United Power has spent the past year engaging in innovative solutions to bring members more reliable and efficient energy with an eye toward “Powering the Future,” the theme of the 79th Annual Meeting and Director Election held on April 18th. More than 700 people were represented at the annual member event held at the Adams County Fairgrounds in Brighton, Colo. With seats up for election in each of United Power’s four districts, members were asked to cast ballots to decide who would represent them in those seats for the next three years. For the first time since 2005, however, each of the incumbent directors ran for re-election unopposed. In a cost-saving decision, the cooperative’s board voted to have an onsite election instead of mailing ballots to members.  

Members cast more than 300 votes in the election, and results were announced during the course of the business meeting. South District incumbent, Susan Petrocco, received 321 votes to retain her seat for another term. Rick Newman, Mountain District, and Brian A. McCormick, West District, retained their seats with 311 votes each. In the East District, Tim Erickson also retained his seat with 310 votes.

Balloting began shortly after member registration at 4:30 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall. Members were then able to enjoy a Three Tomatoes catered dinner, visit informational exhibit booths and enjoy live entertainment. The business meeting began at approximately 6:30 p.m. in the Waymire Dome and was streamed to overflow seating in the Exhibit Hall.

Once the meeting was called to order, Board President James Vigesaa discussed some of the exciting new projects, developments and initiatives United Power has pursued over the past year.

United Power has been making moves in renewable energy generation and energy efficiency over the course of the past year with several exciting projects and programs on the horizon. The evening’s highlight came when Vigesaa announced United Power had reached an agreement with officials from the Town of Frederick to purchase the municipal electric utility, Frederick Power & Light, serving approximately 2,400 customers. Those customers will become members of the cooperative in the coming months. 

The addition of these new members comes at an exciting time for United Power. In October, the cooperative announced plans to construct a battery storage system at its new western facility located along Interstate 25. Developed in collaboration with SoCore Energy, the battery storage system would become the largest such system in Colorado and one of the largest systems owned and operated by a cooperative in the country. 

In the previous year, the board named a new Chief Executive Officer, John Parker, and appointed Keith Alquist II to fill the seat left vacant when Bob Grant resigned in August. United Power also completed construction on its third solar farm. The Platte Solar Farm, energized in November, adds 16 additional megawatts of energy to United Power’s renewable energy portfolio and joins existing farms in Ft. Lupton and Mead. 

Through developments and initiatives like these, United Power continues to aim high and set the standard for others to follow, and has been rewarded with continued economic stability. The cooperative’s operating expenses totaled $226 million in 2017, an increase of nearly $14 million from 2016, nearly all due to higher purchased power costs, Board Secretary/Treasurer Beth Martin reported. Purchased power represents more than 76 percent of operating costs. 

The strong financial standing allowed United Power to retire more than $5 million in capital credits this past year compared to $4 million the previous year. In the past five years, United Power has retired nearly $24 million in capital credits.

The Annual Meeting continued with the CEO’s Report, including two special video presentations. The first demonstrated some of the ways United Power has innovatively restructured departments to make processes more efficient. The second video detailed the use of UAVs (or drones) to inspect power lines and poles in our mountain territory in a way that makes identifying issues quicker, safer and cheaper. The program will soon launch in the plains territory. 

“Our Annual Meeting is more than an event to inform our members,” Parker said. “It’s a chance for them to celebrate our accomplishments with us. Everything we’re doing is an effort to bring them safe, reliable and sustainable power.”

For members who were unable to attend but are still interested in how United Power continues to serve them, these videos are available on the cooperative’s website, social media and YouTube channel.

The evening also included a special check presentation to 2018 scholarship winners. United Power is proud to provide more than $18,000 in scholarships to deserving high school seniors within our service territory who are intent on pursing postsecondary education. 

The meeting concluded with a member forum and drawing for door prizes. United Power looks forward to monitoring trends and innovations that allow us to best serve our members as we also look forward to celebrating our 80th anniversary in the coming year.

2018 Director Election Results

United Power members cast more than 300 ballots, and the following results were certified by the Election and Credentials Committee at the 2018 Annual Meeting:

South District
Susan Petrocco, 321

West District
Brian A. McCormick, 311

East District
Tim Erickson, 310

Mountain District
Rick Newman, 311
 

May is National Electrical Safety Month

Were you aware tree limbs may become a safety hazard when in contact with power lines? Did you know attempting to trim a tree in contact with a power line puts you in danger of electrocution? Have you ever been uncertain about when and where to trim your trees located near power lines? 

The warm weather of spring often arrives with May, which is also recognized as National Electrical Safety Month. As trees begin to grow and bud, they may come in contact with power lines, creating confusion about responsibility and concern about member safety. United Power wants to make sure you know the answers to your questions so you can safely tackle your spring yard work. 

(For quick reference about who’s responsible for maintaining trees near power lines, please read “Who’s Responsible” below.) 

When you encounter a tree in the vicinity of a primary power line, immediately contact United Power. Avoid trimming when you encounter the following: tree limbs in direct contact with a power line, dead tree limbs hanging near power lines, tree limbs growing toward power lines. 

