Almost every backyard has a shrine to cold air. It’s called an a/c unit. WaterFurnace will help you take back that space.
Air conditioners are unsightly and often located in the worst places. They’re vulnerable to the elements and can become home for small critters. But with geothermal, you won’t have an outside unit or any of these problems. So, reclaim your backyard. Plant some flowers and enjoy the unseen beauty that is WaterFurnace. Geothermal is the only renewable that provides reliable operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Allendale
Allendale Htg & Clg (800) 327-1937 allendaleheating.com
Bad Axe/Ubly
Cutting Edge Htg & Clg (989) 551-0986
Berrien Springs
Waterfurnace Michiana (269) 473-5667 gogreenmichgeo thermal.com
Big Rapids Stratz Htg & Clg, Inc. (231) 796-3717 stratzgeocomfort.com
Clifford Orton Refrig & Htg (989) 761-7691 sanduskygeothermal.com
Hart Adams Htg & Clg (231) 873-2665
adamsheating cooling.com
Indian River
M&M Plmb & Htg (231) 238-7201 mm-plumbing.com
Lansing Candor Mechanical (517) 920-0890 candormechanical.com
Lowell Arctic Inc. Htg. & Clg. (616) 897-4213 heatingcoolingonline.com
Mancelona Top Notch Htg, Clg, & Geothermal (231) 350-8052 Topnotchheatandair.com
Michigan Center Comfort 1/Air Serv of Southern Michigan (517) 764-1500 airserv.com/southernmichigan/
Mt Pleasant Walton Htg & Clg (989) 772-4822 waltonheating.com
Muskegon Adams Htg & Clg (231) 873-2665 adamsheatingcooling.co
Portland
ESI Htg & Clg (517) 647-6906 esiheating.com
Sunfield
Mark Woodman Plmb & Htg (517) 886-1138 mwphonline.com
Traverse City
D&W Mechanical (231) 941-1251 dwmechanical.com
Geofurnace Htg & Clg (231) 943-1000 geofurnace.com
CO-OP REBATE INCENTIVES
Cloverland: up to $4,200
Great Lakes: up to $3,000
Homeworks/Tri-County: up to $3,000
Presque Isle: up to $2,700
Cherryland: up to $2,500
Thumb Electric: up to $2,000
Alger Delta: up to $2,000
EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Casey Clark
EDITOR: Christine Dorr
GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Karreen Bird
RECIPE EDITOR: Christin McKamey
COPY EDITOR: Yvette Pecha
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Emily Haines Lloyd
PUBLISHER: Michigan Electric Cooperative Association
Michigan Country Lines, USPS-591-710, is published monthly, except August and December, with periodicals postage paid at Lansing, Mich., and additional offices. It is the official publication of the Michigan Electric Cooperative Association, 201 Townsend St., Suite 900, Lansing, MI 48933.
Subscriptions are authorized for members of Alger Delta, Cherryland, Great Lakes, HomeWorks Tri-County, Midwest Energy & Communications, Ontonagon, Presque Isle, and Thumb electric cooperatives by their boards of directors.
Postmaster: Send all UAA to CFS.
Association Officers: Tom Sobeck, Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op, chairman; Gabe Schneider, Cherryland Electric Cooperative, vice chairman; Chris O’Neill, HomeWorks TriCounty Cooperative, secretary-treasurer; Craig Borr, president and CEO.
CONTACT US/LETTERS TO EDITOR:
Michigan Country Lines
201 Townsend St., Suite 900 Lansing, MI 48933 248-534-7358 editor@countrylines.com
CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Please notify your electric cooperative. See page 4 for contact information.
The appearance of advertising does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services advertised.
6 AMERICA’S BEST CAMPGROUND IS RIGHT HERE IN MICHIGAN
After staying at 350-plus RV parks, Terrell and Katie Deppe applied their experience to develop the award-winning Indian River RV Resort.
10 MY CO-OP KITCHEN
One-Pan Meals: These delicious dinners make cleanup a breeze.
14 THE GREAT LAKES SHIPWRECK MUSEUM PRESERVES MICHIGAN’S RICH MARITIME HISTORY
The recently found wreck of the Nucleus adds to the museum’s many discoveries.
18 GUEST COLUMN
At One with Plants: Inheriting his grandmother’s love of horticulture, Gary Bopp made gardening his passion and his career.
#micoopcommunity Instagram contest winner Morning glow @chelseaolkowski (Chelsea Olkowski)
To enter contests, submit reader content & more, visit countrylines.com/community
Instagram Contest
Use #micoopcommunity for a chance to be featured here and on our Instagram account.
Win $100 for photos published!
Recipe Contest
See details on page 10. Pumpkin recipes due Aug.1; Family Favorites due Sept. 1
Win a $100 bill credit!
