Cuming
County
Connection
October 2014
Ma na ger’ s R epo rt
By: Chet McWhorter
So far, so good has been the theme of the past few weeks
of my life. As of the time of this writing, I am in my rst
week of service to Cuming County Public Power District.
I have the unique pleasure of joining a group of talented,
caring, and dedicated employees who do their level best
to live out the CCPPD Mission of being “a responsible, innovative, customer-oriented utility; which improves the
quality of life for customers in Cuming County and the surrounding area, with a commitment to safe, equitable and
reliable electrical service.” I also feel extremely privileged
to have been selected, after a national search, by a knowledgeable and committed Board of Directors that the
customers and constituents have elected. It is my pledge to
do everything in my power to live up to the trust that the
Board and my fellow employees have placed in me.
CCPPD GM: Chet McWhorter
The District will be facing challenges in the coming months.
We have plans in place to upgrade a Substation in Bancroft, upgrade the Substation in the Town of
Dodge, and continue working on our Technology plans. This along with maintenance and various other
projects will keep us extremely busy for the coming months. Additionally, we are working to ensure we
are in compliance with new OSHA standards, assuring that our Linemen and eld workers are as safe as
possible, that go into effect starting in October of this year, and keeping a vigilant eye on EPA rulings and
other mandates regarding their potential impact on power rates.
In closing I would like to add my thanks to Mr.
Elwood Moore for his dedication and service to the
District for the past 16 years and express my hope that I
can do my part to continue the traditions that have
made CCPPD a great utility in the past and to lead
improvements to make CCPPD even better in
the future.
October Calendar
October 5th-11th ~ Public Power
Week! Join us Friday, Oct 10th for the
Chamber Coffee at our ofﬁce.
October 31st ~ Happy Halloween!
Cuming County Public Power District ~ October 2014
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Safety for all
Cuming County Public Power District has always been
dedicated to providing safe, reliable and affordable utility
service to you, our customers. The lengths we go to keep
you, your family and our linemen safe are a pride for us
and are never taken lightly.
Every year the linemen
practice pole top rescues.
From acquiring new equipment and implementing
new procedures - including installation of new breaker
systems that react more quickly in case of a disruption
- to increasing awareness of back-up generator systems
within the cooperative community and supporting the
Rural Electric Safety Achievement Program (RESAP),
America’s electric cooperatives strive to promote the
highest standard of safety.
A lot has changed for the electric utility industry in the
United States over the last 130 years. In the 1880s, power
came to New York City through the direct current (DC)
supply method. Direct current supply required generation stations to be within a mile of a consumer’s home,
which was great for city residents but not so great for those living in the suburbs or rural
areas.
“Our linemen participate in monthly training sessions,”
said Willy Anderson, CCPPD safety director. “These
courses ensure that our employees are constantly reminded of the safety aspect of the job and the importance of
using equipment in the safest manner possible.”
Because of its inability to travel long distances - and the
higher cost - the DC system eventually lost out to the
more economical alternating current (AC) system. The
AC system allowed power to travel across greater distances through the use of transformers
located at power stations. Those transformers required
higher voltage to pass through stations in order to bring
power to homes at the end of the wire. This increase in
voltage spurred the need for increased electrical safety
procedures.
In addition to safety training for employees, Cuming
County Public Power District is continuously raising
awareness of electrical safety in our communities by performing demonstrations at local schools and community
events. There, we show customers just how easy it is for
an accident to occur when working with electricity and
how to prevent these dangerous, and sometimes deadly,
mishaps. We also increase awareness of electrical safety
by engaging with volunteer fire departments, emergency
medical teams and sheriff ’s departments offering education courses and demonstrations. These programs keep
High voltage is considered in the U.S. to be a voltage
service men and women, as well as members of the comabove 35,000 volts. Designations of high voltage also in- munity, safe.
clude the possibly of causing a spark in the air or causing
electric shock by proximity or contact.
At CCPPD, we know that the more people we have in
our communities who are knowledgeable about electrical
High voltage wires and equipment are a constant dansafety, the safer we all will be. That’s why we strive, every
ger for cooperative lineworkers, but they can also pose day, to raise awareness of, and encourage development in,
a danger to cooperative members. That is why electric
electric safety.
cooperatives are proud to be at the forefront of electrical
safety equipment development, as well as electrical safety
education.
Cuming County Public Power District ~ October 2014
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Weather Stripping your Home
There is no doubt about it; the cold
weather is on its way. Not only is it important
to make sure that your heating unit is working
properly, but you should check your home to
make sure that none of that heat is escaping.
