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News & Information About Your Consumer-Owned Utility.
March 2001
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 Member
Profile: Susan Vian
The Edgewater Café gets cooking before 6 a.m. every day of the week but Sunday.
There’s ambiance before the first customers arrive, but owner Susan Vian
insists that most of it comes in with her customers. Over the sounds of a hot
griddle and a popular music station, the regulars nestle into booths with their
hot coffee, launching their day with good cheer and a homemade breakfast.
It’s a bustling community by 6:30. Denim and suspenders,
suits and cell phones, walking canes and backpacks, everybody gets the same
hospitality. "Order up!" hollers John from the kitchen, as Susan, Helen, Jana
and Carlos hustle food, share a laugh, fill mugs, clear plates, and send the
last breakfast customers on their way at half past ten with a full belly and a
new attitude. The café then gets ready for an equally busy lunch.
"Everything
here is made from scratch, and that’s why we’re different," says 52-year-old
Susan. Popular favorites include biscuits and gravy, muffins, jams and jellies,
soups, dressings, fruit pies and cobblers, and daily specials like meatloaf and
fried chicken. Jana, who has been employed here for almost 14 years says: "Sue
is easy to be around. She fosters a family environment, so we all enjoy being
here and customers feel that spirit."
Born into a
family of entrepreneurs and proprietors, Susan’s grandfather started a sawmill
at Fort Hill, Oregon, in the late 1800s. And her parents were owners of a
grocery store and gas station in tiny Grande Ronde.
"I guess I was
sacking potatoes from the time I was four," she recalls.
Volleyball is
among Susan’s favorite memories of high school and Oregon College of Education
(WOU). After college, she went back into grocery store work in Salem, where she
met her husband. While raising their sons, Bob and Susan owned several gas
stations. But Bob wanted to be a teacher and coach (he had been an athlete in
high school) so that’s what he did. Bob still teaches physics and earth science
at Gervais High School, in addition to being the school’s athletic director. A
former representative in the State House, Bob also co-founded the Keizer Flag
Football program.
Susan’s mother,
Frances, and stepfather, Bob, are among the list of Edgewater Café regulars. It
was Frances, in fact, who started the café back in 1971, after selling a
successful restaurant near Sweet Home. "If I dare complain to her about being
tired after a hectic day," laughs Susan, "she’ll remind me that she was my age
when she bought this place."
"I started
working here in 1975, filling in as a dishwasher," Susan recalls. "And I’ve
been here ever since." She bought the business from her mother in 1985.
Neither Rob nor
Jeff, the couple’s two boys, are strangers to hard work. They’ve inherited a
gift for athletics, too. Rob is 21 and a sophomore at Boise State University.
The 300-pound, 6'5" starting guard is on a football scholarship. Added to his
academic and athletic regimen, Rob works as a bouncer at a local bistro and
constructs lawn tents during summers. Jeff, at 16, is a McNary High School
junior. In addition to having considerable football and wrestling
abilities–he’s still growing, at better than 6’ 2" and 240 pounds–Jeff is also
an honors student.
"Kids are the
most important things in our lives," the proud mother admits. We won’t share
that with your regulars, Sue. Let them happily finish their meal and continue
believing that customers are the reason you get up every day!
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Safety Around Downed Power Lines
Downed
power lines are a serious emergency and should be reported immediately by
calling Salem Electric’s 24-hour phone number, 503-362-3601, before a
preventable tragedy occurs.
 Never,
under any circumstances, go near a downed power line or anything that is in
contact with the line. It is very possible that the line could be energized,
and there is no way for you to tell the difference. Remember too, that the line
can become energized at any time.
If you are in a vehicle and wires fall on it, stay inside and either use a
cellular phone or ask someone to call 911, then call Salem Electric for
additional assistance. Unless your life is threatened by severe injury or fire,
you should remain in your vehicle until a Salem Electric representative tells
you it is safe to leave. If you must leave, jump completely clear of your
vehicle, never touching the vehicle and the ground at the same time. Land with
your feet together and be careful to maintain your balance. It is equally
important not to let others approach the vehicle if downed power lines are on
the vehicle or around the scene.
