K.C. ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION

[Country News]

coloradocountrylife.coop 7NOVEMBER 2015

K.K.C. Electric Association is a nonprofit electric cooperative, and we strive to provide affordable and reliable service to you, our member-owners. We don’t exist to make money from selling electricity, but to provide reliable electricity at the lowest rate possible while at the same time ensuring that K.C. Electric continues to be a financially sound business.

In 2013, our wholesale power supplier, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, made adjustments to the rate structure that they use to charge us for the power that we distribute to you. Prior to 2013, K.C. Electric’s power bill from Tri-State included a demand charge and an energy charge. When Tri-State made its rate change in 2013, it changed to an all energy rate. Beginning in 2016, Tri-State will shift back to a rate that will include a demand charge and an energy charge. K.C. Electric will be billed a flat energy charge and our demand charge will be calculated by taking the peak demand that we incur between the hours of 12 and 10 p.m. during the billing month.

Because of this rate design change, K.C. Electric is currently conducting a cost-of- service study. A cost-of-service study does a couple of things.

1. A cost-of-service study determines if the members’ rates reflect what it costs K.C. Electric to provide electric service. A variety of expenses are

incurred when running an electric cooperative, including purchasing power from Tri-State Generation and Trans-mission, maintaining and purchasing equip-ment (poles, wire, transformers, substa-tions, trucks, etc.) and providing maintenance (tree trimming, line maintenance, pole testing, etc.), em-ployees, training, as well as the costs for administration, customer service and billing.

2. A cost-of-service study helps us to determine if our members are being charged proportionately. K.C. Elec-tric serves many different classes of members: residential, irrigation, large power, small and large commercial, etc. This cost-of-service study will determine whether or not each rate class is paying for its fair share, or if one or more rate classes are subsidiz-ing other rate classes.

K.C. Electric’s power supplier, Tri-State Generation and Transmission, is not raising rates for 2016, but this rate design change may affect how we charge particular rate classes. We won’t know for sure until our cost-of-service study is completed. Cost of power accounts for ap-proximately 75 percent of K.C. Electric’s

expenses on an annual basis, so any change in the rate struc-ture or the cost of power from Tri-State can have a significant effect on our financial health. (George McDonald, Acct. #1106680003)

As I mentioned earlier, K.C. Electric is a member-owned,

nonprofit electric cooperative. Unlike an investor-owned utility, K.C. does not have to generate large profits for its investors. Our goal in designing rates is to balance the duty of running a financially sound and reliable electric utility while making sure our members are not charged more than what is necessary. K.C.’s board of directors takes great care to ensure K.C.’s electric rates are fair to our members and accurately reflect what it costs to run a financially sound business. The K.C. directors are members of our cooperative just like you, and they are committed to covering our expenses in a way that is fair to all members.

When the results of our study are completed, K.C.’s board of directors will determine whether our rates should be adjusted. I will keep you informed about the results and any necessary adjust-ments.

David Churchwell

K.C. Electric Is a Nonprofit Electric CooperativeK.C. Electric exists to provide safe, reliable and affordable electricity to membersBY DAVID CHURCHWELL || GENERAL MANAGER

[Country News]

coloradocountrylife.coop4 NOVEMBER 20158

ODrill for a Different and Dangerous WorldBY BEN ORRELL || MEMBER SERVICES SPECIALIST

On September 18, 2015, the call came in to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher that the Genoa-Hugo High School had a gunman in the hallway. Multiple shots were fired. Students were in classrooms and there were injuries. Three minutes later three police cars rolled up to the school with sirens blaring, and police were prepared to enter the school and stop the shooter or shooters at any cost. They opened the doors to the school and rushed in. Shots could be heard from inside the building and then came the call that the zone was dangerous.

Emergency medical service people rushed into the building and under the protection of the sheriff’s office and other law enforcement agencies, began to treat and prepare the wounded for trans-port to the Lincoln Community Hospital.

Minutes later, additional fire department and emergency medical service personnel arrived to assist in treating and transporting injured people. At about 11 minutes after the initial call, the Limon Police Department arrived and additional law enforcement units from all over eastern Colorado responded.

Overall, there were two deceased, including the shooter, and nine were transported to the hospital. (David Becker, Acct. #1102640019)

As horrific as this scenario is, it was just a drill. A well-orchestrated drill designed to prepare for the worst. This exercise was a result of the changing threat in our country. “We haven’t lost a student to a fire in a school in over 80 years but we still have two drills a year,” said Sheriff Tom Nestor. It is time to train and conduct exercises to prepare for the worst.” Nestor spent countless hours preparing and planning for this day. Unfortunately he had to undergo back surgery and was unable to at-tend. He made clear the message they hope to convey to the schools. “We take this threat seriously and we train for it. God forbid that this ever happens, but if it does we want the people in the schools to know that we are coming. We are coming fast and we are trained to do this job.”