Observe the Ten-Foot Rule to safely trim trees on your property located near power lines. This means anything inside that radius may put you at risk. For your safety, United Power will disconnect secondary lines when notified in advance of any tree trimming activity at no cost to the member. Remember to trim only from a steady, level surface, removing small, easy to manage sections. Large tree/branch sections may fall unexpectedly and risk taking down power lines and causing potential injury. If this is not possible, contact a professional tree trimmer. 

When in doubt about safety or responsibility, please contact United Power at 303-637-1300. We’ll be happy to send out a troubleshooter or one of our tree contractors to assess the situation and keep you safe. 

Who's Responsible

United Power has an aggressive tree trimming program to reduce the number of tree related outages. However, in some cases, the homeowner may be responsible for keeping a line to their home clear of trees. Here is how it works:

• United Power is responsible for trimming around primary lines. These are lines running from pole to pole. United Power maintains these lines because they are higher voltage and require special handling from a qualified tree trimming crew.
• Members are responsible for obstructions in secondary lines. These are typically single lines stretching from our pole to a member’s home - often seen in backyards, crossing from the main electric line to the home. 

United Power, an electric cooperative utility headquartered in Brighton, Colorado, and the Town of Frederick, Colorado, jointly announced today that they have reached an agreement for the cooperative to purchase the Town of Frederick’s municipal electric utility, Frederick Power & Light.

Frederick has agreed to sell the electrical infrastructure to United Power, who will provide on-going service to the citizens of the Town’s original municipal utility. This agreement means that all Frederick residents will be served by United Power.

“We are pleased to reach a resolution on this issue, and look forward to welcoming these Frederick citizens as new members of our cooperative,” stated James Vigesaa, United Power Board President. “The agreement helps to clarify our future territory and will help us to plan for all our future growth in an efficient and effective manner.”

“Throughout the process of exploring options related to our electric utility, our main goal has been to find a solution that is in the best interests of our community,” said Tony Carey, Mayor of Frederick. “We have met that goal as this agreement is a win for our residents and United Power’s members. I’m excited to continue moving forward with our new board as we explore more opportunities for Frederick’s future.”

The agreement will help the cooperative better integrate their electric delivery system as it grows, and brings greater density to the operation, which will reduce operating costs for all cooperative members. Information and updates about the purchase and transition will be available on both the Town of Frederick and United Power’s websites. Additionally, United Power will be reaching out to affected citizens in the coming weeks to welcome them to the cooperative, and share information about the transition.

“On behalf of United Power’s Board of Directors I want to extend our thanks to the Town Trustees of Frederick,” stated Vigesaa. “We appreciate their willingness to negotiate, and to reach an agreement that is good for not only their citizens, but for the cooperative membership at-large.”

2018 D.C. Youth Tour Delegates

United Power selected three local students to represent the cooperative at this year’s Cooperative Youth Tour in Washington D.C in June. Hannah Rockwell of Brighton, Megan Lewis from Firestone and Jordyn Saffy of Brighton were selected based on academic performance, extracurricular activities, volunteer efforts and a brief essay.

Local electric cooperatives throughout the country sponsor approximately 1,500 ambitious high school students from small towns and cities for an incredible week in the nation’s capital with the objective of providing an educational experience for young people on the organization and operation of a cooperative. Cooperatives are committed to educating America’s rural youth about the country and the role electric cooperatives play in developing strong rural communities. 

Hannah Rockwell is a student at Weld Central High School where she is an athlete in cross country and track. She is a member of the National Honor Society and president of her school’s Future Business Leaders of America Club. Hannah loves school and her future plans include pursuing a career in medicine. 

Megan Lewis attends Frederick High School, where she is a member of the National Honor Society and the Student Advisory Committee. Megan is active in musicals/plays at her school, and is on both the varsity cross country and tennis teams. Her future plans include college and medical school. 

Jordyn Saffy attends high school at Eagle Ridge Academy. Jordan is captain of the volleyball team, president of the spirit team and participates in track and field. Her future plans include a degree in health sciences, which she intends to use to help those in need.

2018 Youth Leadership Camp Winners

United Power has also selected Brooklyn Stubby of Mapleton Early College in Commerce City and Catera Gagna of Brighton to represent the cooperative at the 2018 Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp in Steamboat Springs, Colorado this July. The camp is offered to high school juniors and seniors in the United Power service area. Interested students are asked to apply, and winners are selected based on academic performance, extracurriculr activities and volunteer efforts. 

The primary objective of the camp is to provide an educational experience for youth on the organization and operation of a cooperative. The camp strives to help develop leadership skills that will assist students with challenges they will face in the future.

Brooklyn Stubby attends Mapleton Early College and is active in student council, swimming and student mentoring. Brooklyn is keeping her options open, but is considering physical therapy, detective work or personal training/nutrition. 

Catera Gagna is a student at Brighton High School and plays softball. She is a member of the principal’s honor roll, student government and volunteers at a local elementary school. Catera plans to attend college and pursue a career in engineering.