Guest Column
Share your fondest memories and stories. Win $200 for stories published. Visit countrylines.com/ community to submit.
Win $200 for stories published!
Mystery Photo
See details on page 18. Win a $100 bill credit!
homeworks.org
/homeworks.org
tricoenergy@homeworks.org
Portland office/Mail payments to:
7973 E. Grand River Ave.
Portland, MI 48875
Open 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Monday–Friday
Blanchard office:
3681 Costabella Ave.
Blanchard, MI 49310
Open 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Monday–Friday
Night deposit box available at both locations.
Electric bill/account questions:
517-647-7554 or 1-800-562-8232
Pay by phone, anytime:
1-877-999-3395
Service questions/outages:
517-647-7554 or 1-800-848-9333
(24 hours for emergency calls)
Tri-County Propane:
1-877-574-2740
HomeWorks Connect
1-800-668-8413
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
District 1 — John Lord, Vice-Chairman
2276 Plains Rd., Leslie, MI 49251
517-974-2518 • jlord@homeworks.org
District 2 — Jim Stebbins
7139 Peddler Lake Rd., Clarksville, MI 48815
616-693-2449 • jstebbins@homeworks.org
District 3 — Luke Pohl, Chairman
15560 W. Hanses Rd., Westphalia, MI 48894
989-292-0427 • lpohl@homeworks.org
District 4 — Kimber Hansen
6535 N. Wyman Rd., Edmore, MI 48829
989-506-5849 • khansen@homeworks.org
District 5 — Theresa Sopocy
6996 E. Wilson Rd., Bannister, MI 48807
989-292-0295 • tsopocy@homeworks.org
District 6 — Ed Oplinger, Secretary-Treasurer
10890 W. Weidman Rd., Weidman, MI 48893
989-506-1639 • eoplinger@homeworks.org
District 7 — Shirley Sprague
15563 45th Ave., Barryton, MI 49305
989-382-7535 • ssprague@homeworks.org
Editor: Charly Markwart, CCC
The internet is amazing. It brought us the ability to discover the answer to almost any question, connect with billions of people all over the world, and find just about any product you’d ever want to buy. But it’s also home to criminals who want to steal your identity and your money.
As your Internet Service Provider (ISP), we want you to be safe, but we can’t do it for you. The criminals pose as good people, and it’s impossible to keep them away from you without also blocking the actual good people. So here’s some advice on how you can keep yourself safe on the internet:
Your social security number, driver’s license number, banking account numbers, credit card numbers, and passwords require your protection. Never send them via email or text, and never give them out to someone who calls or emails you. Criminals pose as representatives of the companies you know and trust, and HomeWorks and other reputable companies will never call or email demanding this kind of information. Instead, contact the company using the phone number on your bill or by using the company’s official website.
Slow down, stop, and think. Criminals will try to pressure you to act immediately. Be sure the offer is legitimate by using a search engine to research the company, or stop and talk to someone you trust before you send money or reveal personal information. This might help you realize it’s a scam.
Never click on an email attachment or link, unless the email is from someone you know AND you are expecting it. The number-one way computers get infected with viruses is through email, and criminals will use software to impersonate people you know. If you feel you must open the attachment or click the link, call the sender first to make sure it’s legitimate and they meant to send it.
Don’t reuse passwords. If you use the same password at multiple sites, when the criminals find one, they’ve found them all. Also, use long or complex passwords with a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. This makes passwords harder to guess.
Don’t overshare on social media. Sure, it’s fun to post pictures of your family vacation, but if you post them while you are still out of town, this tells criminals that your house may be empty and easy to steal from. Think about whether anything else you share could be used to steal your identity.
I often joke that “WWW” doesn’t stand for World Wide Web; it actually means Wild Wild West. Just like the Old West, there’s no law out there, so be sure to use these tips, stay alert and aware, and take responsibility for your own safety whenever you use the internet.
When was the last time you bought anything for a penny? You might be inclined to say it’s been a while, but if you have turned on a light, charged your phone, or watched TV in your home today, you received a significant amount of electricity for a cent, perhaps without even knowing it. That’s because even in this day and age when costs are rising everywhere, electricity is one of the rare items that is still an extraordinary value for the money.
At HomeWorks’ current residential rate of $0.12680 per kWh, using 1,000 watts of energy in your home for 60 minutes costs you just over 12 cents. That means 79 watts of electricity costs you just a single penny. That’s enough energy to power an average LED lightbulb for nearly nine hours or to fully charge your smartphone more than 14 times, all for only one cent! Where else can you get that kind of value in 2023?
