December Highline Notes - Calendar

2021 CALENDAR

HIGHLINE notes Community-focused | Member-driven

Roxanne Westman, Mapleton, ND

December 2020

Community

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve made numerous adjustments to how we give back to our members. Over the past few months, like so many of you, we’ve risen to meet new challenges and strengthen the safety net for our community, particularly for those who are most vulnerable. Below are a few of the many programs we recently participated in during this turbulent time.

Be a Santa to a Senior Be a Santa to a Senior by Home Instead Senior Care identifies seniors in our area that may be lonely or financially challenged and coordinates the purchase and delivery of a holiday gift. CCEC partnered with Home Instead to spread holiday cheer to local seniors that otherwise may not receive a gift. You can participate virtually by visiting Beasantatoasenior.com, entering your zip code, and shopping safely through Amazon.

Emergency Food Pantry For more than 40 years, located in the FargoMoorhead community, the Emergency Food Pantry has provided referred families and individuals facing emergency situations with one week’s supply of healthy food. CCEC employees held a food drive and donated a combined 40 hours of work time spent volunteering.

Donations We are built by the communities we serve, and we wanted to give back to those organizations that do so much for our communities. We held a contest on Facebook where the nonprofit with the most nominations received a $500 donation; Firstlink won. CCEC also donated $500 to Fill The Dome. Since 2007, Fill The Dome has filled the Fargo Dome 13 times, raised over 2.5 million lbs. of food, and more than $600K to support ND/MN communities through North Dakota Food Bank.

Kristine Harris, Gwinner, ND

Concern for the community is the heart and soul of who we are. And no matter what the future brings, you can count on your electric co-op to care about you.

DECEMBER 2020

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

Hanukkah Begins (Evening)

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Hanukkah Ends (Evening)

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Winter Begins

Christmas Eve CLOSED at 12:30

Christmas Day OFFICE CLOSED

Kwanzaa Begins

27 28 29 30 31 New Year’s Eve

Tip: Insulate hot water pipes. This reduces heat loss and can raise water temperature 2 to 4 degrees hotter than uninsulated pipes.

2021 Director Elections

If you are a Cass County Electric Cooperative member and are interested in becoming a director, contact Karen Egeberg at 701-356-4405 for a 2021 director election petition packet. In compliance with bylaw requirements, a petition, biographical information and such other information as the board or credentialing committee may require to establish and verify the qualifications of the proposed director to serve must be delivered to the cooperative office no less than 90 days (Jan. 20, 2021) prior to the date of the Annual Member Meeting of Tuesday, April 20, 2021, at which an election will be held.

District 2 Douglas Anderson (I) Arthur District 3

Sidney Berg (I)

Colfax District 5(1) Wendy Loucks (I) Fargo Following the cooperative bylaws, the board of directors voted to appoint current at-large director, Marcy Svenningsen, to fill the unexpired term, through 2022, in District 1 that opened with director Froelich’s resignation. This appointment created a vacancy in the at-large director position. The board appointed Terry Kraft, board candidate in the 2020 director election, to fill the unexpired at-large term, through 2023, until the 2021 Annual Meeting.

District 1 Marcy Svenningsen (I) Valley City District At-Large Terry Kraft (I) West Fargo

Directors are elected by ballot for a three-year term and must be a bona fide resident of the director district in which they are seeking directorship.

Donn Schuschke, Fargo, ND

The names of all candidates who submit the required information in the time and manner specified in Article III. Section 3.6 of the bylaws will be submitted to a credentialing committee consisting of between three and eight members, as determined by the board of directors. The credentialing committee may require candidates to provide and verify additional information deemed relevant by the credentialing committee. CCEC district map, bylaws, and articles of incorporation can be found at CassCountyElectric.com; a written copy is also available upon request.

JANUARY 2021

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1 2 Cass County Electric Cooperative Mission Statement: To serve our members’ energy needs with affordable & reliable electricity.

Kwanzaa Ends New Year’s Day OFFICE CLOSED

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Martin Luther King Jr. Day

24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Tip: Take advantage of solar gain. Open your blinds in the winter to let natural light in and use the sun’s power to help heat your home.

