Spring is finally here, and from the perspective of our line staff, we are grateful for the warmer temperatures. As linemen, getting through another hard and long winter makes us appreciate the change of seasons a bit differently than most. Since most of our work must be done in the elements, it’s much easier on our lineworkers’ morale when the weather is nice.

Part of our team – Journeyman Linemen Todd Tinken, Jalen Spack and Jordan Terwilliger, and Apprentice Lineman Jeff Eagle – have been working in the Woodward area of our territory recently. Our work plan identified the need to replace 5 to 6 miles of poles and overhead lines due to age. Keeping up with aging lines is a continuous effort to ensure our electricity flows reliably to you. Our poles and wires have an average lifespan of about 30 years, and we regularly monitor age and wear on our equipment to uphold optimal efficiency.

Our second team of linemen – Journeyman Linemen Josh Oltmann, Brian Marso and Keith Hise, and Apprentice Lineman Bailey Benton – are working near Perry on a loop feed for Percival Scientific, Inc. in conjunction with ITC Midwest. A loop feed is a line that goes out and comes back to the point from where it’s being fed. The advantage of the loop is that if a fault occurs, we can isolate that section on either side of the fault and everything else stays powered. This will increase the reliability for our memberconsumers in the area.

Finally, this is the time of year when housing construction projects ramp up and new electric service hookups are needed. Our crew will be busy with various new construction projects through the summer and even into the fall.

Since this is the month we celebrate our lineworkers, I want to thank our dedicated line crew and you, our member-consumers, for your support of our work. Thank you!

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By: Curt Knapp is the line superintendent for Guthrie County Rural Electric Cooperative