November 2008
Manager's Message
On behalf of the Board of Directors and the employees of Mountain View Electric, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and all of your family members a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. With our busy lives these days, it is sometimes difficult to slow down and enjoy the things we have - our family and friends. Too soon our children are grown and many of our friends move on. I would urge you to stop and smell the roses a little more often in the coming year and take more opportunities to appreciate your blessings.
Tri-State G&T, MVEA's power supplier, has been working hard to ensure we have sufficient and affordable electricity for the future while being environmentally responsible. One of their efforts is a major solar project in New Mexico , one of the states they serve. Tri-State has partnered with El Paso Electric, Xcel Energy and PNM to construct a solar parabolic trough generation facility to provide solar electricity by 2012. This technology utilizes a series of trough-shaped mirrors to focus sunlight onto a generator, producing electricity. When combined with thermal energy storage, this solar technology is capable of generating electricity at night as well as during cloudy periods.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and environment named Tri-State a Bronze Achiever under the Colorado Environmental Leadership program for making significant achievements in operating its 100-megawatt Nucla Station in compliance with all air, land and water regulations. Tri-State is the only electric utility in the state to be admitted into the program, which has been in place since 1999. The power plant was selected due to its implementation of the Environmental Management System (EMS) over the past eight years. Tri-State is also the first electric cooperative in the U.S. to execute an EMS. The employees have reduced the volume of waste generated at the site by 90 percent since 2001.
Tri-State is currently laying the necessary groundwork to develop a new power plant near Holly in southeast Colorado. The Colorado Power Project has been in the preliminary planning and preparatory work stage for several years. In 2007, Tri-State constructed a meteorological tower and monitoring equipment to collect environmental data. It has also had to have the water use converted from agricultural water rights to industrial use. Emerging technologies will influence the design of this project so it will be a state-of-the-art facility. This project will help rebalance the system in terms of base load resources. Most resources are located in western Colorado, Wyoming , New Mexico and Arizona while Tri-State's largest load requirements lie in eastern Colorado . Building in this area will not only supply power to areas in need in eastern Colorado, but put needed generation closer to its load source. This will help reduce transmission costs while freeing up generation resources in western Colorado , New Mexico and Wyoming to serve growing loads in those regions. This would ultimately create a more balanced and efficient power supply system.
With any type of generation comes the need for transmission lines. Current transmission planning efforts focus on four main factors affecting Tri-State's system – growth, reliability, requests to interconnect to Tri-State's network and addressing aging facilities. These key areas are driving transmission planning while Tri-State focuses on the long-term needs of its members. San Luis Valley has become a hot bed for the development of solar generation and Tri-State is working with developers and other utilities to facilitate its potential. The existing electrical system is beginning to reach its limit due primarily to continued growth in the valley. One of the major problems currently experienced on the electrical transmission system is a drop in voltage (known as “voltage collapse”) that occurs when electric use is high. Tri-State is considering a partnership with Xcel Energy to build more transmission in this area.
Renewable Energy Systems (RES) headquartered in Bloomfield, Colorado has been working with Tri-State on their Cedar Point Wind project located just north of Limon. When completed, the wind turbines will generate up to 300 megawatts electricity. Spread across 20,000 acres, the project will include over 40 miles of overhead transmission line; however, at this time, there are no plans to connect to the Eastern Plains Transmission Project, but their electricity will be put on the grid.
Tri-State is trying hard to meet its members' needs while remaining sensitive to environmental issues. They are committed to providing power to its 44 member systems to ensure the lights go on with each flip of the switch. For more information on Tri-State G&T, go to www.tristategt.org.
MVEA Director Retires
Richard Ayer, an 18 year member of the Mountain View Board of Directors, has decided to retire from the board at the end of 2008. Richard, or better known as Dick, is the member representative for District 6 which encompasses an area west of Meridian Rd., south of Murphy Rd., east of Powers and Holmes Roads. and north of Drennan Rd. The Ayer family has a wonderful and long history with the Falcon area.
Dick is the fourth generation of Ayers to live on his property off of Meridian Road. His great-grandfather and grandfather emigrated from Ayr, Scotland to Canada and then moved to New York State. When the area started getting too populated, the father and son decided to go west to Colorado in 1870. After arriving they each homesteaded 160 acres and soon were each able to add an additional "Forestry Homestead" of 160 acres. They added more land purchased at 25-50 cents until they had acquired 2300 acres of Black Forest property that comprised their cattle ranch. Much of this area is now Meridian Ranch Estates. Dick's grandmother was also the first woman in Colorado to serve on a school board.
