurer of IPPA. “Pork producers are dedicated to supporting the quality rural way of life important to all of us and through Pork Power we have the opportunity to give a helping hand to our neighbors.” IPPA has partnered with the Illinois Corn Marketing Board, the Illinois Soybean Association and the Illinois Association of Meat Processors in this effort. In just two years, Pork Power has generated more than 124,500 pounds of pork – enough for 500,000 servings – for families throughout Illinois. “This pork donation will help Central Illinois Foodbank provide more than 11,500 servings of vital meat protein to the citizens it serves,” said John Bannon,
Central Illinois Foodbank public relations manager. “The donation will be made available for over 165 hunger-relief organizations in central Illinois. This is a greatly valued product that’s very hard for foodbanks to get without the generosity of these local pork producers and ag organizations.” Central Illinois Foodbank distributes over six million pounds of food annually to over 165 food pantries, soup kitchens, residential programs and after-school programs in a 21 county region. “We help feed over 17,600 different people through our member agencies each week and the demand for our services is up 25% right now,” said Bannon. “This donation comes at a critical time with reserves at food banks being very low due to the increase in demand. Our food pantries are seeing new families and most are people who have never had to get help before.”
Participating meat processors have agreed to reduce their processing fees for pork producers donating eligible pigs. The processors are providing two-pound packages of ground pork for distribution. Magro’s Processing from Auburn processed the pork for this donation. Pork, corn and soybean producers have donated funds from their respective checkoff programs to reimburse participating meat processors. Tim Seifert, a corn producer from Auburn who is also an RECC member, and current director for the IL Corn Marketing Board explains that the partnership is the right thing to do at the right time. “This type of project is a winning situation for everyone involved, not just the Corn Marketing Board or pork producers, but most importantly, our neighbors throughout Illinois will receive protein which is vital to everyone’s nutritional needs.”
Pictured left to right: Tony Magro (Magro Process-ing), Ann Voyles (Auburn Food Pantry), Kristy Gilmore (Central IL Foodbank), Dereke Dunkirk (IL Pork Producers Association) and Ross Prough (IL Soy-bean Association) with the ground pork donated to FoodBank. Dereke was one of five RECC members who contributed hogs from their farms.
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offer on energy, cooperatives or other pertinent topics. We’re including your directors from Board Districts 6 and 7 this month. Watch for more profiles in coming months!
Mel Repscher and his wife, Rita, have been recognized for living on a Centennial Family Farm, but that doesn’t nearly tell the story of their Taylorville homestead. “My great-grandfather was the blacksmith in Clarksdale, having settled in the area in the 1860s,” Mel explains. “My grandfather built our house in 1901, and my father was born in the same bedroom, in the same brass bed, where Rita and I sleep now!” Mel has been a Director for RECC since 1993, and is presently serving as Secretary/Treasurer on the co-op Board. While the Repschers have a rich history on the southwest edge of Taylorville, they’re certainly not afraid to look ahead as well. They’ve moved beyond typical ag production on their small farm, raising and selling 20 acres of berries and vegetables as Big M Berry Patch. Starting with three acres of strawberries in 1985, they’ve become a mainstay at the Taylorville Farmers Market on summer Saturdays, selling truckloads of produce. One of Mel’s big items today is asparagus, with two acres of the tender shoots harvested for direct sales and the wholesale market. A large spring-fed pond supplies irrigation water when needed, with a network of pipes, sprinklers and drip tubes to deliver it to the plants. Mel used his 16 years of manufacturing background at S.F. Kennedy in Taylorville, which closed in 1992, to start Big M
Manufacturing, with a patented shelled corn-fueled furnace called the A-Maize-Ing Heat Biomass System. It fits in nicely with the produce business because the demand for furnaces picks up in September after the crops are just about finished. “We change hats in the fall, and produce corn furnaces until mid-April,” Mel says. “We” includes two of his sons, Myles and Matt, who are part of the family business. A third son, Mike, is an engineer for Caterpillar in Decatur, so the mechanical skill runs through the whole family. Mel and Rita’s daughter, Michelle Beckmier, lives just west of Taylorville as well.
Big M produces four corn burner models, with forced air and boiler versions. With higher corn prices recently, and higher prices for other fuels as well, Mel has been working on ideas for renewable energy such as biofuels and waste material recovery. He’s worked with the Univer-sity of Illinois’ Extension research program, evaluating fuels such as switch grass and miscanthus grass. To show the viability of these plants for fuel, Mel has purchased a pellet mill that can turn grass, crop residues and paper product
Who are your Directors? Your Board of Directors is made up of nine co-op members, elected by you, who meet monthly to determine the course of action that the management team will follow in the operation of the cooperative
business. To help you “get to know” your directors a little better, we’re doing a series of profiles this year to share a little of each Board member’s background and interests, along with any thoughts they might choose to
District 6:
Mel Repscher, TaylorvilleDirector Profile
Mel Repscher checks on some cucumbers at Big M Berry Patch, just one of the many produce items he grows.
