FIRST PERSON
On the road in Carolina Country By Michael E.C. Gery, Editor For this month’s magazine, Carolina Country staff roamed the countryside in search of the “adventures” presented in our annual travel guide, starting on page 39. We tried to choose a good mix—some in Touchstone Energy cooperative areas and some nearby, some historical, some well known and others not, some recreational, some all-natural, some just plain fun. All together they remind us of the wealth that surrounds us in North Carolina. And new places come along all the time. The Chinqua Penn mansion in Rockingham County just recently re-opened. The Ashe County farm tours are relatively new. Other places keep getting better, such as additions to Fort Branch and two brandnew ferry runs to and from Swan Quarter. It’s one of the responsibilities and benefits of this job to roam the countryside to meet with electric cooperative members and the staffs we work with. We often tell ourselves “You know you’re in a co-op service area when you begin noticing the steel buildings that are advertised in Carolina Country magazine.” It’s true, too. That’s why so many of the steel building businesses have faithfully advertised with us every month for more than 15 years. We also know we’re in a cooperative’s service area when we see how the electric distribution lines and poles are sited and constructed—they follow a uniform standard and design for safety and reliability across cooperatives nationwide. On my adventures this year, I was reminded of the pride that we have in the work of the cooperatives. When I met a ranger, for example, in Singletary Lake State Park, he immediately recognized Carolina Country magazine and thanked Four County EMC for all it does. In Warsaw, at Smithfield’s Chicken ’n BBQ, a family hosted their grandfather for lunch and noticed my Carolina Country emblem, telling me that Tri-County EMC sends them the magazine. Each of the cooperatives in the regions where I traveled leave their marks of professionalism and compassion every day, and each has its own way of serving members and communities. Four County EMC supports the Relay for Life campaign, distributes joy to families in need through its Christmas Kindness, and (no surprise) continually scores very high in its periodic service satisfaction surveys. Passing through Brunswick EMC’s area, you are struck by new residential and commercial communities expanding east to west. And right there in Southport is the Brunswick EMC district office and yard. This co-op, proud of its progressive service, has been installing underground lines in new areas and others vulnerable to coastal storms. On Topsail Island I visited the sites where I remember Hurricane Fran did so much damage in 1996. Back then, Jones-Onslow EMC was determined to get the place up 4 APRIL 2007 Carolina Country
and running, and they sure did. Today, you see JOEMC line crews, dispatched from the smart-looking Sneads Ferry district office, extending new lines on the island. Similar system improvements are noticeable in the other cooperative service areas of the coastal plain. Fearless new Tideland EMC poles run up Hyde County and into mainland Dare. Carteret-Craven Electric replaced lines in the Cedar Island area and is building a new substation in the Maysville area north of Swansboro to help deliver reliable power to its growing coastal communities, such as a condominium project under way on Bogue Banks. EdgecombeMartin County EMC and Roanoke Electric, both devastated by Hurricane Floyd in 1999, have rebuilt major parts of their systems. The same is true at Albemarle EMC, knocked completely out by Isabel in 2003, where the rapidly growing residential areas require a new transmission line delivery system to keep up with the demand. Both Cape Hatteras and Harkers Island cooperatives recently upgraded their systems. Their island communities have depended on the cooperatives for leadership and support. Tideland EMC has long delivered the personal service that co-ops are known for. “Real People. Real Power” is the title of a recently published Tideland EMC history, recounting how neighbors helped neighbors build the co-op. Tideland is proud of its accessibility to members at three, recently refurbished district offices (Engelhard, Grantsboro and Ocracoke). If you have a need regarding your energy usage, your bill, your right of way, your church, your collegebound student, someone from Tideland may visit you personally to help. In the Northampton, Bertie, Hertford county area, you can’t miss the presence of Roanoke Electric Cooperative. They are everywhere, even with energy resource and construction programs, and helping communities with financial literacy and business development. Edgecombe-Martin County EMC lately has been very successful in laying the foundation for industrial development, then attracting growing, well-paying businesses to maintain the area’s economy, not to mention the co-op’s economic condition. Some of the latest here are a QVC home shopping distribution center, a Syfan shrink film firm and Microcell fuel cell manufacturers. Pitt & Greene EMC has one of the most active business development programs in the state, but they are never too busy to help a family move a precious, historic farmhouse down the road to a new location. So you can honestly see why we enjoy roaming the countryside in search of adventures, and encouraging others to do the same.
c