PREMA Approves Rural Development Loan for Teen Challenge of

Panhandle Rural Electric Membership Association
June 2014
PREMA Approves
Rural Development Loan for
Teen Challenge of the Midlands
Panhandle Rural Electric Membership
Association (PREMA) actively participates
in the development of rural communities
through leadership and financial commitment. In 2007 they established a Revolving
Loan Fund (RFL) by matching a percentage
of an initial investment provided by the
USDA. This has allowed PREMA to further
enhance the economic climate of the area,
contributing to the economic development
and business expansion for residents of their
service territory.
PREMA considers loan applications for
projects that will significantly benefit rural
areas by creating and retaining employment
opportunities, or provide necessary community facilities and services. Projects to be
considered for loans include medical or other emergency facilities; training and educational facilities; community infrastructure;
small business start-up projects; small business expansion projects; business incubators; and commercial or industrial development.
Loan guidelines require the money borrowed not be used to compete with local
lending agencies, but rather the RLF is
meant to work in partnership with other public and private lenders to compile the best
financial package necessary for project completion. The minimum RLF loan is
$20,000.00 with the maximum of
$150,000.00. These amounts are based upon the available balance in the revolving
loan fund account.
Team Challenge of the Midlands – Boys
Ranch . . . on the Oregon Trail, came before
the PREMA Board requesting a loan for the
repair of the Goodall building. It is the intention of Team Challenge to reopen what
was previously operated as the Nebraska
Boys Ranch. This is slated to be a Juvenile
Boys center helping young men with life
controlling problems, as is the challenge of
dealing and coping with the debilitating effects of drug and alcohol addiction. Their
mission statement reads, “Teen Challenge of
the Midlands provides HOPE in Christ,
HELP for hurting people, and FREEDOM
from addiction.” They are hoping to have
their doors open early fall of 2014.
The Goodall building is a key structure
of the facility that needs repair in order to
function as future classrooms, recreation
area, and administrative offices. Teen Challenge will be using various funding sources
in anticipation of accommodating 16 boys
this fall, followed by an additional 16 boys
in the fall of 2015.
Teen Challenge’s plan calls for the creation of 10 jobs with the arrival of the first 16
boys and an additional 8-10 jobs with the
arrival of the subsequent 16 occupants.
Teen Challenge centers in the United
States have a 70% cure rate for drug addicts
completing their program. (Government
sponsored programs on the average have
less than a 5 % success rate.) A study released by the National Institute on Drug
Abuse indicated Teen Challenge is a program with hope for hurting people. Founded in 1961, they are privately funded, and
include over 250 centers in the U.S., and
over 1000 worldwide and in over eighty (80)
countries.
Teen Challenge of the Midlands began in
Omaha in 1972, and operates centers in Iowa and Nebraska. They serve men and
women eighteen (18) years of age and older.
PREMA would like to congratulate all of the 2014
graduates in our service and surrounding communities.
Best wishes for your future success!
Watch for 2015-2016 Scholarship information in future Newsletters
after the first of the year. PREMA loves students and supports their
continuing education. Special kudos to the children of our PREMA
family; Ty Sutphen, son of RD (director), Lindsay Swartz, daughter of
Guy (Alliance lineman) and Derek Coleman son of Loralee Young
(Accountant).
FLAG DAY—Friday June 14
In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14.
It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United
States, which happened on that day in 1777 by resolution of
the Second Continental Congress. The United States Army
also celebrates the Army Birthday on this date; Congress
adopted "the American continental army" after reaching a
consensus position in the Committee of the Whole on
June 14, 1775.
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day; in August 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of
Congress.
OUTDOOR LIGHTING
LEDs work well for out-of-doors because of their durability and
performance in cold environments. Look for LED products such as pathway
lights, step lights, and porch lights.
CFLs and LEDs are available as flood lights. These models have been
tested to withstand the rain and snow so they can be an exposed fixture.
Because outdoor lights are usually left on over a long period of time,
using CFLs or LEDs in fixtures will save you a lot of energy and that translates into lower costs.
