JEA Dispatch September-October 2013

The

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Dispatch

Jackson Energy Authority Newsletter

September-October 2013

Inside …

Water lab earns certification p2 Budget process went smoothly p3 Updated history on display p3

The downtown Customer Service Center has moved to 351 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. See story, page 2.

New Customer Center opens; Admin building to undergo renovations

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age and restore the office. isplaced by a fire in They didn’t know at the 1974 and a major time that the building water leak this sumwould need much more mer, JEA’s administration substantial repairs. building on College Street has “It ended up doing more weathered its share of storms. damage than we initially The water leak occurred anticipated,” said Monte over a weekend in mid July Cooper, Vice President of when an icemaker line on the Operations. second floor gave way.

Because of the extent of Employees returned on The drive-through at the new customer center. the damage, JEA moved Monday to find two inches of most of its personnel out of the administration buildwater on the second floor, water seeping down walls, ing to other facilities throughout town. The EPlus TV ceiling tiles falling and another two inches of water on Channel 6 studio on the north section of the building, the first floor. which has its own heating and air, will remain operaCustomer Service initially closed at the downtown location as employees raced to clean up the water dam- tional.

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The fire in 1974

n 1974, JEA’s offices were operating out of two buildings on East College Street.

The administrative and accounting functions were in a former telephone company building. Other offices were in the former Electric Department building next door.

In the early morning hours of October 30, 1974, fire broke out in the rear of the John E. Parker Company, a housewares and

Continued on Page 2 ...

hardware business. It spread west down College Street to the Western Auto store and then to JEA’s business office building.

A fire wall separated the business office from the electric department building.

The business offices suffered about $500,000 in damages, estimated Bruce Bynum, JEA General Manager at the time.

The second floor of that building caved

Employee restores classic car p4 Youth program develops job skills p4 Welcome new employees Babies

p5 p6,7

Softball keeps seniors young p6 JEA sells, installs gas grills p7 With sympathy p7 Cable TV celebrates 30 years of high school football p8

into the first floor. The Electric Department building received much less damage because of the fire wall.

True to their history of working through crises, employees were able to open customer service doors by noon in a barn behind the buildings.

The utility never stopped handling emergency calls.

Damaged College Street building

Water lab earns certification

Continued from Page 1...

“Everyone else is out of the building,” Monte said.

The Customer Center has relocated permanently to a former bank building on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. The Accounting and Administrative personnel have temporarily moved to the Tennergy Building.

The Human Resources staff has moved to the IT building next to the damaged administrative building, and JEA leased additional office space downtown for eight employees.

Because of the waterline break, JEA is accelerating some decisions under consideration for its facilities.

“This water incident caused a change in our plans,” Monte said.

JEA had already engaged TLM Associates, an architecture and engineering firm in Jackson, to review each of its 13 buildings and make recommendations on how to maximize space and efficiency.

After the waterline break, JEA amended the contract to determine what to do with the administrative building.

“They will be driving the extent of renovations that will be done to the administration building,” Monte said.

In all likelihood, the building will be gutted,

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he Tennessee Division of Water Resources audited JEA’s drinking water laboratory in July and certified it as a microbiology lab.

During the audit, the Division of Water Resources found that the lab met all state regulations as a microbiology lab. The certification is valid for three years.

In a letter, Laboratory Certification Officer Craig LaFever thanked JEA’s staff for its courtesy during the audit.

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The Dispatch

is the employee newsletter for Jackson Energy Authority, 119 E. College St., Jackson, TN 38301.

731-422-7500 www.jaxenergy.com

Customer Center has new home downtown

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Publisher: Aletza Boucher Editor: Mary S. Reed Contributors: Karen Johnson Stacy Scoggins Janet Wilbanks n

The next “Dispatch”

will be in November.

Send items for the issue to Aletza Boucher by October 22.

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redesigned and fully renovated, Monte said. In that scenario, the building would be stripped down to its core and rebuilt, updating mechanical systems that date back to the 1950s and 1970s.

