Suwannee Valley CURRENTS
INSIDE:
HOW IT WORKS
The path of power and what’s on that pole
SPOOKY SCENERY
Explore beautiful, haunted landmarks in St. Augustine
AROUND THE COMMUNITY
SVEC supports local students
Michael S. McWaters Executive VP/CEO
Back to the Classroom
The back-to-school season is always a time of anticipation. As kids, we might have had mixed feelings about returning to the classroom and our summer adventures ending. But there was still the excitement of getting new school supplies, seeing the friends we missed over the break and looking forward to all the things we’d learn in the coming year.
As adults, our lives may not fit that same schedule, but we never stop learning. It might be a conference we attend to pick up new skills for our job, reading up on history in our spare time or just the lessons life teaches us as we continue to grow. Each day holds the prospect of something new to discover.
The same is true for your cooperative. We are constantly learning how to bring you better, more reliable electric service and finding new ways to make it simpler for you to do business with us. But it is also one of our core cooperative principles to help our consumer-members better understand how their electric system works.
That ongoing educational effort can be a challenge, especially in a time when the electric industry is changing so rapidly. But, as both owners and consumers of our electric system, it is important for each of us to have an understanding of how it works.
That’s why this month’s newsletter includes a couple of graphics that answer some of the questions we receive most often from inquiring minds. Where does our power come from? How does it travel from the source to your home? What exactly is all that equipment on a power pole?
While they don't explain every aspect of our system, I encourage you to look at these graphics to better familiarize or reacquaint yourselves with how the power we rely on works. The better we understand our system, the better consumer-members we can be.
You can also read more about how Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative continues to support our local students in their studies. We were happy to be part of a camp for our area’s 4-H students and to once again join in Live Oak African Baptist Church’s effort to provide school supplies for kids getting ready to return to the classroom.
It’s all part of how we build a community that is better informed and better prepared for the challenges of tomorrow. As our kids head back to school, I know I’ll be thinking about what I have to learn and what information we as a cooperative have to share with you over the coming year. I encourage each of you to do the same so we can continue to grow and improve as a community.
Make Sure Your Voice is Heard
REGISTER TO VOTE!
Registering to vote is a vital step in participating in the democratic process. It gives you a say in choosing the leaders who will make decisions that impact your daily life and future. By voting, you contribute to shaping policies on education, health care and the economy, among other things.
The deadline to register for the 2024 general election is Oct. 7. To register, you will need:
• The number and issue date of your Florida driver’s license or Florida ID card issued by the Florida Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles.
• The last four digits of your Social Security number.
Residents of Columbia, Hamilton, Lafayette and Suwannee counties can register to vote at registertovoteflorida.gov or at the office of their county supervisor of elections office.
Start Saving With SmartHub
The SmartHub app is the quick and easy way to save energy and money by:
• Tracking your electricity usage across days, weeks or even months.
• Enabling weather data to see how conditions impact your usage.
• Analyzing your usage to identify habits and common practices that can help you save.
Take control of your energy use and start saving today. Get started at svecsmarthub.com
Columbia County
971 W. Duval St., Suite 102 Lake City
Hamilton County 1153 U.S. Highway 41 NW, Suite 1 Jasper
Lafayette County 120 W. Main St., Room 207 Mayo
Suwannee County
302 Pine Ave., SW Live Oak
The first phase of construction on SVEC’s fiber optic network is complete, and Rapid Fiber Internet service is now available to the co-op’s consumermembers located in Construction Zones 1-14.
You can find your zone by entering your address into the search tool on the Project Info page at rapid-fiber.com.
How does that work?
The ins and outs of how SVEC brings power to you
Have you ever wondered what the equipment on a power pole does? What about how electricity travels all the way from a generation facility to your home? As a cooperative, it is part of Suwannee Valley Electric’s mission to help our consumer-members better understand how we bring safe, affordable and reliable electricity to our community.
If you’ve ever wanted to know more, check out these graphics that outline some of the fundamental aspects of electricity distribution.
THE PATH OF POWER
Generation
Electricity is produced at a generation facility either by renewable or nonrenewable energy sources.
Transmission Lines and Substations
After the electricity is generated, it travels through high-voltage transmission power lines to electric substations, where the voltage is lowered.
Distribution Lines
Once the voltage is lowered, the electricity travels over distribution power lines, which ultimately deliver the electricity to our homes and businesses.
Distributed Generation
Distributed generation systems like solar panels produce electricity when their energy source is available, such as when the sun shines. When the energy source is unavailable or if the system produces less electricity than needed, the home or business receives electricity from the grid. If the system produces more electricity than needed, the excess power is sent to the grid.
work?
WHAT’S ON THAT POLE?
This illustration depicts the essential equipment typically found on electric utility poles. The specific equipment may vary based on the location and the type of service provided.
PRIMARY LINES
Carry high voltage electricity from a substation.
SURGE ARRESTOR
Protects the transformer from lightning strikes.
NEUTRAL WIRE
Acts as a line back to the substation and is tied to the ground, balancing the electricity on the system.
TRANSFORMER
Lowers voltage to 120/240 volts, the level used by the customer in their home or business.
SERVICE DROP WIRES
Carry electricity from the transformer to the consumer’s home or business.