(Continued on next page)
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trash into uniform pellets that can easily be transported, stored and burned in simple furnaces. To round out his renewable energy “portfolio,” Mel placed an order in July for a 20-kilowatt wind turbine that will stand next to his strawberry patches. A test tower in
nearby Palmer showed average wind speeds around 12.5 miles per hour, he says, so his area should have similar speeds. “We’d like to produce just what we use on the farm.” The turbine and its 120-foot tower won’t be delivered for four to six months, but the concrete
foundation will be installed this fall, Mel says. It will be another attraction for visitors to the farm, along with U-pick strawberries in the spring and pumpkins in the fall. But it’s also part of a business plan to keep the family farm intact for the next generation and beyond.
Ted Dowson and his his two brothers, Larry and Ron, are third-generation farmers in the Auburn-Divernon area. Ted’s working now with the fifth generation, his grandson Tony, to continue the tradition of high-quality produc-tion on central Illinois’ fertile soils. “My dad and his brothers start-ed farming together at a young age. They didn’t all attend high school because they were so involved in the daily work of the farm,” Ted relates. The benefits of working together rubbed off on Ted and his brothers, as they created Tri-D Farms to run successful grain, dairy and hog operations for many years. Over the past two years, the brothers have reorganized their operations to plan for future succession in their families, but they continue to work together and share some resources. Ted and Tony formed TT Farms Inc., which is mainly involved in grain and hay production. At an age when most people are retired or at least thinking about it, Ted prefers to stay active. “I pitched for our church softball team last Sunday, and my youngest granddaughter ran for me when I batted,” he says. “I think she got on base every time I batted!” Ted and his wife, Mary Sue, have three daughters, five grand-children and 2 great-grandchildren. They are members of Sugar Creek United Methodist Church, which they helped create in 1995.
An RECC member for nearly 50 years, Ted has served on the co-op Board since 1993. “With the ever-increasing cost of energy, we need to use more energy efficiency measures,” he says. He’s put that into action in his own home, changing his incandescent light bulbs to CFL bulbs and replacing a couple of his large appliances with more efficient models. “Even with the rate increase we had in 2009, my home electric bills
stayed about the same due to the lower consumption, at least until this summer’s very hot weather,” Ted says. Conservation is also a big topic in agricultural production, and Ted is always looking for improvements there as well. Beyond the minimum tillage and no-till practices that have become common in our area, he’s working on a new idea for using fall cover crops on his corn fields. He plans to plant 250 acres of tillage radishes between the corn rows in August. “These radishes can grow down into the soil 20 to 30 inches deep,” he explains. That opens up the soil for moisture and air, and helps slow water runoff when it rains, Ted says. He and Tony will rent a special implement from the Natural Resources Conservation Service to plant in the tall corn stalks, and they’ll probably use a different type of disk in the spring to cut up the plant residue without moving a lot of dirt. “It should save fuel because we won’t have to dig so deep with our tillage, and it will actually be a form of carbon sequestration through the plant vegetation,” Ted explains. The old becomes new in agriculture, as cover crops may become common again on high-tech farms. Ted is ready to adopt and adapt any new strategies that make sense for the business and the environment.
District 7:
Ted Dowson, AuburnDirector Profile
Ted Dowson shows some appreciation to his faithful backyard companion, “Wiggie.”
Mel Repscher profile (Continued)
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News & NotesNews & Notes
The most expensive dirt in the world may lurk in your home’s heating and cooling system. If neglected, dust col-lecting the equipment’s air filter could increase your energy bills hundreds of dollars every year and result in costly repair or replacement costs. Dirty fil-ters cause a system to work harder and break down faster. That’s because unfil-tered dust and grime work into critical parts, creating friction that causes un-necessary wear and, eventually, failure. As you move around your home you drive dust into the air from carpets, drapes, and furniture. Pets generate dust particles by shedding, grooming, and tracking in dirt from outside. Regardless of where it comes from, dust trapped in a heating and cooling system air filter leads to several problems, including: •Reduced air flow in the home and up
to 15 percent higher operating costs.•Costly duct cleaning or replacement.•Lowered system efficiency.