“In addition to the look and feel of the building, all of the mechanical systems are also aged and in need of renewal,” Monte said.

TLM Associates will deliver its report to senior management for a decision on the next step. The report will include what to do with the administration building, as well as which personnel throughout the company should be shuffled to other facilities in Jackson.

“They were looking at who was in those buildings, who they interacted with and whether there were any efficiency gains to be had by moving to another spot,” Monte said.

Once the study is delivered and ultimately approved, the renovations will probably take a year to complete, which means the administration building will be fully occupied again in 18 to 24 months, Monte said.

If a full renovation is indeed the recommended course, JEA will try to accelerate the project by tearing out the administration building while waiting on architectural plans to be developed.

fter an icemaker waterline on the second floor of the administration building on College Street caused a damaging leak in mid July, the Customer Center moved to a new location.

“The reason we moved was the water damage at the administrative office was pretty severe, and it was impacting our ability to serve customers well,” said Rowland Fisher, Vice President of Customer Service.

The new facility at 351 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive is a former bank that has a better layout for customer service operations, Rowland said. After the damage, JEA knew it needed to remodel the Customer Center on College Street to bring it up to code.

Rowland said they also planned to rework the layout to improve security and cashiering, which was split on opposite sides of the room. “It was not the best situation for security the way the cashiering was set up,” he said.

The former bank building on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive was empty, so JEA decided to relocate the Customer Center altogether. Because it used to be a bank, the setup inside is much better for Customer Service employees, Rowland said.

It also is in a great location between Highland Avenue and Royal Street downtown, he said.

“The accessibility for customers is just great. Overall, it is just a great fit for what we needed.”

The Customer Center had been at the College Street location since the 1950s. It closed to customers for good on Friday, August 16, and reopened in its new location on Monday, August 19. The change has been welcomed by JEA employees and customers, Rowland said.

“Now that we’re in this new location, everybody has adapted well to it. Overall, it’s been a great success.”

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This year’s budget went smoothly nce again, the budget process for the new fiscal year went smoothly, thanks to the hard work of managers, department heads and vice presidents, said Becky Hayes, Manager of Finance.

“It was a true team effort,” agreed Nancy Nanney, Chief Financial Officer.

After more work on the part of the Senior Vice Presidents, JEA’s Board of Directors approved the budget for the 2014 fiscal year on May 23. It went into effect July 1.

Combined sales for all divisions are expected to be $246 million. Operating and maintenance expenditures are projected to be $46 million, while capital expenditures on system expansions and other improvements are budgeted to cost $39.3 million.

The Telecom Division also has repaid all of its line-of-credit borrowing and now has permanent financing in place at a favorable rate.

Sources of Funds (In thousands of dollars) Sales Revenue: $246,302 Working Capital: $3,397

Misc. Operating Revenue: $7,967

Contributed Capital: $2,710 Bond & Note Proceeds: $1,898

Portable generator gets new switchgear

Other Income: $2,657

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Uses of Funds (In thousands of dollars) Purchased Power, Gas & Cost of Services: $156,995 O & M Expense: $46,464

Capital Expenditures: $39,315

Taxes & Other: $7,475 Debt Service: $14,330

Display shows part of JEA’s history

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f you don’t work in the bunker or attend meetings there, you wouldn’t know about the new display, which has replaced the old timeline in the bunker.

The display is designed to capture the more significant and innovative events and accomplishments since the Bunker was built. The pictures can be changed out as culturally shaping events and innovations emerge within the organization, said Sam Turner, Senior

Manager of Marketing and Communications. It will continue to change as JEA works to address the community’s needs.

“We all play a part in the delivery of exceptional utility service,” Sam said. “The pictures and the stories they tell are about you.”

Thanks to Cassandra Fuller, Creative Services Coordinator II, and Kerrie Brooks, Creative Services Coordinator I, for their hard work, Sam said.

