Currents-April 2021

APRIL 2021

Suwannee Valley

CURRENTS

INSIDE: TUNED UP SVEC fleet operations does more than vehicle maintenance SHINING LIGHT Six Florida lighthouses to explore with your family AROUND THE COMMUNITY Operation Round Up helps students keep their eyes on the skies

CEO’S MESSAGE

Suwannee Valley

CURRENTS April 2021

Michael S. McWaters Executive V.P./CEO

Suwannee Valley Currents is a monthly newsletter published by Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative, © 2021. It is distributed without charge to all consumermembers of the cooperative.

The engine that drives us Here in Florida, we don’t have to contend with severe winter weather like our friends do in the northern states. It is extremely rare for us to face any snow at all, much less suffer through sub-zero temperatures. And yet, it is always a joy to welcome the first days of spring and feel the chill leave the air.

We are fortunate to live in a beautiful part of this country, and that’s especially true this time of year. We enjoy great weather, plenty of sunshine and a fantastic way of life. But we aren’t without our own severe weather threats. And as wonderful as spring in Florida is, it can be a season of storms.

While it’s too early to expect hurricanes, here at Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative we are always working to make sure our system is prepared for storms, big and small. An important part of that is making sure our crews have the equipment for the job and that everything is always in working order when they need it.

That’s where our fleet maintenance team comes in. These professionals don’t just ensure that each of the cooperative’s 60 vehicles is ready for our employees when they need them. They also work every day to make sure each pickup, bucket truck and digger derrick can carry the tools and equipment the workers need to do their job.

In this newsletter, you can read more about our fleet operations and the crucial support they offer our crews. That support is all the more evident as we celebrate Lineworker Appreciation Day on April 12.

Those of you who are regular readers don’t need me to tell you about all the important work linemen do for this community. You also don’t need me to tell you how crucial they are to keeping the lights on in your home and preventing outages before they happen. You have probably even seen them yourself, performing maintenance on lines dozens of feet in the air or making repairs late at night aftrer a storm comes through.

We have all enjoyed the benefits of linemen’s hard work, which often calls them away from friends and family at a moment’s notice. So this month, I hope you’ll join us in saying thank you to the people who sacrifice so much to serve our community.

Speaking of community, you can learn more about what Operation Round Up has already done for local students in 2021 and enjoy a few photos from last month’s Arc North Florida Lawn Mower Race in this issue. They’re just a couple of examples of how SVEC, together with our consumer-members, is giving back to the place we call home. Until next month, thank you for the privilege of serving you. 

2 | April 2021

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 Instagram.com/sveccoop SVEC is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

On the cover: Manager of Fleet Maintenance Raymond Poole has kept SVEC’s vehicles running for 24 years.

See story, Page 4.

Suwannee Valley Currents

Geared for service.

Geared for safety. #ThankALineman

Never miss a payment with SmartHub Do you need a reminder of when your bill is due each month? Maybe you’d like confirmation that your last payment was posted successfully.

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• • • • • •

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 your 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 on your schedule with

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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 electricity use. Sign up today at svecmychoice.com or call our Member Service Department at 800-447-4509.

April 2021 | 3

Fleet operations fits each vehicle with the equipment it needs for the job at hand.

Raymond Poole inspects each vehicle weekly, in addition to daily pre-trip inspections by the team members who drive them.

UNDER THE HOOD

How fleet operations keeps SVEC rolling Whether it’s an engineering team staking out new service lines or a crew making system repairs, Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative workers cover a lot of ground daily.

Every time they roll out, those teams rely on their vehicles to criss-cross the cooperative’s 2,100-square-mile service area. And keeping their rides in top condition requires much more than the average tune-up.

Manager of Fleet Maintenance Raymond Poole has been with the cooperative for 26 years, almost all of that time working on SVEC’s fleet. Each day starts when he and mechanic Ross Wood get some faceto-face time with the crews to see 4 | April 2021

what equipment is in working order and what could use a quick fix.

“Those guys will do a pre-trip inspection, and a lot of times they find issues and bring them over,” Poole says. “Often, we’re able to jump right on the problem and they can take the equipment with them that day. If it’s something major, then we’ll have a replacement for them while we make repairs.”

