Senator John O. Jones, Representatives Brandon Phelps and David Reis and met with eight students representing Wayne-White Counties Electric Cooperative during the Illinois Electric and Telephone Cooperatives Youth Day on Wednesday, April 9, in Springfield. Students had an opportunity to view state government in action and tour the State Capitol, Illinois Supreme Court, Old State Capitol and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum.
Front row from left are Sen. Jones, Amber South of Enfield, Pegan Sauls and Chloe Henson of Norris City, Jordan Short of Broughton and Reps. Phelps and Reis.
Back row from left are Judy Wood and Randy Olson of Wayne-White Counties Electric, Stephanie Carter of Enfield, Dan Bierman of Carmi, Gena Johnson of Omaha, Keri Carroll of Norris City and Bruce Johnson of Wayne-White Counties Electric. The day was sponsored by the Illinois electric and telephone co-ops and is designed to introduce young rural leaders to state government.
Annual Meeting Enjoyed By Hundreds
The 71st Annual Meeting of the Wayne-White Counties Electric Cooperative membership was held on Friday, March 28 at Hamilton County High School in McLeansboro. In the only contested race for Board of Directors, incumbent Dale Harris of Fairfield (center) defeated Ernest Sork of Fairfield in District #2 by a vote of 194-90. Two other incumbent directors ran unopposed and won re-election. They include Jerry Williams of Carmi (left) and Andy Glover of Mt. Erie (right).
Members enjoyed a free pork chop dinner as well as entertainment by the McDaniel Family singers before the business meeting. There were also a number of information booths that were well visited during the evening, in addition to a live-line demonstration provided by linemen of the cooperative. More details and photos will appear in our next issue of "The Cooperative Connection."
Shimkus Gives Check To Lineman Program
Congressman John Shimkus (R Illinois) made a stop at
Frontier
Community College
on Monday, January 14, to present a check in the amount of $143,449.00. The grant will allow further development of the Electrical Distributions Systems Program which began in the 2007 fall semester.
The one-year certificate program is housed in the 38,000 square foot
Workforce
Development
Center
. The acreage outside allows plenty of space for the pole climbing and construction training.
FCC is proud of the EDS one-year certificate program. Enrollment stretches out across five counties including
Wayne
, Edwards, Clay, Jasper, and
Richland
. The EDS students stand out on FCC’s campus not because they are often spotted atop a utility pole, but because they are dedicated and well-mannered. Dale Harris and Jim Meritt co-instruct the program and have been exceptional in assisting the FCC staff and bringing their personal expertise into the classroom. The pair are retired employees of Wayne-White Co Electric Cooperative.
New Supertrak Machine Is Purchased
The Vegetation Management crews (right-of-way) now have new equipment to clear brush & trees from beneath power lines in a more efficient manner. The Cooperative has purchased a Supertrak machine with a fecon cutting head. An open demo days program was recently conducted during which a number of similar machines were demonstrated and compared. It was a unanimous decision to purchase the Supertrak over the other competitors that were presented. It is important to keep trees and brush away from power lines to prevent blinks and outages. Wayne-White is committed to an on-going effort to clear & spray along the 3,300 miles of energized lines in our 11-county service area to provide high quality dependable electric service to our member/customers.
New Electric Front Door Installed
The next time you visit the Fairfield office of Wayne-White Counties Electric Cooperative, you will notice that a new electric front door has been installed. The new door is much easier to open manually for our member/customers, and for those who desire, you can now push a blue square button to open the door automatically. There is a button on both the inside and the outside of the building to operate the door.
Cooperative Donates $10,000 to Frontier Program
President/CEO Daryl Donjon, presents a check for $10,000 (above) to Dr. Charles Novak to benefit the new Electrical Lineman Apprenticeship Program at Frontier Community College in Fairfield. The new electrical distribution program will be the only program of it's kind in southern Illinois and will give local people the opportunity to train for a career as a lineman. "This is a great program that FCC is undertaking," said Donjon. "We feel it is important to support this program because we anticipate that there will be a shortage of area lineman in the future. This will give us the opportunity to employ some of these local people on an as needed basis." Thirty-four students are already enrolled in the initial class, which will be taught by retired Cooperative employees, Dale Harris and Jim Meritt. "This donation means a great deal to the students," said Novak. "The money will go directly towards the cost of their needed safety equipment such as boots and hard hats."
New Garage/Shop Heater Available
Many members have been asking for an electric heater that would be applicable to a larger area like a garage or workshop. As a result, Wayne-White is now carrying a 4,000 watt ceiling or wall mount heating unit that is marketed by the same people who bring you our popular Convect Air heaters. These powerful heaters are already wired for 240 volts (220) with a traditional 240 plug at the end for easy installation. The attached bracket can be tilted at the angle that meets your needs. These units sell for just $199. Stop by the Cooperative office in Fairfield and see this unique heater in person.
Concrete Replacement Completed
Two areas of concrete were recently replaced at the Fairfield headquarters building. The concrete sections had been in dire need of repair for many months. Work was completed by Greenwalt's Construction of Wayne City.
