Carol Hall FraleyPresident/CEO

Straight Talk from the CEO

Grayson RECC has seven member-directors who are charged with the governance of the cooperative. How did they get to be directors? There are several ways. Most became interested in serving the cooperative and followed the directions in the bylaws to have their name placed on a ballot. Others may have been appointed by the other members of the board to fill an unexpired term. Some candidates may have been nominated by a Nominating Committee and others may have gathered signatures on petitions to secure their place on the ballot. The important thing is to remember that all co-op members in good standing are eligible to run for a seat on the board.

What do directors actually do and what are their responsibilities? First and foremost, it is the responsibility of directors to make sure that Grayson RECC complies with all fed-eral, state, and local laws and ordinances. With the advice of legal counsel, each and every decision must be made in the best interest of our members and within the confines of the Kentucky Public Service Commission, OSHA, EPA, and many other agencies who protect the public.

This is why our directors go to “school.” Being a director is hard work and not just about showing up once per month for a board meeting. Directors are required to take classes on issues like Wage and Salary Administration; Robert’s Rules of Order and the proper way to conduct a meeting and record the business thereof; the impact of emissions from coal-fired power plants and how those costs are affecting our members; reading and interpreting balance sheets and documents like Form 7 that is submitted directly to the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), and dozens more. A well-educated and informed board can literally save a cooperative thousands of dollars and keep the cooperative out of hot water

“What do good directors do for your cooperative?”

Due to the retirement of Carter County director Donnie Crum, an election to fill that seat will be held this year. Ballots will be mailed April 25, 2014, and must be returned by US mail by May 5. See profiles of candidates in this issue on page 42B. (Director Crum will serve through the annual membership meeting on May 8.)

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G R AYS O N R E C C • A P R I L 2 0 1 4 42A

KENNY ADKINSKenny Adkins and his wife, Robin, and

their two daughters, Kendra and Kenlee, reside on Adkins Loop near Carter Caves and Olive Hill in Carter County. Kenny is a contracted safety manager

for AK Steel. He and his family attend Three Pine Freewill Baptist Church in Olive Hill. He enjoys spending time with his family and

hunting. Kenny is an active member of the Grahn and Olive Hill Volunteer Fire Departments, is a member of the Olive Hill Masonic Lodge #629, and the Carter County Shriners.

Kenny is interested in becoming a director to bring his experience with labor relations and power generation to the table. His focus is to work hard for the members and the employees, and to represent all members fairly and equally.

JIM BENTLEYJim Bentley and his wife, Jill, reside on

Old US 60 near Grayson. They have two grown daughters, Blake and Brooke, and

one granddaugh-ter, MaryElla. Jim is the owner of Grayson Truck Accessories. He is a Christian of Baptist faith. He enjoys spending

time with family and trading in old cars and trucks. He is a sponsor of com-munity school teams and the veterans program.

Jim has been interested in a seat on

the Grayson RECC board of directors for years. His focus is to be honest and fair with all members and to work with other board members to make good, sound decisions for the cooperative. The safety of our members and employees is one of his top priorities.

TRACY BROWNTracy and his wife, Cheri, reside on

Sunset Hill in Grayson. Tracy is a life-long Grayson businessman and the owner of Brown’s Mobile Homes. He

studied business at Morehead State University. He and his wife attend New Beginnings Assembly of God in Grayson. He enjoys fishing and

watching sports. Tracy is a past Grayson Jaycee president, a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and a sponsor of local schools and community projects.

Tracy has had 37 years of customer service experience in working with the public. His focus will be to take that experience and apply it to working with the cooperative and its members. He is also interested in being part of the co-op to help make decisions that have a posi-tive effect on the communities we serve.

J.D. MCGLONEJ.D. resides on Buffalo Valley Farm off

RT 2, near Carter City. He has one grown son, Jonathan. J.D. is retired from man-agement at Southern States Cooperative, and is currently a farmer. He received a B.A. in agriculture management from the University of Kentucky. He attends Carter Holiness Church in Carter. He

enjoys farming, fishing, and camp-ing. He is an active member of the Carter Volunteer Fire Department.

J.D. became interested in elec-tric cooperatives during a college coop-erative class at UK. He is now at a time in his life that he has time to work with the board of directors. He wants to use his past business experience to serve the cooperative membership and feels this is an opportunity to be more active in com-munity affairs.

HERBIE SUTTLESHerbie and his wife, Jamie, live at

Pactolus, just north of Grayson. They have two grown children, Rebecca and Justin. Herbie is retired from Addington Inc., where he was a blasting supervisor.

He enjoys farming and raises cattle, tobacco, hay, and corn. His favorite hobby is hunting. He is a member of Farm Bureau and works in his com-

munity in a variety of ways, including cleaning roads after storms.

Herbie’s focus is on reliable delivery of electric service by supporting the right-of-way program. He is interested in run-ning for the board of directors to help be a voice for the members. Herbie knows that change is an inevitable part of the cooperative’s future and looks forward to that challenge.