Electricity is not expensive, but we are using more of it than ever before (the average American household currently consumes more than 13 times the electricity used by the average household in 1950!), which leads to higher monthly electric bills. Still, at our current residential rate, the cost to power an average HomeWorks member household for an entire day is just $4.87. That means the average HomeWorks residential member can purchase enough energy to power every electric device used by their entire family for 24 hours for less than the cost of a single fast food meal!
Even when you consider the proposed rate increase going before the HomeWorks board of directors this month in order to help us adequately cover our costs, your power, which was over 99.95% reliable in 2022, still holds its value and compares favorably or in line with the current rates of other Michigan electric utilities. Our recent rate analysis indicated that if the proposed rate increase is enacted, the average HomeWorks member would still pay less per month with the Co-op than they would with our neighboring investor-owned utility, when all fees are considered.
As a not-for-profit cooperative owned by the members we serve, our rates will always be based solely on our cost to serve you, and nothing more. That means you can rest assured that your power will always be a good value for the buck, and even for the cent. So the next time you’re feeling nostalgic for the time you could actually buy something with that copper coin jingling around in your pocket, just flip on a light switch and sit back and enjoy how far you’re stretching that penny!
8.69 hours of reading using an average LED lightbulb
14+ full charges of an iPhone
1 hour of TV on a 55-inch LED screen
$5.99 avg. cost of a Big Mac® value meal
$4.87 avg. daily cost to power a home*
Once upon a time, in the middle of the woods, there was an RV park. It was neither too little nor too big. Neither too old nor too modern. Neither too remote nor too busy. It was, as our friend Goldilocks would say—just right. It was that “just rightness” that was likely the key to Indian River RV Resort being named Campspot’s 2023 Best Campground in America.
The story of any business, even one as charming as Indian River’s, is never a picture-perfect fairy tale. The owners of the RV park are Terrell and Katie
Deppe, who had no intention of buying an RV resort, or even an RV, until 2007. Terrell had taken a job in the tech industry, leading the couple to sell their home in Texas and move to Minnesota. The market had been good for home sales, but the couple was hesitant to pay the high prices the buyers’ market was asking. So, they rented, moving twice. During one of their transitions, Terrell, who was able to work remotely, was struck with an idea.
“I looked at Katie and said, ‘If we are going to have to keep moving, let’s just KEEP moving. Let’s buy an RV,’”
To learn more about Indian River RV Resort or to book a lot at the Best Campground in America, visit:
said Terrell. “It took her a while to wrap her head around the idea, but when she realized that the amount of money we were spending on rent and moving could pay for the depreciation of an RV in less than a year, she committed to 10 months.”
Ten months turned into five years during which the Deppes traveled to 46 of the lower 48 states in the U.S. and stayed in over 350 private, state, and national RV parks. They experienced the best and worst of them and were getting a feel for what worked and what didn’t in their nomadic lifestyle.
For the next decade, the Deppes began looking for an opportunity to take the knowledge they’d gained on the road and put that, along with their passion and grit, into an RV park of their own. That’s when Indian River RV Resort came into their lives. Finally, at the end of 2019, they had made an offer and were prepared to take on the challenges of owning an RV park— maybe not the sort of challenges they were about to face.
“I quit my job on Friday, March 13, and the country shut down on Monday,
March 16,” said Terrell, referencing the COVID-19 pandemic. “Had we just made the greatest mistake of our lives, or was God going to lead us to our promised land? We chose to act in faith.”
The Deppes went to the park to help the current owners open for the season—getting their hands into daily operations, waiting for the sale to close, and preparing for the July Fourth weekend.
While much of the world had seemed to shut down, folks were still eager to travel with their families, and one of the few things open was the great outdoors.
“We were receiving an average of one call per minute, not counting the people standing in front of us to book future dates,” said Terrell. “We were using the resort’s previous paperbased reservation system. It felt like we were failing, and we had to make some big changes—fast.”
Luckily, Terrell’s experience in tech and the multitasking wizardry Katie had developed while home-schooling the couple’s four children were the
perfect skill set for the challenges they faced. They quickly switched to an online reservation system and were able to focus on creating a clean, quiet, family-friendly space similar to the ones they had enjoyed on their own RV travels.
Now the Deppes, along with their son Jonathan, turn their attention to maintaining the gorgeous land, keeping the facilities pristine and welcoming, and dreaming up ways to improve their guests’ experience. They often go above and beyond. One of their most recent projects was consulting with a certified master arborist about the well-being of their trees. With the findings, they swapped ground leaf removal for mulching and are already seeing healthier grounds. It’s this sort of attention to detail that allows their guests to let the busyness of the world fall away. It’s just the sort of thing you hope for when you head out to escape the dragons of the world and find yourself, for a time at least, living happily ever after.
While you might be focused on trying to stay cool in July and August, investing in a heat pump for your home might just be the ticket to help you save on energy costs this summer—yes, even cooling costs. Air-source heat pumps are a great solution if you are looking to replace your heating or cooling system in your home, all while helping you save energy (and money!).