With 60 vehicles — including passenger cars, pickup trucks, bucket trucks, digger derricks, tractors and excavators — there is always something to keep fleet operations workers on their toes. Each vehicle undergoes a weekly visual inspection to make

sure lights are working, tires are in good shape and there are no fluid leaks before it hits the road.

“These guys work around high voltage power lines, so it’s very important that everything is carefully inspected to make sure there’s nothing that could be dangerous to the operator,” Poole says. “Maintaining safe equipment is our main goal.”

TOOLS FOR THE JOB

With the sheer mileage cooperative vehicles cover week after week, they experience a lot more wear and tear than the typical private vehicle, from the engine to the tires.

In addition to inspecting tires, Poole Suwannee Valley Currents

and Wood work with a local contractor to balance tires and mount rear tires on large vehicles and trailers. “That’s very important, because we put those on public roads and they pull our large equipment around,” Poole says.

“That requires a lot of maintenance to axles, bearings and tie-downs that people may not realize. But all that takes place to make sure our guys and the driving public stay safe.”

In addition to making sure everything is in working order, fleet operations also takes charge of equipping each vehicle to carry the tools crews will need for the job.

“Every department is a little different, and we’ll outfit each piece of equipment based on the jobs they do,” Poole says. “Linemen might need to have a hot stick — a fiberglass pole used when working on live lines — so we install a rack to hold it. The engineering department uses stakes, marker flags and other items, so we outfit their pickups with tool boxes. There’s a lot of unseen work we do other than just motor maintenance.”

When Poole first joined the cooperative as a welder and fabricator, crews would sketch out what they needed on their vehicle, and then he would build it for them himself.

These days, the automotive industry has caught up and can supply many of the modifications SVEC needs.

“It’s much quicker and more efficient now to order things we need on the trucks, such as spotlights, toolboxes and wire racks,” Poole says. “We don’t have to build them ourselves anymore. They come pre-made, and all we have to do is bolt them on.”

The safety of SVEC’s crews is top-of-mind in every job fleet operations does.

NEXT GEAR

That’s not the only change Poole has seen over the course of his career at SVEC. Trucks across the fleet are now better equipped with features like material handlers that make it easier to raise transformers to mount them on poles. When he arrived, only one bucket truck at the cooperative had a material handler, while the rest had to make do with winches.

Fleet operations also has better data to work with today thanks to the fuel station installed on-site a few years ago. SVEC still buys its gas from a local business, but the on-site pumps help Poole track the fleet’s fuel usage and mileage.

“We also have equipment on every vehicle that tells us where they are at all times,” Poole says. “That allows our dispatchers to quickly direct the closest crew to a trouble spot on the system.”

Despite all the ways the vehicles he works on have changed over the years, Poole says the fundamentals of his job haven’t changed a bit. He still lends the same careful eye to each vehicle he works on, knowing that it could prove crucial in a key moment in the field.

“It’s still the same maintenance and the same mindset toward it. You look for loose bolts, cracks, leaks, rusty parts,” says Poole. “We do each inspection the same as we did 20 years ago. It’s all about making sure each and every one of our employees stay safe and come home to their families in the same condition they came to work.”  Suwannee Valley Currents

Mechanic Ross Wood joined the cooperative in November 2020.

April 2021 | 5

Social media SPOTLIGHT

Follow SVEC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest on cooperative programs, community activities, post-storm power restoration and more.

Here are a few highlights from the last month.

facebook.com/sveccoop

twitter.com/SVEC_COOP

instagram.com/sveccoop

Hard-boiled eggs Benedict 4 Slices ham 2 English muffins (split in half) 4 Hard-boiled eggs Chopped parsley (optional)

Hollandaise sauce: 4 Large egg yolks 1 Tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 Cup butter (slightly softened, cut into 5 pieces) Pinch of salt Dash of cayenne pepper (optional)

Prepare hollandaise sauce by placing a heat-proof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water (about 1 1/2 inches of water). The bottom of the bowl should not be touching the water.

Alternatively, a double boiler set can be used. Add egg yolks and lemon juice to the bowl and whisk vigorously until the mixture becomes shiny/ glossy and thickens. Whisk in 1 piece of butter until fully incorporated into the mixture. Repeat with remaining pieces, one at a time. Whisk in a pinch of salt and a dash of cayenne, if using. If the mixture is too thick, whisk in a bit of warm water, a tablespoon at a time. Remove from heat and use immediately.

