SHENANDOAH VALLEY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE SVEC Offers

FREDERICK
City of
Winchester
SHENANDOAH VALLEY
ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
CLARKE
WARREN
SHENANDOAH
PAGE
ROCKINGHAM
HIGHLAND
AUGUSTA
Barnaby the Christmas
Buzzard resides in a front yard in Lake
Holiday Country Club near Winchester.
SUBMITTED BY CAR
OLYN PUR
DY
HAMMAN
SUBMITTED BY BILL
TACKY CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
Carolyn Purdy of Harrisonburg
models her “tacky” Christmas lights, which
are old, recycled tree lights.
August/September
SVEC Major Outages
AUG. 7
Lyndhurst area
1,000 members out for 5 hours
due to vehicle accident
AUG.13
Lyndhurst area
780 members out for 11.5 hours
due to padmounted transformer
failure
SEPT. 3
Marye Lane area
600 members out for ½ hour
due to telephone ground wire
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SVEC Offers Scholarship Opportunities
Since 1992, Shenandoah Valley
Electric Cooperative (SVEC) has
awarded scholarships to deserving high
school seniors in the region that it
serves. These students have earned the
scholarships with excellence in the
classroom, extracurricular activities, and
contributions to the community. In the
years since the scholarships have been
awarded, the Cooperative has given back
more than $60,000 to the community.
During the spring of 2013 SVEC will
award ten $1,000 scholarships to
students whose parents or guardians are
member/owners of SVEC.
Furthering one’s education is the best
investment for success in the future. The
obstacles facing most students today are
the rising costs associated with a college
education.
The goal of SVEC’s scholarship
program is to make a student’s dream of
higher education become a reality. The
only requirements for a student to apply
for the scholarship are that his or her
parents, or guardians, must be member/
owners of Shenandoah Valley Electric
Cooperative and the student must attend
a high school located in the areas served
by the Cooperative.
Students will be judged for the
scholarship based on a number of
criteria. The three most important
criteria will be the quality of the essays
provided by the students, participation
in school/community activities, and the
quality of their high school course load.
Other information used to judge the
applicants will be letters of reference and
grade-point average. It is important to
note that the first step in the judging
process is a blind review of the essays.
The judges have no information
(including name, high school, or
gender) regarding who wrote the essays
at this point. Based on the essays, the
judges will narrow the applicant pool
before reviewing all other information
submitted with the applications.
The eligibility requirements and
judging criteria are outlined in the
application form that is available at any
SVEC office or the students’ school
guidance department. All applications
and essays must be delivered personally
to SVEC’s Mt. Crawford office by 4:30
p.m. on Feb. 25, 2013, or postmarked
no later than Feb. 25, 2013.
If you have any questions concerning
this scholarship opportunity, please
check our website at www.svec.coop or
call Cammie Tutwiler at Shenandoah
Valley Electric Cooperative.
PREVIOUS SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
IN PAST TWO YEARS:
2012
Carter Black
Sydney Collins
Cassie Conley
Hannah Cox
Claire Glick
Janey Green
Stephanie Hertzenberg
Hannah Huddle
David Leech
Amy Scheel
John Handley High School
Broadway High School
Stonewall Jackson High School
Riverheads High School
Harrisonburg High School
James Wood High School
Spotswood High School
Central High School
Highland High School
East Rockingham High School
2011
Jessica Barr
Kristen Baber
Savanah Cary
Margaret Freed
Maggie Getaz
Mark Gordon
Kelsey Grimm
Emily Knupp
Michael Strickler
Sarah Ward
Central High School
Fort Defiance High School
Harrisonburg High School
Riverheads High School
John Handley High School
Spotswood High School
Riverheads High School
Harrisonburg High School
Buffalo Gap High School
Turner Ashby High School
Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative
S
CAMMIE TUTWILER PHOTO
now ... then Hurricane Sandy. In
2011, the story was the unusual
heavy snow that fell in October. In
2012, Hurricane Sandy affected the
Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative
(SVEC) service area, bringing strong
winds, heavy rains, and even some
blizzard conditions in the higher elevations.
