Currents-October 2021

OC TOB E R 202 1

Suwannee Valley

CURRENTS

INSIDE: ANSWERING THE CALL How SVEC comes to the aid of its fellow cooperatives MEET YOUR TRUSTEE Get to know BeBe Roberson, new trustee for District 3 AROUND THE COMMUNITY SVEC fights hunger in first Food Fight, Operation Round Up® continues to help local students

CEO’S MESSAGE

Suwannee Valley

CURRENTS October 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.

A guiding light Each October, all of us at Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative prepare for a very important celebration. No, not Halloween, as much we might love a good scare and the chance to dress up. I’m talking about National Cooperative Month, when we get the chance to recognize the important role cooperatives of all kinds play in communities across the country.

If there was one thing that scared the people who came together to form SVEC decades ago, it was the prospect of being left behind, denied access to a life-changing new technology. Electric power had already transformed major cities, but investor-owned power companies didn’t see how they could make money bringing it to rural communities.

So the people of this community united to deliver the service themselves.

At the time, the cooperative model was an experiment that relied entirely on the hard work of volunteers. Today, more than 80 years later, there are nearly 30,000 cooperatives across the country still going strong.

A big reason for that is the cooperative principles that guide everything we do. One of them, cooperation among cooperatives, ensures that co-ops assist other co-ops when the need arises. It’s an important promise we make to each other and one that helps each of us take on challenges we could never handle individually.

In June, SVEC was fortunate to receive help from fellow cooperatives after Hurricane Elsa. And twice this year, our own crews traveled to west Florida for three days to aid the recovery efforts of other cooperatives after Tropical Storm Fred and to Louisiana for 10 days to help repair damage after Hurricane Ida. You can read about those trips in this issue and what it’s like for our linemen to pick up and go to work on an electric system they are unfamiliar with. It’s important work, and we’re thankful to have so many linemen ready and willing to volunteer for the job.

Concern for our community is another of our core cooperative principles. This month, you can learn about the impact Operation Round Up® continues to have as it helps our local students and how the first-ever Suwannee Valley Food Fight benefited the Florida Gateway Food Bank.

Finally, we’re bringing back our Meet Your Trustee feature this month to introduce everyone to BeBe Roberson, our new trustee for the consumer-members of District 3. I’m excited to have him on the board, and I know he will serve our members well.

So this month, as you plug in the Halloween decorations in your front yard and keep the porch light on for trick-or-treaters, take a moment to appreciate the cooperative system that has made electric power such a reliable part of our daily lives in the Suwannee Valley. 

2 | October 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: When hurricanes batter other cooperative systems, SVEC linemen hit the road and work long hours to help make repairs.

See story, Page 4.

Suwannee Valley Currents

MEET YOUR TRUSTEE

Q: How long have you lived in the Suwannee Valley?

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

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

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

I’m a lifelong resident of 60 years.

I graduated from Suwannee High School in 1979.

My wife, Ellen, and I spend time with our children. We like to go to the mountains and, when I can, I like to hunt.

It’s the people. Even though we are all different, we all believe in one thing and that is being American.

Being American is believing in the country, what it stands for and standing up for and defending our liberties and freedoms.

I’ve worked in public service all my career. I believe in helping folks any way I can.

Q: What is the most important impact SVEC has on the community?

Providing a service — reliable electricity — to the consumer-members at the most affordable price.

Q: What line of work are you in?

BEBE ROBERSON

I’m semiretired. I worked for 34 years in the appraisal industry.

Now, I oversee my family’s timber interests.

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The board of trustees recently appointed BeBe Roberson to represent the cooperative’s consumer-members in District 3. The district comprises Suwannee County north of County Road 136 and west of U.S. Highway 129.

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White Springs

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SUWANNEE BOYETTE CO UNTY Wellborn

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October 2021 | 3

ANSWERING SVEC crews aid coo Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative goes to great lengths to prepare for every storm that might hit our system. But even when our grid doesn’t take damage, our linemen are ready to spring into action to help other cooperatives that have been affected.

It’s one of the core principles that guides SVEC: cooperation among cooperatives. Whenever an electric cooperative sustains serious damage that its own crews can’t handle on their own, they put out a call for help through their state cooperative association. Nearby cooperatives will take a look at what resources they can spare and recruit workers who are willing to make a trip to help.

