It’s the new year! And I, for one, couldn’t be more excited about what this year has in store. It seems every year has its challenges (some more than others), and I’m sure this one will be no different.
In 2022, Guthrie County Rural Electric Cooperative (REC) was still feeling the effects of the pandemic as we encountered delays in receiving equipment and materials due to supply chain issues. While our cooperative wasn’t alone in this, I do commend our staff for diligently looking for options to get us what we needed. It’s important to us that we provide the best service to our member consumers, and that means making sure the power flows reliably, safely and affordably. Despite some of these
hiccups, we were able to build 11.5 miles of single-phase line, 1.5 miles of three-phase line, install 43 new overhead line services and 37 new underground services.
Lasting local impacts
In case you haven’t heard, our cooperative is proud to support the communities in which our employees and board members live and work. In 2022, we gave $5,000 to deserving high school seniors to help them continue their education. Our linemen presented electrical safety programs to third graders in the AC/GC, Coon Rapids-Bayard, Panorama and West Central Valley school districts.
Along with REC Board Member Joni Rees and her husband Mike, private funding, and a match from the CoBank Sharing Success Program, we donated $10,000 to the Little Charger Early Learning Center for the construction of a new facility. We know that finding available and affordable childcare options in rural areas can be hard, and we were honored to be able to help make it just a bit easier for parents. We also donated to the Mary J. Barnett Memorial Library in recognition of longtime volunteer Rebecca Carico, who embodies the true nature of giving back to her community.
In May, we participated in providing a $150,000 grant to Perry Economic Development to build a 30,000-squarefoot shell building in the Perry Industrial Park. Economic growth initiatives like these bring jobs and other opportunities to our service territory for the benefit of both our cooperative and the community.
Excess margins returned to members
Finally, our board allocated nearly $1.17 million of the 2021 margin to our member-consumers and approved a payout of dividends totaling just over $650,000. As a not-for-profit entity, we are beholden to our member-consumers to return any margins over and above the cost of doing business. Our board members take the responsibility seriously by carefully reviewing the best options to maintain the health of the cooperative before making these decisions.
I wish you and yours all the best in 2023. On behalf of the staff and board here at Guthrie County REC, thank you for allowing us to power your life!
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