2012 was a strange weather year, to
say the least. In late June, a derecho tore
through the area, causing thousands of
power outages in SVEC’s service area and
major damage to homes and trees.
Fast forward to late October. For days,
Hurricane Sandy swirled off the East Coast,
dumping rain and blowing wind, before
finally making its presence felt in the
Shenandoah Valley on Monday, Oct. 29.
Sandy was a big storm, and its effects
were far-reaching. Parts of the SVEC
service territory experienced widespread
outages as a result of the storm’s visit to
the Valley. After it rolled through, as
many as 12,000 SVEC members were
without power.
Approximately 425 people, including
crews from SVEC, other cooperatives,
and contractors, were all ready to respond
to the outages when weather conditions
allowed. Bucket trucks, which are used
to assist in restoration efforts, had to wait
until winds decreased to less than 30 mph.
Winds were at that level or higher for a
period of time following the storm.
“Another storm of such magnitude
really tests the mettle of the
Cooperative team members,”
SVEC President & CEO
Myron Rummel said.
“Fortunately, we have
dedicated employees who are
willing to work, as conditions
allow, on restoring power as
quickly and safely as possible.
Our teamwork really shines
through when conditions are
challenging, and we have had
the opportunity to see that
not once, but twice this year.”
Outages encompassed
parts of SVEC’s entire service
Six cooperatives came in from other areas to help SVEC
region, including Augusta,
restore power.
January 2013
KENNY LAYMAN PHOTO
Clarke, Frederick, Highland, Page,
Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren
counties, and the city of Winchester.
However, by the morning of Nov. 1, all but
a few SVEC members’ power was restored.
“SVEC would like to thank all of
those who worked tirelessly during these
outages,” Rummel said. “There was a
true spirit of cooperation between those
handling this storm that was composed of
so many different challenges, including
strong wind, blowing rain, some snow,
and cold temperatures. We thank
everyone for their efforts!”
SVEC crew members continued their
efforts well past Nov. 1, as 13 SVEC
employees traveled north to assist with
restoration efforts in Frederick, Md.,
Oakland, Md., and New Jersey. New York
and New Jersey felt the full force of
Sandy’s strength, and millions of people
lost power. Shenandoah Valley Electric
Cooperative crews consisted of Lead
Lineman Todd Butcher, Lead Lineman
Terry Eye, Lineman First Class Kevin
Good, Lineman First Class Alan Moyers,
and Lineman Second Class Jeremy
Wisman from the Rockingham district
office; Lead Lineman Ed Eudy, Lineman
First Class Josh Hedrick, Lineman
Second Class Roger Pace, and District
Warehouseman Brian Murphy from the
Shenandoah district office; and Lead
Lineman Mark Feltner, Lineman First
Class Mike Alexander, Lineman First
Class Matt Durbin, and Lineman First
Class Brian McGovern from the
Winchester district office.
Roads to get to restoration locations were
covered with snow and mud in some places.
KENNY LAYMAN PHOTO
by Cammie Tutwiler, SVEC Writer
In some places, such as Crider’s Mountain
in Bergton, inches of snow fell.
KENNY LAYMAN PHOTO
HURRICANE SANDY
Trees and poles were down over the northern
portion of the SVEC service area, and
Sandy also combined with a cold front.
BRIAN BEAVERS PHOTO
Another October Trick:
Poles were snapped by Sandy’s strong
winds. This photo was taken in Winchester.
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SVEC Crews Help With Power Restoration
by Cammie Tutwiler, SVEC Writer
Hurricane Sandy
H
One of the most destructive and
costly hurricanes in years, Hurricane
Sandy brought devastation to many areas
in a number of ways. Depending on the
location along the East Coast, some
places received one – or all – of the
following: strong winds, torrential rains,
or heavy snow.
Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative’s
service area was also impacted by the
storm, and at one point had as many as
12,000 members without power. SVEC
requested support through our statewide
association of electric cooperatives, but
with the magnitude of the storm, most of
our sister cooperatives were impacted as
well. This resulted in most of SVEC’s
support coming from out-of-state
cooperatives. At one point in time, SVEC
had approximately 425 people working
to restore power to members.
When it became clear that the
Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative
service area affected by the storm had full
restoration, 13 volunteer workers from
SVEC assembled and departed for
Frederick, Md., on Nov. 2 to help with
restoration efforts for Potomac Edison of
First Energy. After beginning their trip in
Frederick, Md., the men continued to
Oakland, Md., and then New Jersey
before returning home on Nov. 13.
“Our guys welcome the opportunity
elping others in need is a
concept that is familiar to
members of the cooperative
family. Near or far, cooperative or
investor-owned, when weather events
cause an electric utility to reach out for
help, Shenandoah Valley Electric
Cooperative (SVEC) crew members are
always ready to answer the call, and meet
any challenge and condition that might
be placed before them.
In late February of 2012, SVEC crew
members headed out to Central Virginia
Electric Cooperative to assist with
restoration in the area following a wet
snow. Three SVEC team members from
the Rockingham district office, including
Lineman First Class Joe Nelson, Lineman
First Class Wes Rusmisel, and Lineman
Second Class Jonathan Cromer, traveled
to help restore power.
The workers reported that the damage
was widespread, but that restoration was
not difficult. The terrain, they said, was
very similar to that of Rockingham County.
“The people were friendly and easy to
work with,” Nelson said.
Helping others is something the
SVEC workers enjoy doing.
“We had a great time, and are always
glad when we can help restore power, no
matter where we are,” Nelson said.
ATTENTION MEMBERS: Tree-Trimming Starting Soon
Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative has contracted with a company using a
helicopter to trim trees along power lines in the areas below, which starts in approximately
January 2013 and continues through May 2013.
Augusta County: New Hope, Hermitage/Kiddsville, Jennings Gap, Churchville, Deerfield
Frederick County: Back Creek, Hayfield/Lincoln Estates, Opequon
Highland County: Upper Back Creek, Blue Grass/Bear Mountain
Page County: Bentonville, Rileyville, Good Mill, Compton Hollow, Vaughn Summit
Rockingham County: Bergton, Criders, Fulks Run
Shenandoah County: Southern Fort Valley, Kings Crossing, Flemming Park, Red Banks,
Cave Springs, Edinburg Mountain
Northern Shenandoah County: Lebanon Church, Moores Ford, Turkey Run, Coal Mine
Hollow, Star Tannery
Every effort will be made to minimize outages that can occur while SVEC is working.
However, you may experience some sporadic blinking, which is normal and unavoidable.
As a precaution, please contact the district office that serves the area where the trimming is
taking place if you have livestock or other outdoor animal life that may be disturbed by the
sound from the helicopter.
Thank you for your patience during this process, so that SVEC may better serve you!
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to help others with power restoration,”
said Jeff Harmon, manager of distribution
systems at SVEC. “In these large events,
our men are prepared and ready to assist
in any way possible to help those who
need their power restored. It’s a sense of
pride and a goodwill offering to help
restore power.”
SVEC employees who assisted in
restoration efforts after Hurricane Sandy
include: Lead Lineman Todd Butcher,
Lead Lineman Terry Eye, Lineman First
Class Kevin Good, Lineman First Class
Alan Moyers, and Lineman Second Class
Jeremy Wisman from the Rockingham
district office; Lead Lineman Ed Eudy,
Lineman First Class Josh Hedrick,
Lineman Second Class Roger Pace, and
District Warehouseman Brian Murphy
from the Shenandoah district office; and
Lead Lineman Mark Feltner, Lineman
First Class Mike Alexander, Lineman
First Class Matt Durbin, and Lineman
First Class Brian McGovern from the
Winchester district office.