A training event of this size and magnitude does a variety of things. First it gets the law enforcement agencies to work in a coordinated and well-orches-trated manner. It brings together the fire departments and EMS agencies and it folds in the role of the hospital working with all those agencies. Mental health staff and counselors are also brought in to the exercise. These things can be discussed and worked out on planning boards, but until it is put to the test it is just theory. This exercise was a success but if it was a total failure it would still be a success, in that they would have concrete ideas of their weaknesses and have a place to begin to get better.

An exercise like this can also serve as a deterrent. Anyone contemplating doing something like a school shooting will know that their cowardly act of taking out soft targets and innocent people will be met with deadly force from

well-armed and trained professionals. The event on September 18 was made as real

as possible to make it. There were blank bullets fired and casualties were covered with moulage to look like they had been shot. Arapahoe

County Sheriff’s Office personnel served as evaluators. They were the law enforcement unit on the ground at the shootings at Columbine and Arapahoe high schools. They learned much and now they are experts at how to deal with these situations. They brought along teenagers from the Sheriff Explorer group to participate. Recently, the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office conducted threat training exercises at Byers, Bennett, Strasburg and Deer Trail.

To say this was a large event would be an understatement. Over 50 role players were involved. However, the overall head count of people involved was in the range of 200. It involved the following: Lincoln County Sheriff Office in-cluding patrols and detention deputies, Hugo marshalls, Limon police, Colorado State Patrol, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Colorado Department of Corrections and Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office.

Some students from the Genoa-Hugo school and some of the faculty volunteered to participate as role players. This was not a school day and most students were not there.

The exercise folded in firefighters, paramedics and emergency medical technician’s from Hugo, Limon, Karval, Genoa, Arriba and Flagler. In addition, the Lincoln Community Hospital handled injuries, and Centennial Mental Health

HealthONE Air Life Helicopter crew and a Lincoln Community Hospital nurse load an injured person for flight to Denver.

Hugo ambulance and emergency medical services personnel unload an injured student.

Emergency vehicles surround the school.

[Country News]

coloradocountrylife.coop 9NOVEMBER 2015

Center and the Lincoln County Victims Advocate and Public Health office were there to render assistance. A HealthONE AirLife helicopter from Denver was brought in and casualties were loaded for practice.

For this exercise, the rally point was the Methodist Church in Hugo, although in an actual event it would be the Lincoln County Courthouse. As I watched the exercise, I was impressed at the professionalism of everyone involved. As an afterthought, I stopped by the Methodist Church to observe what was going on there. They had simu-lated parents who didn’t know where their children were and parents who knew that their children had been injured. I was struck with the importance of this piece of the exercise. Without that service, the entire exercise could have been a failure. Meeting the needs of the people is a huge and indispensable part of the entire process.

Captain Michael Yowell, on behalf of Sheriff

Nestor, thanked the Genoa-Hugo High School for embracing this training. Many schools across the United States refuse to face the possibility that this could happen and reject the training opportunities. “We pray every day that this never happens but we want to be ready if it ever does,” Yow-ell said. Nestor believes that we, in these small communities, can make necessary changes immediately because we, have less red tape to go through. We can be an example to other communities. We can make a difference. We are making a difference. (Win** Arlan Tanner, Acct. #905600001)

As for me, I was blown away at the profes-sionalism and dedication I witnessed. All too often we take these dedicated people for granted. Thank you for all you do. Most of us know little of how much you do because you do it without fanfare, but just watching an exercise like this gives me, and I hope the

readers, confidence in our defenders, EMS, fire department, caregivers and counselors. Great job, and thanks again for all you do.

RRecently two K.C. Electric employees were honored at the national level in St. Louis, Missouri. Kristie Con-stance, billing supervisor, and Jodi Withington, cashier and reception-ist, were honored with a request to present our prepay metering program to the annual Members Information Conference sponsored by the National Information Solutions Cooperative. The NISC MIC brings cooperative employees together from across the United States. The MIC is an excellent learning tool and provides the oppor-tunity to have conversations with our peers at the conference and discover what other cooperatives are doing. NISC is a technology company that provides software for K.C. Electric.