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EA installed a new electrical switchgear at the Miller Avenue Wastewater Treatment plant to make better use of a 600kilowatt portable generator originally purchased to provide emergency power to the North Water Treatment Plant.

The new equipment allows JEA to power the plant head works – the area that receives, screens and pumps wastewater through the rest of the plant for treatment.

“JEA already has dual power feed to the wastewater plant from the electric system; however, this gives us another source of electrical power in the event all power is lost,” said Andy Myracle, Water/Wastewater Plant Maintenance Superintendent.

The portable generator is rated at 480 volts and 902 amps. It can run about 24 hours on one tank of fuel.

Mustang Liba

September Anniversaries

Employee restores classic 1966 family car

Philip Bell 9/16/74 Victor Jennings 9/01/88 Dean Emison 9/06/88 Dascal Merriweather 9/09/88 Eric Johnson 9/30/88 Paul Newman 9/17/90 Clyde Faison 9/10/91 Jeff Davis 9/14/92 Perry Hays 9/28/92 Andy Goodman 9/01/93 Paul Williams 9/06/93 Mabel Collins 9/29/94 Travis Smith 9/06/95 Charlotte Armstrong 9/01/96 Greg Kelley 9/08/97 Chad Harris 9/23/97 Larry Moody 9/29/97 Bobby Holmes 9/08/98 Jeremy Lester 9/04/01 Ben Lovins 9/19/03 Cassandra Fuller 9/30/03 Jared Smith 9/06/04 Kipp Hornburger 9/15/04 Ty Cowles 9/12/05 David Hale 9/19/05 Victor Anderson 9/19/05 Tony Vinson 9/04/07 Mark Dickson 9/17/07 Justin Roach 9/24/07 Brittney Warren 9/24/07 Jason Moody 9/30/07 Tim Cochran 9/02/08 Sandy Cox 9/05/10

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ccasionally, on the streets and roads of Madison County, you can see a restored turquoise blue 1966 Ford Mustang Fastback thundering along.

But not every day. The car is too important – and too sentimental – to risk an accident, joked Liba Ford, JEA’s Environmental Coordinator.

“Have you seen the drivers in Jackson?” She asked, rhetorically.

The Mustang has been in Liba’s family since it was originally purchased. Her brother drove it at first. But he eventually got a new car, and Liba drove it from 1971 until 1978. Then it went back to her dad’s driveway.

“It’s more than a collectible; there’s an emotional attachment to it,” Liba said. “I’ll never sell it.”

As time went by, the car sat for 10 or 15 years without a driver. Liba inherited the car in 1996 after her parents died, but it needed substantial work.

She decided to quit smoking in 1997 to set an example for her teenage daughter, and she set aside the money she would have spent on cigarettes for repairs.

She told her daughter, “if you smoke, think about what you will have in several years … nothing! I, how-

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Liba Ford will never sell her 1966 Ford Mustang Fastback. She restored the car once owned by her father.

ever, will have a restored antique automobile!”

Little by little, during the course of 12 years, Liba did get the car back on the road.

“When we first started on it, it was sad,” Liba said.

“I’m still tweaking a few things, but it looks good and it’s fun to drive.”

Because it’s a mid-1960s Mustang with a rare color, you won’t find many like it on the road – in fact, 1968 is the last year the Fastback was made. In 1966, when Liba’s family first got the car, about 27,000 Fastbacks like hers were made.

As a result, interested buyers frequently approach Liba when she takes it out for a drive. “What year is it and would you sell it? Those are the questions you get,” she said. She joked that she needed a bumper sticker that says: “It’s a 1966, and no.”

Today, the car is an antique, and it is not her primary mode of transportation. Instead, she only gets behind the wheel when she wants to go for a drive and relive the days of her youth.

“It’s just great pleasure for me,” Liba said. “Just the feeling of sitting in it and driving it brings back memories.”

Program helps youths get job skills Dominic Roberts

Jerry Springfield

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ackson Energy Authority partnered with the Jackson-Madison County School System to develop a new minority youth program.

The purpose of this program is to identify graduating high school seniors who would like to pursue employment in technical and field-related vocations.

The partnership will provide them with experience as well as an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the skills needed to find gainful Justin Roberson

employment in today’s workforce.

This year’s graduates include Dominic Roberts, Jerry Springfield and Justin Roberson. n Dominic is a recent graduate of Madison Academic High School and worked under the Supervision of Thomas Varughese, Video Production Technician for EPlus TV 6. n Jerry graduated from South Side High School and worked under the Supervision of Bobby Lenard, Fleet Maintenance Supervisor in the Garage at Distribution. n Justin graduated from Jackson CentralMerry Academy of Medical Technology and worked under the rotation of several supervisors in Electric Distribution.

Welcome to our new employees ‌

n Shelby Reed, part-time Cashier in the Customer Service Department, joined the company after working at Shoe Carnival. n Noelle Lipscomb is a parttime Customer Noelle Lipscomb Erico Shaw Ben Harston Shelby Reed Service Representative I. Noelle previously worked at Savant Learning Systems. n Erico Shaw, temporary Gas Pipelayer in the Distribution Department, joined JEA Jim Oakley Wes Davis Matthew Aud Jay Martin from URS Construction. n Ben Harston, part-time Gas Pipelayer in the Engineering Department, joined the company after working at Revell Construction. n Jay Martin is a Network Administrator in the Information Technology Department. Jay had been working at Manitowoc Company. n Wes Davis is a temporary Gas Zach Wadley Kyle Wallace Steven Duong Pipelayer in the Distribution Department.

His last employer was Williams Steel Comn Kyle Wallace, temporary Drafter in the Engipany. neering Department, joined JEA from the Jacksonn Jim Oakley, IT Asset Administrator in the Madison County School System.

Information Technology Department, joined JEA n Zack Wadley is an Electric Co-Op in the Engiafter working for Utilicor. neering Department. Zack attends Union University. n Matthew Aud is a part-time Video Production n Steven Duong is a Water and Wastewater CoAssistant in the Telecom Department. He previously Op in the Engineering Department. Steven attends worked for Heavenly Ham. Tennessee Technological University.

October Anniversaries Murla Sloan 10/13/80 Lottie Long 10/03/83 Bill Gordon 10/08/84 Mark Scoggins 10/20/86 David Deaton 10/04/88 Eddie Bond 10/24/89 Michael Woods 10/01/90 Chris Deaton 10/22/90 Brad Roberson 10/29/90 Jeff Daniel 10/31/91 Fred Cunningham 10/03/93 Danny Bailey 10/24/94 Mark David 10/31/94 Kathy Butler 10/14/96 Terry Franklin 10/21/97 Brandon Fesmire 10/01/01 Elizabeth Thomas 10/01/01 Teresa Irvine 10/15/02 Hunter Mays 10/12/03 Roxane Coats 10/15/03 Melissa Maners 10/21/03 Ashley Kozlowitz 10/03/04 Brandon Bridger 10/03/05 Chesley Dennison 10/03/05 Charles Pequignot 10/17/05 Dallas Shumate 10/02/06 Bradley Carson 10/05/06 Justin Alexander 10/16/06 Casey Brooks 10/05/08 Zachary Zehner 10/18/10 Michael Cain 10/03/11 Jacob Bridger 10/18/11

A pat on the back!

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ongratulations Mark Love Ryan Collins Jared Smith Clint Lee to the following n Mark Love in the Telecom Department was proemployees on their promotions ‌ moted from temporary Headend Technician to Headn Clint Lee in the Telecom Department was proend Technician. moted from Headend Specialist to Headend Manager. n Jared Smith in the Engineering Department has n Ryan Collins in the Telecom Department was changed jobs from Water and Wastewater Project Engipromoted from temporary Telecom Stores Helper to neer to Gas Project Engineer.

Telecom Stores Helper.

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Babies

Softball and other sports keep seniors young, active

n Braxton

Williams, Vice President of Gas Supply at Tennergy, and his wife, Lori, are new parBriley Grace Williams ents. Briley Grace was born July 31. She has two big sisters, Ellie and Laney. n Cody Merritt, Serviceman II in the Telecom Department, and his wife, Allie, are the parents of a baby boy. William Luke was born August 2. He has a big sister, Kenlie & Luke Merritt Kenlie, and his grandparents are Kenny Merritt, Field Services Department Serviceman III, and his wife, Sandy. n Ashley Kozlowitz, Work Order Coordinator in Customer Service, and her husband, Hanna Kozlowitz Andrew, are new parents of a baby girl. Hanna Kristen was born August. 8. She has a big sister, Sarah. n Asanta George, Cashier in the Customer Service Department, and her husband, Jerome, are the proud parents of a baby boy.

Jerome George Jerome Alexander was born August 14. n Tom Aylor, Buyer in the Distribution Department, is the proud grandfather of twin girls. Rowan and Teagan were born September 10 to Adam and Carrie Aylor.

Rowan, left, and Teagan Taylor

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EA retirees Bo Deaton and Joe Sykes are old friends — they’ve known each other since they were 12. And both, now 79, still find time to play like children through their shared love of softball.

It’s their secret to youth.

Bo Deaton and Joe Sykes won gold medals at the national “It’s something to keep you Senior Olympics in Cleveland. going, keep you involved, help keep you in shape and keep you young,” Bo said.

They’re pretty good at it, too.

Bo and Joe were part of a softball team that won gold at the national Senior Olympics in Cleveland, Ohio this summer — an Members of the Tennessee gold medal softball team included Bo Deaton, first event they qualirow, far right, and James Faulkner (spouse of retiree Janice), Joe Sykes and fied for last year.

Gary Carver, all in the back row.

They were also part of a softball team that included JEA retiree and lungs in shape.”

Bo agreed.

Gary Carver and James Faulkner – husband “I do it because I enjoy it – plus it’s good of Retiree Janice Faulkner – that won gold at exercise, good fellowship and it’s just fun to the state Senior Olympics this summer. do,” he said.

Besides softball, they play various track Bo retired in 1993 after 42 years with and field events and sports like tennis and JEA. He was the Manager of Finance and basketball at the Senior Olympics. Bo said Customer Service. they won a gold medal, two silvers and a “It’s a great place to work,” Bo said. “I bronze at the state competition this year and made a lot of friends within the division, and six gold medals, five silvers and two bronzes I made a lot of friends with customers. It’s last year. just a great place to be.”

“It’s always good to win,” Bo said.

Joe retired in 1991 after almost 40 years Bo and Joe also are members of a traveling softball team out of Florida, and they’re head- with JEA. He was the Administrative Assistant to the General Manager. ed to Las Vegas for a world championship “I always enjoyed going to work,” Joe said. tournament from September 30 through “I had good bosses. Those guys were just real October 6. The tournament will include 500 easy to work for.” teams spread across various age brackets from Bo and Joe have found a great way to stay 50-year-olds to 90-year-olds, Joe said. They’ll active in their retirement, and it’s something face 15 teams in their age bracket. of which they are both appreciative.

“I love to play,” Joe said. “I’ve been “I’m just very fortunate health-wise,” Joe accused of acting like a kid instead of an said. “Bo and I talk all the time about how adult. In order to stay young, you’ve got to fortunate we are.” participate, and you’ve got to keep your legs

JEA sells, installs and services grills

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ackson Energy Authority offers high-quality, durable gas grills for any backyard.

Customers can choose from many different packages or create their own based on their grilling needs.

The thick cast-aluminum grill heads, stainless-steel construction, stainless-steel cooking surfaces, variety of mountings and optional accessories create a grill that is designed to perform and built to last.

With the available features, customers can use the grills for warming foods, using a griddle, roasting on a rotisserie, baking, smoking, searing, simmering, sauteing or boiling.

Grills can be found at JEA’s Customer Center on Pleasant Plains Extended. Broilmaster’s cast aluminum grills are on display and Fire Magic stainless grills are

More babies

available through customer service representatives. With several models and optional accessories available, customers can find a grill that performs well and is built to last.

Grills are natural gas or propane ready and can be connected to gas or propane services from JEA. If a gas line is not present, JEA can install one for Servicemen Tim Cochran, pictured, and Mark David install a new JEA gas grill at a customer’s a fee from the gas home. meter to the spot ordered as needed and assembled where the grill will be located. when installed.

JEA technicians can deliver Financing is available and and assemble the grills for cusincluded on the monthly JEA bill. tomers, and customers get free For more information about service labor for three years after the grills, visit broilmaster.com installation. JEA does not wareand firemagicgasgrills.com. house the grills. Instead, they are

Service Recognition Mayor Jerry Gist and the Jackson Police Department recognized several employees for their service to the city at the August JEA Board of Directors meeting. Congratulations to Superintendent of Field Services Fred Cunningham, second from left, Plant Telecom Technician Wes Alexander, Network Specialist III Joey White and Plant Manager Telecom Darrell Pope. Darrell is not pictured.

United Way luncheon Employees from JEA attended the First Ladies Luncheon, an August fundraiser for the United Way at the University of Memphis at Lambuth. Pictured, from left, are Connie Clark, Lottie Long, Leslie Carrington, Janet Wilbanks, Cassandra Fuller, Kristi Turnbow, Aletza Boucher and Stacy Scoggins.

Kristi decorated the table.

n Judy Phelps, Billing Coordinator in Customer Service, and her husband, Van, are new grandparents and greatgrandparents. Their new granddaughter, Brianna Christine, was born to Curt and Kayce Pruitt. A great grandson, Shayne Alexander Raymond, was born Sept. 16.

His parents are Judy’s granddaughter, Hailey, and her husband, Josh Raymond.

Brianna Pruitt, above, & Shayne Raymond

Sympathy to:

n James Guttery, Water and Wastewater Co-op, whose great-grandmother, Mary Lucille Hammer, died August 12. n Barbara Allen, Work Order Coordinator in Distribution, whose mother, Ruby Allen, died August 25. n Donnie Garey, Electric Lineman in Distribution, whose stepson, Joseph Bryn Dudley, age 22, died in a car accident on September 2. n David Walker, Delinquent Accounts Serviceman in Customer Service, whose grandfather, Homer Bates, died September 4. n Lara Coleman, Vice President of Distribution, whose mother-in-law, Janice Coleman, died September 11.

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E Dispatch The

Jackson Energy Authority P.O. Box 68 Jackson, TN 38302 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Gas grills The Customer Center on Pleasant Plains Extended displays gas grills that are for sale. See story on page 7.

Mission Our mission is to provide exceptional utility services that create value for our customers and our community.

Vision JEA will continue to improve the quality of life in our community through the delivery of high-quality services to our customers.

• JEA will be an industry leader in providing utility services, exceeding the expectations of our customers.

• JEA’s employees will be recognized by those we serve as the most knowledgeable, highly-skilled and customer-focused workforce available.

• JEA will be a leader in the economic development of the community we serve.

Tom Mapes, from left, Jimmy Exum, Mike Singleton, Jimmy Duke and Steve Bowers discuss 30 years of cable football.

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Thirty seasons of high school football on cable TV

hannel 6 is celebrating its 30th season of televised high school football games in Jackson.

Since the beginning, high school football on Channel 6 has brought families together to watch replays of their children and grandchildren playing the game.

JEA’s streaming of EPlusTV 6 programming via

the Internet enables families from out of town to stay connected to the community.

Tom Mapes, Jimmy Exum, Mike Singleton and Jimmy Duke were instrumental in the beginning of local high school football on cable TV. Recently, they joined Steve Bowers in the studio to film a show on 30 years of high school football.

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Values The values that reflect our culture and which our employees must possess to ensure our mission and vision are: Integrity • Respect Fairness • Loyalty Innovation