NLI Welcomes Back Butch Hagen

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1 NLI Welcomes Back Butch Hagen As a former Northern Lights Inc. (NLI) Board Member and a certified, credentialed NLI director, G.E. Butch Hagen is a great asset to the cooperative. Butch served on the NLI Board from 1996 to He was again elected to serve on the board in May. After being an NLI member for many years, he maintains interests in power issues, and knows the people and areas NLI serves. He believes the cooperative s biggest asset is its employees. We have a good group of dedicated employees, says Butch. I hold them in utmost respect. Along with our members, employees are the company, and they make it work. Butch has a strong sense of duty. He served his country in Vietnam, then he returned to Bonners Ferry to farm with his father. With a degree in agriculture, Butch farms and raises cattle. A resident of Boundary County for 55 years, he served as a Boundary County Commissioner and on the planning and zoning commission. Butch is a supervisor of the Boundary Soil Conservation District. Butch also enjoys working with students and being a substitute teacher for the Boundary County School District. As a teacher, a farmer, an active member of the community and with his former NLI Board experience, Butch is a great addition to the cooperative s board. Butch Hagen, NLI Director NLI Board Elects New Officers At its May 20, 2002, meeting the NLI Board selected the executive committee that will serve until next year s Annual Meeting. Elected for another term as board president is Judith Simonson. Orin LaRitchie also will serve another term as vice president. Eric Anderson is the newly elected secretary/treasurer. At the May 20 meeting, the board completed the process of establishing new borders for the cooperative s district boundaries. New legal descriptions are being developed, along with a new district boundary map. Once completed, they will be available to members in the Ruralite, on the NLI Web site and at NLI s main office in Sagle. The current NLI Board, front row, from left: Orin LaRitchie, District 4; Judith Simonson, District 2; Don Vickaryous, District 5; back row, from left: Eric Anderson, District 1; Vern Hollett, District 7; G.E. Butch Hagen, District 6. Pay your electric bill online at 4 JULY 2002 NORTHERN LIGHTS

2 NLI Member Spotlight NLI Members Bring Artrain USA to Troy, Montana Artrain USA the nation s only traveling art museum delighted children and adults alike in May. The Troy Fine Arts Council arranged for Troy, Montana to be a host city for this four-day artistry exhibit on wheels. It was the second time the train has stopped in Troy. A visit by Artrain has an enormous impact economically and culturally for our area, says Sherry Lersbak, one of the Troy Fine Arts Council s many volunteers. Artrain USA has traveled to 44 states and the District of Columbia, delighting more than 2.78 million visitors in more than 700 communities since its first stop in Sherry, Jennifer Seifert and Cliff Akin all NLI members made up the Steering Committee. Many volunteers helped raise the funds to return this cultural event to Troy. Troy last hosted Artrain USA in 1998, with 2,700 individuals viewing the works of art displayed in five renovated rail cars. This year, the exhibition was The Artistry of Space, featuring 78 works chosen from the art collections of NASA and the National Air and Space Museum. The Artistry of Space is a creative melding of art and science designed to highlight similarities between seemingly opposite worlds. Once again, approximately 2,700 visitors saw Artrain in Troy this year. Artrain has a 30-year history of bringing rural communities across the United States art exhibitions and art education, says Sherry. By working with communities, Artrain USA continues to enhance local cultural activities and relationships, and the increased awareness of the importance of art and culture in everyday life. Top, Artrain USA in Troy, Montana. The theme this year was the Artistry of Space. In the words of P.A. Nisbet: Art is about what words cannot express. Above, from left, are NLI members Tyanne Hermes, Sherry Lersbak, Jennifer Seifert and Cliff Akin, who helped bring Artrain to Troy. NORTHERN LIGHTS JULY

