Northland Connection: October 2022

October 2022 | Volume 84 | Issue 10

Fun For Everyone!

Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative hosted a Pancakes in the Park member appreciation event on Saturday, September 10, in Plattsburg, Mo.

Members were able to enjoy a delicious pancake breakfast, play on inflatable bounce houses, learn about electrical safety, and meet Royals’ mascot Slugger.

Attendees also had the chance to meet Co-op staff and members of the Board of Directors.

Local events allow for the cooperative to support community building efforts across the Northland region.

Delivering For You Against The Odds

From the General Manager

Like me, I’m sure you enjoy the convenience of online shopping and being able to get something you need within a matter of days. Fall can be a busy time in my household with kids’ sports and school schedules. It can be very helpful to get things delivered as soon as you need them.

Well, imagine if you’re placing your order and you get to the expected delivery date, and it says, October … 2024! Must be some mistake, right?

As crazy as it may sound, that’s exactly what our staff members are encountering as we place orders for crucial parts and products to maintain our electrical network. Utility poles: 20-24 weeks out. Regulators: over two years out. A new bucket truck? One of these might get delivered by the end of 2027. Primary splice kits to repair underground lines: No delivery date.

With manufacturing issues lowering the available supply, the costs of materials have gone up considerably. A year ago, an elbow for a padmount transformer was $132. Now, they’re $376. Six-inch wide PVC pipe was $32 for 10 feet. Now, it’s at $178. The list goes on and on.

You can see how these manufacturing and supply chain challenges have not only impacted our cost of doing business, but it has also changed how our team strategically plans to meet our future infrastructure needs. And electric distributors are saying it may take five to six years to get resolved.

Beyond the supply chain challenges, the inflation rate is at a 40-year high. A tight labor market is making it harder for companies to attract and retain the most highly qualified candidates. And the continued political polarization around environmental regulations is wreaking havoc on power generation providers. The combination of these challenges is really unprecedented in my 28 years in the industry.

I just want to make sure you know that our Board of Directors and Co-op leadership are working hard to ensure that we are well-positioned into the future to continue to provide the high quality services our members expect.

We take a lot of pride around here in being one of the few things you and your family can rely on remaining stable.

We can’t control what we can’t control. But rest assured, we’ll keep delivering you the best customer service, affordability and reliability that we possibly can under the circumstances. It’s our mission and what our communities and families deserve.

Platte-Clay Moments

SAFETYFIRST: Members of Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative’s Safety Committee meet monthly to discuss and review all Coop safety processes and procedures. The committee meetings have been an important opportunity to ensure all teams have the forum to provide feedback and ideas to further promote safety for all co-op employees and our members.

INSPIRING OUR YOUTH: PCEC team members visited Horizon Elementary, in Smithville, to share about careers in electric energy as part of their Community Helpers unit. Second graders learned about electrical safety and how linemen work together as a team. The students loved seeing a bucket truck up close and how high it can reach. If your school or group would like us to come by, visit https://pcec.coop/community/sign-school-demo/.

Attention Third Graders: Enter PCEC’s Poster Contest

During National Co-op Month in October, Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative is sponsoring a safety poster contest for third graders in the communities we serve. Safety is at the forefront of everything our Cooperative does for its consumer-members. PCEC is continually working to increase electrical safety awareness for our youngest members.

Winners will be announced on our Facebook page and featured in an upcoming Northland Connection. The top three winners will receive a prize. Three teachers who submit their class artwork will also win a $100 gift card for their classroom!

Submission guidelines

• Submit original artwork on 8.5×11 inch paper
• Poster must use the theme, “How do I stay safe around electricity?”
• Print the child’s name, phone number, school and teacher on back of poster
• One entry per student
• Posters must be received no later than October 31, 2022

Three options to submit entries

• Mail poster to: Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative, P.O. Box 100, Kearney, MO 64060
• Hand-deliver to our Kearney or Platte-City office
• Scan poster and email to AmandaM@pcec.coop

Treasured Former Co-op Staff Member Passes Away

Steve Herndon was the face of Platte-Clay Security. He was the cooperative’s one and only Security Technician, and retired in February 2021 after 24 years of service. He passed away on Friday, August 19. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Utility Pole Inspections Taking Place This Fall

Each year, the Co-op inspects 10% of our utility poles as part of the coop’s routine maintenance program to reduce outages and safety hazards.

Crews from our partners at Lee Utility Inspection are in the process of inspecting over 4,100 poles.

Lee crews will be out in marked vehicles and may need to access fields or yards to evaluate pole integrity. This fall’s inspection will take place in our southeastern service area between Kearney, Richmond and Orrick.

The Northland Connection is published monthly by Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative, Inc., 1000 W. 92 Highway, Kearney, MO 64060. Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Northland Connection, PO Box 100, Kearney, MO 64060 or mail@pcec.coop.

Platte-Clay is an equal opportunity employer.