TELEPHONE, TV AND FIBER CABLES
Typically the lowest lines on the pole.
GROUND WIRE
Connects to the neutral wire to complete the circuit inside the transformer. It also directs electricity from lightning safely into the earth.
Original illustration by Erin Binkley
INSULATORS
Prevent energized wires from contacting each other or the pole.
GUY WIRE
NEVER NAIL POSTERS OR OTHER ITEMS TO UTILITY POLES. THESE CREATE A SAFETY HAZARD FOR LINEWORKERS.
Contributes to the stability and safety of the pole.
GUY MARKER
Alerts lineworkers and pedestrians to the presence of the guy wire.
Roasted Tuscan Pork Loin
INGREDIENTS
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
8 leaves fresh sage
2 ½ pounds boneless pork loin
1 cup dry white wine
1 onion, sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup whole milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 325 F.
2. Salt and pepper all sides of the pork loin.
3. In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, rosemary and sage. Saute about 3 minutes. Add pork loin, and brown it on all sides. Add onion and wine and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Cover Dutch oven with lid and place in the lower portion of the oven. Roast for 1 hour. Halfway through roasting time, turn over the loin. Add water if needed.
5. Remove loin from the pot and cover to keep warm.
6. When the liquid in the Dutch oven has cooled, add milk and cornstarch. Cook, whisking constantly to prevent curdling, about 3 minutes. Thinly slice the pork loin and serve with sauce.
SAFETY FIRST
Electricity powers modern life, but it can be dangerous if not handled carefully. Check back here each month for new tips on how to stay safe around electric power at your home or business.
Water and electricity don’t mix, which makes bathrooms one of the most important places in the home to keep safety front and center. They must comply with strict safety regulations, so always hire a registered electrician to make changes.
• Bathroom light switches are often located outside the door to prevent people from using them with wet hands. If you do have light switches inside the room, make sure your hands are dry before turning the light off or on.
• If your bathroom feels chilly after a shower, the safest way to warm it is with central air.
Any electric heaters should be permanently wired, not plugged into an electric outlet.
• Be very careful with the placement of any portable appliances like hair dryers, speakers or laptops. If they are plugged in, be sure to keep them far from any water source, as they could pose a serious risk when wet.
To learn more about building safe electric habits, click the Outages & Safety tab on the SVEC website, svec-coop.com, and follow us on social media.
/sveccoop @sveccoop @svec_coop_fl
Haunted Landmarks in St. Augustine
BY KARA FRANKER, VISIT FLORIDA
ST. AUGUSTINE LIGHTHOUSE
The 12-year-old daughter of the lighthouse builder drowned near the building. Reportedly, she can sometimes be heard and seen on the second floor of the museum. In fact, members of the popular “Ghost Hunters” TV show on the Syfy network say the lighthouse is home to some of the most unexplained paranormal activity they’ve ever encountered.
CASABLANCA INN
The Casablanca Inn has what’s called a widow’s walk on the roof. During the Prohibition era, a saucy widow would warn rum runners that agents were staying there by standing on the widow’s walk and swinging a lantern visible from the sea. Recently, sailors in the harbor reported seeing the glow of a lantern swinging back and forth around midnight.
Did you know that St. Augustine is one of America’s most haunted cities? It’s probably because the city has a colorful, nearly 450-year history. Step back in time into the nation’s oldest city and explore a few haunted landmarks.
ST. FRANCIS INN
Known as the most haunted place in St. Augustine, the St. Francis Inn’s guests and staff have reported sightings of Lilly, a servant girl who seems to be a bit of a prankster. There have been reports of doors slamming, lights flickering and once a man woke up and found himself wedged under a bed. The fire department had to be called to free him.
ABOVE: The inn’s shady courtyard is just a short walk from the historic Plaza de la Constitucion.
LEFT: Staff and guests say they’ve encountered the ghost of a mischievous young girl.
THE OLD JAIL
Built in 1891 by the same company that would later build Alcatraz, the Old Jail earned a spooky reputation for the inhumane conditions endured by inmates.
ABOVE: Visitors can get a glimpse of what life was like for
The lighthouse staircase spirals for 219 steps.
ABOVE: Sailors have reported seeing a ghostly lantern signaling from the Casablanca Inn’s roof.
LEFT: The Casablanca Inn also offers beautiful views of the bay.
TOP: The jail’s bleak living conditions gave it an eerie reputation.
inmates.
Back to School
SVEC contributed pencil bags containing highlighters, glue sticks, pencils, sharpeners and erasers for Live Oak African Baptist Church’s 10th annual Back-to-School Bash, where kids received backpacks, school supplies, snacks and a hot meal.
4-H Heroes
The Hamilton County 4-H Cloverbuds invited SVEC to be part of their Hometown Heroes camp. The group learned about power line safety and tools of the trade from some of our own hometown heroes, Journeyman Lineman Hunter Ash and Manager of Safety and Compliance Craig Ragan.
Campers watch an SVEC lineman operate a bucket truck.
RIGHT: A camper tries on a pair of lineman gloves.
BELOW: Journeyman Lineman Hunter Ash, left, and Safety Manager Craig Ragan share their skills with the Hometown Heroes campers.