3 Students Raise Cash By Cleaning Up By Jay Simons A handful of teens spent a few hours raking, picking up and doing some housekeeping around the grounds of the Northern Lights warehouse. Their work has paid off by allowing the Noxon Science Club to do some extra activities throughout the year. It s a win-win situation all the way around. Northern Lights gets its warehouse yard cleaned up and Noxon biology students recycle the waste wire and earn dollars for activities. Biology teacher Teri Burt is always looking for unique ways for her classes to stretch and add to the money provided by the school district. Since her husband, Sam, is a lineman for Northern Lights, the duo have joined hands on several projects the past five years. Sam found that after a line job has been completed, bits and pieces of distribution wire are left over that cannot be used for anything else. It becomes waste or scrap. In past years, a man from Trout Creek picked up the wire and recycled it. When he no longer wanted it, Sam told Teri it was available. Sam, Teri and the students began picking up the wire and saving it. Through a year s time, the junk was turned into cash when the students took it to Pacific Hide and Steel in Sandpoint. Electrician Kent Wilby also donates scrap wire to the students. The money is used for enrichment classes like the fly-tying and fly-casting demonstrations, Science Olympiad, Environthon and for the mounted wild birds in Teri s classroom. Gene Miller of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has donated a lot of birds to us, says Teri. The largest one was an osprey that was shot in the nest that Northern Lights crews built over the Vermilion River. At times we have earned close to $400 for our school projects, usually we make between $200 and $300. It all helps. After cleaning up around Northern Lights, the Burts and biology students moved on to the Trout Creek dock area to do more cleaning up. From left, Beau Jensen, teacher Teri Burt, Jenny Page, Angela Jensen, Tabetha Smith and Northern Lights lineman Sam Burt clean up the warehouse yard at Northern Lights. Photo by Jay Simons. 8 JULY 2002 NORTHERN LIGHTS

4 The Facts About NLI s Monthly Basic Charge Why do Northern Light s (NLI) members pay a basic charge each month? This is a question many members have asked through the years. The basic charge covers the costs of making electricity available when you need it. Because NLI serves members in rural areas, where homes are more remote, this cost is higher than for investor-owned utilities, which have more users per mile to divide up the costs. NLI averages about six customers per mile of line. An investor-owned utility averages about 40 customers per mile of line, and collects substantially higher revenues per mile. Therefore, the NLI recently purchased a new backhoe to be used by the cooperative s Trout Creek, Montana, crew. A backhoe is a necessary piece of equipment when installing power lines and new services, especially in the rocky, rugged terrain of NLI s Montana service territory. The backhoe is used to dig pole holes, ditches, transformer bases and install underground equipment. It is not possible to dig in gravel or rocky soil with an auger, so a backhoe is needed to get the job done in a timely and efficient manner, says NLI Trout Creek lineman Rich Williams. The new backhoe will help our crew be more efficient in scheduling and completing projects in the Montana service area. Since the new machine has fourwheel drive, it will be able to access more areas. The Montana service territory has been growing through the years, requiring installation of more new costs of building and maintaining lines in rural areas are spread among fewer customers served by those lines. For example: NLI average customers per mile = 6 Basic charge = $24 Total basic charge per mile = $144 XYZ investor-owned utility average customers per mile = 40 Basic charge = $4 Total basic charge per mile = $160 The basic charge is billed on all installed services, whether energized or not, partially to cover the fixed capital costs, such as the transformer, meter and associated wires essential services and power line extensions. NLI having its own backhoe allows crews to restore power more quickly during outages. It also gives crews the ability to take the backhoe along with them and avoid to your electric service. This basic charge also contributes to fixed administrative and maintenance costs, which remain regardless of whether any electrical energy is used. NLI takes pride in its quality of service and quick response time when power outages sometimes occur. With the consistent maintenance of our system, and the dedication of the NLI crews, you can rest assured that if an outage occurs in the middle of the night, our line crews are out there, in all weather conditions, restoring power while you are asleep. The basic charge helps our cooperative continue to maintain the 2,600 miles of power lines through the widespread and rough terrain NLI serves. That is the power of local service. NLI s New Backhoe Will Speed Repairs waiting to find a backhoe contractor or to rent one. With the addition of the backhoe to our equipment fleet, NLI crews now have access to backhoes for use in all their respective areas. NLI s new backhoe will be used to install new services and make outage repairs. NORTHERN LIGHTS JULY

