WEC Alabama Living — January 2019

Stories | Recipes | Events | People | Places | Things | Local News January 2019

Wiregrass

Electric Cooperative

Visionary for growth How Hugh Wheelless helped bring RTJ golf course to Dothan

ALABAMA LIVING is delivered to some 420,000 Alabama families and businesses, which are members of 22 not-for-profit, consumer-owned, locally directed and taxpaying electric cooperatives. AREA cooperative member subscriptions are $3 a year; non-member subscriptions, $6. Alabama Living (USPS 029920) is published monthly by the Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Alabama, and at additional mailing office.

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VOL. 69 NO. XX  JANUARY 2019

POSTMASTER send forms 3579 to: Alabama Living, P.O. Box 244014 Montgomery, Alabama 36124-4014.

ALABAMA RURAL ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION

AREA President Fred Braswell Editor Lenore Vickrey Managing Editor Allison Griffin Creative Director Mark Stephenson Art Director Michael Cornelison Advertising Director Jacob Johnson Advertising Coordinator, Graphic Designer Brooke Echols Communications Coordinator Laura Stewart

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2019 Youth Tour

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Giving hope

Applications are available for the 2019 Youth Tour. Apply today!

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WEC's Operation Round Up Charitable Foundation makes donation to Wiregrass Hope Group.

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9 Spotlight 26 Worth the drive 29 Around Alabama 36 Gardens 40 Outdoors 41 Fish & Game Forecast 46 Cook of the month 54 Snapshots ONLINE: alabamaliving.coop ON THE COVER More than 25 years ago, Hugh Wheelless took a chance and helped bring a Robert Trent Jones golf course to Dothan.

That risk led to growth for Dothan and Wiregrass Electric.

See story, Page 6.

JANUARY 2019 3

Fighting to receive federal aid Board of Trustees Donna Parrish District 2 President

Tracy Reeder District 5 Vice-President Debra E. Baxley District 1 Secretary John Clark, Jr. District 3

Danny McNeil District 4

Kip Justice District 6

Donald Ray Wilks District 7

Greg McCullough District 8

David Winstead District 9

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Les Moreland, CEO Wiregrass Electric Cooperative A new year is a way to start fresh, but sometimes you must still cope with the storms from the previous year.

We’re still recovering from Hurricane Michael, and we are working to do all we can to shield our members from the costs associated with the storm and the widespread damage it caused.

WEC had to spend millions in the nine days needed to restore power. We had 250 additional workers on our system, including linemen, warehouse workers, accountants, dispatchers and engineers.

Michael left our cooperative with about 500 broken poles, 500 damaged insulators, 34 miles of power lines in need of replacement, 200 broken cross arms and damage to approximately 200 transformers. Additionally, roads and rights of way were filled with downed trees and debris due to this historic storm.

WEC prides itself on being a good steward of our members’ money. We worked diligently following Hurricane Michael to provide a quick restoration response, all while balancing the expense associated with such a massive effort.

Although we are still finalizing the total financial impact of this storm, it looks like our restoration response will cost in the neighborhood of $6 million to $7 million.

A not-for-profit cooperative is a unique business with a unique financial model. We have two sources of income: loans and our members. As a not-for-profit business, we don’t need to make money for investors. Instead, profits, or margins, are returned to our members in the form of patronage capital or capital credit. This past year, we returned more than $1.6 million in capital credits to members retired from the years 1995 to 1996.

We do have to record a certain margin each year in order to maintain our financial ratios to satisfy requirements from our lenders. These margins are used for a period of time to help operate the cooperative. Once our board of trustees determines when the cooperative’s financial standing allows it, those profits are returned to the membership.

Last year, auditors from Jackson Thornton determined WEC is in excellent financial standing. Our 2018 annual report showed $113 million in total assets, $113 million in total equities and liabilities, and $63 million in patronage capital.

But even with our cooperative in great finan-

cial shape, a storm of Michael’s magnitude can be a financial burden to even the most financially stable electric cooperatives. For this reason, we were happy to learn that our area was declared by President Donald Trump as a federal disaster area for certain organizations and businesses.