“It’s all voluntary. They never have an issue filling that list, either,” says James Humphrey, a journeyman lineman who joined linemen Derek Fillyaw, Clay Stratton and Jimmy Williams to help West Florida Electric Cooperative make repairs after Tropical Storm Fred earlier this year.

Often, those trips can involve facing new challenges on unfamiliar systems. After Hurricane Ida, journeyman lineman Evan Skeen traveled to Greenwell Springs, Louisiana, with linemen Matt Dickerson, Austin Long and Jerrad Boles to help Dixie Electric Membership Cooperative with recovery efforts there.

For Skeen, the damage from Ida reminded him of what he saw in Florida after Hurricane Michael. And, he says, “A lot of the local

4 | October 2021

people said Ida was worse than Katrina. You didn’t have the levees break, but you had more wind damage and property damage.”

That’s not to say there was no flooding. Because of all the water, Skeen and his crew were only able to make use of the two pickup trucks and two bucket trucks they brought with them for the first couple of days. After that, they relied on airboats to take them to transmission lines, where they handled repairs the old-fashioned way.

“We did a lot more climbing than I’ve done in a long time. And I don’t think any of us had ever climbed anything like that,” Skeen says. “Those were 70-foot poles when we’re used to climbing 35-foot poles.”

NAVIGATING THE UNKNOWN Even when the work itself is routine, operating on a new system still comes with its share of challenges for visiting line crews. When Humphrey assisted West Florida Electric, the work of clearing downed trees and repairing broken lines wasn’t anything his crew hadn’t seen before.

But doing it in a new setting required extra vigilance.

“You can get into a bad situation real quick on an unknown system if you’re not paying attention,” he says. “The guys you go out there with are normally ones you work with on a day-to-day basis, so you communicate very well. It makes it a lot easier when you’re working with people who do their part the right way.”

When they arrive at another

Suwannee Valley Currents

THE CALL peratives in need cooperative, visiting crews are typically assigned a “bird dog” — someone familiar with the system to guide them through their work. For Humphrey and his crew, the local cooperative also booked their stay at a hotel. Skeen and his crew were put up in a hotel for their first few nights and stayed at a Christian camp for boys for the next four nights. Then, friends of their airboat captain offered to take them in.

“They cooked for us, washed our clothes and had beds for us,” Skeen says. “They were very good people and had crawfish etouffee for us the first night. It was like staying with family. We’ve talked about going back and visiting them sometime.”

LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

Visiting crews often work 16-hour days before getting a chance to rest.

But nothing does more to keep them going through the long hours and difficult work than the gratitude of the local people.

“When you’ve been working on something for two or three days and finally get the power turned on, you’ll hear people cheering and clapping,” Humphrey says. “They’re so appreciative. That’s what makes it worthwhile.”

Ten days into the recovery in Louisiana, Skeen noticed that many households kept at least one lamp switched on.

“That’s their indicator for when the power is back on,” Skeen says.

“When we came through they’d tell us they hadn’t had power in a week.

They’d go running inside telling

Suwannee Valley Currents

everyone, ‘We’re gonna have lights!’

It’s a good feeling.”

Often, the relationships built during those visits long outlast the damage done by the storm. Humphrey and his crew stay in touch with the bird dog who showed them around West Florida’s system, while Skeen and his crew are making plans to visit one of the local crews they worked with in Louisiana.

In all, Skeen and his crew worked 10 days to restore power after Hurricane Ida, while Humphrey and his crew stayed three full days at West Florida Electric. After those long days, there’s little chance to rest when they return. Both had time to return home and get a solid night’s sleep before waking up bright and early to serve the members of SVEC. But they aren’t complaining.

“It’s a quick turnaround,” Humphrey says. “You get home, and it’s another day. I had time to take a shower, go to bed and get back to work. That’s just the way it is.” 

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social media

SPOTLIGHT

Follow SVEC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest on outages, cooperative programs, community events and more. Here are a few highlights from the last month.

Pear pancakes 1 1/2 cups baking mix (such as Bisquick) 1 medium ripe pear, peeled and finely chopped 2/3 cup old-fashioned oats 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 cup milk 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted 1 egg 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened 2 teaspoons powdered sugar Maple syrup, if desired Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Grease it with butter or vegetable oil if necessary.