Candidate Biographies

G R AYS O N R E C C • A P R I L 2 0 1 4 42C

FEBRUARY 2014 STORM

“Why would we want your power to be off ?”On February 4 and 5, your cooperative

was hit by an ice storm. The areas that were hardest hit were Rowan County, Elliott County, and southern Carter County. Two substations in Greenup County, the Warnock and Low Gap stations, were hit hard and were completely out of commis-sion. At that time, more than 7,000 mem-bers were without power.

All of our crews and right-of-way personnel were called in by midnight. Reports of broken poles and blocked roads began to pour in. Mobility was very limited and trees that weren’t even on the right-of-way began to fall right and left (usually on a power line).

Crews from our contractor, Pike Electric, and from Big Sandy Rural Electric and Licking Valley Rural Electric came to help us restore this widespread outage.

By Monday, February 10, almost everyone had power restored. We are still cleaning up from the storm, putting up neutrals, replacing cross arms, and still finding more broken poles. We are up to 65 broken poles at this point. We esti-

mate the cost of the storm to be around $500,000.

Many thanks to all the folks who helped us during the storm. Some brought our men hot coffee and sandwiches. The First Baptist Church ladies in Sandy Hook fed our crews for two days. Other people checked lines for us and reported what needed to be done. Our County Judge Executives sent crews ahead of us to clear roads so that we could get where we needed to go. A special thanks to those members who called and were so nice to us when reporting an outage.

A storm is hard on everyone. It’s tough on our linemen, on our personnel who

answer the phones, on our members who are ill or have special needs, and most people in general. But NO ONE here at the cooperative wants you to be out of power, EVER. We wish that everyone could have service 24/7. But unfortu-nately, Mother Nature has other ideas and she likes to cause problems every now and then. Again, we appreciate the patience of our members and we thank everyone who helped in any way.

STORM FACTSEmployees and additional help worked an average of 128 hours from midnight on Tuesday, February 4, at midnight to Tuesday, February 11, at 5 p.m.

W.A. Kendall Right Of Way ..... 25 MenBig Sandy Rural Electric ......... 10 MenLicking Valley ............................. 9 MenPike Electric Crews ................. 28 MenGrayson RECC ............. 45 Employees 117 TotalEQUIPMENT• 4 Dozers • 1 Track hoe• 1 Bobcat • 45 Trucks

MATERIALS• 65 broken poles• 961 lbs of wirePlus sleeves, cross arms, guy wire, and other related materials

FEEDING THE CREWS BREAKFAST (5 days)• 1008 Eggs • 682 Biscuits• 888 Sausages • 20 Gallons of gravyPlus lunch served or packed and dinner as needed

DEN

NIS

WAL

KER

April 2014

Use your Co-op Connections Card to save on travel

If you’re planning a spring break, take advantage of your Grayson Rural Electric Co-op Connections Card discounts before you hit the road. You can save on luggage, car rentals, hotels, restaurants, and more! Visit www.connections.coop for a complete discount listing.

VACATIONS DIRECT: Save $100 off on a double-occupancy cabin. Cruise discount can be used one time for each double occupancy cabin booked that is equal to or above $1,100 per person. Call 866-209-4065 and mention promo code discount100 when inquiring.

NATIONAL CAR RENTAL: As a Touchstone Energy member, you’ll get unlimited mileage and year-round dis-counts off National’s rates at approximately 3,000 locations in 72 countries across the globe. For information and res-ervations, contact National at 1-800-CAR-RENT or go to www.nationalcar.com. Be sure to request contract number 5000205 at time of reservation.

DRURY HOTELS: Get $10 savings off standard room rates, plus third and fourth occupants stay free at Drury Hotels with your Co-op Connections Card. Family-owned and operated, Drury Hotels offer squeaky-clean rooms, friendly service, and a great value. Call 1-800-DRURYINN and ask for the Co-op Connections member rate or go to www.druryhotels.com and use promotion code 319078.

One Call. One Click. One Good Idea.

Grayson RECC 1-800-305-5493 w w w. s i m p l e s a v e r. c o o p

With one simple call or click you can start saving energy, helping the environment, and earning bill credits. Our SimpleSaver program can credit your electric bill $30 or more annually.

Join today and receive an additional $25 sign-on bonus.

G d Id

G R AYS O N R E C C • A P R I L 2 0 1 4 42E

Power Outage TextingWe hope that you do not experience a power outage, but if you do, we are now able to receive your outage by text message.

Sign up today to be ready to use texting in the event of an outage. Members MUST call us to give your cell phone numbers or you can add the number to your member profile through the customer portal. The number will need to be entered on every account that you want to sign up for this service. You will be able to enter keywords to name each individual account. Texting will be available to your account the DAY AFTER you update your information.