Cass County Electric Mobile App • View and pay bill • Monitor energy use • Report an outage • Manage your account • Access quick links We know life is fast and, at times, hectic – that’s why downloading the Cass County Electric mobile app will make your life easier. The Cass County Electric mobile app has many features that make managing your account simple. Whether you’re at home or on the move, you’ll be able to pay your bill, view your usage, contact a member representative, get the latest cooperative news, and more!

Download the Cass County Electric mobile app!

Amy Lindemann, Fargo, ND

FEBRUARY 2021

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1 2 3 4 5 6 Groundhog Day

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Lincoln’s Birthday Chinese New Year

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Valentine’s Day

Presidents’ Day

Mardi Gras

Ash Wednesday

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28

Tip: Limit electric space heater use. Space heaters can cost more than $100 per a month to operate, so turn them off when leaving the room.

Operation Round Up

Since organizing our Operation Round Up program in 1993, Cass County Electric Cooperative members and employees have raised more than $3.25 million. These funds have gone back into the community to help individuals and nonprofit organizations in need.

Participation is simple: Your monthly electric bill is rounded up to the nearest dollar, an estimated average of $5.81 per year — a small amount to help worthy causes in our region. These funds are used primarily within Cass County Electric Cooperative’s service area for charitable, educational, environmental, and emergency assistance purposes. If your organization is interested in applying for funds, please visit CassCountyElectric.com/oru.

Kristine Harris, Gwinner, ND

MARCH 2021

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1 2 3 4 5 6 Employee Appreciation Day

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Daylight Saving Time Starts

St. Patrick’s Day

Spring Begins

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Passover Begins (Evening)

28 29 30 31 Palm Sunday

Tip: Clean refrigerator coils. Dust and grime mean the fridge motor has to work harder.

Off-peak Program

When electric demand and market electricity prices are high, an off-peak device in the home automatically switches from an electric source to a backup source, such as propane or fuel oil.

In exchange, participating consumer-members receive discounted off-peak electric rates, which are competitive with fuel oil and propane. Our off-peak program is designed to reduce electric demand during peak times, saving you money. To learn how off-peak may work for you, please contact our energy management department at 701-356-4400 or energy@kwh.com.

Cass County Electric Cooperative offers a $250 energy credit for members who are currently on offpeak and replace the backup system with propane or fuel oil. Limit one credit per account every five years.

(Dual heat systems with natural gas do not qualify.

Systems with heat pumps without an electric plenum heater do not qualify. Electric heat must remain as the primary heat source).

Mike Martin, Enderlin, ND

APRIL 2021

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1 2 3 April Fools’ Day

Good Friday OFFICE CLOSED

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Easter Passover Ends (Evening)

Easter Monday

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Ramadan Starts (Evening)

Tax Day

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Annual Meeting

Earth Day

25 26 27 28 29 30

Tip: Clean or replace all filters in your home regularly. Dirty filters make your system work harder and run longer than necessary.

Call Before You Dig

Almost half of Cass County Electric Cooperative’s power lines are buried underground. That’s more than 2,800 miles! Safety is the number one priority at Cass County Electric, so two days before you pick up the shovel, visit ndonecall.com or dial 8-1-1. You’ll provide details about the work you’re doing and ND One Call will alert the appropriate utility companies. Once a request is made, the companies have 48 hours to mark the locations of buried equipment. The paint or flags they leave behind will be your guide to safety. Call 8-1-1 before you dig. It’s easy, and it’s the law.

Clara Railing, Fargo, ND

MAY 2021

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1 Cass County Electric Cooperative Core Values: Safety | Integrity | Innovation | Accountability | Community

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Cinco de Mayo

North Dakota Arbor Day

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Mother’s Day

Ramadan Ends (Evening)

Eid-al-Fitr

Armed Forces Day

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 31 30

Memorial Day OFFICE CLOSED

Tip: Seal f rom inside your home. Seal gaps and holes in walls, floors, and ceilings with caulk or foam sealant.

Look for cracks around windows and where wires and pipes pass through.