In a large bowl, stir the baking mix, chopped pear, oats, brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon until blended. In a medium bowl, beat the milk, melted butter and egg with a fork or wire whisk. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

For each pancake, pour about 1/4 cup batter onto a hot griddle. Cook the pancakes until bubbles form on top and the edges are dry. Flip, then cook the other side until golden brown.

While the pancakes are cooking, make cinnamon butter: In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup butter, the powdered sugar and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Serve the pancakes with cinnamon butter and syrup. 

facebook.com/sveccoop instagram.com/sveccoop twitter.com/SVEC_COOP 6 | October 2021

Do you have a great recipe?

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

Suwannee Valley Currents

H

HAUNTS Ghost Tours visit popular Florida haunts

By Kara Franker, Visit Florida

Florida may be known for its palm trees and sunshine, but the state has a spooky past, too. Throughout the peninsula, you’ll find eerie tales that give visitors a glimpse into Florida’s haunted history.

ST. PETERSBURG: GHOSTS FIND A FRIEND

One popular stop is the Jannus Landing Courtyard, which many believe to be haunted by a phantom from the 1980s. The story took on new life when a family came up to the group during a ghost tour and said, “We think it was our son.”

The most popular hauntings in St. Petersburg are at The Vinoy Renaissance Resort & Golf Club, which gained new attention in 2003 when baseball player Scott Williamson told the Cincinnati Enquirer that he felt a ghost on the hotel’s fifth floor. Some guests have even claimed to see a lady in white in the hotel’s tower.

MONTICELLO GHOST TOURS

Monticello is a city that ghost hunters call the “South’s Most Haunted Small Town.” Today, ghost hunting with the group Big Bend Ghost Trackers is a regular Monticello event.

Professional ghost hunters offer a 90-minute walking tour to some of the most haunted buildings in historic downtown Monticello. It is said that one out of every three homes or businesses there is presently haunted or has in the past experienced a haunting. As evening descends, you will embark upon the most unusual adventure of your life on this adventure into the unknown.

ST. AUGUSTINE: GHOST CENTRAL

When Jonas Brihammar came to the United States from Stockholm, Sweden, in 2000, he found a position working at the St. Augustine Lighthouse. He soon discovered that

everyone from the director to the janitor had a different ghost story to tell.

Brihammar went on to open up a ghost store in St. Augustine and subsequently launched a haunted pub tour and a haunted hearse ride. The hearse — a 1974 Cadillac — takes visitors to the lighthouse to check on spirits there, as well as to other locations in town. The tour even lends guests an EMF (electromagnetic field) meter to let them live out their ghost-hunting dreams.

EGMONT KEY GHOST TOWN

Some of Florida’s most eerie places are actually abandoned towns, including Fort Dade on Egmont Key, near St. Petersburg. You might feel like you’re on the surreal TV island in “Lost” as you follow desolate brick streets and crumbling sidewalks that lead nowhere and climb the shadowed stairways of military batteries on the key.

The fort was deactivated in 1923, but the lighthouse, built in 1858, still operates. Little more than a few walls and bricks remain of the original town’s 70 buildings. Many sites are marked with placards and black-andwhite photos of buildings long gone. 

Photos courtesy of Visit Florida

ADOBE STOCK IMAGES BY FOTOKITAS AND BLUEFERN

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October 2021 | 7

SVEC knocks out hunger in first Food Fight SVEC was proud to lead the first-ever Suwannee Valley Food Fight in September. Eleven local community organizations competed to collect the most food and money for Florida Gateway Food Bank. Over the course of the four-week competition, the organizations raised $1,150 and collected 3,470 pounds of food. The money alone can be leveraged by the food bank to provide approximately 13,800 nutritious meals to local people in need.

Third quarter Operation Round Up® report Thanks to the generosity of SVEC members, the Operation Round Up board was pleased to approve 88 grants from July to September.

With individual donations averaging 50 cents per month, this year we have been able to grant more than $90,000 for materials that will be used by teachers to enhance the education of local kids.

YEAR TO DATE Funds collected:

$79,440

Grants awarded:

166, worth $90,689 LIFE OF PROGRAM Funds collected:

$289,079

Grants awarded:

569, worth $287,047 8 | October 2021

Suwannee Valley Currents