Education in the rural areas was a challenge for parents. Dick's father was the only child in the area, so the family had to hire a teacher who lived with the family. Every day the teacher and child would make their way to a one-room building at what is now Latigo (The Trails) for a day of teaching. Even though he was the only student, the family felt he needed to have class some place other than at home. When he was old enough, he boarded in Colorado Springs and attended Colorado Springs High School. After graduating, he went on to Colorado College where he received a degree in engineering. He then married a school teacher who taught in Eastonville, a town located between Elbert and Eastonville Roads that no longer exists. Dick's father was instrumental in getting MVEA started in the Black Forest area. He went out and sold memberships to families in the area urging them to support the cooperative. At $5 per membership, many folks could not afford to join, so his father made arrangements for installment payments. They managed to bring electricity to the area in 1946.
Growing up on the ranch, Dick has many fond memories of “how it used to be.” One of these was driving cattle down to the railroad. “We used to drive them down Meridian Road, which was dirt at that time. The holding pens were located at what is now, the Falcon Fire Station. The train would pick the cattle up and take them to feed lots in Nebraska,” said Dick. “Our only neighbor down Meridian was Hugh Bennett who also raised cattle, so no one cared if you tied up the road for a bit. It was quite fun!”
Dick's class at Falcon High School was one of the largest in the history of the school at that time. They had five students! After graduating from high school, he attended Colorado A&M, now known as CSU. Dick then made the decision in 1950 to join the Air Force where he served as a cryptographer. Much of his four years in the Air Force was spent in Germany. After resigning, he took a job with the CIA as a cryptographer and worked for the bureau for 6 years. Dick told us, “Cryptographing was done on code machines in those days and I could burn up the keys at 125 wpm.” During this time, he met his future wife, Shirley, at a church function. Shirley was born and raised in Manitou Springs and had graduated with a degree in education from Bob Jones Christian University in South Carolina. The two were wed in 1956.
After living in various places around the U.S., Dick and Shirley decided to come back home in 1960. They moved back to the ranch and raised cattle until 1970 when they decided that logging would be a more profitable business and a natural fit for a forestry homestead. Additional trees had been planted by his father back in 1935. So, Ponderosa Timber Products Company was founded. Later, Dick started Ayer's Saw Shop which his son, Michael, purchased from him in 1996 and still operates today.
Dick and Shirley have always been great supporters of the Falcon community and school district. Dick, like his father and grandmother, served on the local school board for many years. Dick is planning on starting flying lessons and hopes to be able to utilize that skill to help various Christian organizations in the future. He and Shirley were recently flown back to Lynchburg, VA and honored by the Board of Regents at Liberty University for their support through the years. The school is the largest Christian University in the world and Dick says, “We wanted to support something good that is making a difference in the world. It was a great honor for Shirley and me to be recognized in this way.”
Of all the things that were accomplished while he served on the MVEA board of directors, the one he is most proud of is the formation of Operation Round-Up. “That was a program that was very much needed in our communities and I am so glad I was part of it,” states Dick. He also served on the Round-Up board during its initial start-up.
Dick has always been very dedicated to this cooperative. He went the extra mile to become an NRECA certified director and has made the effort to attend conferences and classes. Of his years on the board he says, “I want to be sure that my wife, Shirley; son, Michael and my daughter and son-in-law, Susan and Bob Gordon, know how much I have appreciated their support through the years. I also want the other board members, staff and employees to know how much I enjoyed working with them. They are really neat people!”
The members and staff of MVEA thank Dick for his many years of service to the cooperative and wish him the very best in his future. He, too, is a pretty neat guy!
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MVEA Sponsors Home Lighting Contests
MVEA will provide credit on electric bills as prizes for organizations wishing to organize home lighting contests over the holidays. The organization must be a non-profit to qualify. Homeowners' organizations are also eligible for the sponsorship. For more information on sponsoring a contest, contact Deborah Skillicorn at either MVEA office.
Kids----Enter our holiday drawing contest!
Each year MVEA sends out season's greetings to our associates. This year we would love to send a card with a drawing from one of the children in our territory. So…we're having a little contest.
To enter:
• You must be between 6 and 12 years of age
• Your parents or legal guardians must be members of MVEA
• It must be an original drawing
• It must be a holiday picture (whatever holiday your family celebrates in December)
• Picture must be in color on a piece of white paper 5.5 inches wide by 8.5 inches tall or 8.5 wide and 5.5 tall (your option).
• You must have fun while drawing this picture.
