March 2015 - Riverland Energy

Riverland Energy Cooperative
The Outlet
A newsletter for members of Riverland Energy Cooperative
Riverland Energy Cooperative
Annual Meeting and Pancake Breakfast
Saturday, March 28
Arcadia High School
756 Raider Drive
8 a.m. - 9: 45 a.m. Registration and pancake breakfast
10:15 Business meeting
»» $1,000 scholarship drawings
»» Movies and activities for kids
»» Director elections
All members invited to attend.
rizes:
Door P
reen TV
Flat sc
Fire
Kindle
credits
ric bill
t
c
le
e
5
rill
$3
Thirty top electric g r)
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2 Bike ades 9-12 on
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IPad (g
Welcome, 2015 Youth Ambassadors
T
he 2015 youth ambassadors had their first meeting of the year
last month to learn about cooperatives, renewable energy, and
the electric industry. The gathering also included games and
pizza. The program is for high school juniors and runs through December 2015.
The youth ambassadors for 2015 include l-r: Henry Hilmanowski, Julia
Branger, Callie Rae Long, Rachel Hovey, Wil Loewenhagen, Whitney
Rud, Michael Sonsalla, Megan Johnson, Sam Weinzierl, Emily Burton,
Riley Ruehmann, Jordan Kaczorowski, Andy Dunham, Mariah Filla,
Gabe Gullicksrud. Missing from photo are Michael Bestinger and Michaela Pronschinske.
March 2015
Look for your
ballot this month
A
s a member of Riverland Energy Cooperative, you play an
important role in selecting
the co-op’s board of directors,
which provides leadership
and oversight on behalf of the
entire membership.
Official election ballots and
candidate biographies will be
mailed to members in districts
1, 6, and 7 early-to-mid March.
All members in those districts
are eligible to vote. Please
vote and return your ballot
in the provided return envelope to the co-op. Your annual
report will be inserted in the
March WEC News magazine,
which will be mailed midMarch. Candidate biographies
are also included in the report.
Scholarship
Applications Due
March 20
S
cholarships are $1,000
each and recipients will
be chosen at our annual
meeting on Saturday, March
28 in a random drawing.
Applications can be found on
our website or through your
high school.
Best Wishes to
Larry Skoug
L
arry Skoug
recently
retired after
27 years of service at Riverland
Energy Cooperative. Larry began
as a lineman for the cooperative and worked his way up to
line foreman out of our Onalaska location. Not only was Larry
dedicated to his membership,
but was one who epitomized
the cooperative’s core value of
commitment to community by
being active in his community.
We thank Larry for his hard
work and dedication throughout the years.
Director’s Term
Expires
A
ccording to the
cooperative’s bylaws,
a director who
has served their
full term shall be ineligible for
re-election to succeed him/
herself. Clarence Castleberg
has reached this term limit as a
director for district one in Buffalo County.
Thank you, Clarence, for all
your dedication and service to
Riverland Energy Cooperative!
2
From the General Manager’s Office
Plan to Attend the Annual Meeting
I
invite all of you to attend our Annual Meeting on
Saturday, March 28 at the Arcadia High School.
This is an opportunity for you to meet with co-op
directors and employees who work hard to deliver
reliable, affordable power. We will provide reports to
update you on your cooperative and issues that could affect you.
A complementary pancake breakfast will be served prior to
the business meeting. Each co-op household that registers will
receive a gift and a chance to win one of several door prizes
including a flat screen TV, Kindle Fire, and credits towards your
Riverland Energy account. In addition, high school students will
have a chance to win an iPad and younger kids will have a chance
to win a bike. Winners must be present to win.
The annual report will be mailed to every co-op member this
month with a complete agenda and a registration slip that will
serve as your door prize drawing slip.
This year, directors in Districts 1, 6, and 7 are up for election. Candidates were chosen at the district committee meeting held last
month, or were write-ins following the meeting. Also at the meeting, 15 high school students will be selected in a random drawing
for a chance to win a $1,000 scholarship. I hope to see you there!
Best Regards,
Jerry Sorenson
Kristina Marsolek,
Accounting
Supervisor
Operating Statistics for December 2014
This Month
ITEM
2013
2014
KWH Purchased
29,559,686
27,390,799
KWH Sold
28,646,463
25,954,773
Revenue
3,017,748
3,207,588
Cost of purchased
power
2,130,541
2,113,003
Other expenses
1,046,815
974,094
Operating Margins
(159,608)
120,491
Non-operating
margins
28,332
56,895
Capital Credits Assoc.
