THE SA SOUTHWESTERNo ELECTRICu COOPERATIVEt MEMBERh MAGAZINE westFEBRUARYe 2020r • VOLUMEn 72 • ISSUE 2 Energized for the Future VANDALIA SUBSTATION BUILDS RELIABILITY INTO THE GRID SOLAR SEMINAR KASKASKIA LOWE TALKS CO-OP FUNDRAISER INTERCONNECTION AT ENERTECH UNIVERSITY HOLIDAY SHORES PAYMENT OPTIONS SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE APPROACHES INSIDE THIS ISSUE 04 Southwestern Supports 05 From the CEO 08 Swipe, Tap, Type 18 Out & About KC Foundation Fundraiser Wondering if a HomeServe Pay your bill, sign up for alerts, See old places with new eyes Kaskaskia College students will warranty is right for you? We view your energy usage and when you walk in the woods. benefit from improved access can help you decide. send and receive outage info to arts and technology due in with the SWEC IL app. 20 Who-What-Where? part to last year’s Winter Gala. 06 Lowe Speaks at Enertech This month we read the writing The event raised more than Global Solar Seminar 09 Southwestern Deadline on the wall and challenge you $41,000—including a $1,500 Julie Lowe, Southwestern Elec- The deadline to apply for a to identify a brassy chassis. contribution from Southwestern tric’s energy manager, shared Southwestern scholarship is Electric. her co-op expertise with more approaching fast. Applications 22 Co-op Kitchen than 20 solar technicians as a must be submitted to our We’re serving soup du jour in 04 Holiday Shores Payment guest speaker during a two-day Greenville office by 4:30 p.m., the co-op kitchen. Location Closing solar seminar in Greenville. Friday, Feb. 14. First National Bank of Staunton 24 Current Events is closing their Holiday Shores 07 Steps to Solar 10 Vandalia Substation See Cinderella in Lebanon, branch office this month. Leslie Wondering what it takes to Built north of Fayette County’s tune in to trivia in Highland, Frandsen, Southwestern’s vice interconnect a solar array to growing commercial district, watch woodworking in president of billing, reviews Southwestern’s distribution Vandalia Substation’s Collinsville, explore the garden member payment options. system? Here’s our guide to strategic siting makes local and business expo in Centralia, solar commissioning. members less vulnerable to and lace up for a 5k or half environmental intrusions that marathon in Alton. affect reliability. 27 Final Frame ON THE COVER 14 Energy & Efficiency Empty nest. Crews move a 25-ton transformer into Follow the path to energy place at Southwestern’s new Vandalia efficiency and you’ll save On Account: We’ve hidden Substation. See our story on page 10. money in 2020! a member-account number in this issue (mailing label 16 Health & Safety excluded). If the account Safe winter travel begins before number belongs to you, you sit behind the wheel. A little contact us within 30 days and planning can go a long way to we’ll take $25 off your electric ensure you arrive safely at your bill. Good luck! destination. CO-OP REMINDERS February 10 Payment processing systems will be unavailable from midnight to 4 a.m., while we perform system maintenance. No payments will be processed during this time. We will resume processing payments Monday at 4:01 a.m. February 14 Southwestern scholarship application deadline. On Account: If your account number is 46020001, call us within 30 days to receive a $25 credit on an upcoming electric bill. 22 | | The The Southwestern Southwestern FebruaryFebruary 2020 2020 FROM THE EDITOR 525 U.S. Route 40, Greenville, IL 62246. Pole Position Phone: (800) 637-8667. Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Visit us on the Web at www.sweci.com. ’ve told this tale before, but it bears repeating—particularly since rain and snow have made driving difficult in recent weeks. A few winters ago, I went Board of Directors for an evening run on a Madison County Transit system trail. South of New Ann Schwarm, President ............... Loogootee Douglas, the path offered sweeping views of farmland, and after sunset, Sandy Grapperhaus, Vice President .. Collinsville Iheadlights moving on snow-slickened roads. Drivers were rightfully cautious— Annette Hartlieb, Secretary ............. Vandalia except for one. A pair of headlights gained ground on the others, then surged ahead. William “Bill” Jennings, Treasurer .... Alhambra Jerry Gaffner ................................... Greenville He made it a quarter-mile before he found ice, lost the pavement, and ended up in a Richard M. Gusewelle ................ Edwardsville field. Sandy Nevinger .............................. Greenville A moment later, doors slammed. Voices carried. Someone produced a flashlight. Jared Stine ......................................... St. Elmo They circled the truck, assessing the situation and checking for damage. Ted Willman .................................... Greenville The following week found me on the same route. On my way to the trailhead, CEO I passed the field where the truck had come to rest. The marks in the mud had melted, but the signs were still clear. He’d missed a utility pole by about four feet. Bobby Williams .......... Chief Executive Officer I thought of the slamming doors, the voices, the driver and his passenger The Southwestern climbing from their vehicle into the cold, and considered how the scene might have Joe Richardson .................................... Editor played out had they hit the pole—how they may not have made it home that night. e-mail: [email protected] When you hit a utility pole, the impulse to leave your car and look at the damage Mike Barns ................................... Art Director when you can’t clearly see your surroundings, can kill you. Stay in your car. The e-mail: [email protected] collision may have jarred a power line from the pole. Lines that can be difficult to see by day become virtually invisible at night. An energized line may be hanging Satellite Locations: on or near your car, or charging the ground outside your door. Stepping out of your St. Jacob Office 10031 Ellis Road, St. Jacob, IL 62281 vehicle could be a fatal mistake. Stay in your car. Dial emergency services for help. And wait. St. Elmo Distribution Center It could save your life. 2117 East 1850 Avenue, St. Elmo, IL 62458 For more winter travel safety tips, see page 16. Southwestern Electric Cooperative reserves the right to re-print member comments and correspondence in its cooperative educational Joe Richardson, editor and promotional materials. [email protected] The Southwestern (USPS 612-500) is published monthly by Southwestern Electric Cooperative, Inc. Periodical postage paid at Greenville, IL. Subscriptions cost $8.85 per year. Comments or questions regarding material in this publication may be mailed to Joe Richardson, editor of The Southwestern, c/o Southwestern Electric Cooperative, Inc., 525 US Route 40, Greenville, IL 62246, or e-mailed to [email protected]. Postmaster: Send address corrections to The Southwestern, 525 U.S. Route 40, Greenville, IL 62246. Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Android, Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google Inc. 22 | | The The Southwestern Southwestern FebruaryFebruary 2020 2020 FebruaryFebruary 2020 2020 The The Southwestern Southwestern | | 3 3 NEWS & NOTES askaskia College students will “On behalf of Southwestern Electric Southwestern benefit from improved access Cooperative, I want to congratulate to the arts and technology this the organizers of the Winter Gala, Supports yearK due in part to funds raised by the which supports Kaskaskia College and Kaskaskia College Foundation’s Second its mission to serve our region,” she Annual Winter Gala. Held Dec. 7, 2019, said. “We are proud to be partners in Kaskaskia at the American Farm Heritage Museum progress.” in Greenville, Ill., the event raised more Southwestern CEO Bobby Williams College than $41,000—including a $1,500 noted Kaskaskia College has a long contribution from Southwestern Electric tradition of helping students build Foundation Cooperative. careers in important, often overlooked Proceeds will support the acquisition fields. “By offering training in healthcare Fundraiser of new and emerging technologies, and the trades, KC equips its students physical improvements on campus, with skills vital to our communities,” he and provide additional opportunities said. “Southwestern Electric’s board is for students to explore visual and pleased to support an event that furthers performing arts. this mission, and benefits our students “A strong regional economy is and our region.” dependent upon an educated, skilled In addition to community work force,” said Ann Schwarm, sponsorships, the Kaskaskia College president of Southwestern Electric Foundation’s Winter Gala raised funds Cooperative. “Kaskaskia College through ticket sales, on-site auctions and plays an important role by providing a raffle. educational opportunities right here Since 1965, the Kaskaskia College Southwestern contributed $1,500 to at home for young people, those re- Foundation has served as a resource for the Kaskaskia College Foundation’s entering the work place, and working Kaskaskia students raising funds for Winter Gala fundraiser. Pictured are (l-r) Jeff Brown, director of public safety for adults.” projects and programs not funded by Kaskaskia College and Winter Gala plan- Schwarm said the college also local, state or federal monies. Funds are ning committee member, Southwestern provides local businesses with a pool administered