This director had a special experience recently
when one of our members called me to ask for help with a problem she and her
caregiver had with an appliance. This lady is a personal friend and a member of
Salem Electric, and was asking my advice as to whom to call for assistance. She
is handicapped with M.S. and is not able to do much on her own. I suggested
that I would call Terry Kelly, Member Services Manager, for his input, which I
did. Within minutes he and Jeff Lewis from that department of Salem Electric,
were at this lady's door, solving her problem. A grateful customer she is! There is a follow up on this story. United Way has a Day of Caring when
employees of businesses participate in volunteering when the need is greatest.
After the cancellation of a United Way project, six staff members from Salem
Electric took it upon themselves to assist this lovely lady by pruning, mowing
and generally cleaning up her entire yard, a chore that had not been done in
many moons. A grateful, caring member and her caregiver provided beverages for
this bedraggled crew on a very rainy day, a special day for all who
participated. I've been a director of Salem Electric for twelve years, and I'm proud to say
that wonders never cease with this utility and the employees therein.
Twenty-seven employees volunteered over 200 hours of labor to help construct
the Discovery Village for the Gilbert House; eight employees volunteered 32
hours to help build a Habitat for Humanity Home; the award-winning "Drill Team"
is always involved in community parades, including the Keizer Iris Festival and
the West Salem Waterfront Parade. With 11 events already racked up for 1998 and donations made to 21
organizations, covering kids, handicapped and seniors, the list goes on, and on
and on...These employees of Salem Electric do their jobs for us, their
customers, everyday. Off-hours they continue their outreach. They deserve some
special accolades. Alicia Bonesteele Director
The Salem Electric
Board of Directors met on September 22 at 7:00 p.m. The meeting was called to
order by President Jim Dyer. Board members also in attendance were Nancy
Towslee, Bill Wolf, Murray McCreary, Alicia Bonesteele, and Curt Culver. General Manager's Report General Manager Bob Speckman discussed the legislative candidate
interviews recently held at Salem Electric. Although Salem Electric itself will
not endorse specific candidates, we do have input through Bob Speckman and
Director Jeff Anderson, who are members of the Oregon Rural Electric
Cooperative Association (ORECA) Government Affairs Committee. After a brief
discussion, by general consensus of the board, permission was given to allow
Speckman to give support to the candidates that he feels will be most
supportive of Salem Electric's interests. Authorization to Revolve 1977-78 Capital Credits Administrative Services Manager Jack Belleque asked the board to
authorize revolvement of all of the 1977 and part of the 1978 capital credits.
Salem Electric's policy is to revolve 5% of all outstanding capital credits. By
doing this, we will always maintain a 20-year revolvement cycle. This year's
payout is expected to be about $1,000,000, of which an estimated $700,000 will
actually be claimed. The unclaimed credits are held for four years, and
advertised four times in the Statesman Journal before being forfeited to the
cooperative. Motion was made by Wolf, seconded by McCreary and carried
unanimously to revolve the capital credits as per staff's recommendation. Substations Financing Belleque presented Resolution No. 09-22-98 which would authorize
the general manager to enter into a contract to finance the purchase of Brush
College, Alumina and Salem substations. Past board reports have explained the
details of this purchase. The board believes that it will save SE money in the
long run to purchase these substations from the Bonneville Power Administration
(BPA), and eliminate expensive transmission fees. Motion was made by Culver,
seconded by Bonesteele and carried unanimously to approve the resolution as
presented. BPA Power Contract Negotiations Speckman received a letter from the Public Power Council (PPC)
that suggested the ongoing BPA subscription process may weaken the preference
given to public power. PPC recommends that SE put the Administrator officially
on notice that SE intends to negotiate for the full amount of power due it as a
preference customer. Salem Electric currently gets 100% of its power from BPA.
SE's attorney agrees with the PPC recommendation. Neither the letter nor the
resolution will commit SE to a purchase agreement with BPA. Motion was made by
Bonesteele, seconded by Culver and carried unanimously to approve the
resolution authorizing the general manager to send the letter to BPA.
Meeting adjourned at 7:48 p.m. Secretary/Treasurer
November 1998
Minutes of the Meeting Held on:
September 22, 1998
Bill Wolf