Outages

Our goal is to keep our outage frequency and duration to a minimum while prioritizing the safety of our line crews. Our engineering and operations team works diligently to maintain our equipment. If an outage does happen, report the outage through the Cass County Electric mobile app. Open the app or visit CassCountyElectric.com to access our live outage viewer. We strive to keep our members updated during power outages on our social media channels, so follow us on Facebook!

To report a power outage, call 701-356-4499. Don’t be concerned if we are unable to answer your call - our Interactive Voice Response system uses the phone number you are calling from to log the outage.

Roxanne Westman, Mapleton, ND

We send you text messages and email notifications for planned and unplanned outages, which is why it is vital that you keep an updated cellphone number and email address on file with us.

JUNE 2021

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Flag Day

Juneteenth

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Summer Begins Father’s Day

27 28 29 30

Tip: Plug home electronics into power strips. Turn the power strips off when equipment is not in use.

You’ll stop these devices from using energy when idle with one convenient switch.

Co-op Connections

The Co-op Connections® program is a benefit program designed to deliver added value to Cass County Electric Cooperative members. The program offers a variety of discounts at participating local and national businesses while providing our members with a real money-saving tool— that’s value! Recently more than 500,000 special offers were added to the program nationwide, including entertainment and travel perks exclusives. Download the Co-op Connections app to start your savings today!

• Local deals • National discounts • Insurance • Cash back shopping • Travel perks • Everyday coupons • Pharmacy discounts • Dental discounts • Vision discounts Kaia Nygord, Maple Grove, MN

For more information, visit CassCountyElectric.com/ Coop-Connections.

JULY 2021

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1 2 3 Safety is the number one priority at Cass County Electric Cooperative.

Before you pick up the shovel, visit ndonecall.com or dial 8-1-1.

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Independence Day

Independence Day Observed OFFICE CLOSED

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Eid-al-Adha

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Tip: Turn off your water heater if you plan on leaving home for a few days.

Most models are able to reheat the water to the set temperature in about an hour.

Here for YOU

Our community is more than the streets we walk, the houses we call home, and the stores we love to shop.

The community reflects the people who live here. And it’s those people, our members, who drive us to find new ways to serve the communities that built us. Our world has changed at a blink of an eye, but here at Cass County Electric Cooperative, our commitment to members stays the same.

While you’re focused on keeping your family safe, our lineworkers are working hard to keep the #PowerOn. Download the Cass County Electric app to take control of your energy, manage your account, pay your bill, report an outage, monitor usage, and more!

Kaia Nygord, Maple Grove, MN

AUGUST 2021

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30 31

Tip: Install low-flow shower heads. Shower heads that give water pressure with fewer gallons per minute (under 2.5 gpm are best) will cut water and energy consumption.

Capital Credits

Capital credits are your return on investment in Cass County Electric Cooperative.

Throughout the year, we track how much electricity you buy and how much money you pay for it. At the end of the year, we complete our financial matters and determine whether there are excess revenues, called margins. Then we allocate the margins to members as capital credits based upon their use of electricity during the year. When our financial condition permits, your board of directors decides to retire, or pay, the capital credits.

Last year the board authorized distribution of approximately $2 million in capital credit refunds for the purchase of electricity over the course of one-and-a-half years.

Use the unclaimed capital credit search at CassCountyElectric.com to see if you have patronage waiting for you. If your name is on the list, call Cass County Electric at 701-356-4400 to claim your credits.

Megan Lee, Fargo, ND

SEPTEMBER 2021

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Rosh Hashanah Begins (Evening) Labor Day OFFICE CLOSED

Rosh Hashanah Ends (Evening)

Patriot Day

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Grandparents Day

Yom Kippur

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Fall Begins

26 27 28 29 30

Tip: Clean your dryer vent. Make sure to clean it f rom outside of your home using a long-handled, wire brush to remove clogging lint.

Membership Matters: October is Co-op Month

As a member of Cass County Electric Cooperative, you have the right to vote for your board of directors, the leaders of your co-op.

Directors are elected to three-year terms during the annual meeting. Directors must be members of the cooperative and be a bona fide resident of the director district in which they are seeking directorship.

Democratic member control is one of the principles that set cooperatives apart from other types of businesses and utilities—your voice matters.