Again, to
report an emergency such as a downed power line, an extremely low wire, or one
that is sparking, call Salem Electric at 503-362-3601.
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 A
Safe New Home
In order to maintain the reliability for which the co-op is
known, Salem Electric replaced a wooden structure supporting high voltage power
lines that cross the Willamette River.
Located at the
end of Riverbend Road NW, the lines connect to another structure at Cummings
Lane N. The crew found an osprey nest on the structure being replaced and,
under normal conditions, would have relocated it. The replacement was scheduled
for the summer of 1999, but a close inspection revealed young osprey in the
nest. Salem Electric elected to delay the replacement until the fall. Working
with the Oregon Department of Wildlife, Salem Electric’s engineering department
designed a nesting platform to rest on top of the new steel structure.
The 125-foot
tall structure’s design was modified to include a 1/2-inch thick steel plate, 3
feet in diameter, with bolts welded on to help the branches and twigs stay
attached to the plate.
The structure
is also designed so the conductors (wires) are not located under the nesting
area, greatly reducing the possibility of the osprey or their nesting material
from coming in contact with the high voltage lines.
Several months
later, the osprey seem very happy living in their safe new home.
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 Salem
Electric
Loses A Friend
Walt Collier, a Salem
Electric retiree, passed away February 18, at the age of 79. Walt retired from
Salem Electric in 1983 after 141/2 years of service. The Board and staff
express our deepest sympathy to Walt’s family.
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KEIZER ORDINANCE TAX
The City of Keizer is increasing its ordinance tax
for electric utilities. All Salem Electric customers within the Keizer city
limits will see an itemized 1.5% Keizer City Tax on their electric bills after
February 9, 2001. If you have questions or comments about the increase, you can
contact the City of Keizer at 503-390-3700.
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Considering the
future rate increase, now's a good time to adopt great energy habits...
•If you own a heat pump, set your thermostat at a low, but comfortable setting
and leave it there! Constantly adjusting the setting does not allow the heat
pump to work effectively.
•If you do not heat with a heat pump, lower your thermostat at night and when
you’re gone for four or more hours. Use a programmable thermostat so it’s
automatic. Every degree lower can take 2% off your bill.
•Make it a habit to shut
off lights, computers and other appliances when you’re not using them.
•Switch to compact
fluorescent bulbs. They use a fourth of the energy and last 10 times longer
than regular bulbs.
•Replace torchiere halogen
lamps with compact fluorescent torchieres. They use about 70% less energy and
fire danger is greatly reduced.
•Use motion detectors to
turn on outdoor lights rather than leaving them on all night.
•Close your fireplace
damper when there’s no fire. Leaving it open is like having a two- square-foot
hole in your house.
•Reduce the temperature in
unoccupied rooms and close them off.
•Take short showers (they
use 50% less water) instead of baths, and install low-flow showerheads.
•Set your water heater at
115 degrees (F), which is comfortable for most uses. Turn your water heater off
when you’re gone for two or more days.
 •Only
run full loads in your dishwasher and clothes washer and wash in warm or cold
water rather than hot.
•Air-dry your dishes. In
nicer weather air-dry your clothes.
•Clean your furnace and
heat pump filters to keep them operating efficiently.
•Only use kitchen and
bathroom exhaust fans when necessary to remove moisture since they pull heat
out of the house too.
•Open south-facing drapes
and blinds on sunny days to let heat in. Cover windows at night in cooler
weather.
•Weatherstrip around your
doors, windows and anywhere else you feel a draft.
•Set your refrigerator
between 37 and 40 degrees (F).
•Clean lint out of
refrigerator coils and dryer filters.
•Use a microwave or toaster
oven for cooking and heating small portions.
•Check your ceiling and crawlspace to ensure that there’s adequate insulation.
•Fix broken or separated
ducts and replace cracked or peeling tape on ducts. Use tape with the UL
(Underwriters Laboratories) logo.
•For long-term savings,
purchase energy-efficient appliances. Compare energy rating labels before you
buy. Look for the Energy Star logo when buying electrical products.
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Bulletin Index |
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