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HIGHLIGHTSWATTMarch 2019 | News from Jackson County REMC
Volume 73 - Number 9
BE PREPARED FOR SPRING STORMS
Pages 6-7
Watt Highlights - (USPS 669-580) is published monthly for $3.00 per year (electric rates include subscription) by Jackson County Rural Electric Membership Corporation, a consumer owned utility, 274 E. Base Road, Brownstown, Indiana 47220. Periodicals postage paid at Brownstown, Indiana. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Watt Highlights, P.O. Box K, Brownstown, Indiana 47220.
WATTHIGHLIGHTSJackson County REMC
274 E. Base Road P.O. Box KBrownstown, IN 47220-0311
Local calls - 812-358-4458Toll free - 800-288-4458FAX only - 812-358-5719E-mail - [email protected] site - www.jacksonremc.comPay bills online - www.jacksonremc.comPay bills by phone - 1-888-999-8816
Office Hours7:30 AM to 4:30 PMMonday through Friday
To report outages or emergencies812-358-4458 (local) 1-800-288-4458 (toll free) day or night
Board of DirectorsPresident John Trinkle - district 3Vice-President Walter Hunter - district 2Secretary-Treasurer Jerry Kelley - district 5John Hackman - district 1Paul Elliott - district 4Mark Trisler - district 6Curtis Wischmeier - district 7Dave Hall - district 8John Miller - district 9
OUR COVERBe prepared for spring storms pages 6-7.
Storms, Outages, and SafetyMark McKinney, General Manager
Page 2 - March 2019
I think we all are getting tired
of the extremely wet winter and
ready for spring to start. While
spring brings warmer sunshine, and
everything starts to turn green, it also
brings the potential for severe storms.
Severe storms can cause a variety
of electrical safety hazards in and
around your home. Lightning,
downed power lines, and floods
are just a few of the serious safety
concerns associated with storms.
Unfortunately, many electrical safety
hazards remain long after the storm
itself has passed.
Jackson County REMC cares
about your safety, and we want you
to be prepared. If you lose power to
your home or neighborhood, please
remember the following:
• Report your outage to us as soon
as possible. While we may be aware of
a large-scale outage after a storm, we
may not know about your individual
outage, so please let us know.
• Never step into a flooded basement
or other areas if water is covering
electrical outlets, appliances, or cords.
Be alert to any electrical equipment
that could be energized and in contact
with water. Never touch electrical
appliances, cords, or wires while you
are wet or standing in water.
• If you are out driving, be alert at
railroad crossings and intersections
where the power may be out. Stop at
all railroad crossings and treat road
intersections with traffic signals as
four-way stops before proceeding
with caution.
• Stay clear of downed power lines. If
you encounter a downed power line,
or what you think is a downed power
line, always assume it is energized.
Stay as far away as possible and report
the situation by calling us at 800-288-
4458 as soon as possible.
There is never a good time for a
storm or outages, but when outages
happen, know we work hard to “get
the lights back on” as quickly, and
safely, as possible. At the end of the
day, we strive to deliver affordable and
reliable electricity to our members,
but equally important, we want our
members and employees to be safe.
Be sure to look at pages 6 and 7 for
more storm safety information.
March 2019 - Page 3
The record-setting cold temperatures
in late January kept most of us indoors
and looking for ways to stay warm. Now,
you may be asking “why does my bill go
up when it’s cold outside?”
It’s a frigid fact that you use more
energy in cold weather. In cold weather,
your heating system works much harder
to keep your home comfortable. Even
if you don’t change your thermostat
setting, it runs longer to heat your home.
If you have a gas heating system, it still
uses electricity to power the fan and
distribute the warm air.
If you are concerned or have
questions, please let us know at 812-358-
4458.
Winter Electric Bills
Page 4 - March 2019
Nominating Committees to be set at April Board Meeting
Selecting nominating committees is the first step in preparing for election of directors at the 2019 Annual Meeting
Nominating committees will be appointed at the April 9th meeting of the Board of Directors. These committees will be responsible for selecting slates of candidates for the following districts for the election of directors at the 2019 Jackson County REMC Annual Meeting.
District One:Includes the REMC’s service area in Carr, Drift-wood and Grassy Fork Townships and Brownstown Township east of White River in Jackson County and Monroe and Gibson Townships in Washington County.
District Four: Includes the REMC’s service area in Washington Township east of State Road 135 and Franklin, Pierce and Polk Townships in Washington County and Monroe and Wood Town-ships in Clark County.
District Seven: Includes the REMC’s service area in Vernon, Jackson, Redding and Washington Townships in Jackson County.
