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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (July 20, 2006)
The INDEPENDENT, July 20, 2006 Power of the People By W. Marc Farmer, General Manager West Oregon Electric Cooperative It is hard to believe that one year has already gone by since I f i r s t started as General Manager here at West Oregon. The year has proved to be challenging, educational, and rewarding. The educational part has in- cluded learning the history and background of the co-op and its subsidiary, becoming familiar with our system, service area, staff and board, and under- standing the unique aspects and challenges of our service territory and membership. The challenges have included deal- ing with the affects of the weather on our electric system, on our staff and budget; figur- ing out what direction is best for our subsidiary, theft of equip- ment from our pole yard and substations, and keeping up with tree trimming and mainte- nance of our system. All of the work that ODOT is doing on the bridges, and the new State Park have added to our chal- lenges. The rewards have come from the great people I work with and the way they rise to meet the challenges, and getting to know and rub shoul- ders with you, our members. My family and I are truly enjoy- ing the people and beauty here in our service area and are very happy to be here. The past year has seen us hold steady on our rates, re- ceive a glowing report from our auditors as no audit adjust- ments were necessary; we were able to meet Tier with RUS and pass their annual in- spection, have made progress Schann’s Basket Page 7 Minger’s celebrate 65th anniversary on our tree trimming and sys- tem inspections, and had an excellent water year which helped us keep our wholesale power costs down. Our staff put in a lot of hours during a two-and-a-half month stretch of rain and wind that wreaked havoc on our system and our power providers’ systems. They have also had to take on extra workload as Royce Hagelstein, our long time CFO, recently accepted a position at Cowlitz PUD. I am pleased to report that our staff and crew have performed in an ad- mirable and professional man- ner and I enjoy working with all of them. We have welcomed a new Board Member, Mike Pihl, who replaced Tom Budge. Tom had done an excellent job repre- senting District 5 for over 14 years and his knowledge and experience will be greatly missed. We have signed up 42 Wild- Blue Internet subscribers and anticipate it continuing to grow. WildBlue is a high-speed Inter- net service using satellite tech- nology for rural areas. Our sub- sidiary, Columbia Broadband, now has a positive cash flow. I know there will be a lot more to learn as I begin my second year. I look forward to the opportunities and also the challenges that we will face to- gether. The challenges are fo- cused on three main areas: the decision on our power supply after 2011, when our current contract expires; the best strat- egy for our subsidiary, and keeping our rates steady as costs continue to rise. We re- main committed to keeping our system maintained and trees trimmed, keeping our costs in line, and providing the best possible service for our mem- bers. With a great staff, board, and membership, we will be successful, I am sure. Thursdays,10am to 1ish at the pocket park by Black Bear Coffee Co. 831 Bridge St., Vernonia Eggs ~ $2 dozen Plus vegetables and herbs in season Charles and Irene Minger, formerly of Vernonia, celebrat- ed their 65th anniversary re- cently by going on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera with their three children and spouses; Di- ana and Marion Knoll and Kathy and Jim Eckland, all of Keizer, and Steven and Sue Minger of Vernonia. Charles Minger and Irene May were married July 1, 1941, in Vancouver, Washing- ton. They lived in Vernonia un- til 1979 when they moved to Scappoose. The moved to Keizer in 2000. In addition to their three children, they have six grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren. Rose Award to Whiteman yard The Golden Rose Award, for the July Yard of the Month, has been given to Steve and Sue Whiteman at the corner of State Avenue and North Street, behind Vernonia Auto Parts. The award, a plaque, will visit their yard until the August Yard of the Month is chosen. Vernonia Pride presents the award, throughout summer with the final selection in Sep- tember, for a well-maintained and landscaped yard. To help choose the next Yard of the Month, cast your vote in the box on the informa- tion table inside Vernonia City Hall, at 1001 Bridge St., Ver- nonia. C a m e lo t C ar e Ce nt e r Medicare / Medicaid Certified VA , HMO and Insurance Contracts Sub-Acute Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitative Therapies Respite & Hospice Care Long Term Intermediate Care Dedicated & Caring Staff 3 9 0 0 P ac if i c A ve . , F or es t G ro ve ( 5 03 ) 3 59 - 04 4 9 LANDSCAPING? We’ve Got It! We Have A Huge Selection Of Materials For… • Rock walls • Block walls • Pathways • Patios • Flower beds • Gardens • New lawns • Water feature rock • Bagged products (for easy storage) • Barkdust • Cedar chips • Compost • Column rock • Crushed rock • Round rock • Boulders Top soil • Railroad ties & more Carports to fill your every need! O P EN 7 D AY S A WE EK Mo n - Fr i . 7 a .m . - 5 p .m . S a tu r d a y 8 a. m . - 5 p .m . S u nd a y 1 0 a . m . - 4 p .m . Scappoose Sand & Gravel Co. 503-543-8821
