The Whetstone Valley Electric Cooperative in Milbank held their 77th annual business meeting on Thursday evening, March 22nd in the Milbank High School Gymnasium.
It was noted that 2017 revenues for the cooperative were reported at $10,345,105, while total expenses were reported at $10,068,833.
Bob Sahr, General Council for the East River Electric Power Cooperative then presented the East River Report, summarizing the river’s overall history as a power supply cooperative.
He also discussed the ongoing need for safety education for the public when it comes to working near power lines. It was noted that East River has recently developed and released a farm safety marketing campaign to help remind farmers of the importance of always being aware of electrical equipment when working on the farm.
In other business, Mark Hofer, the South Dakota Director for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association reported on current activities of the national organization. NRECA is the national service organization that represents America’s electric cooperatives.
Immediately following, Dave Page, Whetstone Valley General Manager brought everyone up-to-date on the various activities performed by the cooperative in 2017. He also discussed the increase in power costs of about 8 percent experienced in 2017 and the resulting rate increase. He further noted that rates will likely remain stable throughout 2018. In concluding, Page cited the rising costs of power and replacement of the distribution system as being among the primary challenges for the future.
At Thursday’s meeting, an election of District Directors was also held with Darren Strasser, Tom Berens and Scot Niedert being duly appointed to fill open positions in district’s 3, 4, and 6 respectively.
In another matter, General Manager Page presented service awards to Jon Christensen, Operations Manager for 10 years of service and Brian Davis, Journeyman Lineman for 5 years of service with the cooperative.
It was also noted that Logan Meyer and Shelby Lee have been selected to participate in the 2018 Cooperative Youth Excursion to the Basin Electric facilities near Bismarck, North Dakota while
Kylie Kasuskie was chosen as the representative for the National Rural Electric Youth Rally in Washington D.C.
Congratulations also went out to Montana Swensen for being named as the 2018 winner of the Basin Electric/Whetstone Valley Electric $1,000 Scholarship for a member dependent.
A drawing for numerous door prizes was also held during the evening with Janet Michlitsch of Milbank winning the grand prize of $500.
