February - Lynches River

Published for Members of Lynches River Electric Cooperative
February 2013
Vol. 5 Issue 1
Love on the Line
Lynches River Electric Cooperative lineworkers don’t work alone on our power lines. Whether they are
climbing 35 foot poles, restoring power, or clearing tree limbs to prevent future outages, they are never
far from the hearts of the women who love them.
At this time of year, stores seem flooded with hearts,
candy, and cards professing true love. But to be honest
those sentiments pale in comparison to the bonds of
love seen every time a storm sweeps through our area.
If the lights go out, our lineworkers’ wives send
their loved ones out into the elements. When electric
cooperatives are in trouble after devastating hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, and floods, our lineworkers
have traveled to other states to bring the lights back on
for complete strangers. Each time these brave men
leave home to help those in need, their families are left
behind, praying for their safe return.
Working with high-voltage electricity, lineworkers
find themselves in life and death situations on a regular
basis. That’s why Lynches River Electric Cooperative
focuses on safety first. We know the folks who love our
lineworkers appreciate the time we take to make sure our
employees get home safe every night.
Marrying into this profession isn’t easy. Lineworkers are often on call, and must be ready to respond at a moment’s notice if our community needs
them. This makes children’s sporting events and
family get-togethers hard to pull off sometimes. But
the bold men who keep your power flowing do so
because they know without their commitment, many
of the things we’ve come to expect—cold food, lights,
entertainment—wouldn’t be possible. By devoting
their lives to working on utility lines, they connect all
of us to a better way of life.
This Valentine’s Day take a moment to thank the
women who support and love the men who brave the
elements and work long hours to keep power flowing to
our homes each and every day. Thank you for putting
your love on the line—we’re committed to making sure
the men you love return home safe.
Meet the Wives
Jennifer
Reeves
“In 2005, Carlton
and co-workers
Shane Love and
Jason Kearns helped
restore power in
Mississippi after
Hurricane Katrina.
He was there for 11
Jennifer Reeves with son, Braxton, 17
days. That was right
months, and husband Carlton.
before we started
dating. He traveled to the upstate of South Carolina to help
restore power after an ice storm in 2006 and was gone for
three nights in April 2011 helping to restore power for MidCarolina Electric Cooperative after a storm blew down trees. I
don’t sleep well when he’s gone. Sometimes I’ll wake up and
think he should be home by now.
Reeves and two more Meet the Wives stories cont. on pg. 4
Contact Us: 843-672-6111 or 1-822-922-3486 toll free / Report an Outage: 843-675-5732 or 1-866-675-5732
Facility charge increases
in February
We are dedicated to providing members with the
best possible service at the least possible cost;
however, the price of everything we use to
operate, maintain and repair our system has
increased over the past few years. The cost of
steel, copper, any item with a petroleum
component, fuel and utilities have all jumped
significantly. Couple these increases with a
relatively mild weather pattern for most of last year and we are now
facing the need to increase our fees.
The facility charge increase went into effect February 1. The
increase will be reflected on your February bill. There is a $5 increase
per bill for residential accounts. The facility charge for commercial
accounts receiving single-phase power increased $5 per bill and
commercial customers receiving three-phase power increased $40 per
bill.
Your power bill has two components, a fixed component, the
facility charge and a variable component, the energy charge. The intent
of the facility charge is to cover the costs we incur to build and
maintain the system that carries the electricity to your home or place of
business. Even if we never move a single kilowatt of power over the
wires, we still face these expenses in keeping the facilities in place to
carry that energy.
Viewpoint
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
David A. Altman
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Eric Horton—District 1
President
Myrtle L. Faile—District 2
Vice-President
Steve Chewning—District 7
Secretary-Treasurer
Theresa Hicks—District 3
Mike Crawford—District 4
Scott Croxton—District 5
Daryl Faulkenberry—District 6
Randolph Mackey—District 8
John T. Blackwell—Member-at-Large
REMOTE PAYMENT SITES
Chesterfield
Piggly Wiggly Market of Chesterfield
1303 West Boulevard
843-623-6590
Kershaw
Quality Appliance
407 South Hampton Street
803-475-2302
Lancaster
The Energy Center, Inc.
667 Lancaster Bypass 9 E
803-283-6148
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
Lynches River Warns of Phone Scam
Lynches River Electric Cooperative is warning members again to be aware of
scam artists who are calling South Carolina electric cooperative members posing
as co-op employees. The callers tell a member immediate payment is needed to
avoid disconnection of utility services. The callers then provide instructions to
send money via a third-party pay system.
If you receive a suspicious call regarding your utility bill, get the caller’s number then hang up and call police. Never give your credit card number or other
personal information over the phone without verifying the call.
Members should also contact Lynches River to report the incident. By calling
the co-op directly, you can talk to a customer service representative who will
confirm your bill and let you know of any problems with your account.
Lynches River will not call or email you for your account number or password, so keep your account information to yourself. Also, don’t assume that you
can trust caller ID to let you know where a caller is located. Because scammers
may use Internet calling technology, the area code you see may not reflect
where they really are.
Lynches River Electric Cooperative is a
member owned electric cooperative
committed to delivering reliable electric
energy and related services at a
competitive price, which will improve the
quality of life of its members and
communities.
