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The
Salem Electric Board of Directors met on February 23 at 7:02 pm. Board members
in attendance were: Jim Dyer, Nancy Towslee, Bill Wolf, Jeff Anderson, Curt
Culver and Murray McCreary. Alicia Bonesteele was present via a conference
call.
Member Services Report
Member Services Manager Terry Kelly reported that SE
receives many calls from customers who want to go through the heat pump
program, but they do not have an existing electric heating system. The intent
of the program is to conserve electricity by upgrading existing electrical
heating systems. By changing the program to include these customers, SE would
be involved in promoting fuel switching. Kelly indicated that most of the
conversions would be from oil heat. There was further discussion among board
members, which Dyer brought to a close by asking if the board wanted to have a
proposal brought back. Motion was made by Anderson and seconded by Culver to
have staff prepare a proposed program design to be reviewed at a later board
meeting. McCreary stressed that we need to be sure we are helping the customers
make the best energy decisions they can. Motion carried unanimously.
President's Report
President Jim Dyer proposed that the board attend a
retreat to review company goals and policies. The board has not recently
engaged in a process of setting goals for the future and has handled day-to-day
business as it is presented by staff. Motion was made by Culver, seconded by
Bonesteele and carried unanimously that the Chair appoint a committee to
coordinate a time, place and manner to hold this type of meeting/retreat. Dyer
appointed Towslee, McCreary and himself to serve on the committee.
Manager's Report
Manager Bob Speckman announced that SE made it
through the month of January without a single outage. This followed a month
where a new system peak of 91.07 Mw was set on December 23, 1998. A pizza feed
is planned for all employees and their families to congratulate them on a job
well done.
Speckman informed the board that SE now owns the
three BPA substations that we have been in negotiations over for several
months. All the deeds have been recorded. He thanked attorney Bill Sheridan for
his work on closing the deal.
Y2K Report
Kelly summarized the work of the Y2K committee and
reviewed the report and attachments included with the board packets. Y2K
compliance is targeted for July 1, 1999. Wolf said that the staff plan looks
good and it appears that SE is on top of the problem. Wolf asked about
Bonneville's Y2K compliance. Kelly responded that they plan to be compliant by
March. A great amount of time was spent discussing the plan.
A resolution was prepared for the board on the
advice of SE's attorney to mandate that staff continue to identify and solve
Y2K problems and be compliant by the Year 2000. It further resolved that staff
report on their progress to the board at regularly scheduled board meetings
until further notice. A motion was made by Towslee and seconded by Culver to
adopt the resolution. Motion carried unanimously.
Heat Pump Resolution
Kelly presented a staff recommendation for a program
modification which would offer a rebate for heat pump installation as an option
instead of the low-interest loan. The average low interest loan is $4,200 for
60 months, which costs SE an average of $594 per loan for the interest buy-down
and loan fees. The rebate would be $500 for a minimum efficiency heat pump, and
$750 for a heat pump with a HSPF rating of 8.0 or higher. Motion was made by
Anderson, seconded by Towslee and carried unanimously to approve the staff
recommendation.
New Business
I (Bill Wolf) announced that I have decided not to
run for re-election to the board at the end of my term this year. I have
experienced increasing demands on my time in my job as a computer programmer as
the year 2000 approaches. I feel that I am not fully able to perform the duties
of a director as a result. I struggled with this decision and did not make it
lightly. I believe that a director must commit fully to this position, and this
requires time during the regular day to attend functions. I will miss working
with the board and the staff at SE. I will leave knowing that the co-op is in a
very healthy condition and is one of the most dedicated and talented
organizations that I have ever seen.
Meeting adjourned at 9:09 p.m.
Bill Wolf
Secretary/Treasurer
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