HISTORY OF FATHERS DAY
The idea of celebrating Father's Day Festival was given by Ms. Sonora
Dodd, a loving daughter from Spokane. Her father, Henry Jackson Smart,
single-handedly raised Sonora and five of her siblings after the death of
her mother during childbirth. When Sonora attended a Mother's Day Sermon in 1909, she thought that if there is the day to honor mothers, then
there should also be a corresponding day to honor fathers. Sonora worked
relentlessly for years to ensure that the idea of Father's Day became a reality.
In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge first recognized Father's Day. In
view of the massive popularity of the festival, in 1972, President Richard
Nixon established a permanent national observance of Father's Day to be
held on the third Sunday of June.
Besides heating and cooling your home, heating your water uses more energy than
anything else in the house.
In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that the typical family spends up
to 18 percent of its utility dollars on water heating.
Good news: It’s simple to lower that cost. Here are nine tips:
1. Get rid of your old showerheads and bathroom faucets: They pump out way more
water than you need to comfortably get clean. In their place, install low-flow
faucets and aerating shower heads. The less water you use, the less you have to
pay for it.
2. If you notice a leaky faucet, repair it immediately. The U.S. Geological Survey
Estimates that a faucet that drips 20 times per minute will waste a full gallon of
water every day. If that happens to be hot water, you are washing money down
the drain with every drip.
3. Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120 degrees. The Department of Energy says that’s
a safe and sanitary temperature, and it will keep you comfortable at bath time, too.
4. Insulate your electric hot water tank—but don’t cover the thermostat. If your tank is gas or oilfueled, don’t cover the top or bottom of the heater or its burner compartment. You might need to
ask a plumber for help.
5. Wrap the hot and cold water pipes that connect to the water heater—for about six feet out.
6. Drain about a quart of water from the tank every three months to remove sediment. Built-up gunk
in the water heater can make it inefficient because it has to work harder to transfer heat to the
water.
7. If you’re in the market for a new water heater, choose a high
efficiency model with the Energy Star label. High-efficiency water
heaters use 10 percent to 50 percent less energy than traditional
models.
8. Water heaters last for up to 15 years, but new models are so much
more energy efficient than older ones that it’s worth it to replace
yours if you’ve had it for seven or more years.
9. PREMA and our power supplier, Tri-State, provide Energy Efficiency Credits for Energy Star rated water heaters. Contact Gina Briggs
at 308-762-1311 for further information.
OPERATION UPDATES
Tri-state completed its structure change project between Ogallala and Hyannis on
May 7. The project was finished two weeks ahead of schedule, with the original
projected completion date being May 25.
Jim Butcher Tree service is trimming trees in areas north and northeast of Alliance.
Just a reminder; if you are having trouble with your electric service, when you contact
us, providing pertinent information allows us to better assist you. It is very helpful if
you provide the name, meter number, updated contact number and location description for the
service you are calling about. This allows us to find and remedy the problem faster,
more efficiently, and to also update this vital information in our records.
If you are a Load Management participant you should have received notification of which
group your account(s) have been assigned to. If you have not received this notification please contact us.
Participants are now able to receive a text message when load control is active. If you would like to
receive a text message, call the PREMA office at 308-762-1311 or email tims@prema.coop.
We anticipate load control to be active through the later part of June. Load control will not be active
during the months of July and August.
PREMA
251 BRAYTON ROAD
P.O. BOX 677
ALLIANCE, NE 69301-0677
OPERATIONS AND STAFF
Ryan Reiber—General Manager
Paul Grosz—Operations Manager
Dale Knapp—Staking Engineer
Jerry Mathistad—Office Manager
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dale Berndt, Lakeside—President
Board Members
Wayne Crawford—Alliance
Marty Larsen—Ashby
Bryan Monahan—Hyannis
RD Sutphen—Lakeside
Jerry Underwood—Alliance
Phil Zochol—Alliance
(308) 762-1311—800-585-4837
FAX—(308) 762-5750