Currents-April 2019

APRIL 2019

Suwannee Valley

CURRENTS

INSIDE: KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON

Read about the improvements to increase reliability

MEET YOUR TRUSTEE

Learn about District 2 Trustee Jerry Goff

AROUND THE COMMUNITY

Check out SVEC’s latest community activities

CEO’S MESSAGE

Suwannee Valley

CURRENTS April 2019

Michael S. McWaters Executive V.P./CEO

Suwannee Valley Currents is a monthly newsletter published by Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative, © 2019. It is distributed without charge to all consumermembers of the cooperative.

Rely on us As an electricity provider, Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative understands that reliability is central to everything we do. That goes back to our earliest days when the people of this community pulled together to create an electric system as a reliable partner for growth.

Since then, we have made improvements to our system to ensure that each member can count on reliable electric service. After all, what good is electric power if we can’t depend on it to be there when we turn on the computers we need to do our jobs or the lights that push back the dark at night?

At SVEC, we’re proud to have a system our members can count on. But we also understand that the more reliable our electric service is, the more disrupting it can be on the occasions when it fails.

That’s why we never stop working on improvements aimed at making your service more reliable. In this newsletter, we take a closer look at a few of the improvements our engineering and operations departments have made in the last few years.

Installation of automated restoration equipment across SVEC’s system represents one of the biggest changes. This technology makes it possible to restore power to large numbers of members within minutes of an outage.

While we have used automated restoration technology for more than 15 years, we’ve made a push in the last three years to expand its presence throughout more of SVEC’s service area.

You can also learn about efforts like reducing the time between tree-trimming cycles, relocating troublesome power lines and using drone technology to better identify poles that need to be replaced — all of which help us make your service more reliable.

As a cooperative, it is also part of our mission to be a reliable partner in the community. So this year, SVEC hosted its second annual Suwannee Valley Cornhole Tournament to raise funds for our local United Way and the agencies it supports.

While the cornhole tournament has become SVEC’s own largest fundraiser, we also sponsor and participate in numerous events throughout the year that benefit the residents of our counties and a large number of community-focused organizations.

In this month’s newsletter, you can read about the results of the cornhole tournament and some of our other community outreach activities. We’re honored to work on behalf of our members to make the quality of life a little better for many in our area.

As always, it is a privilege to be able to serve you, and thank you for reading. 

WE BELONG TO THOSE WE SERVE Business Office: 800-447-4509 11340 100th St. Live Oak, FL 32060 Lobby Hours: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday Drive-thru Kiosk Open 24 Hours 24/7 Power Outage Reporting 800-752-0025 svec-coop.com facebook.com/sveccoop @SVEC_COOP_FL SVEC is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

On the cover:

Sign up for SmartHub today!

SmartHub is a web and mobile app that lets you conveniently manage your SVEC account. You can track your payment history, pay your bill, monitor your electricity use and much more. To access, simply scan the QR code to the right with your device.

2 | April 2019

See story, Page 4.

In recent years, SVEC has made numerous improvements to its system to help provide a more reliable service to its members.

Suwannee Valley Currents

Gone coastal

HOW FLORIDA’S SALTWATER FISHING MANAGEMENT BOUNDARIES CAME TO BE

By Amanda Nalley, Florida Fish & Wildlife, Marine Fisheries Management

When you are on a boat, it’s hard to imagine boundaries. Above-water landmarks are few and far between. There are no signs that say, “now entering federal waters.”

Regulatory boundaries are sometimes hard to fathom. In Florida, one of the biggest fishery management boundaries is that between state waters and federal waters. Sometimes regulations are the same in both state and federal waters, but not always, which is why it is important to know there is a line, and where that line is.

Florida is the only state where that boundary shifts depending on which coast you are on. State waters in the Atlantic extend out to 3 nautical miles, while in the Gulf they extend out to 9 nautical miles. But how did this come to be?

State boundaries in open waters of the United States first began to be defined in the 1940s, mainly due to concerns about rights for oil beneath submerged lands.

In a 1947 case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against California saying the federal government possessed rights in all submerged lands of the Pacific seaward of the low-water mark.

Congress reacted by creating the Submerged Lands Act of 1953. This act declared that states owned the Suwannee Valley Currents

submerged lands, and the natural resources within, out to 3 nautical miles. The act included a provision that a state’s boundary could be extended if it was beyond 3 nautical miles from the coast prior to when statehood was achieved.

Florida immediately asserted their boundary went beyond 3 nautical miles before it achieved statehood in 1845 and that Congress approved its boundary when Florida was readmitted into the Union after the Civil War. The claim did not make it to the Supreme Court until 1960, where it was proven that Article I of Florida’s Constitution (1868), which was approved by Congress, described the boundary off Florida’s Gulf Coast as “three leagues from mainland.” Florida’s Atlantic coast boundary was settled at 3 nautical miles from shore.

There may not be signage, but it’s always important to know where you are. State and federal boundary lines are marked as the natural resource line on NOAA nautical charts, and these lines are also preloaded on most marine GPS units.