The first step required for an area to receive help must be taken by the governor of the state where the disaster occurred. The governor must declare a state of emergency and formally request that the president approve federal assistance. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency, and President Trump approved federal aid relief for Dale, Henry, Geneva and Houston counties in Alabama. WEC then applied for restoration funds from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is designed to help federal disaster-declared areas before, during and after disasters. WEC is in the process of documenting all of our power restoration costs due to Hurricane Michael to better position ourselves to receive federal aid.

Our cooperative’s accounting and engineering teams are doing a fantastic job of collecting the documentation needed.

We are hoping to secure all federal funds our cooperative is eligible for, to help with the financial burden of this storm. Our goal is to provide documentation for qualifying storm-related expenses to cover 75 percent of the total cost and keep our cooperative’s membership from bearing the full expense.

If successful, the remaining amount not reimbursed by FEMA can be more easily managed through our rate structure over a 30-year period instead of a one-time expense. Our overall goal is to make sure the expense related to this storm has the minimum impact possible on our rate structure.

I can assure you, we did everything we could to restore power to our members as quickly and safely as possible after the storm. I can also assure you, we are balancing our cost for restoration and keeping detailed financial records in order to receive FEMA support to help our members with the total cost.

We work to provide safe, reliable, affordable electric service. We will always do our best to make sure our bills are as competitive as we can make them without sacrificing safety or reliability. We appreciate your business and you as a WEC member. n www.alabamaliving.coop

Montgomery &

Washington, D.C.

Youth TourS

Each year, WEC selects 10 students to attend an all-expenses-paid trip to the Montgomery Youth Tour in March. The students also receive a $500 scholarship, courtesy of WEC. Of those 10, two to three students will be selected through an interview process to be awarded an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., in June. Those students will receive an additional $500 scholarship, courtesy of WEC. These trips are a great opportunity for students to learn more about electric cooperatives and leadership skills. To attend, Students must complete and submit an application and all necessary documentation by Jan. 11, 2019.

_Tour _ places like the Alabama State House, Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church and the Civil Rights Memorial

Washington, D.C., Youth Tour Students who attend the Washington, D.C., Youth Tour will: _Meet _ students from all across the country _Visit _ museums like the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Newseum and the Smithsonian _Visit _ monuments like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Lincoln Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Find Wiregrass Electric Co-op on Twitter (twitter.

Who can apply?

The competition is open to high school juniors who are dependents of a member of Wiregrass Electric Cooperative and attend a school in the Wiregrass area.

How to apply: Students can receive an application by visiting wiregrass.coop or by picking up an application from their guidance counselor.

Applications should be sent to: Wiregrass Electric Cooperative ATTN: Jennifer Ward P.O. Box 158 Hartford, AL 36344

Dates to remember: Jan. 11, 2019 All applications for Youth Tour are due.

_Meet _ Alabama’s U.S. representatives

March 12-14, 2019 Montgomery Youth Tour!

_Participate _ in leadership seminars

June 14-20, 2019 Washington Youth Tour!

Alabama Living

Phone 1-800-239-4602

Find us here:

_Participate _ in leadership sessions

_Meet _ state representatives

Mailing address 509 N. State Hwy 167 P.O. Box 158, Hartford, AL 36344

Website www.wiregrass.coop

Students attending the Montgomery Youth Tour will:

_Take _ part in team-building activities

Contact Information

Toll Free Outage “Hotline” 1-888-4-MY-OUTAGE 1-888-469-6882 (24 hrs/day)

Montgomery Youth Tour

_Attend _ special dinners to meet with other Youth Tour delegates

WEC Service Area

com/wec2), Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Payment Options

BY MAIL Wiregrass Electric Cooperative, Inc. Department 1340, P.O. Box 2153 Birmingham, AL 35287-1340 WEBSITE Payments may be made 24 hrs/day by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and E-Check on our website at www.wiregrass.coop.

PHONE PAYMENTS Payments may be made any time by dialing 1-800-239-4602.

NIGHT DEPOSITORY Available at each office location.

