BUSINESS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A7
Evolving technology changes utility work
Electric cooperatives
now rely more on digital
information than on
binders full of maps
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
When Mitch Colvin
started working as a line-
man for Umatilla Electric
Cooperative six years ago,
he spent a lot of time look-
ing at maps.
The maps, which crews
hauled around in their
pickup trucks, spanned two
black binders, each sev-
eral inches thick and much
wider than a standard binder.
When linemen needed to
locate a specifi c utility pole
or other infrastructure, they
had to look up the right
paper map out of thousands,
then search the tiny num-
bers on the page, looking
for the right one.
Now, everything is dig-
itized and everyone has
their own iPad.
“It speeds up the pro-
cess a ton,” Colvin said.
“You just type it in and it
pulls it right up.”
The iPad not only pulls
up the information that was
previously contained in the
maps, but also a treasure
trove of other details, from
the size of a transformer to
the name and phone num-
ber of a customer associ-
ated with a meter. Linemen
can also add informa-
tion, such as photos, from
on-site.
The Geographic Infor-
mation System used to help
crews pinpoint infrastruc-
ture in the fi eld is overseen
by Adelaide Zumwalt, GIS
administrator for UEC.
At the cooperative’s
Hermiston offi ce, she
toggled through diff er-
ent maps, showing an
interconnected web of
information.
On one map, little tree
icons dotted UEC’s ser-
vice area. The pins marked
places where UEC employ-
ees used their iPads to note
where they noticed a tree
needs trimmed back from a
power line, instantly mak-
ing that information avail-
able to those in charge of
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
Nick Hardie uses a rope to raise equipment up to fellow lineman Matt Ellis, while working on a
utility pole in Hermiston on Wednesday, April 7, 2021.
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
Matt Ellis, a lineman with Umatilla Electric Cooperative,
positions equipment atop a utility pole in Hermiston on
Wednesday, April 7, 2021.
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
A control room at Umatilla Electric Cooperative in Hermiston oversees operations and systems
across the cooperative’s coverage area.
vegetation management.
On another map, a grid
of red squares marked
where crews need to com-
plete routine inspections on
poles. When they complete
the inspection, they can
mark it off the list, turning
that area green on the map,
and note any maintenance
that needs done.
Zumwalt said just a
few years ago, that type
of information was often
on physical paper, making
it much more diffi cult to
keep track of, update and
share between departments
and crews. It was also dif-
fi cult to spot trends. Now,
with the click of a but-
ton an employee can sort
maps of outage histories
by cause, location, time or
other factors.
“Before, there was no
way to visualize this or
analyze the data without
a ton of work,” Zumwalt
said.
Down the hall, System
Operator Kathryn Ken-
nington is stationed in a
control room full of mon-
itors. The amount of infor-
mation displayed on the
screens and the ease of
monitoring it has changed
signifi cantly over the years
of her career in energy, she
said.
“We have a lot more
information at our fi nger-
tips,” she said.
After UEC installed
smart meters, for example,
staff at the offi ce gained the
ability to “ping” a meter
Career Connect Virtual College
and Job Fair planned for April 28
Employers, colleges,
trade unions and others
will off er information at
the event
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
High school students,
college students and other
job seekers are invited
to connect with potential
employers at the Career
Connect Virtual College
and Job Fair on Wednes-
day, April 28.
The event — sponsored
by the Port of Morrow,
Boardman Chamber of
Commerce, Oregon State
University and 4-H — will
be hosted in an interactive
online format, with a ses-
sion for high school stu-
dents from 8:30-10:50 a.m.
and a session for all other
job seekers from 11 a.m. to
1 p.m.
Information for the
event can be found online
at careerconnect2021.com,
and no preregistration is
necessary.
Currently, the website
contains general infor-
mation for job seekers in
the area, including work-
force training programs
and housing assistance. On
April 28, it will transform
into a portal for the college
and job fair. It is recom-
mended that participants
download the video con-
ferencing program Zoom
ahead of time so they are
ready to participate when
the link goes live.
“We’ve tried to make it
as accessible as possible,”
Kalie Davis, director of
workforce development for
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald, File
The Port of Morrow is one of the primary sponsors of the
Career Connect Virtual College and Job Fair scheduled for
Wednesday, April 28, 2021.
the Port of Morrow, said.
Davis said during the
virtual job fair, people
will be able to hear from
employers, colleges, trade
unions and more about
employment,
education,
certifi cation and training
opportunities.
Listeners
can ask questions by video,
or type questions out using
Zoom’s chat function.