Every time a system with a dirty filter kicks on, the day of reckoning — total replacement — draws closer. To avoid this expense, change filters monthly when a system’s in regular use. Discuss cleaning the unit and ductwork with your heating and cooling service professional. While most types of filters must be replaced, a few filters are reusable. They’re available in a variety of types and efficiencies, rated by a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV). MERV, a method developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, tests filter effectiveness. The higher the MERV number, the higher the filter’s effectiveness at keeping dust out of your system. To learn more about how to save energy around your home, visit www.TogetherWeSave.com.High Performance HVAC, U.S. Department of Energy
Interviews scheduled for Board vacancy
RECC’s Board of Directors will be interviewing candidates on August 31 to fill a vacant position from District 8. Lee Marten resigned from the Board this spring, and the next scheduled election for District 8 is not until 2012. In accordance with the co-op’s bylaws, the remaining directors are to select a person to fill the vacancy. That person will serve until the next District 8 election in 2012. Letters were mailed to all RECC members in the District on June 29, notifying them of the vacancy and inviting interested members to apply for the position. Four applications were received, and the candidates will meet with the Board on August 31.
World’s most expensive dirt
The Illinois State Fair will run Aug. 13-22 in Springfield, and fair-goers can learn about energy efficiency and safety while they munch on corn dogs and fried alligator. The Energy Education Council will have a display tent on the northwest corner of the Emerson Build-ing lawn, across from the Dairy Building, with the Live Line safety demonstration and an Energy Efficiency Wall that shows insulation, caulking, ventilating and lighting tips for energy-tight construction. The Energy Education Council sponsors include the University of Illinois Extension, investor-owned electric utilities, cooperatives, mu-nicipal utilities, and educators. If you want more safety information now, visit the new SafeElectricity.org website, with games for kids and instructional materials for teachers and group leaders.
Energy education at State Fair
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_______Clothes Dryer, Electric Replacement – $25_______Clothes Dryer, New Home or Gas Conversion – $25_______Electric Range, Electric Replacement – $25_______Electric Range, New Home or Gas Conversion – $25
_______Water Heater, Standard Warranty – $200 (less than 10-yr waranty)_______Water Heater, Life–long Warranty – $250 (10-yr or longer warranty)
MeMber response page
Electric heating equipment rebatesAn electric heat rebate form must be completed. Minimum system sizes apply.
• GeothermalSystem–$500/home
• AirSourceHeatPumps–$500/home (with electric back-up)
• AirSourceHeatPumps–$200/home (with gas back-up)
_______Peak Switch_______Dual Meter Heating Rate_______Security Light Rental_______Convectair Heaters
_______New Home Energy Guidelines_______Surge Suppressor Lease_______Co-op Power Plus™ Visa_______DTN Wireless Internet
Rural Electric Convenience CooperativeP.O. Box 19, Auburn IL 62615Telephone: (800) 245-7322 (RECC) or (217) 438-6197 • www.recc.coopNormal office hours 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Please include a copy of your sales receipt for your new electric equipment, purchased and installed within the past 12 months.Electric equipment rebate request
This water heater is for: _______New Home _______Gas Conversion _______Electric Replacement
PB8
P.O. Box 19Auburn, IL 62615
2009 capital credit allocation notification On your July electric bill, to be mailed on August 6, you will see a message on the left-hand side of the bill indicating the amount of capital credits allocated to you for electricity purchased in 2009. This message only appears on your master account and only appears if you were a consumer in 2009. As a member-owner of your Cooperative, you share in any
annual margins. Your share of these margins is called “capital credits”. At the end of each year, these net margins are allocated to each member on a basis of the dollar amount of energy used during that year. We are providing you with the amount of the allocation for the year, shown on your July electric bill. These allocations are not available as cash nor can they be
applied as payments on your electric bill. These monies are used by your Cooperative for long-term debt retirement, reserves, emergencies, system improvements and other contingencies. Capital credits may be paid to members as the board of directors deems appropriate and as the financial condition of the Cooperative permits.
Transmission line insulator causes outages (Continued from page 1)
restored by these actions between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. After crews replaced the insulator on Monday morning, the transmission line was returned to service and circuits were switched back to normal. “We don’t know why the suspen-sion bell insulator just broke off on Sunday afternoon,” said Lou DeLaby, Manager of Operations and Mainte-nance. “These polymer insulators are in widespread use, and we’re sending it to the factory to get some explana-tion of why it failed.” He said the Glenarm substation has had some bad luck recently, including a direct lightning strike on May 24. “We’re putting extra effort into that area to insure future reliability,” he said. RECC will also be doing additional tree trimming on the transmission line easement through Chatham’s east side this summer.
The right of way under the transmission line has been cleaned up on the south side of Springfield, and more clearing will be done this summer on easements going through Chatham.
