Manager’s Message – October 2022
Interactions, Discussions & Suggestions
I always enjoy meeting our members in social settings. We had this opportunity in August at the Dufur Threshing Bee and the Wasco County Fair.
Dufur exploded with happy faces and friendly greetings. The community could not have done a better job of hosting locals and visitors. Our employees drove and rode in a new bucket truck in the parade. Others walked along, offering candy and prizes to spectators.
In Tygh Valley, Wasco Electric Cooperative bought and helped serve lunch to seniors, as originally anticipated. But we also happily extended an invitation to anyone at the fairgrounds who needed a bite to eat. We were thrilled to receive many thanks for the delicious food. At functions such as these, we learn more about one another and discover our members’ family histories. It is priceless to interact on this level.
We also offer opportunities for you to share your suggestions of how to better serve our communities when we are together. In one such situation at the fair, a gentleman suggested we talk with the counties and highway department to ask permission to remove trees in the rights-of-way instead of trimming them every few years. This suggestion was wise to point out the efficiency of performing work once when possible and saving money to be better used elsewhere.
I am happy to report these discussions have happened. We can now be more judicious about what trees we should not trim repeatedly and risk having them grow into our lines between trimming cycles. With the increasing risk of wildfires, we want to avoid all vegetation-to-line contacts.
Another important topic I would like to share is our ongoing effort to maintain and improve our electric system. We have identified areas most in need of attention to provide not only reliability but increased capacity on our lines.
One example is our feeder line extending south into the Cherry Heights area that serves many large loads. These members soon will be able to add greater processing and irrigation projects if they want. The entire area fed from this line will benefit from greater power availability, thus enabling economic development and reliability enhancements.
It is this kind of forward-thinking that our staff proudly and conscientiously considers when we decide what work is most pressing. We strive to spend cooperative dollars well.
Our future is bright due to our commitment to our members. The interactions we have with you strengthen our organization and entire membership. We love to hear your insights.
General Manager
Ned Ratterman