CURRENT REPORT EDITOR
Leigh C. Smith
VISIT US ONLINE
www.lynchesriver.com
facebook.com/lynchesriverelectric
Cut off appliances, electronics
Before leaving home during an outage
Unfortunately, a power outage can
happen at any time, even as you
prepare the evening meal. You
may not have lights, but you still
need to eat. So, you pack up the
family and head to the nearest restaurant. But, did you remember to
turn off the cooking appliances
before you left. If not, the result
may be a house fire.
Gene Oliver, Lynches River’s
safety coordinator, issues these
words of advice, “If you are preparing a meal and the power goes
out be sure to turn all appliances
off before leaving home.” This is a
good rule to follow, even if you
plan to be gone for just a short
while.
“When power is restored hot
grease and flammable materials on
or near hot surfaces can ignite,
causing extensive damage to your
home,” Oliver cautions. Pets left in
the home are in danger too,” says
Oliver.
It’s also a good idea to turn off
and unplug computers, TVs, and
gaming equipment. Sensitive elec-
tronics left on may be damaged when power is restored.
Other items you may
want to check are your washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, microwave, toaster
oven, slow cooker and electric fryer, to name a few. If
they were on when the
power went out, they should
be turned off. “And don’t
forget to turn off electric
heaters,” warns Oliver.
“They should never be left
unattended.”
Lynches River wants you and
your property to stay safe during an
outage and after power is restored, so
please turn off appliances and electronics before leaving home during a
power outage.
New Connects and
Rental Property
If you are moving into a new home
or a rental property, be sure the
breakers are turned off so power
can be connected safely if no one is
home.
News from the Board
DECEMBER
Greetings fellow members,
The board would like to inform the members that the facilities charge on
their monthly bill will be raised by $5 for residential customers. The
increase should show up on your February bill.
This increase was due to wholesale prices increasing by 4.5%. The
increase in the facility charge may not completely offset the wholesale
price increase and a rate increase may be necessary later this year.
David Altman, our Chief Executive Officer will have a detailed
explanation of the facilities charge in this month’s newsletter.
Price increases are never a pleasant thing but you can be
assured that you will be informed as to how much they are and
why they were necessary.
Lynches River Electric Cooperative Board of Trustees
WIRE meets
March 19
Leigh Anderson, director of
marketing and outreach with
Newlife 91.9 FM, a Christian
radio station in Charlotte, N.C.,
will be the guest speaker.
The meeting starts at 6 p.m.
with dinner and fellowship,
followed by the guest speaker
and the business portion of the
meeting.
WIRE will meet in the
multipurpose room at the
Lynches River Electric
Cooperative office at 707 S.
Arant St. in Pageland.
WIRE members are invited
to attend and bring a friend.
Call 843-672-6111 for
directions or more information.
Meet the Wives—more stories
Glenda Love
Application
Deadline: March 1
Don’t delay, apply now for one
intense, up close, unforgettable
week inside Washington, D.C.
And it’s free. That’s right...a sixday all-expense paid tour of our
nation’s capital and a shot at a
$2,500 college scholarship.
Pick up an application at your
school, or from Lynches River
Electric Cooperative. Call to
request an application by mail or
download an application from
Lynches River’s website at
lynchesriver.com/Community/
Washington Youth Tour.
Four lucky students will
travel to Washington with
students from other South
Carolina electric cooperatives.
All high school juniors are
eligible for the tour even if they
do not receive their power from
Lynches River.
Call Leigh Smith at 843-6753213 or 1-800-922-3486, ext. 213
if you have questions or need
more information.
“I remember right after having our son,
Gavin, there was a terrible storm with
tornado warnings. It was raining hard. I
wrapped a beach towel around Shane
so he could get to his truck. I talked to
him later and he said he could hardly
drive. The wind was blowing his big
truck all over the road. I’m sitting in the
hallway with a newborn and my
husband is out there in that storm. It
was hard, but I understand and respect
what he does. We’ll be driving down
the road and I’ll tell the kids your
daddy climbs those polls and gets
people’s lights back on. Shane and I
have been married six years and I’ve
Glenda Love with Brittany, 15, Gavin, 4,
learned to plan around his on-call
and husband Shane.
schedule. Knowing he’s out in bad
weather for hours or even days at a time is still hard. I always tell him to be
careful when he leaves home for work.”
Monika Kearns
“Jason and I have been married for 12
years, but it still scares me when he has
to go out in a bad storm. When he gets a
call in the middle of the night I can’t sleep
and will call him to find out where he is
and make sure he’s okay. If he’s not
home when the kids get up, I tell them
daddy is getting the power back on. I
found a storybook about linemen for kids
I read to them so they would understand
Monika Kearns with Porter, 5, Kambrie,
the important job their daddy does.
When you are married to a Lynches River 10, and husband Jason.
lineman you have to be willing to share your husband with all the members. I
won’t say it’s always easy when we have to plan family activities around Jason’s
on-call schedule, but I understand this is what he does and I will support him anyway I can.”
Jennifer Reeves—cont. from front page
After four and a half years of marriage I’ve gotten used to his job, but I still
worry about him. It’s hard not knowing where he is. Carlton generally covers
Lancaster County where we live, and Kershaw County, but occasionally goes to
Chesterfield County, which takes him further away from home. Now that we
have a son, there is a lot more anxiety for both of us.”