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SDMEAHometown Power: Conference Recap
By Chris Hill, Director of Municipal Electric Services
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SDMLConference Recap
Conference is over. I hate to admit it, but I was kind of dreading conference this year. Actually, I’m embarrassed to admit that because every year I have a great time and enjoy seeing everyone! This year I had a great time again as we all gathered to learn and share. I guess this month, the Hometown Power is a shout out to our host city, Aberdeen. Although it is not a municipal electric community,IdoenjoyAberdeenandalwayshave.Myfirst experiences of Aberdeen were State “B” basketball tournaments and I made many references as to how close the hospitality room resembles a very familiar scene from those very basketball tournaments. The conversations have changed, but the atmosphere is shockingly similar. Some things may never change. There are also things that I don’t want to change. My first conference I was able to meet a lot of great people, but two of the most memorable people that I met at that conference were the two responsible for making sure the hospitality room was cleaned out on Friday morning. Al Cerny from Gregory and Mike Grosek of Webster are two of the most wonderful people that I have met and continue to impress me with their selflessness and dedication not only to their cities, but to the SDML as well. This year I was even lucky enough to have Al on my golf team. Although we didn’t finish with a great score (37), we had a great time. AlongwithDawnWendland(Baltic)andGreggJorgensen (Banner) we had a very fun time at the SDML golf tournament.
Wednesday began the breakout sessions and the SDMEA annual meeting was at 9AM. The meeting began with an update on SB 66 and the summer study takeaways and thoughts going forward. Casey Crabtree from Heartland Consumers Power District and Deb Birgen from Missouri River Energy Services did a great job of giving us the update. Next, I gave a brief update on what I have been doingfortheSDMEAthisyearandwhatisontheschedule for the remaining months of 2019. There is still a lot that needs to be done. As I am writing this article, I just sent out the 2018 (yes, 2018) Comparison of Operations Survey. I will also be sending out a wage/benefit survey soon,sobecheckingyouremails! Finally,Ialsointendto get some printed materials for handout in your finance offices that explain the benefit of municipal electrics and what it means for your community.
The SDMEA meeting finished up with Lori Frisk from Western Area Power Administration giving her WAPA update and Jeffery Armour from Verizon presenting on small cell infrastructure. When all of the presentations were completed we finished with our SDMEA business meeting.
This year Sara (SDML Director of Marketing and Communications) decided to have horse races and games of chance for our Wednesday night entertainment. It was alotofworkandtherewerealotofmovingparts.Despite somehiccupswiththeaudio,thenightwasahugesuccess and a lot of fun. It was great to see so many people involvedinthetheme“anightattheraces”anddressupin their derby clothing. Your participation is what makes it more enjoyable for all of us.
Theimpendingweathermayhavehadsomepeopleonthe
road early so they could get home safely, but Thursday nightwasalsoalotoffunaswehadacomedianthatmade us laugh the night away.
If you happen to be reading this and have not attended the SDMLannual conference, I really encourage you to do so asitisawonderfultimetonetworkandfindresourcesthat are available to you throughout your year. Starting on Tuesdaywiththegolftournamentandfinishingtheannual business meeting on Friday, the conference has something to offer anyone working for the betterment of your municipality. If this sounds like something you ’d like to attend, check out the agenda on the South Dakota Municipal League website to get a rough idea of what to expect. Next year we will be in Spearfish on October 6th through the 9th. I also encourage you to find the date of your SDML District Meeting that begin in March and attend those if possible too.
This was my fourth conference. I just completed my third year as the Director of Electrical Services and have come a long way, but I am aware that I still have a long way to go and a lot more to learn. I am excited to continue to learn and figure out what makes each of our 35 municipal electric communities unique. I want to thank each and every one of you who attended the SDMEA Annual Meeting. Also thank you to the SDMEAboard President, Russ Halgerson; Vice President, Bill Lewellen; Trustee, Doug Enstad; Trustee, MikeAntonson; and Trustee, Jerry Jongeling. I know you guys are always busy and I thank you for your support and knowledge. Finally, I want to thank seven ladies in my home away from home (the SDML office) that make the conference a success. Sometimesthingsdon’talwaysworkoutthewaywewant them to, but you guys did a great job of making the things that we could not control nearly unnoticeable to the conference attendees.
Inconclusion,theconferenceisawonderfulopportunityto meetnewpeople,networkwithothersinthesameposition as you, and learn from the breakout sessions. Everyone that attends helps to make our 309 HOMETOWNS great!
P.S. A special thanks to Heartland Consumers Power District and Missouri River Energy Services for being sponsors during the conference. I know there are several sponsors, but these two work hard to help our SDMEA communities and have been a huge support.
Questions? Comments? Email me at Chris@sdmunicipalleague.org Call Chris: 605-770-6299
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