Northland Connection: August 2024

Member Feedback Drives Co-op’s Focus on Reliability

Accountability to our members is a crucial value we take very seriously. It’s one of the many benefits of being a part of a cooperative. We’re not worried about any outside investors or their profits. Our top priority is serving our members.

We receive a lot of comments from members here at the Coop. Most of the comments are very positive and gracious. From time to time, negative ones roll in, too.

A lot of times the negative comments are the result of a power outage. This isn’t surprising because we know reliability is the single most important thing to our members. We know this because we take the time to get real data from members through routine surveys to determine what’s important to members.

There are a lot of misconceptions out there about why the power goes out, but the reality is most of the time the reasons are beyond our control.

Recently, we had a member who was very frustrated that their power had gone out on several occasions this year, and they were convinced this was the result of staff changes or mismanagement. Our team was able to pull together the member’s detailed outage history to determine what the issues were. Here’s what we found:

Outage 1: A driver of a truck veered off a road and crashed into a PCEC pole, which knocked the power lines down to the ground.

Outage 2: Winds from a severe weather outbreak snapped several utility poles in the area and needed to be replaced.

Outage 3: A snake got into a substation, which shut off the power to 1700 members.

Outage 4: A large tree fell from outside the co-op’s right-of-way and took down power lines.

As you can see from these incidents, the outages were ultimately caused by a series of very unfortunate events. In fact, most outages on our system are related to weather, critters, and accidents like crashes or digging with improper locates.

So while we may not be able to control some things, what is in our control is outage response and having the skilled team members and the right equipment to get it done as safely and quickly as possible. That’s why we invest in top-notch employees and equipment so we can deliver for our members.

Member feedback, such as the importance of reliability, helps the board of directors and staff evaluate the strategic goals of the organization. The goals of the organization help management stay focused and create plans for team members to achieve the goals. And the end result of all of this is good reliability and happy members.

I’m very proud of our reliability. Our co-op routinely outperforms industry reliability and outage response benchmarks. And this doesn’t just happen by accident. We’ve devoted a lot of resources into maintaining and upgrading our system. I hope you read the interview in this issue with our Right-of-Way Superintendent, Jacob Bishop, to learn about our work around vegetation management.

Member input will continue to guide the Cooperative’s decision making and help shape our values. I know our commitment to accountability and reliability are here to stay. As always, let us know if you need anything.

Q. What are your job duties as the right-of-way superintendent?

A. I am responsible for updating and implementing our vegetation management plan. My role involves scheduling and bidding out work among our contractors, inspecting completed work, and addressing public concerns. Additionally, I track progress, manage the budget, and develop a long-term strategy to maximize our investment. A key component of this strategy is a comprehensive spray program to ensure that the cleared areas remain manageable.

Q. What are right-of-ways?

A. The right-of-way (ROW) refers to the legal right, established by grant or agreement, for the passage of persons, vehicles, or utilities over, on, or through the land of another. In the context of a power cooperative, the ROW refers to the land or space where power line infrastructures are installed. This allows PCEC to access, maintain, repair, and upgrade their equipment. ROW is critical for ensuring reliable service and safety.

Q. Why is it important for PCEC to maintain them?

A. Much like maintaining a roadway right-of-way, ensuring unobstructed access to essential services is crucial. Power, while beneficial, can also be hazardous. It is the responsibility of the power company to eliminate serious hazards for both workers and the public. Trees are the primary threat to overhead power lines, causing numerous outages each year during storms or high winds. Significant efforts are dedicated to safeguarding our lines from these threats. If we fail to maintain the right-of-way, vegetation will encroach, resulting in longer power outages and increased costs for daily power use.

Q. What is involved in PCEC’s comprehensive right-of-way program?

A. The focus of the right-of-way program is to address the member’s two top concerns, reliability and affordability. As stated before, trees in the power lines pose a serious threat to workers and the public. To address this we are removing hazards within the ROW, spraying younger trees and brush before they become an issue, and tracking the progress to ensure we protect those investments. As we make progress we will look at other options to help establish and promote grassy areas under the power lines. This will take time and money, but if we as a cooperative work together on this then we will be in a better position to continue to provide reliable and affordable service in the future.

Q. What challenges does PCEC face in maintaining right-of-ways?

A. The primary challenge we face is the rapid growth of vegetation. Certain plants, like the Tree of Heaven, can grow 3 to 7 feet annually, reaching heights of 100 feet within 25 years. Invasive species like these can quickly dominate areas, complicating power restoration efforts.

Birds will continue to land on power lines and spread seeds, leading to brush growth. To address this, we implement a 3-year rotation on spraying to mitigate the problem.

Educating our members about these hazards is challenging, as we lack an effective means of reaching each individual. It is crucial to raise awareness about the importance of not planting or allowing trees to grow under power lines.

Each primary line transports over 7,000 volts, always seeking the nearest path to the ground. Trees can become that path, posing a serious danger to anyone around them. Our goal is to ensure safety, and while we recognize the beauty and environmental benefits of trees, those in inappropriate locations are hazardous and will need to be removed.

Q. How can members help support system reliability when it comes to PCEC power lines or infrastructure on their properties?

A. When planting a tree, always call for utility locates and be mindful of overhead lines. Consider the future growth of the tree both vertically and horizontally. If a tree is planted within 10-15 feet of an overhead line, it will likely need to be removed.

If you have already planted trees near power lines, plan on relocating them or contact us for assistance before they grow too large. Our collective goal is to ensure reliable power at the lowest possible cost. By managing vegetation under power lines, we can work together to achieve this.

Lastly, if one of our tree contractors contacts you, please know they are working with PCEC to address our vegetation management challenges. Please treat these professionals with respect, as they are only doing what we asked them to do. Feel free to ask questions, and if further discussion is needed, they will connect you with me to address your concerns.

Vegetation Management Project Underway

As part of an ongoing right-of-way maintenance program to control potentially harmful vegetation and ensure reliability, PCEC is working on Cooperative easements across its service area.

PCEC will be conducting herbicide applications in areas around the Cooperative’s service territory over the next few months. This application is necessary for vegetation management and ensuring safe, reliable power in our communities.

PCEC has created an interactive map, where you can see if we will be in your area. Please visit https://pcec.coop/services/reliability-right-of-way/ to view the map and learn more about right-of-way maintenance.

Platte-Clay has contracted with Poor Boy Tree Service Inc. to apply EPA registered products to prevent growth or regrowth of undesirable vegetation in and along our right-of-way easements. These products will be applied in a foliar application by highly trained and licensed professionals and under the supervision of a certified applicator.

If you have any questions or concerns about this application of products or other line clearing activities, please don’t hesitate to contact PCEC at (816) 628-3121.

Member Appreciation Events

Join other members along with PCEC team members for fellowship, food and fun as membership appreciation events return this fall. Mark your calendars and join us:

Tuesday, September 24 – 11 a.m.-1 p.m.: Fish Fry at Platte City office

Thursday, September 26 – 11 a.m.-1 p.m.: Fish Fry at Kearney office

Saturday, October 12 – 9 -11 a.m.: Pancakes in the Park (Location and more details coming soon!)

Avoid Scammers

We’ve been informed about recent phone scams in our area where scammers pose as an electric utility. The scams attempt to say the member owes money for past bills or for new equipment and then threatens to cut-off power.

These types of scams generally request specific forms of payment over the phone. PCEC would never demand you use a specific form of payment over the phone. If you receive a call like this hang up immediately.

Call us at (816) 628-3121 or log in to our website to verify your account status and report the scam attempt.