This will be the fi rst vir-
tual job fair for the Port
Morrow. Davis said the one
scheduled for 2020 took
place right before the ini-
tial COVID-19 shutdown.
“We’ve done in-per-
son events similar to this
in the SAGE Center,” she
said. “There’s still a need,
we just had to get creative
with COVID.”
PET OF THE W EEK
MEET LILLY
Lilly is like a Golden Lab in a
tiny package. She is sweet, silly
and soulful. She did have some
separation anxiety issues with her
previous adopter, so she needs a
home where family is there for
her, maybe a playmate who isn't
demanding. She loves a good belly
rub and her soft blanket.
Mark Sargent, DVM • Brent Barton, DVM
Robert Thonney, DVM • Jana Parks, DVM, cVMA
Small and Large Animal Care
Mon: 8-6
Tue - Fri: 8-5
Sat: 8-12
Emergency Service
541.567.1138
80489 Hwy 395 N
Hermiston
www.oregontrailvet.com
Due to the
COVID-19
pandemic, animal
shelters need
our help more
than ever. Please
donate to your
local shelter, or
offer to foster an
animal in need.
If interested please go to fuzzballrescue.com and fill out an application.
If you are not able to adopt, but would like to foster or donate, visit fuzzballrescue.com
or you can mail in donations to Fuzz Ball Animal Rescue, PO Box 580, Hermiston, OR 97838
and check if it is on, with-
out needing to send some-
one to physically look to
see if a neighborhood has
lights on.
Kennington said she
has also seen how the GIS
mapping has helped crews
in the fi eld respond more
quickly to outages.
“The electronic map-
ping is defi nitely an
improvement for newer
linemen who don’t know
the system as well,” she
said.
Colvin
agrees.
On
Wednesday, April 7, he
was out on Southeast Ninth
Street in Hermiston, over-
seeing work to extend
power to a small subdivi-
sion being built along the
road. In addition to making
it easier to navigate, he said
the iPads also help with
simple things, like punch-
ing in work hours electron-
ically instead of fi lling out
and turning in a handwrit-
ten time sheet every day.
He said new power tools
and equipment purchased
in recent years have also
saved linemen time. That’s
time they need, he said.
Hermiston, Boardman and
other parts of Umatilla
Electric Cooperative’s ser-
vice area have been grow-
ing rapidly. That brings
crews out to projects like
the one Colvin was at on
April 7.
“There are a lot of new
subdivisions,” he said.
CHURCH
DIRECTORY
Community Worship
Featured this Week:
LANDMARK BAPTIST CHURCH
125 E. Beech Ave. • 567-3232
Pastor David Dever
Sun. Bible Classes...................10:00am
Sun. Worship Service..............11:00am
Sun. Evening Worship..............6:00pm
Wed. Prayer & Bible Study......6:00pm
www.hermistonlmbc.com
Our Lady of Angels
Catholic Church
Iglesia Católica Nuestra
Señora de los Ángeles
565 W. HERMISTON AVE.
565 W. HERMISTON AVE.
Hermiston Christian
Center & School
Seventh-day
Adventist Church
Sunday Gathering: 10:00 AM
Nursery care is available 3 years & under
Kids Club available 4 years-5th grade
Sunday Prayer Gathering: 6:00 PM
NEED PRAYER? CONTACT US!
1825 W. Highland Ave.
541-567-3480 | hcc4u.org
hcc4u2020@gmail.com
St. Johns
Episcopal Church
Join Us
Us
Join
On Our Journey
With Jesus.
Join us on ZOOM 9:00 AM Sunday
Email: chuckb@eotnet.net for link
N.E. Gladys Ave & 7th, Hermiston
PH: 567-6672
We are an all inclusive Church
who welcomes all.
Saturdays
Sabbath School........9:30 a.m.
Worship Service......11:00 a.m.
English & Spanish Services
541-567-8241
855 W. Highland Ave.
Hermiston, OR 97838
First Christian Church
“Grow Your Faith Through God”
Sunday School...9:00 am
Worship Service...10:30 am
567-3013
775 W. Highland Ave., Hermiston
NEW BEGINNINGS
CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
To advertise in the Church Directory,
please contact Audra Workman
541-564-4538 or email
aworkman@eastoregonian.com
Worship Service 10:30 AM
Sunday School 9:00 AM
Pastor J.C. Barnett
Children’s Church &
Nursery Available
700 West Orchard Avenue
P.O. Box 933
Hermiston, Oregon
541-289-4774