IN PERSON Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Payment kiosks also available 24/7 in all offices.

Hartford 509 N. State Hwy. 167 • Hartford, AL 36344 Samson 13148 W. State Hwy. 52 • Samson, AL 36477 Ashford 1066 Ashford Highway • Ashford, AL 36312 Dothan 6167 Fortner St. • Dothan, AL 36305 For questions regarding sanitation service, call Houston County Sanitation Department at 334-677-4781 or Dothan City Sanitation at 334-615-3820.

JANUARY 2019 5

Taking a chance

A LOCAL DEVELOPER BRINGS RTJ GOLF COURSE TO DOTHAN

Hugh Wheelless will never forget the moment when renowned golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Sr. visited his farmhouse in 1990 to discuss his property and the possible construction of a course in Dothan. The result was a moment that 6 JANUARY 2019

helped create not only a golf course but also a foundation for growth.

“I asked him if we could have a golf course around here,” Wheelless says of Jones, who was 92 during the 1990 meeting. “He said, ‘God builds golf courses, and

I find them.’ I asked him what he thought of my land, and he said, ‘You’ve got a golf course here.’”

And Jones was correct. Highland Oaks golf course was the result, which also led to the construction of Highlands Park, with www.alabamaliving.coop

Wheelless has developed multiple subdivisions in west Dothan, including his most recent development, Highlands Cove.

Hugh Wheelless donated 400 acres of land for the Highland Oaks golf course in Dothan.

He then developed the Highlands subdivision, which Wiregrass Electric serves.

Highlands Cove currently features 53 homes. All homes are served by Wiregrass Electric.

its beautiful lawns and quiet streets. The projects illustrate how growth can broadly benefit the community.

The course and 600-home subdivision were built in the early 1990s, a time when Wiregrass Electric Cooperative mostly served rural areas with miles in between each meter. The Highlands, and the other subdivisions built in west Dothan years later, provided population density, which helps keep members’ cost as low as possible.

“The greater density allows fixed costs to be spread over more units,” WEC Chief Operating Officer Brad Kimbro says. “We are still a rural cooperative, and we are never going to have the density that larger utility companies have. But we are in a lot better shape today because of growth in west Dothan.”

Highland Oaks is one of 11 stops on Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, Alabama Living

which has courses from Huntsville to Mobile. The Dothan course features three nine-hole championship courses and a nine-hole short course. Golf Digest has recognized the complex as one of the nation’s best and most affordable places to play.

Wheelless was the catalyst behind the course and subdivision. A local businessman and developer, he took a chance more than 20 years ago to help grow Dothan and to turn the Wiregrass into a destination.

A vision

The idea for the system of world-class golf courses began in the 1980s with David Bronner, CEO of the Retirement Systems of Alabama. He enlisted Jones to help.

“Dr. Bronner had this vision of making Alabama a destination state and not just a pass-through state,” Wheelless says. “He wanted to stop people in Huntsville, Ope-

lika, Dothan and Mobile. He wanted people to go there to play quality golf.”

Bronner traveled the state to speak at local civic clubs to muster support for his grand plan. It was at a Kiwanis Club meeting in Dothan where Bronner asked for a landowner to donate property and the city to provide road-building aid. The goal was to avoid debt on land after completion of the project.

Alfred Saliba, the mayor of Dothan at the time who wanted a spot on the golf trail, went to work. He sent representatives from the chamber of commerce to speak with Wheelless about donating 400 acres of his land on the west side of Dothan.

Wheelless owned a farm and a small airport, and Saliba felt the pastures and open land used for the airport would be perfect for a golf course.

“I was doing fine at the time, and life was good,” Wheelless says. “Then the JANUARY 2019 7

Wheelless' vision led to the development of luxury homes in west Dothan.

Highlands Cove features 1,800-square-foot homes with three bedrooms, two baths and a two-car garage.

chamber came in and asked me to donate 400 acres of land, and all I thought was my daddy would come back and kill me if I did that. I politely escorted them out the door.”

However, Saliba and the chamber weren’t going to let this opportunity go.