Roxanne Westman, Mapleton, ND

Cooperative Principles 1. Open and Voluntary Membership 2. Democratic Member Control 3. Members’ Economic Participation 4. Autonomy and Independence 5. Education, Training, and Information 6. Cooperation Among Cooperatives 7. Concern for Community

OCTOBER 2021

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1 2

CO-OP MONTH

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Indigenous Peoples’ Day Columbus Day

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31 Halloween Tip: Insulate your loft or roof space. A quarter of heat is lost through the roof, so insulation will make your home warmer and reduce your heating bills.

99.9%

#PowerOn Reliability

Stretched out, our more than 5,700 miles of line could reach from Fargo to Japan. Powering nearly 60,000 meters are 41 substations and more than 14,400 transformers. This complex system is bound to experience issues, which is why we place a significant focus on maintaining our equipment. System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) is a score that paints the picture of reliability and accountability. Last year, Cass County Electric’s SAIDI value was 57.66 minutes, meaning consumer-members were without power for an average of 57.66 minutes throughout the year. 2019 was our fourthbest year on record, keeping power on for our consumermembers across the system for 99.989% of the year.

Kristine Harris, Gwinner, ND

NOVEMBER 2021

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1 2 3 4 5 6 North Dakota’s Birthday (1889) Election Day

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Daylight Saving Time Ends

Veterans Day OFFICE CLOSED

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Thanksgiving Day OFFICE CLOSED

Black Friday

28 29 30 Hanukkah Begins (Evening)

Tip: Turn off the oven a few minutes before the cooking time runs out.

Your food will continue to cook without using the extra electricity.

Small Business Saturday

Democratically Led

Members of the Cass County Electric Cooperative board of directors are elected to threeyear terms during the annual meeting. Directors must be members of the cooperative and be a bona fide resident of the director district in which they are seeking directorship.

That means you, as a member, can have a say in cooperative operations by voting for your directors. Democratic member control is one of the principles that sets cooperatives apart from other types of businesses and utilities.

We are built by the communities we serve, connecting with our members, placing their needs first, investing in relationships to understand the business needs for their success and the success of our communities.

Board of Directors (as of 11/19/20): Douglas Anderson Sid Berg Kalvin Hoff, Treasurer Terry Kraft Wendy Loucks Glenn Mitzel, Secretary Thomas J. Seymour Marcy Svenningsen, Chair Jeff Triebold, Vice Chair

Katherine Dick, Englevale, ND

DECEMBER 2021

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Hanukkah Ends (Evening)

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Winter Begins

Christmas Eve OFFICE CLOSED

26 27 28 29 30 31 Kwanzaa Begins

New Year’s Eve

Tip: Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120° F. Turning down the thermostat a few degrees cuts consumption without reducing comfort.

Christmas Day

800-248-3292 | CassCountyElectric.com 4100 32nd Ave S., Fargo, ND 58104

HOLIDAY NIGHTS ~ at the Red River Zoo ~

Presented by Cass County Electric Cooperative

5:30 PM to 8:30 PM: Nov. 27 & 28, Dec. 4 & 5, Dec. 11 & 12, Dec. 18 & 19

Spot the elf scavenger hunt | Campfire & s’mores station | Stroll through the festively decorated zoo Special animal presentations & encounters | Reduced admission | Free carousel rides

Communications Team: Sara Hand Jocelyn Hovland

Highline Notes (USPS 244-740) is published monthly by Cass County Electric Cooperative Inc., 3312 42nd St. S., Suite 200, Fargo, ND 58104.

Periodicals postage paid at Fargo, North Dakota 58104, and at additional mailing offices.

Information about the cooperative, articles of incorporation, bylaws and more can be found at CassCountyElectric.com.

Contact us: 701-356-4400 | 800-248-3292 info@kwh.com

© Copyright Cass County Electric Cooperative 2020. All rights reserved.

Subscription Rate: 28¢/month.

- HIGHLINE NOTES - VOLUME 78, NUMBER 12 Executive Staff: Marshal Albright, President/CEO Jodi Bullinger, VP of Engineering & Operations Paul Matthys, VP of Member & Energy Services Chad Sapa, VP of Corporate Services & CFO Tim Sanden, VP of Information Technology & CIO Printer: Forum Communications Printing

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