Organizations
276,806
220,973
Total Margins
145,530
398,359
Year-to-Date
2013
286,006,425
2014
288,608,079
272,423,471
275,176,303
22,015,908
21,813,803
35,507,245
35,569,031
11,812,317
11,769,911
114,399
38,373
1,679,020
1,413,067
3,206,486
1,985,317
1,300,075
3,323,765
No Recycle Drive this Year
W
e’re sorry to inform
you that we will not
host a Recycle Drive
this Spring. Recycling vendors
have started charging fees and
recycling is no longer free for
members or the co-op. For the
last five years, Riverland Energy
offered a Recycle drive in May
where members could drop off
old TV’s, computers, electronics,
and appliances. This was a free
service for members and was
highly attended. During those
Two Selected for
Youth Tour
C
years, the recycling companies
did not charge the co-op or its
members a fee to collect and
dispose of recycling. Unfortunately, these companies now
charge for these services. As a
result, we have decided not to
host a recycling event this year.
Our priority is holding co-op
expenses down for our members.
The co-op still offers $25
rebates for recycling refrig-
ongratulations to two youth ambassadors
who were selected as the 2015 NRECA
Youth Tour delegates. In June, Jackson
Boehm, a senior at Arcadia High School, and Tim
Brown, a senior at Holmen High School, will join
1,500 other students from 44 states on a trip to
Washington, D.C. They will visit museums, monuments, and memorials and learn about the United
States government first hand. They were selected
through an essay contest. We are honored to offer
them this opportunity.
EPA Delays
Carbon Dioxide
Rule
Boehm
Brown
Community Connection
Coulee Conference Classic
F
erators, freezers and window air
conditioning units, good through
December 31, 2015 or until funds
are depleted. The rebate will not
exceed cost of recycling and must
be recycled in 2015. Complete the
rebate form and turn it in with a
copy of the receipt from a recycling center showing the unit was
in working order when recycled
(not for resale or reuse). Forms
and more detailed information
can be found on our website at
www.riverlandenergy.com under
rebates.
or the tenth year in a row, Riverland Energy, along with four
other electric cooperatives, sponsored the Coulee Conference Basketball
Classic at the La
Crosse Center in
January. The Coulee
Conference Classic
is an event organized
to help raise funds
to support the annual scholar-athlete
recognition banquet
held in the spring.
»»
F
inal federal regulations
to control carbon dioxide emissions from new,
modified and existing electric
generating units will be delayed
until mid-summer, according to
the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). Jo Ann Emerson, CEO of the National Rural
Electric Cooperative Association, said the EPA should use
the extra time to study the 1.2
million comments that flooded
the agency from advocates for
electric cooperatives concerned
about the proposal’s impact on
affordable, reliable electricity.
Emerson said, “By continuing
along the course it has set, EPA
puts affordability and reliability
at risk.” The federal plan will be
released this summer along with
the final carbon dioxide rules
and proceed through the regular
rulemaking process.
Riverland Energy thanks those
members who sent comments to
the EPA.
3
Safety Corner
What to do if your
vehicle hits a
power pole
»» Stay inside the vehicle
unless there is fire or
imminent risk of fire.
»» If you must get out because
of fire or other danger, jump
clear of the vehicle without
touching it and the ground
at the same time. Then hop
with feet together—do not
run or stride.
»» If you encounter an accident
involving a vehicle colliding
with a utility pole, do not
follow your instinct to assist
the motorist. Wait for utility
workers to de-energize
the line.
Home Performance Rebates
Available
A
home performance audit is the best way to identify
problems and solutions to improve comfort and energy efficiency in your home. The test typically takes a couple of
hours and costs about $350.
Have it arranged through
Riverland Energy and we’ll
credit you $150 of that cost.
In addition, Riverland Energy
offers an incentive of up to
$500 for qualified improvements made after a home
performance test. Please visit
our website at www.riverlandenergy.com for a form
and qualifications.
The Outlet
Riverland Energy Cooperative
Headquarters
N28988 State Rd 93 P.O. Box 277
Arcadia, WI 54612
608-323-3381 800-411-9115
District Office
1472 Hwy 35 P.O. Box 276
Onalaska, WI 54650
608-783-2238 800-411-9115
District Office
1225 S. Main St. P.O. Box 248
Alma, WI 54610
608-685-4440 800-685-4415
We Deliver High Speed Internet
Regardless of Where You Live or Work!
RCI
(800) 327-9144
(608) 685-4110
Office Hours
7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Outages & Emergencies
Call 800-927-6206,
24 hours a day
Jerry Sorenson, General Manager
Beth Alesch, Editor
4
Riverland
Communications, Inc.
800-327-9144
riverland@riverland.org
Give us a call!