Published monthly by Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative, Inc.
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SEPTEMBER 2021
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WATTS WATTS INSIDE >> page 2
Scheduled outage in Keota this month >> page 3
Lobbies closed due to COVID-19 resurgence >> page 4
CEO update on fiber-to-the-home project
bit.ly/CHEConFB (case-sensitive)
You’re invited to our drivethrough Annual Meeting CHEC staff has been hard at work preparing for an Annual Meeting in the continued global pandemic. Like last year, it will be a drive-through format but will be held in Sallisaw rather than Stigler. “Safety is always our top priority,” said General Manager Juli Orme. “While we would love to gather with our members and their families like we always have, we feel like this format is necessary this year. We are hopeful we can go back to normal in 2022.” As a precautionary measure, you
can attend the meeting in the comfort and safety of your own vehicle. Members will enter from the east on West Ruth Avenue and turn north onto J.T. Stites Blvd, then drive through the designated meeting area as directed by a CHEC employee. Please visit www.cooksonhills.com for a map of the designated area for the Annual Meeting. Details of the meeting will be mailed to members around the middle of September, so keep an eye on your mailbox for the Official Notice letter. We hope to see you there!
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 Mark Blaylock, Director of Operations — Stigler Marty Huff, Director of Operations — Sallisaw Ellen Mattison, Manager of Accounting Services Kristie Cash, Manager of Office Services Rockey Oldham, Manager of Broadband Services Jeremy Stubblefield, Chief Technical Officer Brad Martin, Director of Member/Public Relations and Economic Development
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. 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.
Scheduled outage in Keota this month We want to notify our members of a scheduled outage for Monday, Sept. 20, 2021. Crews will be performing maintenance on the Keota substation, which requires de-energization in order to safely perform the work. All members receiving power from the Keota substation will be involved in the outage. You can determine which substation provides your power by looking at your monthly bill beginning with the September billing cycle. If your bill shows Substation 10, you will be included in the outage. We do not yet have the estimated start time for the outage, but we will be scheduling automated phone calls to notify members on the Keota substation with that information. We encourage you to follow us on Facebook and check out our website for updated information. [3015200] We anticipate the outage to last four hours in length, however the maintenance could potentially take longer to complete. Please be assured crews will work as fast as they can to safely complete the work and get power restored. We urge members to take measures and plan accordingly during this outage. We apologize for any inconvenience, and we greatly appreciate your patience and understanding as we perform the necessary maintenance to improve system reliability. Areas affected include: • North of Keota, to Keota Landing, Rock Ford, and Red Hill area • South of Keota to the Town of McCurtain • East of Keota to County Line Road (Cartersville, Star, Possom Holler, etc.) • West of Keota to Crossroads
Triennial survey continuing through December. Members may receive a phone call or email. We appreciate your feedback!
bit.ly/CHEConFB (case-sensitive)
2 | September 2021
CHEC will be closed Monday, Sept. 6 in observance of Labor Day. Please call 800-328-2368 to report a power outage or safety hazard. Have a safe Labor Day weekend!
Lobbies closed due to COVID-19 resurgence Out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to close our lobbies until further notice, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across our service area. “We feel this is a necessary action for the safety of our employees and our members,” said General Manager Juli Orme. “We continue practicing social distancing measures and are hopeful we will be able to re-open our lobbies again soon.” While lobbies remain closed, members may request new services or reconnection of an existing service by visiting www. cooksonhills.com and clicking the service tab, or by calling one of our two locations to speak with a representative to assist you. Reach the Stigler office at 800-328-2368, or Sallisaw office at 918-775-2211. Drive-through services also remain available during normal business hours. Members are encouraged to take advantage of online or pay-by-phone options to make payments. Visit www.cooksonhills.com or call 888-678-1937 to make a secure payment.
2021 ANNUAL MEETING October 2, 2021, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Join us for a drive-through Annual Meeting at the Sallisaw High School parking area. Details will be mailed mid-September.
www.cooksonhills.com | 3
Cookson Hills Connect update from General Manager Juli Orme Overall Project Progress Our project is well underway as I hope you’ve seen from our Facebook updates and in the Hot Watts. We have, for the past several months, been working with our partners at Conexon, designing and mapping the network — honing in on the optimum fiber path along our electric infrastructure. This early, intricate design work maps the fiber route along our entire Cookson Hills Electric grid through every substation and the feeders branching off, to the poles and lines that will deliver fiber to individual homes and businesses. The work sets the stage for a smoother build, prevents missteps in the long run and allows us to offer broadband affordably to members in the quickest, most efficient way possible. We also continue to work with city and county officials and regulatory bodies as we plan and prepare to build out in our various communities. Many of you have seen crews working during our make-ready stage – the process of evaluating and possibly changing out poles to prepare our infrastructure to accommodate the extra load of fiber. Make-ready work has been happening in multiple areas across the Cookson Hills territory. In addition, we have set fiber huts at our Enterprise, Stigler, Tenkiller, Sallisaw, Akins, Liberty and Muldrow substations. These huts house the equipment that lights the fiber which goes out to the homes and businesses served by the substation, thus preparing the way to distribute the fiber. Phase 1 Locations and Timing Of course, everyone’s top question is where will service be offered first? The first zone for service
Register for updates at cooksonhillsconnect.com
4 | September 2021
availability and member connections will be our Enterprise substation - Feeder 4. This area of about 810 homes and businesses includes areas in the communities of Brooken/Brooken Mountain Road, West Liberty, McKinney Addition, and Enterprise. We anticipate connecting our first members in late summer, or early fall of 2021, barring unforeseen circumstances. The second zone for fiber service is the Tenkiller substation - Feeder 1. This zone, with approximately 840 homes and businesses, covers the East Lake Hills, Evening Shade Road, Blackgum, Ridge Route, Cato Creek and Diver’s Ridge areas. We hope to begin connecting Tenkiller subscribers before the end of 2021, again barring unforeseen circumstances. Staying in the know As you can see, we are listing substations and feeders to reference where the fiber project work is taking place. Beginning with the September billing cycle, you will be able to find which substation and feeder provides your electricity by looking at your electric bill. This will help you better determine when service becomes available at your specific location. I hope you found this letter helpful. I plan to provide additional updates as we progress. In the meantime, I encourage you to follow us on Facebook and to pre-register for broadband at your home or business by signing up at www.CooksonHillsConnect. com. Pre-registering and providing your email lets us easily notify you with specific construction updates and alert you when fiber service will be available in your area.