What is a heat pump?
Heat pumps use electricity to move heat, rather than to generate it like an electric or gas-powered furnace would. In the summertime, this means moving the heat from inside your home to the outside.
But heat pumps don’t just offer benefits in the summertime. They’re more efficient and use less energy to heat your home in the winter, too. Even if you aren’t looking to replace your heating and cooling system,
installing a heat pump can help you offset some of the operating costs of your existing heating system during the colder months.
Installing a heat pump means having peace of mind when it comes to the health and safety of your home environment. This can look like:
• Less risk of leaks, fires, and carbon monoxide poisoning heat pumps are not powered by natural gas or propane.
• Clean indoor air —Heat pumps have an air filter that removes harmful particles, and many models also provide dehumidification, decreasing the risk of mold and mildew.
• More consistent temperatures in your home.
Each month, members will be able to submit photos on our website for our photo contest. The photo receiving the most votes is published here, along with some other selections from that month. Our July theme is Everything Fall. Photos can be submitted through July 20 to be featured in our September issue.
To enter the contest, visit HomeWorks.org/photocontest. Enter your picture, cast your vote, and encourage others to vote for you, too. The photo receiving the most votes will be printed in an issue of Country Lines, along with some other favorites. If your photo is published in Country Lines during 2023, you will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win one of four $100 credits on your December 2023 HomeWorks bill!
Win a $100 energy bill credit!
Pumpkin recipes due Aug.1; Family Favorites due Sept. 1
Submit your favorite recipe for a chance to win a $100 bill credit and have your recipe featured in Country Lines with a photo and a video. Submit your recipe at micoopkitchen.com , or send it via email (include your full name and co-op) to recipes@countrylines.com
WINNING
Jean Horrocks, Presque Isle Electric
1 pound ground beef
2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
8 ounces (2 cups) uncooked elbow macaroni
½ cup chopped onion
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder (or to taste)
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup sour cream
• water, as needed
Brown meat in large skillet. Drain off all the fat as it collects. Stir in remaining ingredients, except sour cream. Add ¾ to 1 cup water and stir. Heat to boiling. Cover and simmer 20–25 minutes, stirring frequently. Add additional water if mixture is too thick. Cook just until noodles start to soften, then stir in sour cream; heat through but do not boil. Makes 6 servings.
Watch a video of this month’s winning recipe at micoopkitchen.com/recipe_ type/videos/
Shanasee Tersigni, Presque Isle Electric
1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves black or regular garlic
1 cup fennel, chopped (with fronds)
¼ –½ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
¼ –½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Calabrian chili flakes or red chili flakes
1 sprig rosemary leaf
1 handful chopped fresh oregano
1 pound ground venison
2 zucchini, peeled and chopped
1 cup morel mushrooms
2 cups chopped kale
1 can (15-ounce) Italian stewed
tomatoes
2 cups organic chicken bone broth
2 cups low sodium V8
1 (8- ounce) box quinoa elbow
pasta, or favorite pasta noodles
1 (15.5- ounce) can cannelini
beans
1 (15.5- ounce) can dark red kidney beans
½ cup Peppadew peppers (a pickled piquant pepper) (substitute with sweet cherry peppers, sweet drop peppers, pimentos, sweet red peppers, or pepperoncini) & splash of pickling liquid from jar
• fresh basil and lemon zest, for garnishing
Heat ceramic cast iron pot to medium heat. Add oil. Sauté onions, garlic, fennel, salt, and pepper. Cook until onion and fennel are tender. Add herbs and ground venison. Cook until meat is browned. Add zucchini, morels, and kale. Sauté a minute, stirring. Add all remaining ingredients. Cook until pasta is al dente. Add additional broth or vegetable juice if needed. Garnish with fresh basil and lemon zest. Season to taste.
Linda Heintz, Great Lakes Energy
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound uncooked chicken breast, cut into ¼-inch slices
1 small sweet onion, cut into chunks
1 small red onion, cut into chunks
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 cup small broccoli florets
1 cup small cauliflower florets
1 cup chicken broth
½ pound asparagus, sliced into 2-inch pieces
1 cup pea pods, strings removed
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
• green onions, sliced
Heat oil in large wok over medium-high heat. Add sliced chicken and sauté until no longer pink. Add onions, mushrooms, broccoli, and cauliflower. Sauté until just beginning to get tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 cup of broth, put lid on pan and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove lid, then add asparagus and pea pods. Sauté until just beginning to soften and color turns bright. Mix together soy sauce, cornstarch, salt, and sugar. Add soy sauce mixture to pan and stir quickly. Continue to stir in all liquids and ingredients as sauce thickens. Can also sprinkle sliced green onions on top when finished. Serve alone or over rice. I use this same recipe with venison steak and use beef broth instead of chicken broth. You can use any vegetables you have on hand, but save the ones that cook quickly for the time period after the 2-minute simmer.