The nominating committees will be printed in the May issue of “Watt Highlights” and will be posted on the REMC’s
website (www.jacksonremc.com) and in the REMC office as soon as they are available.
Nominations by petition
Any twenty-five (25) or more members from within a district may make other nominations for director from that district in writing by member petition not less than forty (40) days nor more than one hundred (100) days prior to the meeting of members at which directors are to be elected. After verification of member petition and Bylaw requirements, the Rural Electric shall post such
nominations at the same places where the lists of nominations made by committee are posted.
No nominations from the floor at the meeting
Nominations for directors from the floor during the meeting of members at which directors are to be elected shall not be allowed per the Bylaws. Election questions may be referred to Jackson County REMC General Manager Mark McKinney.
March 2019 - Page 5
Reminder Effective April 1, 2019 Residential rates will see a basic service charge increase of $5 per month, and less than half of a cent increase per kWh.
The Current Rate A Basic Service Charge is $25 a month and will increase to $30 a month. The Current Rate AP (PrePay) Basic Service Charge is $30 a month and will increase to $35 a month.
Our electric rate is a Board approved base rate plus a quarterly Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) provided by our power supplier. The new base rate effective April 1, 2019 will be $.105000 per kWh with the 2nd quarter PCA being ($.001176) making the 2nd quarter electric rate $.103824 per kWh.
ART CONTEST
ELIGIBILITYIndiana public, private or home-schooled students in kindergarten through 12th grade during the 2018-19 school year are eligible to enter the contest.
ENTER YOUR BEST ARTWORKFill the pages of the 2020 calendar!
win $200
Questions? Contact Electric Consumer, 317.487.2220 or [email protected].
You could
DETAILS AND DEADLINEA complete set of rules and required entry forms are available at ElectricConsumer.org/for-youth/2020-contest. Artwork must be received by March 22, 2019.
Page 6 - March 2019
Spring is just around the corner,
which means severe weather can arrive
at a moment’s notice, no matter where
you live. Wind, rain, hail, and other
elements can cause extensive damage
to your home and property, so it’s
always a good idea to be prepared for
what Mother Nature throws your way.
Here are a few simple steps you can
take to proactively protect your home
and property from damaging spring
storms:
A s s e s s
Take a walk around your property
often to see if there is any damage
and make necessary repairs. Small
damage to roofs and chimneys that
occurred during winter can turn
into big headaches after any severe
storm. Make sure gutters are clear and
draining properly. Consider investing
in a chimney cap, they’re great at
keeping out moisture from heavy rains,
which can damage stainless steel liners,
or cause mold.
T r i m a n d p r u n e t r e e s
Remove dead branches that could
end up being dangerous projectiles
in a severe storm and cause damage
not covered by your homeowner’s
insurance. Ensure there aren’t any
limbs or branches hovering near
the power source to your home. It is
recommended that trees and limbs be
at least 10 feet away from your home.
E n s u r e s u m p p u m p s a r e w o r k i n g
Spring runoff and heavy rainfall can
result in flooded basements. Make sure
your pumps are running smoothly
so, they can do their job when you
need them. Consider having a battery
backup for your sump pump in the
event your power goes out to prevent
flooding.
S e c u r e b a c k ya r d i t e m s
Your backyard oasis can turn into
a danger zone in a severe storm. High
winds can turn unsecured items into
missiles. If you know severe storms are
in the forecast, move these items: patio
furniture, lawn chairs, propane tanks
and grills, flags and poles, bird feeders,
and potted or hanging plants - inside
your home, shed, or garage if possible.
If you can’t bring furniture or heavy
items in, try using a rope or garden
hose to tie them down securely.
F o o d S a f e t y
Is food in the refrigerator safe
during a power outage? It should be
safe as long as power is out no more
than 4 hours. Keep the door closed
as much as possible. Discard any
perishable food (such as meat, poultry,
fish, eggs, and leftovers) that have been
above 40 °F for over 2 hours. A full
freezer will keep the temperature for
approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it
is half full) if the door remains closed.
Never taste food to determine its
safety! You can’t rely on appearance
or odor to determine whether food is
safe.
Sources:
FDA.gov
FoodSafety.gov
Be prepared for spring storms
March 2019 - Page 7
Tornado season is upon us. Do you
know what to do if you’re in the path
of a tornado?
If you’re inside during a tornado,
take shelter in a windowless, interior
room, a storm cellar, or the lowest
level of the building. Stay away from
glass doors and windows to avoid
debris. Crouch down and make
yourself as small of a “target” as
possible. If you can, get under a piece
of sturdy furniture, like a heavy
table or desk. Always use your arms
to protect your head and neck from
injury.
