8
in other words/community
april3
2014
Things To Ponder: Asking for Forgiveness
By Grant Williams
Are you carrying a load so heavy you can’t
conceive of finding relief? Sometimes burdens are the
result of our own personal failures or they may be the
result of things other people have done to us. Burdens
we carry as result of what we have done to others are
probably the hardest to bear. It doesn’t matter what
caused these troubles, they all rob us of our peace and
joy.
Often we find ourselves asking, “Why am I so
depressed and discouraged?” Frequently the answers
are allusive and we can’t figure out the source of
our pain. A good place to begin is to take an honest
inventory of our life. Asking tough questions like,
“Has someone hurt me recently?” or “Am I carrying
the weight of past failures?” An eminent question is,
“Have I hurt a friend and am I feeling guilty?”
The truth is whether our pain is caused by
ourselves or someone else, the root of the pain is
typically the result of sin. When King David kept silent
about his sin he wrote in Psalm 32, “My bones wasted
away” but when I confessed my evil deeds the Lord
forgave “The guilt of my sin.” His burdens were lifted
when he confessed his sins.
If we have been hurt or have hurt someone else
we need the powerful medicine of forgiveness. Taking
this step starts the process of giving to God what has
hurt us and begins the healing so we no longer have to
live in perpetual agony.
The Lord doesn’t want His children to suffer
needlessly. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says we can
lighten our load by giving it to Him. If you are carrying
baggage that just won’t go away, GIVE IT TO JESUS
NOW! In Hebrews 12:1-3, we have more of the answer
to dealing with unwanted baggage. “Therefore, since
we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that
so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance
the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,
the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy
set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame,
and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Consider Him who endured such opposition from
sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose
heart.”
Maybe you are thinking that’s nothing but
religious nonsense. My burdens are too heavy and
my guilt is too great to just ‘GIVE IT TO JESUS
NOW’. That would be true without faith, but all things
are possible with God. If you are wondering how I
can be so certain of this assertion I will tell you my
experience. At one time in my life baggage threatened
to destroy me, but God was faithful to restore the joy of
my salvation when I confessed my sins and today I am
walking pretty light!
Meet Bob Perry New General Manager at WOEC
Perry is originally from
Connecticut, and has lived and worked
all over the country, spending time in
Pennsylvania, Colorado, Indiana, New
York and Kansas, before arriving here in
Vernonia.
Perry says he was working in
the automotive industry in Indiana as an
electrician, fixing robotics equipment,
when a friend recruited him to come
work at a local co-op, working in
Member Services. That job was actually
working with members to install
switches on water heaters to manage the
load on the overall system. “As I learned
what a co-op was and how they plugged
into the community, I really enjoyed
the philosophy of the electric co-op,”
says Perry. He says he got involved in
4-H electric and working with kids in
schools and with First Responders on
safety programs. “We were part of these
activities and they continued to grow the
longer I was with the co-op.”
At the age of 42, Perry took
advantage of a tuition reimbursement
program for employees, and entered
college for the first time, earning a
Bachelor’s Degree in Business from
Kelly School of Business in under eight
years while continuing to work. He went
on and paid for his own Master’s Degree
in Management from Indiana Wesleyan
University.
Perry found there was no place
for him to advance within the co-
op. When he was offered, he took the
General Manager position in up-state
New York with a rural co-op. He was
there for three years before being offered
a position in Kansas with another rural
co-op. He was there for a little over a
year before being offered the job with
WOEC.
Perry says he was impressed
when he arrived in Vernonia for his first
visit and interview. “As I was coming
up Highway 47 I was wishing I had
my motorcycle because it was such a
pretty day. I had no idea what Vernonia
looked like. As I came in and saw the
co-op building, it really set the stage
for my impression of Vernonia. I drove
through downtown and looked at the
businesses. I called my wife and told
her I was here and said she would really
like the town - it’s very quaint and looks
like a thriving and healthy community.
And my first impression driving past the
WOEC building, when I drove in was a
very positive experience for an outsider.
I don’t know if the locals feel that way,
but that was my first experience. I know
I’m proud to be here.”
Perry added that he was
excited and interested to see how the
buildings that will be part of the Rose
Avenue Project, located next door to
the WOEC headquarters, will add to the
attractiveness of Vernonia and promote
a welcoming atmosphere, including the
Vernonia Health Center, which broke
ground March 28.
Perry says the co-op in New
York was similar to WOEC, with a
comparable landscape and the same
issues WOEC has with trees interfering
with transmission lines, along with a
low density member base. The co-op
in Kansas was farm based, with almost
no trees, but also had large distances
between customers.
According to Perry, both
previous co-ops he managed had a
density rate of about three customers
per mile of line. In contrast, WOEC
has a density of about six customers per
mile. But, Perry say, WOEC’s numbers
are inflated by Vernonia’s population;
remove Vernonia from the equation and
WOEC has about three members per
mile. “When you have higher density
you still have roughly eighteen poles
per mile of line and it cost us the same
to put a mile of line up as any other co-
op,” says Perry. “The higher the density
you have, the better for spreading those
fixed costs over more meters. In low
density systems like out in Nebraska and
Wyoming, where they have less than
two members per mile, the costs go up
significantly.” Perry went on to say that
the co-op in Kansas had higher rates
than WOEC.
Perry also expanded on the
problems trees present for an electric co-
op. “New York had trees, a lot of them
and the same problems we associate with
trees here. The blessed curse. They’re
beautiful to look at. Everybody loves
them and we all want them. But they do
cause higher maintenance costs. That’s
just the nature of the beast. Right-of-way
maintenance is probably our number one
concern.”
So what about the high rates here
at WOEC? Perry says that hydro power
is the least expensive type of power
available anywhere. It’s the cost to
maintain the system that drives costs up
at WOEC. Perry explained that a report
is generated by the Energy Information
Agency (EIA) which compiles the rates
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of all the utilities throughout the United
States. According to Perry, the latest
report shows that, out of 3,000 utilities
nationwide WOEC has the 532 nd highest
rates, with a rate of 13.8 cents per
kilowatt hour. Perry went on to explain
that the spread between to the top and
the bottom is about 3.5 cents. “So it’s
really splitting hairs. The average cost
per kilowatt hour is about 14 cents.”
Perry went on to explain that any
utility system, like Clatskanie PUD, with
a lot of industry or heavy commercial
customers, will help subsidize residential
rates. “The flip side of that is that when
you have 90 to 95 percent of your system
residential, especially with low density,
you have high costs associated, like at
WOEC.”
Perry reiterated what WOEC
members have been told in the past;
the system has been hit hard during
recent years by natural disasters. When
a weather event is declared a FEMA
emergency in a county, FEMA will pay
up to 85% of repair costs; the utility has
to pay the rest. Because WOEC operates
in several counties, not all damages
have been part of federal declarations
and were therefore not covered by
FEMA. In addition Perry says, WOEC
had to relocate their headquarters and
substations in Vernonia. “You’re not
going to get 100% [of damages], no co-
op is,” explains Perry. “So you have this
expense that has to be distributed among
the members. Are those bills going to go
away? No.”
Although he says he can’t
lower rates, he does think rates can
continued on page 14
291
A
Street
call Kim
Bordering Vernonia
City Limits
City Sewer & Water Available
Gated Driveway,
Pond, No Flooding
continued from front page
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