All entries must be received or postmarked by November 16, 2008. The winner will receive a stuffed McGruff, the Crime Dog and $50 cash.
Send your entries to MVEA, Attn: Deborah Skillicorn, PO Box 1600, Limon, CO 80828.
It's MVEA Scholarship Time
Don't miss out on the cash!
Don't miss out on the 14-college scholarships available through MVEA.
10 - $1,000 MVEA Scholarships
1 - $1,000 MVEA Vocational/Technical Scholarship
1 - $1,000 Tri-State Generation & Transmission Scholarship
1 - $1,000 Basin Electric Scholarship
1 - $1,000 E.A. “Mick” Geesen Memorial Scholarship
To qualify for these scholarships
- Your parents or guardians must receive electric service from MVEA
- You must be a graduating high school senior
- You must meet ACT or SAT and GPA requirements (these vary according to which scholarship you apply for).
- Applications must be received by January 15, 2009
Applications are currently available from your high school counselor, or by calling Deborah Skillicorn at (719) 775-2861 or (719) 495-2283. Click here to download applications.
Don't miss out on the cash!
High School Juniors - - Winning the MVEA essay contest can send you to Washington DC or Leadership Camp!!
Give the Gift of Light
The holiday season is sneaking up on us and it's time to start thinking about gifts. MVEA can help you give a gift guaranteed to be used and appreciated and you don't have to fight the holiday shopping crowds to buy it! Give the gift of light!
MVEA's gift certificate program makes it easy for you to provide a credit on a friend or relative's MVEA electric account. Simply fill out the form and return it, along with your check, to either MVEA office or in an MVEA dropbox. To simplify things even more, instead of filling out the form, you can call us with the information and we'll charge your credit card. How easy is that for holiday shopping!
- The recipient's electric account will be credited in the amount of your gift;
- The recipient will receive a certificate listing your name and the amount of credit they receive (you can remain anonymous if you wish).
Click here to download the form.
Decorate with LED's and save money!
Old traditions die hard, but changing from incandescent holiday lights to LED lights can save you money. Traditional incandescent holiday lights consume 80 percent (mini-lights) to 99 percent (C9) more electricity than LED holiday lights. LED lights will also last for more than 50,000 hours versus only 2,000 for incandescent lights. Not only will you save money on your electricity bill, but you will save money on replacement lights, too. LED holiday lights also operate at only 1 degree above ambient temperature so they do not heat up and become a fire hazard like most incandescent lights. Finally, LED lights are encased in a nearly indestructible epoxy plastic bulb, which can withstand abuse, unlike fragile glass bulbs. LED lights are available in nearly all the same shapes, colors and styles as your old incandescent lights. This year, save money and energy with LED lights.
2009 Photo Contest Calendars Available
We are pleased to announce the 2009 MVEA Photo Contest Calendars are now available. We have a limited number of calendars so restrict them to one per family. You can pick up your calendar at either MVEA office or give us a call and we will mail a copy to you. Thank you to all the members that sent in photos this year. The pictures were exceptional and the calendar is beautiful. Our 2010 contest will be starting in January, so watch your Colorado Country Life Magazine for the details.
Your Share of MVEA
As a member-owner, you have a share in the earnings of your not-for-profit electric cooperative. MVEA's rates are set to generate revenue to cover operating costs, pay debt service on loans and provide an emergency reserve. Revenues in excess of the cost of doing business are returned to MVEA's members as “patronage capital” or “capital credits.”
Capital credits are equally allocated to all participating consumers based upon annual total dollar billing and usage. MVEA allocated $11,349,250.00 for 2007. This amount is not yet scheduled for refund, but will be applied to your capital credit account. Capital credits are returned to our members when financial conditions allow and bylaw provisions are met. MVEA is currently refunding patronage capital on a 15-year rotation.
To ensure that you receive your capital credits check when the time rolls around for your refund, keep the Association informed of your current address. Capital credits are just another advantage of being a cooperative member.
Touchstone Energy Resources - Save Money and Energy
Visit the Touchstone Energy site to get the latest in energy saving advice. The website also has a great Kids Zone with not only fun and games, but also information geared towards children on energy efficiency, energy facts and renewable energy. CFL Charlie is a great new character to help your child understand the importance of saving energy. To access the site, you can go to the MVEA website at www.mvea.coop and hit the Touchstone Energy link at the very top right of the page or just go to www.touchstoneenergy.cooperative.com .
MVEA's website also offers an energy calculator and an energy library to help you get your home ready for winter. These links are displayed right on the front page. Take advantage of the information out there to help you save energy and money.
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