SDMEAHometown Power – Howard

By Chris Hill, SDMEA Director of Municipal Electric Services

Howard

KodyDawsonistheElectricalSuperintendentofHoward. Kody and I have had some interaction with each other while at conferences and have some things in common. For example, we both shoot shotguns left handed (although, he is a much better shot than I am), we both graduatedin2001,andwebothhaveexcellentbeards. Ok, two out of three is close enough. Everyone that has met me knows that I cannot grow a good beard. Kody can.

Kody took over as the Electrical Superintendent in 2012. Likealotofourmunicipalelectrics,heisaone-mancrew. He has been working on transitioning the street lights to LED and lights up the town with 50-Watt lights. He did use250-Wattontheschoolrouteandmainstreet,and400Watt on Highway 34. Kody has had no complaints about thetransitiontoLEDfromtheresidentsandmentionsthat everyone seems to be very positive about the change.

Chad Podhradsky, Kody Dawson and Troy Loudenberg Howard Water Tower

There are decorative lights on main street that he will be usingLEDinastheyburnout. Healsoplanstochangeout the aluminum poles on the main street boulevard.

The newer housing in Howard does have underground servicesandKodyplanstostarttrenchingsomesecondary underground this year and hopes to continue to make progress towards underground in the next 5 years.

Howard, like other municipal electric utilities, has also been looking at some possible meter upgrades and has been doing some research on AMI. They also currently have a load management system. Howard has several businesses in their industrial area which take a good amount of the load. The city also utilized an economic development grant from Heartland Consumers Power District to help upgrade their services for a building that wasvacantfor5yearsforthetransitionofQualityCustom Meats to begin operating.

The City also maintains a campground, which Kody tells

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meisfulleveryweekendinthesummer. The Howard Municipal Building campground presently hosts 30-amp sites and the city is looking at upgrading to 50-amp. Howard has a Municipal Golf Course that is currently undergoing construction to add a newprivateroomforparties,newbathrooms,andabigger Kitchen/Bar area. Kody also informed me that the School will be adding on a new gym to the East of the current High School Gym.

Now that I work for the South Dakota Municipal League, I am more observant about the community as opposed to justfindingmydestinationwithinthecity. Iampleasantly Howard Main Street Looking North

surprised at local businesses and buildings that I have drivenbybefore,butdidn’tpaycloseattentionto. Howard was no exception. Stop in and say hi, you won’t have to ask what makes their Hometown Great!

Until next month!

Questions? Comments?

Email: Chris@sdmunicipalleague.org Call: 605-770-6299

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