Published monthly by Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative, Inc.
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OCTOBER 2020
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WATTS WATTS INSIDE >> page 2
CHEC welcomes two new board trustees >> page 3
Celebrating National Co-op Month >> page 4
Outage planned for Enterprise area
Join us for the 72nd Annual Meeting Oct. 3 The 72nd Annual Meeting of Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative will take place Saturday, Oct. 3 in the Stigler High School parking area located at 1235 NW 7th Street in Stigler. While we had hoped members and staff could enjoy visiting with each other as they have at past Annual Meetings, we have decided to make changes this year to help minimize risks associated with COVID-19. With the health and safety of our
members and staff being our top priority, this year’s meeting will be conducted in a drive-thru format. Simply put, you will be able to attend the meeting while remaining in your vehicle as you proceed in a designated line through the parking area (see map below). Please note that wait times may be significant in length. If you, or passengers in your vehicle have medical conditions, or continued on page 2 >>
Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative, Inc. Headquarters Office PO Box 539 • 1002 E. Main Stigler, OK 74462 800-328-2368 Branch Office PO Box 587 • 1800 KOA/Power Drive Sallisaw, OK 74955 918-775-2211 Pay-by-Phone: 1-888-678-1937 www.cooksonhills.com Alternate Emergency Only: 918-552-0016
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Joe Ogle, President Rocky Woods, Sr., Vice President Ronnie Pevehouse, Sec/Treasurer Dan Callahan, Trustee John Dillard, Trustee Dart Drummonds, Trustee Mike Rose, Trustee
District 6 District 1 District 7 District 2 District 3 District 4 District 5
STAFF Juli Orme, General Manager Chris Morris, Chief Financial Officer Jason Fontaine, Director of Engineering Mark Blaylock, Director of Operations — Stigler Marty Huff, Director of Operations — Sallisaw Ellen Mattison, Manager of Accounting Services Kristie Cash, Manager of Office Services
Russell V. Barber, General Counsel Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative, Inc. welcomes members to submit photos, and articles which will be subject to editing. Cookson Hills reserves the right to publish or modify any article. Companies and individuals featured in the Hot Watts newsletter do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, or view of Cookson Hills.
bit.ly/CHEConFB (case-sensitive)
Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative, Inc. is an equal opportunity provider and employer. If you find your account number hidden in this issue of the Hot Watts, you’ll receive a $25 credit on your electric bill.
2 | October 2020
CHEC welcomes two new additions to the board of trustees We are excited to announce Dan Callahan and Mike Rose as new representatives to the Cookson Hills Board of Trustees. Dan resides in Sallisaw and represents District 2. Mike resides in Stigler and represents District 5. We want to thank Mr. Callahan, and Mr. Rose for your willingness to serve the members of Cookson Hills!
Annual Meeting, continued from page 1 find it difficult to spend an extended amount of time in a vehicle, please make preparations accordingly. Be sure to bring your official Annual Meeting notice to the meeting. You should have received this notice mid-September. The notice will help streamline the registration process and also qualifies members for a $20 credit toward your account. While we are disappointed that we won’t get to spend time visiting as one big cooperative family this year, we are still excited to see our valued members attend this year’s Annual Meeting in the safety and comfort of your vehicle. Please call Brad Martin at 800-328-2368 with any questions you may have. We hope to see you there!
We can all play a part in making our interconnected world safer.
Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart. October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
Visit staysafeonline.org for cybersecurity tips.
Power On: October is National Co-op Month As an electric cooperative, our top priority is always to provide reliable, affordable energy to you, the consumer-members we serve. Because we are a co-op, our mission is to enrich the lives of our members and serve the long-term interests of our local community––and this mission has never been more critical than in recent months. One of the seven principles that guides all co-ops is “concern for community.” This principle is the essential DNA of CHEC, and it sets us apart from other electric utilities. October is National Co-op Month, and electric cooperatives across the country are highlighting the many ways we “Power On.” Keeping this theme in mind, we recognize the essential role we play in serving a special community like ours. Who would have fathomed in March, that the COVID-19 virus would amount to a test of our community and our nation? The changing circumstances due to the pandemic have created both challenges and opportunities. Over the past several months, we’ve all been challenged to operate differently, and CHEC has stepped up to help our members and strengthen the safety net for our more vulnerable neighbors. As an essential service, and to ensure reliability of your power supply, we modified our operations to safeguard business continuity. Our line crews
and other employees began working on staggered schedules to maintain separation. Some staff worked remotely. In the office, we limited and modified meetings and gatherings to allow for safe separation. We also adjusted our walk-in office availability and inperson service calls to ensure the health and safety of our employees and our valued members. In addition, we are conducting our Annual Meeting in a drive-thru fashion. For the health and safety of everyone, we think these measures were the prudent course of action for the times. For our members impacted by COVID-19 who needed help with their electric bills, we waived late fees and worked with those hardest hit to make special payment arrangements. [1504100] We tell you about all of these efforts not to boast about CHEC but to explain how much we care about this community––because we live here too. We’ve seen other local businesses rising to meet similar challenges during this time, because that’s what communities do. While the challenges caused by COVID-19 have been daunting, I’m heartened to see how everyone is pulling together. CHEC was built by the community to serve the community, and that’s what we’ll continue to do – Power On.
Then. Now. Always. Then. to Now. Always. your life. We’re proud power We’re proud to power your life.
October is National Co-op Month. October is National Co-op Month.
#PowerOn www.cooksonhills.com | 3
Energy Efficiency
Tip of the Month The average household owns 24 electronic products, which account for roughly 12% of home energy use. When shopping for electronics, consider purchasing ENERGY STAR®-certified products, which can be 70% more efficient than conventional models. Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy
You can now report an outage with the free SmartHub mobile app!
Scan this code with your smartphone’s camera to download CHEC’s SmartHub app! Visit www. cooksonhills.com for more info.
Outage planned for Enterprise area due to equipment upgrade Members who receive their power from the Enterprise Substation will experience a planned power outage scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 6, beginning at 9 a.m. Total outage time on this upgrade is expected to last less than two hours. The company supplying power to the substation is upgrading equipment and will be required to disconnect power to the substation due to the extremely dangerous nature of the work. The Oct. 6 date and timeframe is accurate at the time of this publication, but could potentially be rescheduled due to factors outside of CHEC’s control. As the target date gets closer, we will be contacting members who are directly affected by this outage through our automated phone system. The caller number will show up as (800) 328-2368, which is our toll-free phone line. The main area impacted by this outage is located south of Porum and west of Highway 2. Impacted locations include Brooken, Enterprise, West Liberty, Lona Valley Road, Tucker Knob, Lewisville, Hoyt, areas along Hwy 71, Briartown, west end of Beaver Mountain road and west of Whitefield. We apologize for the inconvenience, and greatly appreciate your patience as we make the necessary upgrades to improve our system. z Pay securely z Monitor consumption z Contact Member Service z Manage email alerts z View bills & payment history COO
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