FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2016
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 9
Local & Entertainment
OTEC’s annual
meeting packed
It was a packed house
as members from across
four Eastern Oregon
counties traveled to attend
Oregon Trail Electric
Cooperative’s 28th Annual
Membership Meeting at
the Baker County Event
Center in Baker City, OR.
“This business meeting,
and the election of three of
our Board of Directors, is
a great example of local,
democratic control,” said
OTEC’s General Manager
Werner Buehler. “Having
our membership gather
together, vote for their
board members, listen to
presentations on the health
of their electric coopera-
tive and get to know their
fellow cooperative owners
is important. Non-profi t
cooperatives are powered
by their membership and
they have a valuable voice
in the direction OTEC
takes.”
Board President George
Galloway highlighted the
clean audit OTEC received
in 2015 as well as the
steps the OTEC Board and
Management have taken to
ensure the excellent fi nan-
cial health of the electric
cooperative.
OTEC’s resilient safety
record was also discussed.
“When August barreled
down and delivered two
of the largest wildfi res
our service territory has
ever seen, our dedicated
line crews and support
personnel worked tire-
lessly around the clock
to safely maintain our
lines and restore power in
record time,” said Buehler.
“With the combined loss
of over 215,000 acres, the
Cornet-Windy Ridge and
the Canyon Creek Com-
plex wildfi res burned 160
OTEC poles, 60,000 ft. of
wire and when the smoke
had cleared, OTEC had
sustained approximately
$1.5 million in damages.”
“Moreover, even though
hundreds of additional
overtime hours were
worked, in harrowing
conditions as of the result
The
of these historic blazes,
OTEC crews - once again
– powered through the
year with a clean safety
record and no lost time
accidents.”
Buehler also noted the
challenges and opportuni-
ties OTEC will face in the
future from the Bonneville
Power Administration
(BPA), increased distrib-
uted generation, and new
technologies while work-
ing to keep electric rates
low.
Along with the report
outs on the cooperative, the
OTEC Board Election re-
sults were also announced.
Greg Howard (position
7) of Union County was re-
elected with 3,149 votes.
David Baum (position 8)
of Union County was re-
elected with 3,082 votes.
Charlene Chase (position
9) of Baker County was re-
elected with 3,030 votes.
Crossroads Carnegie Art
Center Executive Director
Ginger Savage was also
honored and presented
with the $25,000 Peggi
Timm Civic Leadership
Award. The honor is cur-
rently awarded annually
to a woman residing in
OTEC’s service territory
who most exemplifi es the
cooperative founder’s
ceaseless spirit of volun-
teerism to improve life in
their communities.
“Ginger, like Peggi, is
a top-notch community
connector,” noted her co-
nominator, Mary Tomlin-
son. “She always ‘knows
somebody who knows
somebody’ to fi nd resourc-
es for volunteer efforts
and community problem-
solving. Ginger has gained
those trusted connections
through her own diligent
volunteer work and model-
ing her ‘do unto others’
approach over the years.”
“Whether for Baker
Literacy, the Ford Fam-
ily Foundation, the Baker
Heritage Museum, the
YMCA, schools or other
organizations, Ginger pro-
actively sends notices for
Submitted Photo.
Ginger Savage and
George Galloway.
resources, classes or other
funding to non-profi t direc-
tors in the community so
they can also be success-
ful,” added Tomlinson.
“People genuinely enjoy
Ginger and know they can
count on her to get things
done.”
Savage thanked her
family and refl ected on her
mentor, Peggi Timm, say-
ing, “Peggi lived by one
basic principle, ‘do what is
right for Baker’ - always,
in everything she did. It
is impossible to walk in
Peggi Timm’s shoes, but I
like to think I stepped right
to the side of Peggi’s foot-
prints and I will continue
walking forward.”
Savage selected the
Crossroads Carnegie Art
Center a non-profi t 501(c)3
to receive the $25,000
award, made available
through earnings on
unclaimed capital credits.
“Crossroads will indeed
put this to very good use,”
said Savage smiling.
Barbara Prowell of Baker
City was the raffl e win-
ner of the 50” fl at screen
TV “OTEC Attendance
Award” and Krystal
Doucette, also of Baker
City, was drawn to win the
mail-in ballot drawing for
the $500 OTEC energy
credit.
For additional informa-
tion about OTEC, the Peg-
gi Timm Civic Leadership
Award, board candidates
and the Annual Meeting
visit: www.otecc.com.
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The Littles’ crossword puzzle
Across
1- Exxon, once;
5- Harrison of “My Fair
Lady”;
8- Largest digit;
12- Linebacker Junior;
13- Brazilian ballroom
dance;
15- Draft picks;
16- Camp sight;
17- Indonesian island;
18- Zeno of ___;
19- Hypersensitive reac-
tion;
22- One of the Four For-
est Cantons;
23- Ref’s counterpart;
24- Former name of
Thailand;
26- Entirely;
29- Submit;
31- Hydrocarbon suffi x;
32- Vision;
34- Where Columbus
was born;
36- Not many;
38- Wedge;
40- Smart talk;
41- Shaft shot from a
bow;
43- Pitchers;
45- Golf ball prop;
46- Worships;
48- Soviet leader
Brezhnev;
50- Think nothing ___;
51- Master of the maca-
bre;
52- Stitch up;
54- Magic;
61- Over again;
63- “Peer Gynt” play-
wright;
64- Betting setting;
65- Auditioner’s goal;
66- Adhere closely;
67- Gen. Bradley;
68- Part of an archi-
pelago;
69- Mer contents;
70- TV’s “Nick at ___”;
Down
1- Como ___ usted?;
2- Perceived;
3- Yemen’s capital;
4- Yield;
5- Banister;
6- Madame Bovary;
7- Microsoft game sys-
tem;
8- Burnsian refusal;
9- Persons who claim
superior enlightenment;
10- Opposite of alway;
11- Actor Morales;
13- Astringent;
14- Come up;
20- Med. care providers;
21- Do a number;
25- Summer coolers;
26- Prefi x with red;
27- Good-for-nothing;
28- Leers at;
29- Madame de ___;
30- Snooped (around);
31- Motorists’ org.;
33- Hack;
35- Peer Gynt’s mother;
37- Pound sound;
39- Sea cucumber;
42- Habeas corpus, for
one;
44- Smoke deposit;
47- Set of principles;
49- Nerve cell;
52- Rani’s garb;
53- Baseballer Slaugh-
ter;
55- ___-bodied;
56- Voice of America
org.;
57- Course list;
58- Do followers;
59- No-see-um;
60- Time past;
62- Minuscule;