The conference had more than 2,500 attendees with more than 150 sessions. Thirty-one of those ses-sions were led by cooperative members. The 2015 Conference was centered around the theme of “Innovation Amplified.” The conference provided information to help leverage the power of the software system to amplify efficiency and communication to our customers.

At the end of week one, Kristie was called to the stage and

presented with a plaque and an iPad for her outstanding presentation. She was in the top five of all presenters. K.C. Electric is a pioneer in prepay metering. This was made possible by the installa-tion of advanced metering infrastruc-ture meters. Kristie and Jodi initially made a presentation about K.C.’s pro-gram at the CREA accountant meeting in August 2014. They also made the presentation at the NSAC and National Rural Electric Cooperative Association tax, finance and accounting meeting in Denver in July.

When NISC issued an open invita-tion to all NISC users to submit mem-ber presentations for the MIC, NISC chose our presentation.

“It was an exciting experience to share the success of the prepay meter-

ing program with some of these cooperatives. It was truly a privilege and honor to represent K.C. Electric and its employ-ees and members at the conference,” Kristie said.

Congratulations to Kristie and Jodi. You did us all proud. We may be a small cooperative, but Kristie and Jodi have shown that good things still come in small packages. (Todd Marriott, Acct. #718510002)

GOOD THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGESK.C. Electric maybe small, but it wields a big influence

Jodi Withington (left) and Kristie Constance received high honors at a national convention.

A Different and Dangerous World

Lincoln Community Hospital emer-gency room medical personnel try to stabilize a gunshot victim.

[Country News]

coloradocountrylife.coop4 NOVEMBER 201510

THE COUNTRY KITCHENIMPOSSIBLE TURKEY BROCCOLI PIE1 10-ounce package frozen chopped broccoli3 cups shredded cheddar cheese1-2 cups of cut-up cooked turkey2/3 cup chopped onion1 1/3 cups milk3 eggs3/4 cup baking mix (Jiffy or Bisquick) 3/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 10-inch pie plate. Thaw broccoli, drain thorough-ly then mix broccoli, 2 cups cheese, all the turkey and onion in the pie plate. Beat milk, eggs, baking mix, salt and pepper until smooth (15 seconds in the blender or one minute with a hand beater). Pour into pie plate and bake for 25-35 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Top with remaining cheese and bake just until cheese is melted (1-2 minutes). Serves 6-8 people.

Lila Taylor, Stratton

THE BEST (DO-AHEAD) TURKEY GRAVY1 tablespoon vegetable oil2 turkey wings (about 1 ½ pounds) separated at joints1 large onion, quartered2 carrots, each cut into 4 pieces2 celery stalks, each cut into 4 pieces1 garlic clove, sliced in half½ cup dry white wine2 cans chicken broth (14 ounces each), about 3 ½ cups1/4 teaspoon dried thyme3 cups water½ cup all-purpose flour

In a deep 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add turkey wings and cook 10 to 15 minutes or until golden on all sides. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic and cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer turkey and vegetables to large bowl. (Jonell Monroe, Acct. #301700001) Add wine to skillet and stir until browned bits are loosened. Return turkey and veg-etables to skillet. Stir in broth, thyme and water; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, uncovered, 45 minutes. Strain into an 8-cup measure or large bowl; discard solids. Let broth stand a few seconds until fat separates from meat juice. Spoon 1/4 cup fat from broth into 2-quart saucepan; skim and discard any remaining fat in broth. Add flour to fat in saucepan; cook, stirring over medium heat until flour turns gold-en brown. Gradually whisk in reserved broth and cook until gravy boils and thickens slightly, stirring constantly. Pour gravy into 2-quart container or medium bowl, cover and refrigerate. At serving time, reheat gravy and add pan drippings from roast turkey.

Alice Jensen, Hugo

CLAIM YOUR CREDIT ON YOUR BILLEach month, K.C. Electric offers con-sumers a chance to earn a $10 credit on their next electric bill. If you recognize your 10-digit account number in this magazine, call 719-743-2431 and ask for your credit. It couldn’t be easier.

In September, Tracey Weeks of Kit Carson and Krista Davis of Stratton called to claim their credit.

Get acquainted with your account number, read your Colorado Country Life magazine and pick up the phone. That’s all the energy you’ll need to claim your energy bucks.

You must claim your credit during the month in which your name appears in the magazine (check the date on the front cover).

Reduce energy for water

heating. Take simple steps like

lowering your water heater’s

temperature and installing low-

flow showerheads to reduce

your water heating bills.

ENERGY TIP