Damage varied, as did the weather
conditions, from location to location.
“There was a lot of wind damage and
fallen trees in Frederick, Md., similar to
the derecho (the windstorm in the SVEC
service territory experienced at the end
of June),” Lead Lineman Ed Eudy said in
an email interview. “In Oakland, Md.,
there was wind and snow damage. A lot
of the lines were cross country and
inaccessible with trucks. As you were
driving down the road, span after span
would be lying on the ground.”
In an email interview, Lead Lineman
Mark Feltner compared some of the damage
he saw to that he’s seen due to a tornado.
“Certain areas in New Jersey had
some sections of woods completely
flattened by the strong force of the wind,”
he said. “We saw extensive damage to
the trees from all the heavy snow in
Oakland, Md. Some areas received 38
inches, resulting in limbs breaking and
trees uprooting from the weight.”
Eudy said that fighting the deep snow
was the most difficult problem they
encountered – as they needed to walk to
the problem with their tools and
materials to fix it.
“In New Jersey, it was much like the
derecho we had. It was mostly tree damage,
Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative
2
3
4
5
1. SVEC crew members who made the trip, from
left: Mike Alexander, Matt Durbin, Brian Murphy,
Brian McGovern, Terry Eye, Jeremy Wisman, Ed
Eudy, Todd Butcher, Mark Feltner, Kevin Good,
Alan Moyers, Josh Hedrick, and Roger Pace.
2. SVEC team members worked in all kinds of
conditions when they went to help restore power
after Hurricane Sandy, even some blue skies.
3. In some places, the crews worked through
approximately 30 inches of snow. 4. The snow
added a degree of difficulty and a time
component to restoration: in some places,
workers had to pull the line from under the snow
foot by foot. 5. In some places, the terrain was
not unlike what crew members had seen before.
6. Working along the road was another
challenge for the crews.
wires down and broken poles and cross
arms,” Eudy said. “A lot of their lines
were near the road and you had to deal
with the traffic as an added burden.”
In an email interview, Lead Lineman
Todd Butcher agreed with Eudy’s
assessment.
“The damage was extensive and
widespread, much like that of the storm
(derecho) we experienced this past
summer,” Butcher said. “Additionally, the
mountain-like, hilly terrain was tough.
With the number of trees that were down
along the rights of way, with 2-plus feet
of snow, conditions were difficult.”
Lineman First Class Mike Alexander
said in an email interview that the terrain
was definitely one of their bigger challenges.
“In Oakland, Md., it was hilly and
snow-covered, and trees were covering
rights of way,” he said. “We could not get
trucks to a lot of work sites.”
In New Jersey, Feltner said it was
mostly flat land.
“We had limited access for our trucks
because of the damage caused by the
many downed lines in the roads and the
rights of way,” he said.
January 2013
6
Eudy said in addition to the problems
posed by the weather and terrain, heavy
traffic and working on a different system
were challenges.
“People seemed to be in a hurry, no
matter how many signs, flagmen, and
cones you had set up,” he said. “Luckily,
most of the roads we worked on were
not major highways and the speed limits
were slower. Dealing with traffic,
working on a delta primary [electric]
system (which is a different system than
what SVEC uses), and fighting the
crusted snow were all major challenges.”
He said that snow had melted some
and then refrozen, which made it
impossible to just pull the wire up.
“You had to literally go foot by foot
and pull the wire out of the snow before
you could put it back in the air,” Eudy
said. “That was the biggest obstacle,
since it was hard to walk in the amount
of snow that was on the ground.”
Regardless of the challenges, Eudy
said the teams assembled were dedicated
to restoring power – safely.
“Safety seemed to be everyone’s
primary goal as we were working on
ED EUDY PHOTOS
1
unfamiliar systems in unfamiliar
territory,” he said. “We were going to get
the lights back on, but we were going to
protect ourselves and the public.”
Feltner said most of the people were
very nice and glad to see them.