Need a map? Check out our maps page at MyFWC.com/fishing/ saltwater/recreational/maps. 

BANANA SMOOTHIE MUFFINS From Annette Bonds 3 2 8 1 1⁄2 3/4 1 1/4 1 1 1/8

ripe bananas cups packed baby spinach strawberries cups whole wheat flour cup sugar egg cup canola oil teaspoon baking soda teaspoon cinnamon teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350 F. Puree bananas, spinach and strawberries in a blender. In a medium-size bowl, combine flour, sugar, egg, oil, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Pour the smoothie mixture into a bowl and mix well.

Put paper or silicone muffin cups in a muffin pan — you’ll need two pans for 14 muffins. Spoon in the batter, filling each cup about three-quarters full. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool on a rack, and enjoy!

Do you have a great recipe?

Email a copy of a recipe you’d like to share to communications@svec-coop.com.

April 2019 | 3

Building a better system SVEC is improving reliability every day

Lots of kids grow up building elaborate structures with Legos, but SVEC Director of Engineering Kurt Miller never quite grew out of it. Instead, he found a job where he could build for a living.

“I’m a grown man still playing with Legos,” he says. “Every day I’m putting things together, rebuilding things, and just modifying and upgrading my Lego set.”

For the last 23 years, his Lego set has been Suwannee Valley Electric’s system, and he has steadily worked to make it stronger and more reliable. Installation of automated restoration equipment is one of the most important building blocks for improving reliability.

SVEC has made numerous improvements to its system in recent years to help increase reliability for members.

4 | April 2019

New equipment, such as automated switches, can help SVEC isolate outages to specific areas and restore power to some members within minutes. While the cooperative began installing this technology as far back as 2002, the real push to update the system began in 2017.

“We had just started out on our long-range work plan, a 10-year plan that included installing automated restoration equipment throughout the system,” says Miller. “The general manager came into my office and challenged us to get it done in three years.”

SVEC has 55 automated switches on its system. By the end of the year, Miller hopes to have installed 20 more, hitting the goal set for the Engineering Department in 2017.

CLEARING THE WAY

Improving reliability isn’t always about the latest technology.

Just as often, it’s a matter of making sure the equipment SVEC already has in place can function uninterrupted. Falling limbs from nearby trees cause most interruptions.

“Tree branches rot but will stay on the tree until they get some weight from rain and motion from wind. Then, we’ve got trouble,” says Miller. “Branches fall on lines and take out service to our members. The more limbs we can remove above the lines the less trouble we have.”

That’s where the cooperative’s right of way crews come in, trimming back and cutting down branches that could knock out power for members. SVEC usually trims growth around each section of line once every four years. But over the last several years, crews have worked high-trouble areas on a threeyear cycle to better clear lines.

Suwannee Valley Currents

In some spots, even right of way clearing isn’t enough to solve the problem. When developing its most recent threeyear plan, the Engineering Department identified the 20 worst-performing line sections over the previous three years.

“We created that list based on a combination of how many times they were out and how many minutes service was out for members,” Miller says. “Once we had that, we took our team out and inspected those lines and determined all but one were candidates for relocation.”

Miller and his team are working to have five of those problematic lines moved from heavily forested areas to road sides by the end of the year. Once completed, the relocations will mean members face less time without power each year.

“We’re not unlike a lot of rural co-ops that have been around for 80 years or more,” Miller says. “We have so many lines that were put in before there were roads and haven’t been relocated. It’s a long process, but we’re trying to spend our limited resources on the ones that will have the biggest impact for our members.”

EYE IN THE SKY

SVEC is even exploring new ways to inspect its electric system and find potential weaknesses before they cause an outage. While inspecting the top of an electric pole used to require sending out a crew with a bucket truck, today one employee can snap a picture of the pole using a drone.

The cooperative has two drone operators, both in the Engineering Department, certified by the FAA. SVEC recently put them to work confirming a contractor’s recommendation to replace some aging poles. The drone, dubbed SVEC One, was able to get high-resolution photos of poles in need of examination by SVEC’s operations and engineering professionals.

All that work to make sure SVEC’s system can withstand outages has shown positive results over the last few years. Each year, the cooperative tracks the amount of time the average member has been without power. Excluding major storms, during which some outages can’t be helped, outage time has steadily decreased each year since 2014.

For Miller, that means his Lego set is better than ever, and he has a great group of people with whom he can continue building.

“We need our operations folks, and they need engineering.

We’re equal partners in it, and we’ve got a good leader,” he says. “We’re just glad to be a part of the team that’s making reliability better here at SVEC.”  SVEC has begun using new technology such as drones to help inspect and find rotting poles on the system.

In addition to improving equipment, SVEC has worked to keep a clear right of way to reduce outages caused by falling limbs.

Suwannee Valley Currents

April 2019 | 5

MEET YOUR TRUSTEE

Q: What do you like most about living in the Suwannee Valley?

Q: What are you passionate about as a trustee?

Reliability and safety. We’ve come a long way in both. We want to provide affordable service, but you can’t give up reliability. That’s one thing I always stress. Increasing reliability has a cost, but it’s worth it.