4 bone-in skinless chicken breasts, quartered
• salt & pepper
½ cup flour
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups white wine
1 (5- ounce) jar Spanish green olives, sliced with pimento
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Salt and pepper chicken breasts and then dredge in flour. Heat olive oil in skillet and fry chicken until crisp
on both sides but not fully cooked. Remove chicken from skillet and pour out all but a ¼ cup of the olive oil. Turn temperature to medium. Add onions and cook for about 3 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute, turning. Add white wine and let cook down until reduced by half. Add olives and roughly 4 tablespoons of juice from the jar. Add the cinnamon and stir. Add the chicken and put a lid on. Simmer for 30 minutes. Best if served over longgrain rice.
Lynn Hagon, Great Lakes Energy
1 pound hamburger
1 (15-ounce) can vegetable soup
1 (15-ounce) can tomato soup
2 cups water
3–4 carrots, cut up
2 medium potatoes, cut up
1 small onion, chopped
Brown hamburger and onion; drain. Add soups, water, and vegetables. Cook for about 45 minutes or so.
Kim Schumacher
If you spend time outdoors target shooting or hunting any type of animal, it is crucial that you make sure to avoid shooting near or toward overhead utility lines of any kind. The results of hitting a utility line with a gunshot, even unintentionally, can be very serious.
“We’ve had a few shooting incidents on our lines recently that have caused outages for whole neighborhoods, as well as expensive damage to our equipment,” says HomeWorks Safety & Loss Prevention Specialist Jeff Erridge. “Hitting a utility line can be dangerous, and it can also be considered vandalism, resulting in potential fines or criminal prosecution.”
Avoiding such consequences, though, is simple.
“Just be aware of your surroundings, watch where you’re shooting, and be safe,” says Erridge, an avid hunter and outdoorsman himself. “It’s basic firearms 101.”
A Special Member Meeting is set for July 31, 9 a.m., at the Cooperative’s Blanchard office
The board of directors will consider the item(s) listed below at its meeting on July 31, 2023, to be held at the Cooperative office at 3681 Costabella Ave., Blanchard, Michigan, 49310. The meeting will start at 9 a.m. and is open to all members of HomeWorks Tri-County Electric Cooperative.
The session will begin with an opportunity for members to provide direct input to the board of directors, without filing a formal request under the Cooperative policy. Interested members are asked to come to the lobby by 9 a.m. and request to speak to the board; staff will direct members to the meeting room. Time constraints on each member’s comments will be at the discretion of the board president, but members are asked to keep comments to less than five minutes.
The following item(s) will be discussed and considered:
1. Revising the Cooperative’s electric rates to meet current and future financial needs. Notice of changes or additions to the Cooperative’s rates or service rules shall be sent to all members, as required by P.A. 167, by publication in Michigan Country Lines at least 30 days prior to their effective date.
Participation: Any interested member may attend and participate. The location of the board meeting site is accessible, including accessible parking. Persons needing any accommodation to participate should contact HomeWorks Tri-County Electric at 800-562-8232 at least a week in advance of the meeting to request mobility, visual, hearing, or other assistance. Comments may also be made prior to the meeting date by calling CEO Chris O’Neill at 517-647-1284, or contacting him by email at coneill@homeworks.org. Notice of the board meeting shall be sent to all members, as required by P.A. 167, by publication in Michigan Country Lines.
Meeting in Portland on May 21, your board of directors:
• Reviewed an annual comparison of the rates of Michigan electric utilities, showing that HomeWorks’ rates compare favorably to the current rates of neighboring investor-owned utilities, even when considering the potential implementation of a proposed rate increase for the Co-op.
• Held the annual meeting of the Co-op’s subsidiary, Tri-Co Services, Inc., where the current slate of HomeWorks Tri-County Electric directors and officers was elected to the subsidiary board.
• Reviewed the financial statements of Tri-Co Services, Inc., and approved management’s recommendation that 2022 margins be held as retained earnings, given the ongoing financial and business needs of the company.
• Reviewed the results of the Co-op’s 2023 board elections, in which incumbent Jim Stebbins (District 2), challenger Jake Borton (District 4), and interim incumbent director Theresa Sopocy (District 5) were elected. It was noted that, on the whole, HomeWorks members voted in record numbers this year, with the addition of an electronic voting option helping to significantly increase turnout.