“We had many comments on our
hard work, safety awareness, and
promptness in restoring power,” he said.
Lineman First Class Brian McGovern
said in an email interview that the people
were great.
“They were very friendly, they
brought us coffee and snacks, and we
received a lot of thank-yous,” he said.
Butcher agreed.
“People were appreciative and very
nice. Most of them had already been
without electricity for more than one
week when we arrived,” he said. “We
were well taken care of, and it is always
rewarding to see the results of everyone’s
efforts when the lights come on.”
Feltner said that his experience on
this trip was also very rewarding.
“I am always willing to help restore
power to those in need due to a major
storm like Hurricane Sandy, no matter
where it leads me,” he said.
Eudy counted it as a positive experience
as well.
“Being exposed to and working on a
delta primary system was a learning
experience for all involved,” he said. “It
was great working with a group of guys
that worked together, took their time and
formulated a plan and then proceeded to
restore people’s electricity. I believe we
made a good impression and represented
SVEC well.”
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Meeting the Community’s Needs at BRCC
B
by Cammie Tutwiler, SVEC Writer
lue Ridge Community College
(BRCC) provides people of the
Shenandoah Valley an
opportunity to grow and succeed in a
number of ways: academically, by
offering continuing education,
workforce training, and associate degree
programs; and socially, by encouraging
contributions to the community to
benefit local charities and organizations.
“Whether it’s transfer oriented, or
non-credit, preparing the workforce of
the valley, and in some cases beyond the
valley, is a critical piece of what we do,”
BRCC President John Downey said.
Employees find that BRCC offers
ways to enrich their skills, whether they
seek to find a new job, or stay
competitive in their current position.
Above: BRCC offers continuing education
and workforce training, including 40 career
studies certificate programs. • Right: BRCC
offers an Associate of Applied Science
Degree in Veterinary Technology. • Below:
BRCC offers the only Aviation Maintenance
Technology program in the state.
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Employers utilize workforce training
that BRCC offers to bring training to
their employees.
“I often think about the community
benefit of work that we do,” Downey
said. “Our graduates often stay in the
area, raise their families, and contribute
to the community, generation after
generation.”
He said that even though individuals
take the courses, he believes the people
can then help to improve the community,
through the skill sets they possess upon
completion of their studies.
“I know what a great place it is to
raise a family here, and I think Blue
Ridge plays a key role in that, along with
other organizations in the community,”
Downey said.
He said that while the reasons people
choose Blue Ridge Community College
are varied, they can be
narrowed down to three
main reasons.
“Primarily, people
come here because of
the quality of our
education. Our faculty
and staff really care, both
about the students and
their professions. They feel like they are
helping students into the professions
they love, and I think that shows in the
quality of the education they provide,”
he said. “It is cost-effective to come here,
and BRCC offers certain programs that
no one else offers that prepare people for
high-demand jobs in the economy.”
Continuing Education and
Workforce Training
“We want to provide people with the
training they need to obtain and keep
employment,” Bridget Baylor, coordinator
of public relations, said in an email
interview. “We want to provide employers
with the training they need to stay
competitive and successful. We also
hope it will help to keep their employees
up to date, provide them with new skills,
and ultimately, help that employer be
successful, which also contributes to
the overall economic wellness of
the community.”
BRCC offers 40 career studies
certificate programs, four partnership
programs, 17 associate degree programs,
and one diploma program.
“We are willing to meet the
community’s needs,” Downey said. “We
have started five new programs in the
last six years, all based on companies
coming to us with requests.”
When a business comes to BRCC
with a request, Baylor said in the email
interview that it can take a couple weeks,
or up to a year, to develop a program.
“Of course a computer class can
usually be turned around pretty quickly,
but a multi-course program that requires
new equipment/facilities could take
longer,” she said.
The five new programs include
administration of justice, aviation
maintenance, mechatronics (a
combination of mechanics and
electronics), manufacturing engineering
technology, and bioprocessing.