If a tornado hits while you’re in a
car, trailer or mobile home, get out
immediately and go to the lowest floor
of a sturdy nearby building or storm
shelter. Cars, trailers and mobile
homes can easily be swept away by a
tornado or heavy winds. They are not
safe places to be.
If you are outside and cannot
find shelter, seek low ground and
cover your head and neck. (Ditches
are likely to be running with water
from heavy rain and could be more
dangerous than the tornado.) Be
aware of possible risks like falling
trees or power lines and lightning.
The most dangerous place during a
tornado is under an overpass. Seeking
shelter under an overpass puts you at
a higher elevation with no protection
from debris and winds. Never try to
outrun the storm. It moves hundreds
of miles an hour so your survival
chances are much better if you find
the best shelter you can.
To prepare for a tornado, always
keep a battery-powered radio handy to
receive emergency information. Also,
to avoid the risk of carbon monoxide
poisoning, never use generators or
charcoal-burning devices inside your
home, basement, garage or camper.
The time after a tornado brings
communities together, and many
want to help in any way they can. But
be careful when entering damaged
buildings and stay out of any
buildings that smell like gas. Wear
sturdy shoes or boots, long sleeves and
gloves when handling or walking on
or near debris.
If you want to help with the
recovery efforts after a disaster,
please go through an established
organization to volunteer. These
areas can be dangerous, and those
organizations will know how to
organize and respond in a safe
manner.
Never touch downed power lines
or objects in contact with them. They
could still be live with electricity and
touching them could be fatal. Instead,
immediately report any downed lines
to your local electric cooperative.
Source: ESFI
Page 8 - March 2019
Simply Delicious
Recipes SHAMROCK BARK
1 Bag of Wilton Green Candy Melts2 4 oz. Boxes of Bakers White Chocolate1 Cup of Green M&M’s
Melt the Green Candy Melts and White Chocolate according to the package directions in separate bowls. On a Piece of Wax Paper pour out the Melted Green Candy and spread it out until it’s about 1/8″ Thick. Add on the White Chocolate on top and use a toothpick or the tip of a knife to swirl the white and green chocolate together. Top with Green Sprinkles (Optional) & M&Ms.Allow the candy to cool, once cooled break it apart into smaller pieces and store in an airtight container.
5 INGREDIENT SIMPLE LASAGNA 18 Lasagna Noodles 45 oz Marinara sauce2 lbs. Lean ground beef 2 cups Ricotta3 cups Mozzarella cheese
Boil lasagna noodles according to box instructions. Cut the lasagna noodles to fit the size of your pan. Brown the beef and drain if necessary. Add all Marinara sauce to the beef. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick spray. Now for the layers! 1. Thin layer of meat sauce 2. 6 lasagna noodles 3. Spread 1 cup ricotta, sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese 4. Thicker layer of meat sauce 5. 6 lasagna noodles 6. Spread 1 cup ricotta, sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese 7. Layer of meat sauce 8. 6 lasagna noodles 9. Layer of meat sauce Then Cover with foil.Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and add 1 cup mozzarella cheese to top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes without foil.
INSTANT POT GREEN BEANS AND POTATOES8 Slices of Bacon, chopped 1/2 Red Onion, chopped1 Clove of Garlic, minced 6-8 Small Yukon Gold Potatoes, halved2 Pounds Green Beans, trimmed 1 Tablespoon Butter3/4 Cup Chicken Broth Olive OilSalt and Pepper to TasteFresh Chopped Parsley
Press Saute and 20 minutes on your instant pot. Once hot, add the bacon and cook until crisp, stirring occasionally as needed. Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate, leaving the grease. Place the onions and garlic in and sauté until tender.Add the potatoes, cut side down and cook until golden, adding a drizzle of olive oil if needed. Add the butter. Throw in the green beans and stir to combine. Add the Chicken Broth and set it to manual, high pressure for 6 minutes. Allow a natural release and then open the lid, season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in the bacon. Sprinkle the chopped parsley all over the top right before serving.
by Nicole AultCommunications/Public
Relations Specialist
March 2019 - Page 9
Spring Storm History
We are all excited about March and
the arrival of spring, but with spring
also comes spring storms, which can
cause major outages. Looking back
there are 2 months of March in our
cooperatives recent history that stand
out as far as outages are concerned.
The first and most destructive storm
was the March 2, 2012 tornado that hit
Henryville.
The March 2nd storm hit our
system on a Friday around 3:02 p.m.
in the southern portion of our service
area just west of the Town of Pekin.
Two Washington County substations,
one near Pekin and the other near
Borden, both served by Duke Energy,
lost power due to transmission line
failures. The greatest number of
members affected occurred during the
time these two substations were out
was approximately 2,350 services. By
7:00 p.m. Saturday all members that
could take service had been restored.