• Reviewed a report on HomeWorks’ May 2023 virtual district meetings,
Meeting remotely on May 17, our People Fund board made three grants totaling $7,590, including:
• $5,000 to Helping Hands Food Pantry in Charlotte, for food pantry items;
• $2,000 to a Mecosta County family, for a new furnance; and
• $590 to an Isabella County family, to help cover utility expenses.
which saw a record total of 783 member households attend this year.
• Reviewed plans for the Co-op’s new park party events that are intended as an in-person engagement opportunity with HomeWorks members, noting that the parties are taking place throughout the summer, with one event planned in each of the Co-op’s seven districts.
• Discussed and accepted Cooperative Bylaw Sections 2.14-2.16, as revised.
• Learned there were 91 new members in April.
• Reviewed the April physical and cyber security report, which indicated that there were no breeches or security incidents of note.
• Acknowledged the April safety report, listing employee training as well as minor employee and public incidents involving electric, propane, or fiber optic.
Your Cooperative offers a Tri-County Electric People Fund program, which is funded through the voluntary rounding up of your monthly utility bill to the next whole dollar amount. An all-volunteer board of directors appointed by the member-elected board of HomeWorks Tri-County Electric Cooperative is charged with distributing the funds throughout the Cooperative’s service area. Grants support charitable efforts in and around the communities we serve.
The first 15 minutes of every board meeting are available for members who wish to address the board of directors on any subject. The next meetings are scheduled for 9 a.m. on July 31 at Blanchard and 9 a.m. on Aug. 28 at Portland. Members who wish to have items considered on the board agenda should call 517-647-7554 at least a week in advance of the meeting.
Funds from the People Fund have been distributed to educational programs, fire departments, medical emergency groups, recreational organizations, senior organizations, numerous local charities, and many local families and individuals. A copy of the People Fund’s annual report detailing contributions is available and was highlighted in our March issue of Country Lines magazine. All grants made are also listed on our website at HomeWorks.org.
Your participation in the Tri-County Electric People Fund is VOLUNTARY.
If you are participating and decide at any time that you wish to discontinue participation in the People Fund, please let us know, and we will be happy to remove your account.
The Tri-County Electric People Fund provides grants to individuals and organizations in the Co-op’s service area for food, shelter, clothing, health, and other humane needs, or for programs or services that benefit a significant segment of a community.
Write to 7973 E. Grand River Ave., Portland, MI 48875, for an application form and grant guidelines, or visit the People Fund page at HomeWorks.org.
Note: Applications must be received by Aug. 1 for the August meeting or by Sept. 12 for the September meeting.
If you are participating, your monthly bill is rounded up to the next whole dollar amount. If your bill is $78.42, it would be rounded up to $79. The 58 cents would then be contributed by HomeWorks on your behalf to the People Fund, to be used as explained above. A customer’s average annual contribution is approximately $6. Your annual contribution to the People Fund is tax-deductible and is reported on your monthly statement in January of the following year.
For additional information regarding the Tri-County Electric People Fund, you can contact the Cooperative office by mail or call 877-466-3957, extension 1272.
“In a musty old hall in Detroit, they prayed In the maritime sailorsʼ cathedral
The church bell chimed ʻtil it rang twenty-nine times For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.”
By Emily Haines Lloyd
The recent discovery of the wreck of the Nucleus is just one of many stories brought to light by the museum.
The Gordon Lightfoot song made the Edmund Fitzgerald, a freight ship lost in Lake Superior in 1975, the most famous shipwreck in a century. However, the depths of the Great Lakes are the secret keepers and silent graves of thousands of ships lost in its waters. Among them is the recently discovered Nucleus, a 144-foot Barquentine found under 600 feet of water around 40 miles northwest of
Vermilion Point on Lake Superior. The Nucleus was lost at sea over 150 years ago in 1869.
“It can be hard for folks to understand how a ship could go missing for so long without being discovered,” said content & communications director for the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS), Corey Adkins. “But these ships went down before radar, before GPS. So, how is it documented when a ship goes down back then?”
Lucky for historians and maritime aficionados, the technology has grown exponentially, and the efforts of groups like GLSHS discover more missing vessels each year.
GLSHS fi rst discovered the wreckage of Nucleus using a Marine Sonic Technology side-scan sonar in the summer of 2021, and positively identifi ed the wreck in 2022 using the organization’s ROV (remotely operated vehicle). The wreck was in surprisingly good condition, which helped with the next phase of the discovery. Much like any investigation, the next steps included a great deal of research.
“There was no name visible, but the wreckage was a perfect size and in the perfect place to deduce it was Nucleus,” said Adkins. “From there, you piece together a story using old news articles and documents. Little by little, the story becomes clearer.”
Part of Nucleus ’ story includes a history of nine or 10 accidents at sea and the fact that it had sunk two other times—which earned it the
moniker of “Bad Luck Barquentine.” Additionally, on the Nucleus ’ fi nal and fateful voyage, another ship, the Union, had come upon the sinking vessel, slowed down, and eventually steamed on without any sort of communication or effort to rescue the crew.
