HPP News December 2015

MEMBER NEWSLETTER
December 2015
Manager’s Message
Dear Members:
Inside:
Electric Meter Evolution
............................................... 2
Scholarship Information.. 3
Seasons Greetings............. 4
Our offices will be
closed December 25th
and January 1st for
the Holidays.
Also remember…
No January Newsletter
by Marlene Morss
2016 RETAIL RATES
The preliminary, draft budget
has been submitted to the Board of
Directors for their review. They are
scheduled to evaluate it at the November board meeting. They are also
scheduled to approve the 2016 budget at this meeting. By the time you
read this, they should have approved
the 2016 budget and it will go into
effect January 1, 2016. As stated before, it is after the budget approval
that will determine the 2016 rates.
Since this newsletter has to be written and submitted to our printers by
November 10th, and the board meeting isn’t until November 20th, I do
not have the what the rate increase
will be at this time.
CAPITAL CREDIT
RETIREMENT
The retirement of approximately
$1.7 million of capital credits is
scheduled to be mailed out in De-
cember. Members will see this in the
form of capital credit checks. This
retirement is for the margins from
1998—1999.
OZZIE SMITH
TO RETIRE
Long–time employee Ozzie Smith
will be retiring the end of January
2016. I have asked him to write an
article about his cooperative employment experience for the past 32
years. We wish Ozzie a happy and
healthy retirement and want to express our gratitude for his dedicated
years of service.
May the peace and blessings of
Christmas be yours and the coming
year be filled with happiness.
Thank you for allowing us to
serve you.
Page 2
High Plains Power NEWS
High Plains Power NEWS
Page 3
Ozzie Smith
J
ust over 32 years ago, following a desire to experience the west, I came to Wyoming to work for Hot Springs
REA, one of the predecessors
of High Plains Power. Regina,
my wife, was very hesitant about
moving to this “God forsaken
county” but was willing to follow me and make Wyoming our
new home – at least for a time.
We had looked at census data,
the difference in the population
of Tulsa County where Regina
grew up and the State of Wyoming was only 200 people. Big
change for her.
Our full introduction to Wyoming started after the family joined me from Oklahoma
a couple weeks after I had
started working. The fall had
been quite mild but just before
Thanksgiving a foot of snow
fell in Thermopolis, where we
lived. A few days later another
foot fell, followed by numerous
other snows and plummeting
temperatures. That December
there were 3 days the temperature never reached higher than
-15o, the coldest period we have
experienced while living in Wyoming. That snow didn’t melt
until March and the grass was
still green underneath. Being
introduced to Wyoming weather
in that fashion made for a faster transition to future winters
here.
Congratulations Trent!
Another thing impressed on
me over the years is how the
economic status of our cooperative follows the economic status
of the State of Wyoming. Back
in 1984, Hot Springs served
uranium mines in the Gas Hills
and Shirley Basin areas. Uranium was in decline following
the incident at the Three Mile
Island nuclear plant but was offset by increased sales to the oil
field. A few years later oil prices
dropped and by 1997 when Hot
Springs REA and Riverton Valley Electric Association voted
to consolidate and form High
Plains Power, the sales had decreased by over 1/3 as uranium
industry had nearly disappeared
and oil prices were at the
bottom. Within a couple years, oil and gas
prices started to climb
and in the 17 years
of High Plains Power
there has only been
2 years in which we
did not experience an
increase in kWh sales,
with totals now more
than double of
those in 1997.
The boom
and bust
cycle
of
the energy industry
h a s
come a full circle.
My successor has been chosen and will begin training soon
to learn about the utility industry but what I found most interesting was his comment that he
loves working with numbers, I
hardly know him but I already
like him.
We still frequent the roads
to Oklahoma to visit relatives
(Tulsa County now has 45,000
more people than Wyoming) but
Wyoming is our home and it has
been a great place to raise a family, make friends and establish
great work relationships over
the last 32 years. By the way,
Regina has also come to appreciate the beauty and quiet of Wyoming and
that has allowed
the adventure to
last more than a
couple years.
Ozzie Smith
Trent Slagowski has successfully
completed the Merchant Job Training
and Safety Program. After 8000 hours
of on the job training and 4 years
worth of book work and testing he is
now a journeyman lineman.
Training and learning doesn't stop
after receiving the journeyman’s certificate….it is an on-going learning experience.
Congratulations to Trent, who can
look forward to a very rewarding, lifelong occupation.
Trent Slagowski accepts journeyman lineman certificate from Line Foreman, Doug Cooley.
Upcoming Events—Mark your calendars
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Information sent to local high schools
for sophomores and juniors –invite
to attend the Energy Youth Camp at
Steamboat Springs—July 17-22, 2016.
Applications due—January 29, 2016.
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Scholarship applications mailed to
local high schools. Applications
due—March 4th, 2016.
High Plains Power, Inc. Annual
Meeting Riverton Armory Building
March 19, 2016
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Page 4
High Plains Power NEWS
May peace be your
gift at
Christmas and your
blessing all through
the year!
Board of Directors
Matt Brown
Hearley Dockham
Jesse Hankins
Jeff Milton
Bob Cooper
Bret Gardner
Richard Haun
Mark Park
Beckie Darnell
Gary Gordon
Jim Miller
Lee Shaffer
High School Sophomores/Juniors
*Do you want to learn more about
cooperatives, legislative processes, energy
prices and power generation?
*Do you want an all expense paid trip to a
Leadership Camp at Glen Eden Resort near
Steamboat Springs, Colorado?
*Do you want to develop leadership skills?
*Do you want to have fun and meet other
youth leaders?
*Then the Youth Leadership Camp is for you.
*The camp will take place July 17-22, 2016.
*Please contact High Plains Power for an
application.
DEADLINE IS JANUARY 29, 2016.
High Plains Power
Employees
Ramsey Allen
Diane Arey
Jason Boudreau
Gabe Bouse
Trapper Bradshaw
Matt Brooks
Devin Bult
C J Caress
Doug Cooley
Tyler Cox
Paul Dailey
Brad Dalley
Cindy Davis
Dean Eulberg
Nate Fincher
Janna Finley
Matt Good
Kevin Gordon
Andrew Green
Peggy Gress
Brian Heiner
Linda Johnson
Ted Jones
Tanner Kalbach
Keith Kerr
John Kissel
Bobby LaMar
Trevor Larson
Rich Lobdell
Jesse Lohmiller
John Magnan
Jon Mayes
Eric McDonald
Sid McDonald
Josh McFarland
Marlene Morss
David Peres
Scott Peterson
Ernie Phinney
Eon Rose
Colte Russell
Glenda Schierwagen
Bob Sell
Trent Slagowski
Ozzie Smith
Ross Smith
Gary Starkey
Corey Vogelsang
Debbie Watson
J D Watson
is an official publication of
High Plains Power, Inc., PO Box
713, Riverton, WY 82501.
Phone 307-856-9426
1-800-445-0613
www.highplainspower.org
Board of Directors
Mark Park - President
Bret Gardner - Vice-Pres.
Beckie Darnell - Secretary
Gary Gordon - Asst. Sec.
Jim Miller - Treasurer
Matt Brown
Robert Cooper
Hearley Dockham
Jesse Hankins
Richard Haun
Jeff Milton
Lee Shaffer
General Manager
Marlene Morss
This is a monthly publication
made available by High Plains
Power, Inc., with the Wyoming
Rural Electric News. Ideas, questions and comments are welcome.