Board
Meeting Summary
October 2002
The board meeting
was called to order at 7:04 pm by President Bonesteele with
all members present. The meeting agenda was approved. The
consent calendar was approved with no items removed.
Information Items:
Last Mile Electric Coop (LMEC)
—Dyer stated that the organization is moving
forward and that he would report next month on any new
developments.
Leadership Youth—Tapia
shared some personal information about herself, including that
she is the middle child of seven children. She reported that
she interned for an attorney last summer and is taking high
school classes aimed at assisting her efforts to become an
attorney. She said she is planning to attend Willamette
University.
General Manager Speckman reminded the board of
the Oregon Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s mid-year
meeting scheduled for December 10-11. The board unanimously
appointed board member Horn to be the voting delegate at the
meeting, with Speckman to serve as alternate.
Action Items—Procedure—The
board discussed the process of placing non-emergency items on
the agenda as action items for consideration at the same
meeting as presented. There was discussion as to whether it
would be more appropriate to present these items at a board
meeting for consideration, but delay the vote until the
following meeting in order to provide additional time for
consideration of such items. After much discussion it was
agreed that staff will try to avoid bringing items for
consideration on short notice that are not of an emergency
nature. Board member Dyer pointed out that the board could
always take action the first time they see something, if they
so choose.
Retiree Benefits—A
change in retiree benefits was discussed at length. The board
voted unanimously to table the item until the next board
meeting.
General Manager Speckman presented the proposed 2003 budget
with an overview of the process which includes contributions
from all departments. Department managers discussed various
sections of the budget. Speckman encouraged board members to
call staff with any questions they may have over the next
month and reminded the board that the budget is an action item
at the November meeting.
Action Items:
Northwest Requirements Utilities
(NRU) Membership—Speckman presented the
board with an update on what NRU is doing for the cooperative,
stating that this organization represents The Bonneville Power
Administration’s full requirements customers, like Salem
Electric. The organization has been restructured with a new
board. On a motion from Anderson with a second from Ennor, the
board voted unanimously to become a full dues member of the
NRU.
There being no other business before the board,
the meeting adjourned at 8:31 pm.
Jeff Anderson
Secretary/Treasurer
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|
 The
long nights of late fall and early winter are upon us, and
with those longer darker hours comes increased use of
electricity. Most of us take electricity for granted, but do
you realize what an amazing thing electricity is for you and
your family? Of all the fuels that we use, electricity is by
far the most flexible. It heats our homes and water safely and
effectively. It cooks our food, lights our homes and highways,
entertains us through our TV’s, radios, and stereos, helps
us keep our records straight and allows us to communicate via
the computer almost instantly anywhere in the world. It powers
our hobbies, and even makes life possible for some. What other
single energy source can do all of these things? Have you ever
stopped to consider what it takes to bring this modern clean
energy source to your fingertips? Or for that matter where
that energy comes from in the first place?
All of the electric energy that you use in your home or
business comes from renewable sources. Salem Electric gets all
of its power from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA).
Approximately 90% of that power comes from hydroelectric dams
here in the Pacific Northwest. The other 10% comes from
various renewable sources including low-head hydro, wind and
others. Salem Electric is on the forefront of renewable energy
development. We were one of the first co-ops in the region to
buy wind power and Salem Electric remains committed to the
further development and use of renewable energy as a power
source. Salem Electric also continues to keep abreast of other
cutting edge new electrical power generation technologies as
they are developed into economically feasible power sources.
Salem Electric, with other partners, installed a solar
generating plant at the new West Salem High School. This solar
array is connected to the Salem Electric system, and although
West Salem High will use most of this power, some of the
electrons may actually flow to your home or business from time
to time.
While solar generating systems are currently too
expensive to be an economically feasible source of
electricity, Salem Electric nevertheless wants to be in on the
ground floor of solar technology. We are sure that someday the
price of solar technology will fall to a point where it will
become a power source of great importance to our region and
the nation. Next year, Salem Electric has plans to install a
small wind turbine at West Salem High, again as a pilot
demonstration and a way for students and Salem Electric staff
to learn more about wind power generation. Salem Electric is
watching the development of hydrogen fuel cell technology as
well. This is a technology in its infancy. Today fuel cells
are too expensive and not reliable enough for general
residential use, but it is a technology that holds much
promise as a clean source of electric power in the future.
Keeping the lights on in your home is the job of
the very dedicated professional staff of Salem Electric.
Unlike some other large impersonal utility companies, you’ll
never be greeted by a voicemail system when you call Salem
Electric. A real person who cares about you and is ready to
help in any way possible will always answer your call. This
same level of service and personal care extends throughout the
company. In the Administrative Services Department they can
help you with billing issues or even average your bills if you
want. They have the tools to help those who need assistance
with their electric bills because of personal financial
situations beyond their control. In the Operations Department
they try to anticipate problems before they happen and
maintain one of the most reliable electric systems in the
country. Of course when outages happen, they respond to any
outage or safety problem almost immediately. Salem Electric
has one of the lowest outage rates of any utility in the
United States. Our Member Services Department can help you
with everything from home weatherization incentives and loans
to help selecting and buying an energy-efficient appliance to
selecting the right compact fluorescent bulbs for lighting
your home. Salem Electric has many programs to help you use
electricity wisely. The staff of Salem Electric is there, they
care and they want to help.
Finally, behind all of this is the seven-member
board of directors who are not paid professionals, but rather
your neighbors and fellow Salem Electric customers. The board
members invest countless hours of their own time every year
watching out for your interests. They try to keep your rates
as low as possible, your service as reliable as possible, and
the environment of the Northwest as clean as possible while
they are at it.
So the next time you reach over and turn on the
light switch or hit the remote and turn on your TV, stop for
just a moment and think of all that it takes to make it
possible for us to take electric energy in our homes and
businesses for granted. There’s a lot more to it than meets
the eye.
Paul Ennor
Director
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