After a month or so, they invited Wheelless to travel with them to see the construction progress on the Oxmoor Valley course in Birmingham. They wanted him to see the big things happening around the state.

Following the visit, Wheelless and representatives from the Dothan Chamber of Commerce went to Bobby Vaughan’s house in Birmingham. Bronner had appointed Vaughan, who had formed SunBelt Golf Corporation, to lead the development of the courses on the trail.

“When we pulled in at his house, there were five cars lined up along the side of the road,” Wheelless says. “When we got out, all their doors opened and people got out with maps and aerial photos. I wondered who they were, and it was people from around the state trying to give their land to build these golf courses. The whole way home I felt like I was missing something, and this might be a big opportunity.”

Wheelless returned home and wrestled with the idea of donating his land for the course. He felt it was an opportunity but also couldn’t fathom giving away that much land.

“I would wake up in the middle of the night, at like 1 o’clock in the morning, walk outside and look up at the sky thinking somebody has got to help me,” Wheelless says. “I didn’t have the kind of vision I needed for something like this.”

So, he enlisted the help of somebody he knew he could trust — Saliba, the mayor of Dothan. Saliba had been a friend to 8 JANUARY 2019

Wheelless and his family for a long time.

“I wanted to meet with him as a friend and not as a mayor,” Wheelless says. “I went in and looked him dead in the eye and said, ‘You know my family, my land, and you know me. If this situation were reversed, and it was your family and your land, would you do the deal?’ He said absolutely. He didn’t even hesitate. I took a deep breath and felt a sigh of relief. I felt like I could trust him because he was my friend, and he was the kind of man you could trust because he was honest.”

From that point on, Wheelless was 100 percent committed to bringing the golf course to Dothan.

Making it happen

Jones eventually traveled to Dothan to inspect and approve the land for a course.

He loved the swamp, and he would eventually use the runway at the Wheelless Airport as the fairway on the No. 9 hole.

Wheelless, who also bought land adjacent to the developing golf course property, went through the long process of addressing environmental issues associated with the airport and underground storage tanks on the land. In the fall of 1993, the Highland Oaks course opened.

While the Highland Oaks course brought a world-class golf facility to the Wiregrass, it did more than benefit golfers.

This course attracted visitors to the area, and it set the stage for growth. For example, additional housing options proved attractive to industries interested in locating in the area, an indirect benefit of the course and surrounding neighborhoods.

Wheelless developed much of the surrounding land, and his goal was to build homes around the course similar to those seen at country clubs. While Bronner did not have a similar vision, Wheelless did

successfully negotiate an agreement.

A line formed outside the makeshift office of Wheelless on the morning he began selling plots of land to local builders and individuals.

“I sold 29 lots on that first day,” he says.

“Dothan had never sold that many lots in one day. You don’t realize it when it’s happening, but we were off to the races.”

Today, Wheelless has continued to develop the land in west Dothan. There are more than 600 lots in the Highlands community, 250 in Highland’s South, 18 in Highland Lakes, and 184 units in the Highland Trails Apartments. He also has a new development, Highlands Cove, which currently has 53 lots.

“Wiregrass Electric is grateful that Mr. Wheelless was willing to take a chance and roll the dice to help the Wiregrass,” says Kimbro. “From Wiregrass Electric's standpoint, his developments have provided positive growth for our cooperative and this growth has led to economic development for our Wiregrass community. The homes in these subdivisions brought people to an area, and in this case, businesses followed. We are thankful for Mr. Wheelless' decision to take a chance and the success of the chance he took, has definitely been a benefit to our cooperative.”

Wheelless has also appreciated the great partnership with WEC. “I worked off handshake-look-themin-the-eye deals my whole life,” he says.