Total there were 16 broken poles,
10 transformers damaged and
approximately 10,000
feet of wire that had
to be replaced or
reinstalled.
Our neighboring
cooperative Clark
County REMC was
hit the hardest and
needed our help
following the tornado. We responded
and sent six of our line employees for
a week to help them restore service to
the residents of Henryville and nearby
Marysville following the EF-4 twister.
The more recent storm that
damaged our system was March
1, 2017. Severe high winds first
touched down in our service territory
in the Leesville area in eastern
Lawrence County around 5:30 am on
Wednesday, March 1st.
This extreme wind took out two
three-phase poles around Leesville.
This line continued to move across
our system causing extensive damage
to Duke Energy’s 230kV transmission
line south of
Tampico taking
down at least five
steel transmission
towers.
Areas northeast
of Austin in the
Hardy Lake area
fell into this
path of extreme wind and resulted
in several broken poles and downed
power lines. At the same time, Duke
Energy’s transmission line systems
in Washington County that services
our Kossuth, Salem East, South
Boston, Pekin, and Borden substations
were crippled with multiple faults
effectively losing service to the entire
southeastern section of Washington
County along with the city of Salem.
Switching load to alternate substations
was not possible due to the extent of
the transmission line outage. This
transmission failure resulted in
approximately 4,000 customers losing
service in Washington County.
With this storm our first outage
occurred at 5:30 a.m. on March 1st
and the last outage was restored at 9:45
p.m. on March 2nd. The storm broke a
total of 44 poles.
Picture taken during the March 1, 2017 storm restoration.
Picture taken during the March 2, 2012 storm restoration.
Page 10 - March 2019
Jackson County
April 6 - Annual Tampico School reunion at Pewter Hall in Brownstown. Note the event this year is on a Saturday. Fellowship hour at 5:00 p.m., dinner served at 6:00 p.m. Reservations are requested by March 29. Cost is $17.00. Tampico graduates and others associated with the school are welcome to attend. Contact Donna Maxie (812-358-2535) or Wilma Benter (812-522-5799) for reservations or more information.
Jennings County
April 27 - Spring Garden & Craft Show 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church Parish Hall 1875 S. County Road 700 W. North Vernon. Find a variety of flower and vegetable plants, hanging baskets, crafts, garden art, home decor and more. Contact Terri French (812-346-3192 or 812-525-9556) for more information.
Scott County
March 8 - Scott County Museum 6:00 p.m. Dinner and speaker. $20.00 each. Gypsy Moon Hobo Life-- Real Hobo. Scott County Museum 1050 S. Main St. Scotts-burg. 812-752-1050
March 20 - Scott County Museum Brown Bag Lunch at 12:00 p.m. Bring your lunch. Dessert and drink provided. Book Review.
April 17 - Scott County Museum Brown Bag Lunch at 12:00 p.m. Bring your lunch. Dessert and drink furnished. The New Chapel Dulcimer Players will be featured.
April 27 & May 25 - All-you-can-eat breakfast sponsored by the Friends of Hardy Lake; breakfast served from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at the Hardy Lake shelter house. Adults - $6.50; children 3 to 12 - $3.00; children under 3 - free.
COMMUNITYCALENDAR
To have your non-profit group’s event listed in our “Community Calendar,” please con-tact us by letter, phone or e-mail ([email protected]) at least six weeks before
your event date. Include a phone number we can call to verify your information.
All proceeds support the Dwight Chamberlain Raptor Rehab Cen-ter. For more information visit www.friendsofhardylake.com.
Washington County
April 27 - Gibson volunteer fire department will be having its annual fish fry and auction. The event will take place at the fire house in Little York. Fish fry will start at 4:00 p.m. and the auction will start at 6:00 p.m. This year we will have several Pampered Chef items, paintings and much, much more. If you would like to donate anything for the auction, please call Sunday Pruett at 812-595-4297 Or Donna at 812-595-2103.
March 2019 - Page 11
When calling or w
riting please give the name and
customer num
ber above your name on this label
or your account number show
n on your bill.TELEPHONE - 812-358-4458TOLL FREE - 800-288-4458
During regular office hours you will be connected with our customer service representatives. After regular hours you will be connected with our answering service. Please call during regular office hours for all business other than out-ages or emergencies.
OFFICE HOURS7:30 AM to 4:30 PM - Monday through Friday
FAX only - 812-358-5719E-mail - [email protected]
Web site - www.jacksonremc.comPay bill online - visit our website (above)
Pay bill by phone - 1-888-999-8816