June 2020 | Volume 82 | Issue 6
Platte-Clay Electric Announces Scholarship, Youth Tour Winners
Platte-Clay 2020 scholarship winners Baylea Jones – South District (left), Jacob Boyd – North District (middle) and Kyle Bean – West District (right).
Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative recently awarded scholarships to nine outstanding Northland area students.
Every year, PCEC gives out a $1,000 scholarship to one high school senior in each of the co-op’s three service districts. The recipients of the $1,000 scholarships this year were Baylea Jones of Kearney, Jacob Boyd of Trimble and Kyle Bean of Platte City.
Additionally, the co-op sponsors six high school juniors to attend the Youth Tour and Youth CYCLE leadership conferences in Washington, D.C. and Jefferson City every year. Both of those conferences were cancelled by their organizers due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, so students were instead awarded scholarships.
Students receiving $2,800 Youth Tour scholarships were Andrew Plymell, a home-schooled student, and Katherine Byrd, a Kearney High School student. Students receiving $500 Youth CYCLE scholarships were Alexis Cole and Josie Olberding of Kearney High School, Elizabeth Shafer of West Platte High and Shelby Stapleton of North Platte High.
Protecting Your Right to Democratic Participation in Uncertain Times
Dave Deihl, General Manager
From the General Manager
Over the past few months, COVID-19 has disrupted our lives, businesses and communities in major ways, and Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative is no exception to that. From temporarily closing offices to the public to initiating remote work protocols, we made big adjustments to keep our employees and consumer-members safe.
One outcome of the effort to stop COVID-19 was the banning of mass gatherings by state and local health officials. We’ve taken the guidance given by those medical experts seriously, and complying with that ban meant we had to make the decision to cancel the traditional plans for our annual meeting which is typically held in the first week of May.
This was a difficult decision made by our Board of Directors, but we’re positive it was the right one. On top of the great fun of bringing our Northland community together for our annual celebration, another important part of the meeting is giving consumer-members the opportunity to participate in the democratic process for the co-op.
As a co-op, we’re community-led and community-focused. Candidates for the Board of Directors are voted on by members at our meeting every year, as are amendments to the by-laws that govern the cooperative. Fortunately, the formal nomination process was completed prior to the pandemic with only one candidate from each district coming forward. Regardless, the ability to vote on those candidates is one factor that defines the cooperative business model, democratic member control.
Our priority moving forward is to protect that democratic participation that makes our organization so special. With uncertainty hanging over our community on when it will be safe to resume holding large, in-person events, it is important for us to move forward with alternative voting on co-op business.
In the coming months we will be conducting the election for Board of Directors candidates and by-law changes using a combination of electronic and mailing methods. A special waiver has been granted to co-ops by the state this year to allow for this needed adjustment. This approach will protect our consumer-members’ right to democratically participate in their co-op’s governing process by eliminating the risk of PCEC not being able to conduct voting this year at a rescheduled on-site special business meeting.
I strongly encourage you to stay tuned to this newsletter, our website and social media for forthcoming information on how you can vote in this year’s co-op elections. We are working to make the process as painless and secure for members as possible because we want every member to exercise their right to participate.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns you can reach me by emailing GeneralManager@pcec.coop.
Platte-Clay Charts Path Forward as Northland Communities Begin to Reopen
After months of shelter-in-place orders, videoconferenced schooling and take-out dinners, Northland residents have started to adjust to a new normal as public spaces reopen with new measures in place to protect anyone who visits them.
Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative is one of the thousands of businesses that has worked to navigate the unprecedented challenges posed by COVID-19. As the communities the co-op serves have reopened, the organization has slowly transformed to accommodate its consumer-members’ evolving needs.
TAKING QUICK ACTION
As soon as the potential impact of COVID-19 became apparent in early March, Platte-Clay’s senior staff met to begin putting measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect the well-being of consumer members.
Shortly after, the co-op temporarily suspended disconnects and late fees to provide financial relief for members being impacted by the coronavirus and the shelter-in-place orders that resulted. The co-op also moved quickly to close its offices to the public and implement remote work procedures.
REOPENING OFFICES
On May 11, the co-op’s offices were reopened to the public with additional safety measures in place. Consumer-members entering Platte-Clay facilities were asked to follow the Center for Disease Control’s latest social distancing guidelines.
In addition to following social distancing, the co-op also installed plexiglass barriers at member service stations and instituted an office sanitation procedure. Contactless options for member service like online payments, speaking with representatives on the phone and drop boxes have been strongly encouraged.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS
Platte-Clay quickly recognized the significant impact COVID-19 has had on the financial well-being of families and business, and has been working with members to assist in getting caught up with their bills. The co-op will continue to not charge late fees or disconnect services due to nonpayment until July. Anyone wanting to discuss payment options with the co-op can speak to a Member Service Representative by calling 816-628-3121. A list of community resources has also been added to www.PCEC.coop/coronavirus.
Platte-Clay is a community-based cooperative with no shareholders that routinely returns its excess revenue to consumer-members. Co-ops operate with limited reserves which can be further limited by sustained high rates of non-payment and decreased electric usage caused by COVID-19. Despite these challenges, PCEC is working hard to ensure the co-op remains in a strong financial position.
MOVING FORWARD
A website has been set up at www.PCEC.coop/coronavirus to allow PCEC members to see all the latest updates on how the co-op’s operations have shifted in light of COVID-19, including the voting changes highlighted in CEO Dave Deihl’s column this month.
One unique advantage of a co-op is that they are led by the members they serve. In a time of crisis like the coronavirus pandemic, this fact has empowered Platte-Clay Electric to respond quickly to challenges as they arise in order to deliver the best service possible.
Platte-Clay Moments
The 139th Airlift Wing conducts a C-130 Hercules flyover in the Northland to salute healthcare workers at area hospitals.
Left: Tree trimming operations aimed at improving reliability continue this spring with crews clearing this location near Missouri City. Right: A PCEC lineman installs equipment on a power pole that will help minimize outages for consumer-members in the area.
Contactless Payment-Options Still Available
Although PCEC offices have reopened, the co-op still encourages all members who can to utilize contactless options. Members can make payments remotely by calling 816-628-3121 or visiting www.PCEC.coop. Applications and payment envelopes can also be placed in drop boxes in either Kearney or Platte City.
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.