“Wiregrass Electric is also of that philosophy because it serves honest rural people. If we ever had a problem or concern, we would just call them. I have watched Wiregrass Electric grow and mature into a very well run corporation. We matured together, and we’ve had an excellent relationship and I look forward to continuing working with these good-honest folks.” n www.alabamaliving.coop

Pictured, from left, are Brad Kimbro, WEC chief operating officer; Steve Loveland, president of Wiregrass Hope Group board of directors; Jeremiah Dalton, director of counseling at Wiregrass Hope Group; Myra Johnson Update Bell, secretary of Operation Round Up board of trustees; Amy Edge, executive director of Wiregrass Hope Group; Susan Bailey, vice president of Operation Round Up board of trustees; Tiffany Coleman, counselor at Wiregrass Hope Group; and David Hall, president of Operation Round Up board of trustees.

Start of a new life Wiregrass Hope guides women through unplanned pregnancies When a woman needs help coping with an unplanned pregnancy, Wiregrass Hope Group steps in to provide aid.

The nonprofit organization in Dothan offers free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds, as well as a nine-step parenting program that guides the parents through the pregnancy. Those who complete the program receive a car seat.

Wiregrass Electric Cooperative’s Operation Round Up Charitable Foundation recently donated $9,000 to Wiregrass Hope Group to help the organization purchase car seats.

“This is such a great organization that is really helping young women in our area when they are in need,” says WEC Chief Operating Officer Brad Kimbro. “We applaud everything they are doing, and we know they will continue to do great work for our community.”

Amy Edge, who has worked with Wiregrass Hope Group for three years, was named the executive director in 2017. She said the donation from Operation Round Up will be enough to purchase car seats for the next two years.

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“Knowing that we have our clients pro- Amy Edge, executive director of vided for is huge,” Edge says. “Wiregrass Wiregrass Hope Group, shows the Operation Round Up board how Hope Group is supported by the people of they organize each client's file. the Wiregrass, and we couldn’t do what we do without donations. We are so grateful In addition to caring for the mother, the to Wiregrass Electric’s members for this organization offers a fatherhood program donation.” to help guide the father through the pregnancy.

A helping hand “Healthy families are critical to our sociWiregrass Hope Group opened in 1984, ety,” Edge says. “We’re helping this female when it was known as Sav-A-Life. In addi- process a lot of decisions. She’s going to be tion to a parenting program and a charac- a new mother, and we help her process all ter and relationship education program, of that. We are helping to prepare her for they also provided biblical counseling. this crucial time in her life and the start of After moving to its current location on this child’s life.”

Westgate Parkway in Dothan in 2003, the In addition to the car seat, the mother name was changed to Wiregrass Hope earns points each time she visits Wiregrass Group. In 2004, the organization began Hope Group, and those points can be used offering ultrasounds and a fatherhood in the baby boutique, which has donated program. Also, it began a post-abortive baby clothes, blankets and toys. and pregnancy loss Bible study.

“To see the baby come back with the The goal of Wiregrass Hope Group is to mother, and it’s well cared for, is very guide the mother through the pregnancy gratifying,” Edge says. “You sat with that and to prepare her for life after the baby is mom 40 weeks earlier, and they said they born. They also can help guide the mother couldn’t do this. Now, you are seeing a prethrough the adoption if they feel like they cious baby in a car seat that’s completely can’t care for the baby. taken care of.” n www.alabamaliving.coop

BEAT PEAK Follow these simple tips to help us beat the peak and keep your energy bills low

What is peak demand?

Cold temperatures can affect the price of electricity. WEC neither produces electricity nor operates power plants. Instead, it purchases electricity wholesale for its members from its generation and transmission partner, PowerSouth Energy Cooperative.

Wholesale energy pricing depends on the concept of peak demand, which refers to the time of day of greatest electricity demand. This is also when PowerSouth must supply the most power.

The more energy needed during those peak times, like an extreme cold day, the more likely it is to increase prices for WEC and its members.

Members can do several things to help offset energy usage during those peaks, which usually come in the early morning hours during winter.

How can members help?

Here are a few guidelines to help us not exceed our energy usage during winter peak hours of 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.:

Keep your thermostat set to 68 degrees during the winter months.

Alabama Living

Take showers at night to avoid heating water during peak times.

Run your dishwasher and washing machines during off-peak hours.

Limit the use of TVs, gaming consoles, computers and unnecessary lighting during peak hours.

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