Operations Report
‘And we shine…as one’
Many of you already know me, but for those who don’t, I’d like to introduce myself. I’m the manager of operations here at Mor-Gran-Sou Electric Cooperative. In my 29-year career with the co-op, I’ve been to almost every yard on our system at one time or another and I’ve visited with thousands of member-consumers over the years.
Some of you have thanked me, on behalf of the cooperative, for timely line work following a winter blizzard while others have voiced concerns about rates and reliability. I want to thank all of you who’ve taken the time to visit with me, or any of the staff at Mor-Gran-Sou, and I want to tell you that your cooperative is listening to your praise and your concerns.
As a lifelong resident of Morton County, a fellow member and a long-term employee of the cooperative, I have concern about an issue that will be affecting our cooperative, as well as many others, in the not-too-distant future and I’d like to visit with you about it.
I can safely tell you that Mor-Gran-Sou’s electrical system, today, is in excellent shape but I feel it will be tougher and tougher to reconcile our growth areas with our rural areas in the future. Let me take a minute to explain.
The rapid growth areas in and around Mandan and Fort Yates require the Cooperative to invest significant amounts of money to serve new members. Much of this is borrowed money. Since these areas have a much higher account density, they will more than pay for this investment over time.
What concerns me is the fact that the vast majority of our rural plant is 50 to 60 years old and nearing the end of its life expectancy. As I look towards the future, I see a day coming soon, when we will need to begin replacing 60,000 poles in our three-county service area. If you couple that with a $1,000 to $1,500 cost-per-pole, the financial hit becomes apparent. This will cause a huge increase in our plant costs, while generating no additional revenue.
As I mentioned, we aren’t the only electric cooperative facing this issue, particularly in the Midwest and Plains states. As a nation, we’ll need to decide whether our public policy is to “keep the lights on” and help support our agricultural producers who keep us fed with the safest, most abundant and inexpensive food supply in the world or do we let these rural areas revert to the darkness of the kerosene lantern era.
The good news is that we are members of a Touchstone Energy® Cooperative. You may have heard the words: “And we shine … as … one.” We need to use the power of the electric cooperative network, both locally and nationally, and rally our cooperative family to help us find a way to keep people from leaving the land and this great state.
I am always willing to listen to any constructive ideas you might have—whether it’s how to inform key leaders and elected officials or how to work together to improve our financial situation. We need to get everyone involved now, in a positive way, before it’s too late. I want to see my friends, relatives and neighbors stay on the land and I know you do, too.
(701) 663-0297 :: (701) 597-3301 :: 1-800-750-8212