Please Report Your Meter Reading
Fees Have Increased For Failure To Read
One of the responsibilities of each of our cooperative members, is to read their own meter each month and report the reading to the cooperative office in a timely manner, so that proper billing can be completed. Readings can be emailed in to us (just click here) called in, or snail-mailed in to us. The fee for failure to read & report a reading has increased from $25 to $40 effective September, 2006. This notice was also sent out to all members in their recent billing. Please understand that we have about 13,500 meters in service, therefore it is impossible for us to call members when a reading is not reported. It has always been a policy for wwcec members to report their monthly reading to us. We appreciate your cooperation each month.
Pszczolkowski Honored at AIEC Annual
Meeting in Springfield
Scholarship winner, Erin Pszcczolkowski of Mt. Erie was among 5 students in Illinois to be honored at the Association of Illinois Cooperatives (AIEC) Annual Meeting in Springfield. She will use her $1,250 scholarship to help defray the cost of attending Olney Central College, prior to attending Eastern Illinois University. She is pictured above in Springfield with her parents and some of the Wayne-White Board members. Front row L-R: Mike & Judy Ppszczolkowski (her parents) Erin, Wayne-White CEO Daryl Donjon, and Board President Andy Glover. In the back row L-R: Wayne-White board members JerryWilliams, Danny Rose, Noel Edmison, and Larry Hosselton.
Cooperative Plants Trees At Jasper
In recognition of Arbor Day, Jim Gifford, Manager of the Right-of-Way (Vegetation Management) Department at Wayne-White planted two flowering trees in front of Jasper School with the help of many 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. They learned proper planting techniques, received hands-on experience, and participated in providing the front of the school with two trees that should last for many years, while providing beauty to the landscape. The trees planted include a flowering Okame Cherry and a flowering Yoshimo Cherry. One will bloom out in white, while the other will bloom out in pink/red combination. As members of Tree USA, Wayne-White Electric Cooperative has planted trees and provided tree education materials to a different school each year around Arbor Day. You can watch a VIDEO CLIP of the tree planting process by clicking the Play> Button twice above.
Lower Your Federal Tax and Cut Your Energy Bill at the Same Time
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 signed by President Bush on August 8, 2005, provides federal tax credits of up to $500 for Wayne-White Counties Electric Cooperative members who make certain energy efficient upgrades to their homes. For complete details---CLICK HERE
New Room Heaters Save Energy
Looking for a cost-effective way to heat an extra room in your home? Check out the new Convect Air Heaters at Wayne-White Electric Cooperative. These unique convection style heaters will evenly heat a room quickly without a fan or a motor, thereby saving you money on electricity use. Not only do they use less energy than a space heater or baseboard heater, they are also much safer because they are not hot to the touch, and there is no open element or flame to cause sudden combustion with nearby items. Convect Air units mount on your wall about 4 to 5 inches above the floor (as shown) and plug into a standard 110 wall outlet. They have a 5-year warranty. Stop by and see a demonstration of the Convect Air heaters in our Fairfield office. Hurry! These units have been selling very quickly over the past few weeks.
Two More Newspapers Added To This Site:
Now you can read the headlines from the Evansville Courier& Press, as well as the Decatur Herald & Review, updated EVERYDAY here on the Wayne-White website. These great newspapers expand our newspaper coverage which also includes daily updates of The Southern Illinoisan, as well as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The (4) major newspapers that reach our membership area are now all availablewith just the click of your mouse...enjoy!
New Business Directory Available Online
The Member Services department at Wayne-White Counties Electric Cooperative has developed a special Area Business Directory on the Wayne-White website, which allows businesses, churches, and organizations to promote their products or services with a low-cost annual listing on the busy Wayne-White website. Each business directory listing can include photos, a map locator, email links, website links, and a complete description for each business or organization. The annual cost to be featured in the business directory is just $35 a yearfor members, and $50 a yearfor non-members. There are a variety of categories provided, and we can always create new categories if needed. Toview a sample business directory listing--CLICK HERE.We are adding new paidlistings with photoseveryday.
The Wayne-White website averages over 2,000 hits per day, and currently has an ALEXA ranking of 194,012 which means the site receives more traffic than any area media site,chamber site, realtor site, or church site. According to Jerry Houser, Manager of Member Services, this can be a great way for businesses, churches, and organizations to get low-cost exposure on the internet. “We think it is a value-added service that we can offer on behalf of members as well as non-members. They can benefit from our heavy traffic and reach beyond the borders of our community” This website not only includes information about the cooperative, but also features news, sports, weather radar, free classified ads, feature stories and other content that is updated each weekday. For more information about the new Area Business Directory, contact webmaster Randy Olson in Member Services at 842-2196.
For more news and information about Wayne-White Counties Electric Cooperative, be sure and read the center section and page 9 of the Illinois Country Living Magazine. It is delivered to consumer memberseach month.
Wayne-White President/CEO did an interview with the Wayne County Press Newspaper to