The country. I’ve been in agriculture all my life, and I love the springs, the rivers, the neighbors. It’s just a good place to be.

Q: What line of work are you in?

Q: What do you enjoy most about serving on the board?

I farm anything you can make money on, but right now we’re down to chickens, peanuts and sod. I’ve also grown corn and tobacco — the whole nine yards.

We’ve got a good board, good employees and a good manager. All our outdoor guys are as good as they come.

Most of our members probably don’t know the work that goes into recovering from a big storm like a hurricane, but you can just count on them. I admire them; I really do.

Q: What do you like to do outside of work?

I go to church and work, and that’s pretty much it. We’ve got a lot of children and grandchildren, so they keep me busy.

JERRY GOFF District 2

Q: What made you want to serve on the board?

I really like the Operation Round Up program we just started. We can be a lot of help in a lot of schools without putting a big burden on anybody.

When Dwight Stansel got elected to the House of Representatives, people asked me to fill out his term. After that, they wanted me to stay on because I’m down to earth and I can handle the business end of the job.

GEORGIA Jennings

HA MILTO N CO UNTY Jasper

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75

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1 ADAMS

Suw

3 ROBERSON Live Oak

River

7 HUNTER

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Jerry Goff represents District 2 in east central Suwannee County. His district primarily covers members living south of County Road 252, north of County Road 240, east of 129th Road and west of the Columbia County line. Mr. Goff lives in McAlpin and has served on the board for 21 years.

Q: What’s the most important impact SVEC has on its community?

White Springs

10

8

S UWA NNE E STEICHEN CO UNTY Wellborn

Dowling Park

4 PUTNAL

5 LORD

McAlpin

129 Mayo

27

9 HART

Lake City

CO LUMBIA CO UNTY

2 GOFF 6 WALKER

O’Brien

Branford

LA FAY E TTE CO UNTY

75 129

6 | April 2019

90

0

2.5

5

Miles 10

Suwannee Valley Currents

BE PART OF SVEC’S ANNUAL MEETING

All SVEC members are invited to attend the co-op’s 82nd Annual Meeting of Members, on Saturday, April 27, at the Suwannee County Coliseum. Register between 8:30-10 a.m. and enjoy free coffee and doughnuts.

Each registered member will receive a $10 credit to their electric bill.

We’ll play bingo for prizes from 9-9:45 a.m. The business meeting will begin at 10 a.m. Following the business meeting, there will be a drawing for more than 100 prizes. You must be present to win.

There will be plenty of seats, so bring your family. We look forward to seeing you there.

Never forget a payment with SmartHub

Energy-efficiency tip:

Let the sunshine in You can use the sun to your advantage when trying to manage your heating and cooling costs.

During the hotter months, keep blinds or curtains closed as much as possible during the day to naturally cool your home. In the winter, keep blinds and curtains open during the day to let the sun warm your home.

myCHOICE Pay on your schedule Does the arrival of your monthly electric bill cause you stress?

MyChoice does away with the monthly bill by letting members pay for energy as they use it. »» No more monthly bills.

Want a reminder when your bill is due each month? How about confirmation that your last payment posted successfully? With SmartHub, you can set up notifications to tell you: • when your bill is available.

• when a payment is due.

• when your payment has posted.

• when your bill is overdue.

• if there is a problem with your payment method.

• when there is a power outage in your area.

When you log in to your account, you can customize notifications to arrive by text or email. You can even set how many days in advance you would like notifications to be sent. Get started today at svecsmarthub.com.

Suwannee Valley Currents

»» Pay for the electricity you want, when you want it. »» No late charges or disconnect fees. »» Track your energy use in the SmartHub app. »» Save money by learning more about your usage.

Best of all, when you switch to MyChoice, your existing security deposit can be put toward paying for your electric usage. Sign up today at svecmychoice.com, by calling 386-362-2226 or visiting the SVEC office.

April 2019 | 7

SVEC in the

COMMUNITY CORNHOLE TOURNAMENT RAISES OVER $3,000

LOWEST SCORE WINS IT

SVEC sponsors and participates in fundraisers for many local community organizations. SVEC’s team of Daniel Warren, Joe Barclay and Trey Jackson had the lowest net score at the Rotary Club of Live Oak’s golf tournament on March 23.

Proceeds from the tournament assist the club’s efforts to provide college scholarships and eradicate polio.

Last month, SVEC hosted the second annual Suwannee Valley Cornhole Tournament to raise money for United Way of Suwannee Valley. Players of all skill levels came from as far away as High Springs and Lake City to compete.

This year’s tournament featured 30 teams. North Florida Cornhole helped organize the games and even set up a TV screen where players and guests could watch as the bracket updated in real time.

SVEC employees also sold hamburgers, hot dogs, snow cones and popcorn to raise additional money. The event raised $3,416 for United Way of Suwannee Valley. Thank you to everyone who participated, and we look forward to seeing you again next year!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by SVEC’s booth at the Suwannee County Fair to watch an electrical safety demonstration — or just to say hello!