5 R NLI Employee Pam Swarm Says Farewell After 16 years with Northern Lights Inc. (NLI), Pam Swarm will be leaving to pursue a long-desired degree in social work, and spend time with her mother. Working for Northern Lights (NLI) has been like working for a big family, and I will really miss that, says Pam. Pam s first position at NLI was as a cashier/receptionist at the front counter. I remember thinking that I had never worked for a cooperative before, and it was a surprise to find people taking a personal concern with their customers, she says. I am so glad to have had the opportunity to add a personal touch to people s lives, because I don t think it would have been possible if I had worked for a big corporation. After so many years of working for the NLI is offering the following rebates: $50 rebate with proof of purchase of a qualified ENERGY STAR - rated clothes washer. $25 rebate with proof of purchase of a qualified ENERGY STARrated dishwasher. $800 rebate for qualified construction of new Super Good Cents site-built home. $1,000 rebate with purchase of a Super Good Cents manufactured home purchased between January 1, 2002, and December 31, $250 Energy Credit when you build a new home or site a new manufactured home (in conjunction with your power line extension) and install an energy-efficient electric water heater. $30 Energy Credit when your existing electric water heater is cooperative, I got to know many of the members, and have kept in touch with some on a regular basis. After working at the front counter, Pam progressed to Member Service Specialist, and began working on member inquiries. When NLI started its Turtle meter project, Pam began organizing and integrating the program into the billing process. The Turtle is a device installed in a meter that allows NLI to determine a members kilowatt-hour usage electronically, eliminating the need for members to read their own meters. Pam has enjoyed the relationships she has built with her coworkers through the years. After the recent loss of her spouse, Pam says she is appreciative of the incredible support she received from her co-workers. What I will miss the most is the replaced with a new energy-efficient electric water heater. For details, call NLI Member Services at (208) , or (800) supportive friendships and the sense of family that this group of people exhibits, says Pam. NLI Offers Rebates For Energy Efficiency Some restrictions apply. All rebates and energy credits require proof of purchase and a copy of receipts. IT S EASY TO SAVE POWER WHEN YOUR HOME DOES IT FOR YOU. There are a million reasons why saving power can seem hard. But what if your home did the energy saving for you? It can, if it s Super Good Cents. With Super Good Cents, you aren t just getting better windows or doors. You re getting a long list of built-in features that work together to save you as much power as possible while you just sit and read the paper. $1,000 TOWARD THE PURCHASE OF A SUPER GOOD CENTS CERTIFIED MANUFACTURED HOME. Offer expires 12/31/2002 If you already own an SGC manufactured home, tell an NLI friend or neighbor about this great rebate. For more information, call NLI at (208) , or (800) Pam Swarm has helped out during NLI community events such as MDA s Fill the Boot. 28 JULY 2002 NORTHERN LIGHTS

6 Out of Sight, But Not Out of Mind Underground power lines may be something you don t see, but they are an important part of delivering power to your home. In a continuing effort to provide quality service to members, NLI replaces underground power lines throughout its system on a regular basis. The first underground cable utilities used 30 years ago lasted only a short time before it started to fail. But with improved design and insulation, underground cable is made to last longer. However, it still needs to be replaced and upgraded, just like overhead lines. The life span of an underground cable is increased when customers remember the importance of calling for locates before they start any project that requires digging. Underground power lines carry dangerously high voltage. A single-phase distribution line typically carries 7,620 volts. So please, always remember to CALL BEFORE YOU DIG! It not only can save lives, but adds to the performance of the underground cable. NLI Reminds You to Please Dig Safely: Call Before You Dig! (800) (Bonner/Boundary counties) (800) (Kootenai County) (800) (Sanders County) (800) (Lincoln County) NORTHERN LIGHTS JULY