“That is just not done,” said Adkins. “There is an unwritten law of the sea, that you always help another ship in distress. The fact that the Union didn’t assist just adds to the mystery of this wreck. But still, amazingly, there was not a single life lost.”
Mystery solving is at the heart of GLSHS’ mission. They are actively looking for wrecks every summer into early fall, hoping to piece together more stories of both the ships and those who sailed on them. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, operated by GLSHS and located at the Whitefish
Point Light Station, offers more stories for visitors to discover and an opportunity to walk the beach afterward to reflect on the area’s rich history.
“We are proud to share the history and tell the stories of these discoveries,” said Adkins. “Every story is important to us. All the lives and the losses. Most people only know about the Edmund Fitzgerald . But that is not the only story.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Top: An anchor from the Nucleus.In May 2018, your Co-op officially embarked on an extraordinary mission, breaking ground on a fiber network designed to deliver reliable high-speed internet and phone access to every HomeWorks member across our rural service territory. Five years later, that mission is complete; our HomeWorks Connect network has been built out over 2,100 miles of fiber line to our entire membership.
“I am so proud of this state-of-the-art service that we are providing to our members, and I’m equally proud of the fact that despite the unexpected challenges that arose along the way due to the pandemic and other global issues, we still accomplished the buildout within our original fiveyear commitment,” says CEO Chris O’Neill. “That is an impressive feat, and it just shows the level of dedication our employees have to getting things done for our members.”
It was the members who provided the impetus for the HomeWorks board to approve a $94 million investment to form the HomeWorks Connect business in the first place, very similar to when the Co-op was founded in 1937 by farmers seeking to bring electricity to their unserved rural homesteads. For years leading up to the fiber internet project launch in 2018, members continually expressed their frustration with the lack of quality broadband access in their rural neighborhoods and their desire for the Co-op to fulfill that need for them.
“I think bringing broadband out into the rural areas has brought some of that same passion back into the organization that must have been there when the Co-op first set out to electrify the local farms,” says CIO Tom Manting.
“I’ve seen our employees being reenergized because we’re providing something that everyone wants and needs.”
HomeWorks Connect Customer Service Representative Andrea Gleason agrees. To her, the heart of HomeWorks’ mission to deliver reliable broadband access has always been the Co-op’s members and the significant difference the service is making in their lives.
“I feel really proud to be part of the fiber internet team because it is such an exciting, seemingly life-changing service that we offer,” she says. “Our members are very appreciative that we’re bringing this service to them; many of them say it’s the best internet service they’ve ever had.”
One of those members is Kirk Noren of Portland. For him, HomeWorks Connect’s reliable gigabit-speed internet service truly has been life-changing, allowing him the opportunity he thought he’d never have to move back to his hometown. Noren works with software companies with offices all over the world, so for him, an excellent internet connection is a must.
“I didn’t think that would ever be available in Portland, so when I inherited my parents’ home, I came back just to prepare to sell it,” he says. “But then I found out about HomeWorks Connect, and it changed everything for me. Now, I live back home in Portland, and whenever I’m in an online meeting with my colleagues, they’re always asking me about my internet, because it just never drops and it seems so crisp. And I say, ‘I live in the middle of nowhere and I have the fastest internet of any place I’ve ever lived in the world.’
Nothing has been as fast as the internet I have in Portland, Michigan.”
It’s not just the members who subscribe to HomeWorks Connect who are reaping the benefits of the project, either. Because the fiber network was built to follow our existing electric lines, significant upgrades were made to our system along the way to prepare for the addition of fiber lines and strengthen the electric system at the same time. That includes the changing out of an incredible 5,000-plus electric poles throughout the life of the fiber network construction project. Those upgrades have already paid big dividends, helping our electric system to stand up better against storms and allowing us to provide members with power that is even more reliable.
“Our electric system is noticeably more resilient and reliable, plus, the HomeWorks Connect business will eventually turn a steady profit that will be returned to subscribing members as capital credits,” says O’Neill. “It’s really just a win-win-win for our electric members, our internet subscribers, and the Co-op as a whole.”
That includes the Co-op’s commercial members, like Chopper Schrauben, owner of the Wagon Wheel American Grill and Meadow Bowl Lanes in Portland, who says HomeWorks Connect helps things run more smoothly at his businesses.
“As a business owner, having fiber internet takes away a lot of the uncertainty,” he says. “Before, we would have a lot of problems losing our phones; we would have problems losing credit card authorizations. When you have unreliable internet, it affects every part of your day-to-day operations. We’re grateful to the Co-op for doing what it takes to bring reliable high-speed internet service to rural mid-Michigan.”