When the weather turns colder, drafts around
windows and doors are constantly letting in cool
air. Most people will immediately want to raise
their thermostat even
higher; however, that
will cause you to use
more energy when you
don’t necessarily need
to. The best solution is
to weather strip your
home. This is typically
an easy ﬁx that will
eliminate energy waste
and help you save on
your monthly electric
bill.
Sometimes drafts are
obvious, and other
times the openings are
much smaller. Here are
two quick ways to ﬁnd
out if heat is escaping from your home.
For doors, look for daylight between the door
and its frame, if you see even a hint of light in
between the two, you need to weather strip
that area. For windows, place a piece of paper
between the sash and the seal then close it.
If you can remove the piece of paper from the
window without ripping it, you need to weather
strip that area as well.
The great thing about all of this is that weather
stripping is easy! There is an assortment of materials available to you (like rubber, foam, metal,
etc.) and they are all inexpensive. Once you
Page 3
have purchased what you need, keep the following in mind before you begin weather stripping:
be sure the surface is dry and clean, measure the
area more than once for best accuracy, and apply
so that strips compress both sides of the window
or door.
To weather strip windows:
* Place the stripping
between the frame and
the sash.
* Be sure that it compresses the window
when shut.
* Check to make sure
that tape stripping does
not interfere with the
moving of the window.
To weather strip
doors:
* Choose the proper
sweeps and thresholds
for your door.
* Weather-strip the
entire door jamb.
* Make sure the stripping meets tightly at
both corners.
* Use a thickness that
allows for a tight press
between the door and the
ground, but one that does not make the door difﬁcult to shut.
Roughly half of the energy that your home uses
comes from heating and cooling. So the next
time you feel an uncomfortable draft in your
home, do not immediately crank up the heat.
Check to ﬁnd out where the draft is coming from
and properly weather strip the area. This will ultimately save you more energy and more money in
the end.
Cuming County Public Power District ~ October 2014
Lineman Appreciation Day
Members of the third legislature of Nebraska recognized August 26, 2014 as “Lineworker Appreciation Day” in Nebraska. The legislature expressed
its appreciation to all of Nebraska’s hard-working
lineworkers.
Cuming County Public Power District would like to
send our appreciation to our hard-working linemen
that risk their lives daily in extremely dangerous
situations to ensure the reliable delivery of electric
energy. We appreciate the hours and holidays they
are away from their families, when they are on-call,
and everything they do to help our customers and
keep the lights on!
We want to say THANK YOU to Willy Anderson,
Scott Case, Gene Cihacek, Scott Haber, Jess Hunke,
Brian Throener, and Jim Yosten!!
MANAGEMENT
Chet McWhorter ................ General Manager
Kari Haase ........................... Chief Financial Officer
OFFICE SERVICES
Donna Feldhaus ................. CSR 1
Sheena Kampschneider ..... CSR 1
Sarah McGill ....................... CSR 1
Nicki White ......................... CSR 2
Mary Troyer ........................ Accountant
OPERATIONS
Duane Lammers ................. Const. & Maint. Supv
Scott Haber ......................... Working Foreman
Jim Yosten ........................... Working Foreman
Willy Anderson .................. Journeyman Lineman
Scott Case ............................ Journeyman Lineman
Gene Cihacek ...................... Journeyman Lineman
Jess Hunke ........................... Journeyman Lineman
Brian Throener ................... Journeyman Lineman
Tisha Alfson ........................ Operations Services Supv
Monte Draper ..................... Technology Supervisor
BOARD MEETINGS
Regular meetings of the CCPPD Board are normally held on the second Wednesday of each month
at the office. Notice of times and date changes are
published monthly.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Leroy Mostek, President ..... 402-528-3872
Danny Kluthe, Vice Pres.... 402-693-2833
Rollin Bremerman, Sec ...... 402-528-3521
Ed Kaup, Treasurer ............. 402-372-2966
Dennis Weiler ...................... 402-372-2713
Greg Strehle .......................... 402-372-5065
CONTACT US:
PO Box 256/500 S. Main • West Point, NE 68788
402-372-2463 or toll free 877-572-2463
24-hour answering service
Our dedicated linemen (l to r): Gene Cihacek,
E-mail: [email protected]
Brian Throener, Jess Hunke, Scott Haber,
Online: www.ccppd.com
Willy Anderson, Jim Yosten, and Scott Case.
Office hours
Cuming County Public Power District ~ October 2014
Page 4 Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm