WASHINGTON ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE LOCAL PAGES
Reunited, and it feels
so good
Washington Electric hosts annual meeting After a two-year hiatus because of the COVID pandemic, Washington Electric hosted an in-person 82nd annual meeting of members on May 19 at the Marietta Shrine Club in Marietta.
Trustee election results revealed that incumbents William Bowersock of Reno, Brian Carter of Sarahsville, and Betty Martin of Marietta were elected to three-year terms on the co-op board. Voting was conducted by mail prior to the meeting. Board Chairman Paul Fleeman opened the business meeting with a review of the cooperative’s achievements in 2021. He noted that Washington Electric continues to look for opportunities to improve reliability, taking proactive measures such as right-of-way clearing, pole testing, and upgrading lines and other equipment. While these measures require a substantial financial investment, consistent application of these programs reduces the potential for power outages while also reducing the amount of time necessary to restore service when outages occur. Fleeman said Washington Electric invested nearly $2 million in right-of-way maintenance in 2021 — more than the co-op has ever done in a single year. The funds were used to clear more than 160 miles of rights-of-way, spraytreat areas that were previously cleared in 2020, and test approximately 1,900 poles through a preventive maintenance program to identify and replace bad poles before they create power outages or safety concerns. In 2021, the Lawrence substation was also completed, which provides electric service to about 1,000 electric accounts along State Route 26. This was the last of four substation upgrade projects that were necessary to accommodate upgrades to AEP’s transmission system. “As we transition from replacing aging substations, we will again turn our focus to replacing aging lines and moving them closer to the road where they are more reliable and accessible,” Fleeman said. “These upgrade projects will keep the system well maintained and operating efficiently, while maintaining a balance to keep rates reasonable and the cooperative financially healthy.” Board Secretary-Treasurer Betty Martin reported that the cooperative retired $398,000 in capital credits to members in 2021. Because Washington Electric’s consumers are also owners of the co-op, excess revenue is returned to members as capital credits based on their consumption of electricity, when the board finds that the cooperative is financially able to do so.
20B OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • JULY 2022