“To speak to the level of innovation
here at BRCC, we are the first college in
the country that has secured Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) approval
to teach part of our Aviation Maintenance
Technology online, and we are the only
college in the state to have this
Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative
CAMMIE TUTWILER PHOTOS
Blue Ridge Community College opened in 1967 with approximately 908 students. By
fall 2012, BRCC had grown to 4,800 students in credit classes.
program,” Downey said. “This is an
indication of the quality of our faculty
and the level of innovation.”
He said that continuing education
could break down into two categories:
companies and individuals.
“We can and do customize programs
for companies, or provide education for
individuals,” Downey said. “I believe
most of us will have to pursue
continuing education at some point in
our lives, with technology and the broad
spectrum of interests of individuals that
changes over time.”
For example, they offer a computer
class for those who have never used
Facebook, he said.
“I think most of us will be going to
school, either formally or informally, for
the rest of our lives, and I believe it’s
important to the community that we
provide these opportunities,”
Downey said.
In addition to those who want to use
skills learned at BRCC immediately for
their occupation or a personal interest,
there are also students who look to earn
an associate degree and head to college,
whether it’s right after their high school
years, later in life, or as a careerchanging move.
Associate Degree Transfer Program
Blue Ridge Community College offers
17 associate degrees, which can be
completed in two years and used to
January 2013
transfer to a four-year institution.
The transfer program is important,
Downey said, because it is a lessexpensive means to achieve the first two
years of a college or university education.
There is also the guaranteed admissions
agreement, which Blue Ridge Community
College has with more than 20 colleges
and universities in the state. Basically, a
student can see the requirements for,
and commit to, transferring to a specific
college or university while they are at
BRCC. This agreement states that if a
student graduates from BRCC with an
associate degree and a minimum grade
point average, they may obtain
guaranteed admission.
“Through these agreements, the
students know from day one the specific
requirements (like graduation from
BRCC with a degree in the College
Transfer Program, a specific GPA, and
sometimes specific coursework) for the
college or university that they would like
to transfer to, and that if they fulfill
those, they will be guaranteed admission
to that institution,” Baylor said in an
email interview.
From the Ground Up
Blue Ridge Community College
opened its doors on Monday, Oct. 2,
1967, with an official fall “headcount” of
908 students and approximately 33
faculty members. As of fall 2012, BRCC
had 4,800 students in credit classes, with
71 full-time teaching faculty members,
and about twice that many adjunct
faculty.
“I don’t think Blue Ridge should just
teach courses and that’s it,” Downey
said. “We care too much about the
community, and I think our small size
advances that philosophy.”
Recently, he said, the students,
faculty, and staff pulled together to raise
more than $8,000 and collect more than
200 pounds of food for the Blue Ridge
Area Food Bank. He added that students,
faculty, and staff come together to do a
number of events like that to benefit
local charities.
“I think this represents the local
culture on campus that reflects that we
are an active part of the community we
serve,” Downey said. “There is a
pervasive sense of caring because faculty
and staff tend to care about the job we
do, and the feeling welcomes students
and gives the feeling that they contribute,
as well as benefit.”
He said the attributes of innovation,
caring, hard work and support are the
first thoughts that come to mind when
asked about the unique qualities
of BRCC.
“We have award-winning student
clubs, and have a stellar faculty and
dedicated staff to help students achieve
more than they ever thought possible,”
Downey said. “What could be better
than that?”
SHENANDOAH VALLEY
ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
P.O. Box 236
147 Dinkel Avenue – Hwy. 257
Mt. Crawford, VA 22841-0236
800-234-SVEC (7832)
Office Hours: M-F, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
www.svec.coop
President & CEO
Myron D. Rummel
Board Chairman
Stephen W. Burkholder
Local Pages Editor
J. Michael Aulgur
Writer
Cammie Tutwiler
For all questions concerning advertising,
contact Cooperative Living
at 804-346-3344.
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