With network construction and fiber splicing complete, HomeWorks Connect contracts are now open to members in all zones of our service territory. With our current installation schedule, there is an approximate waiting period of 10-12 weeks between contract signing and service installation in the home. According to HomeWorks Board Chairman Luke Pohl, the service received as a HomeWorks Connect subscriber will be well worth that wait.
“Anybody who has the possibility of using our broadband should really do it, because I’ve been in business for 40 years myself, and I can tell you that this is a very well-run company that runs almost like a family business, where people really care about our members,” Pohl said. “I believe they will go beyond what is called from them to do the job, and that was shown in how they rose to every challenge along the way to achieve this much-needed fiber network for our members.”
The need for reliable broadband access in mid-Michigan doesn’t stop at the end of HomeWorks’ electric lines. That’s why, with the HomeWorks Connect buildout to our membership now complete, we are beginning to answer the call to expand our network to nonmember areas adjacent to our service territory.
First up is an area within view of our headquarters office: the city of Portland. We have partnered with Portland to deliver access to HomeWorks Connect’s gigabit-speed fiber internet network to all of the city’s residents and businesses. These subscribers will be customers of HomeWorks Connect, but they will not be granted membership to the Co-op, which is reserved for those we serve with electricity.
In the long run, adding nonmember subscribers will increase the HomeWorks Connect revenue stream, which will financially benefit the Co-op and, thus, all of our member-owners.
“I live in the middle of nowhere and I have the fastest internet of anyplace I’ve lived in the world. Nothing has been as fast as the internet I have in Portland, Michigan.”
~ Kirk Noren, HomeWorks Member and HomeWorks Connect Subscriber
he was seldom seen without an apron and seldom seen not working. She was a farmer. Forever. And even when she didn’t live near fields and barns, she was a farmer still, in her heart. She mentored many and inspired far more. A little grandson followed her, closer than her shadow. He learned her love of plants and gardens—it was far more caught than taught. He’d quote her homespun adages, like scriptures learned in church. Some were rather humorous, like when he’d say, with serious tone: “My grandma says she knows she’ll never go to hell, because the devil knows she builds a better fire,” or “I don’t need to rest, I can sleep when I’m dead!” As this grandson grew in stature, he still loved the things she loved. With spades and trowels as his artist’s tools, he created lovely gardens. He learned the proper names of every plant he planted—good friends should have good names. He’d learned from his aproned grandma which plants chose sunny spots and which preferred the shade. He knew when each would be awake and bring their brightest flowers, so he’d plant his gardens in such a way that some would always be in bloom.
This grandma’s boy went off to school, to Michigan State one day. And there he chose to study plants and gardens and propagation. He’d learn his grandma’s favorites had Latin names as well. He’d graduate with honors, assisting his professors. He’d later maintain gardens at the Edsel Ford estate and land a job he’d hold for years, growing perennials for Wiegand’s Nursery. His grandmother moved to heaven—she tends the gardens there. But Gary Bopp, without an apron, continues her gardening here. Retired, he now spends his summers in Lewiston, a rare jewel in northern Michigan. He lives in a place called Bliss Cottage, surrounded by Bliss Gardens. He still propagates perennials, knows each by name, knows each one’s game. He sells them each Saturday morning at Lewiston’s Farmers’ Market. He’s become a local consultant, inspiring the love of the garden. He loves to know his green “children” find
good homes with his neighbors and friends. He likes to imagine he might be a part of making this world more beautiful—spreading awe and fueling wonder in gardens. Last year he propagated 5,000 perennials, tough tested by Lewiston’s climate. He watches with pride as they’re carried from the market to gardens nearby. And somewhere in heaven, an angel with an apron worn over her robe looks down and tells those around her, “I taught him all that he knows.”
“When some people leave this world,” Gary reflects, “they leave a grand monument, a vast estate, or a collection of tributes, awards, and accolades. I hope to leave a garden.”
About the author: Rik Cryderman is happily retired after a 35-year career as director of pastoral care for Beaumont Hospital in Troy, Michigan. He splits his time between Lewiston, Michigan, and Naples, Florida, enjoying grandchildren, gardening, travel, photography, and writing. Fueled by his faith and inspired by his friends, he finds each of life’s chapters better than the last.
Guest Column
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Mystery Photo
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Identify the correct location of the photo to the left by July 24 and be entered into a drawing to win a $100 electric bill credit. Enter your guess at countrylines.com/community
May 2023 Winner! Our Mystery Photo winner is Michelle Cockey, a Midwest Energy & Communications Cooperative member, who correctly identified the photo as the memorial plaque of Ryerson and Melissa Whiting at Whiting Park in Charlevoix County. Winners are announced in the following issues of Country Lines: January, March, May, July/August, September, and November/December.
