August 2000

News & Views from Your Elected Representatives

Minutes of the Meeting Held on:

June 27, 2000

The meeting was called to order by President Nancy Towslee. Other board members present were McCreary, Bonesteele, Dyer, and Culver.
     Dr. Jerry Berger, President of Chemeketa Community College (CCC), introduced a proposal requesting a donation from SE to the CCC Foundation to help offset the cost of bringing power to the property on Doaks Ferry Road NW (near Dallas Highway).
     The property, formerly a Polk County park, had been closed for years and the land donated to the CCC Foundation. The college now plans to turn the acreage into a viticulture program, featuring a small vineyard, a classroom building for up to 250 part-time students, and an equipment storage building.
     The viticulture program would offer students the skills of the blossoming wine industry, including vineyard planting, management, wine making, marketing, etc. The course work could culminate in an AA degree and eventually tie in with agriculture course work at Oregon State University.
     The abandoned acreage, within SE’s service area, includes a total of 58 acres. A number of local businesses and firms from the local wine industry are making pledges to assist in the project. Upon completion, the project would be a significant account and user of SE’s service.
     Also present was Lowell Ford, Viticulture Consultant and SE member.
     Following considerable discussion, the board unanimously voted to make a contribution to the CCC Foundation.
     Jack Belleque, Administrative Services Manager, outlined the process for drafting the 2001 budget. The final draft of the budget will be presented to the board in September, with the goal of board approval in November.
     Bob Speckman, General Manager, stated that contract negotiations with BPA are proceeding slowly and that hopefully a new contract will be signed before the July meeting. The meeting adjourned at 8:37 p.m.

Curt Culver
Secretary/Treasurer

From A Director...Thanks!

A pat on the back to our Salem Electric crews who responded quickly when there was a serious outage at Salem Outreach Shelter in July. A limb had fallen from an old oak tree, taking out all power to the center on Silverton Road. All was repaired and service was restored by early afternoon.
     Director Linda Clark and her staff were ecstatic; this allowed their programs to continue with little interruption. Outages may not happen on a daily basis, but they can, especially when weather extremes occur. Our team is always there!

Alicia Bonesteele, Director  

  WINDPOWER
Buffalo Ridge, Minnesota

     In a recent Smithsonian magazine I read a fascinating article about wind power in Western Minnesota. The writer of the article followed the windsmith around as he prepared to put together the hub and blades of a new electricity-generating wind turbine. The small crew of Danish and American workers had just 11 days to complete the project so that the developer could qualify for a federal tax credit.
     Wind farming appears to be a big part of America's energy future. The writer counts over 100 of these towers, 200 feet high amid hills growing corn, alfalfa and soybean crops. They encompass the otherwise serene Minnesota farmlands,
a long way from the desert hills in California such as Tahachapi and San Gorgonio Pass, both mountain passes. Who would have thought that the Great Plains states would be the largest wind development area in the United States, and has been for the last five years. Though not producing that of California's towers, there is expectation that this will occur in the next several years.
     How do the farmers feel about these two-hundred-foot turbines on their land? They are paid for the use of their land, and the low whooshing noise made by the blades doesn't seem to bother them. If farming had been in good times, the agreement to have turbines on their land would not have happened. These are not good times for these farmers. Wind power has lifted the spirits of the small communities, providing jobs with good wages.
     Wind is a commodity that can be unpredictable and developers are researching alternatives to keep the lights on and the wind circulating those powerful blades of generation.

 Alicia Bonesteele, Director 

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