Once you are signed up text the word “Outage” to 55050. When you sign up you can enter keywords to name the accounts. If you are experiencing only an outage on your garage, you can text “Outage Garage.” If you are experi-encing an outage on all of the accounts, you can text “Outage All” or just “Outage.”

www.graysonrecc.com 474-5136 (800) 562-3532

Don’t let a power outage cost youWhen a big storm causes a tempo-

rary power outage at your home, it can do more than leave you in the dark. It can cost you money if you’re not pre-pared.

In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that power outages cost homeowners a collective $150 bil-lion a year, including $200 per home per outage in spoiled refrigerated or frozen foods. A tip: if your refrigerator is without power for four hours, throw away thawing meat and poultry, as well as soft cheeses and dairy.

If your basement floods because your electric sump pump shuts down, you could have to pay for repairs, and it’s not inexpensive to have household mold cleaned up. Plus, factor in the cost of moving your family to a hotel if you can’t stay in your house while the electricity is out.

In some cases, it could pay to invest

in a home generator that will allow you to keep the refrigerator, sump pump, and other critical devices running in the home. You can pay anywhere from $300 for a small, portable generator that will power one or two appliances at a time for a few hours, to several

thousand to run your air conditioner, lights, electronics, and appliances.

Generators can be deadly if they are not installed correctly. Be sure to call Grayson Rural Electric for a brochure that shows the proper installation for generators.

42F K E N T U C K Y L I V I N G • A P R I L 2 0 1 4

Working on electricity? Be smartThe smartest, safest way to fix an electrical problem around your house is to call a licensed electrician.Even if you are an expert handyman, it’s just not smart to fool around with electricity.

If you must, however, at least:a Turn the power off at the breaker box. Don’t just turn the appliance or light off if you’re going to tinker with it. No

power means no chance of a shock. In fact, tape the breaker into the “off ” position and let everyone in the house know you’re working on the electricity so nobody will switch it back on.

a Check all of the wires. When you open a fixture or an electrical box, assure yourself that none of the wires are “hot.” Test them all using a tester.

a Wear gloves, goggles, and conductive shoes, which prevent the buildup of static electricity in your body.

aAvoid metal-handled tools and ladders. Choose properly insulated tools for electrical jobs. Invest in a wooden or fiberglass ladder with insulated feet. And inspect your power tools for damaged cords and plugs.

aStay away from water. If you’ve got an electrical problem in a wet location, call for help. This is not a job for a non-electrician.

with the many agencies we answer to. How does this training filter down to the members? A

well-educated and informed board can bring better ser-vice to our members. They know what works and what doesn’t. They are better able to make good decisions, based on the specific needs of our own cooperative. They can also look to the future to take advantage of new opportunities.

Our directors are just like you. They are members. They live on our lines. They work and volunteer in our communities. You see them at basketball games and at the grocery store or at church. You know them on a first name basis and you don’t have to hesitate when you pick up the phone and call them. I like to think of the coop-erative as a well-oiled machine; the board sets the poli-cies, and our employees and I carry out the day-to-day responsibilities within those parameters.

Many people think being a director is easy, but it comes with a lot of responsibility. These seven directors

make decisions that will affect the lives of more than 16,000 members and their families on our lines. And your directors are active. They help during storms, they constantly study cooperative-related materials, and they are always looking for ways to keep rates down and keep you and our employees safe. Being a cooperative director is hard, challenging work.

Sincerely,Carol Hall Fraley, President and CEO

(continued from page 42A)

“What do good directors do for your cooperative?”

G R AYS O N R E C C • A P R I L 2 0 1 4 42G

LAST DAY TO PAY: April 15

OFFICE CLOSED: April 18

Office Hours: 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.Monday-Friday

Contact Us: (606) 474-5136(800) 562-3532

Outage Contact Info:Call (800) 562-3532Text 55050

Bill Pay Options:Mobile deviceOnlinePhoneOfficeMail

Counties Served:Carter, Elliott, Greenup,Lawrence,Lewis, and Rowan

Our MissionGrayson Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation exists to provide safe, efficient elec-tricity and related services to our members, our communities, and others who may be affected by our actions and decisions.

President & CEOCarol Hall Fraley

AttorneyW. Jeffrey Scott

Board of DirectorsRoger Trent—ChairmanDonnie Crum—Vice PresidentEddie Martin—Sec./TreasurerKenneth ArringtonHarold DupuyWilliam T. “Bill” RiceJimmy E. Whitt

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

www.graysonrecc.com

Right of Way informationfor April 2014

Work will begin on RT 986 ( Airport Road Circuit). Three-phase and all taps will be trimmed, cut, and mowed to improve service and help cut down right-of-way and weather related outages.

We started applying herbicide in Lawrence County on circuit from Mazie to Blaine beginning in early March.

Beginning in early June, herbicide will be applied on the circuit from Leon to Grayson Lake including Deer Creek and RT 7 side of Rattlesnake Ridge.

We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

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