Heat a skillet, then reduce heat to medium and cook the ham. Toast the English muffins until lightly browned.

Cut each peeled hard-boiled egg into four pieces. Assemble by placing an English muffin half on a plate (cut side up), top it with 1 slice of ham and 1 egg (quartered), and drizzle it with 1/4 of the hollandaise sauce. Top with chopped parsley, if desired, and serve warm.

Note: To make preparing this dish a little easier, you can buy an envelope of Knorr’s hollandaise sauce mix and follow package directions.

6 | April 2021

Suwannee Valley Currents

Six Florida lighthouses your family will love

By James Davis, Visit Florida

Florida’s lighthouses are full of intrigue — and climbing them provides amazing views, good exercise and a glimpse into the past. These six beacons are sure to pique the whole family’s curiosity:

ST. AUGUSTINE LIGHTHOUSE

Guarding Florida’s oldest port, the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum’s black and white spirals are iconic, as are the views of St. Augustine from atop its 219 steps. At night, brave adventurers, including kids 7 and up, can take the spooky Dark of the Moon tour that has been featured on “Ghost Hunters.” Children must be 44 inches tall to climb the tower; however, there is a “shipyard” playground at the base of the lighthouse for little ones to enjoy.

PENSACOLA LIGHTHOUSE

Visit on the right day from March to October and you can watch the U.S. Navy’s flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, buzz past at eye level from the 150-foothigh catwalk of the Pensacola Lighthouse.

You can literally feel the engines scream.

Kids must be at least 7 years old or 44 inches tall to climb.

Check the website for flight schedules.

BILL BAGGS CAPE FLORIDA STATE PARK LIGHTHOUSE At the end of Key Biscayne, you’ll find Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park and the oldest standing structure in Miami — the Cape Florida Lighthouse, built in 1825.

Tours are given twice daily, except Tuesday and Wednesday. While at the park, enjoy an authentic Cuban lunch, or swim at the beach, a perennial Dr. Beach favorite.

Suwannee Valley Currents

PONCE DE LEON INLET LIGHT STATION

At 175 feet, the Ponce Inlet lighthouse is Florida’s tallest lighthouse. After climbing 203 spiral steps to the top, you’ll be rewarded with magnificent views of world-famous Daytona Beach. Afterward, explore nature trails or tour the grounds and museum.

JUPITER INLET LIGHTHOUSE

If you’re 4 feet tall, you can climb the 108foot Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, but there’s plenty to see on the ground. Be sure and tour the site and visit the museum to see how the lighthouse keepers lived. Exhibits include a lighthouse keeper’s workshop, pioneer homestead and Seminole chickee hut.

ST. GEORGE LIGHTHOUSE

Climb the 92 stairs to the top and soak in the views of St. George Island. At the base of the St. George Lighthouse, little ones can enjoy the playground and beachfront property. Be sure to save time to explore the Keeper’s House museum and the area visitor’s center also on the lighthouse grounds. 

Florida’s lighthouses are full of intrigue — and climbing them provides amazing views, good exercise and a glimpse into the past.

April 2021 | 7

First quarter Operation Round Up® report More than $26,000 raised for local students

Thanks to our members, Operation Round Up has gotten off to a great start in 2021. By rounding up their electric bills and making an average monthly donation of just 50 cents, SVEC members contributed a total of $26,420 to give local students the tools they need for a great education.

YEAR TO DATE Funds collected: $26,420 Grants approved: 64, worth $37,688

One of the highlights of the first quarter was the installation of a WeatherSTEM weather station at Suwannee Pineview Elementary. The station will serve as a learning tool for students throughout the school district and will also help coaches monitor weather conditions to keep athletes safe. 

LIFE OF PROGRAM Funds collected: $236,059 Grants approved: 467, worth $230,495

PHOTO FINISH Thank you to everyone who joined us at the 2021 Arc North Florida Lawn Mower Race last month.

SVEC was proud to sponsor a pit stop where contestants raced to see how fast they could thread nuts onto a bolt while wearing lineman gloves made of thick rubber. All proceeds from the event help Arc support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.