Archive for the 'Public Outreach' Category

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United Power’s Operation Round-Up tops $1 million

Published on February 21, 2012 in General and Public Outreach. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Many of Tri-State’s member co-ops actively participate in the Operation Round-Up Foundation, a voluntary program funded by consumers who “round-up” their bills to the next full dollar amount – which is an average donation of 50 cents a month, or about $6 a year. In 2011, United Power (Brighton, Colo.) hit the milestone million-dollar mark, 17 years after first launching the program in support of needy families, individuals and charitable groups in its service territory.

The power of the small change being donated every month by thousands of United’s member-consumers provides a substantial, reliable funding source to help meet some needs of the community. The program is run by a volunteer board of directors which meets each month to consider applications from people through the co-op’s service territory.

“We have seen a real increase in the number of applications we consider every month,” said Mary Macomber, president of the United Power Round-Up Foundation. “We see Round-Up as a safety net for people who may be experiencing hard times because of job loss or illness. Most of the money we grant goes to help members who are experiencing a difficult time, but have the means to eventually become self-supporting again.” Continue reading ‘United Power’s Operation Round-Up tops $1 million’

Filling a gap in education

Published on February 10, 2012 in General and Public Outreach. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Colorado Reader provides agriculture and natural resource learning opportunities for students

A fourth grader at Naturita Elementary School (Naturita, Colo.) patiently awaits his turn to answer a question posed as part of the discussion around the Colorado Reader.

As a group of students in Norwood, Colo., shuffle into Catherine Kolbert’s seventh grade science class making their way to their desks, a topic scrawled on the whiteboard prompts the first bit of discussion for the period.

“Name an energy source used to generate electricity.”

The students shout out answers such as “hydro,” “coal” and “solar” as they hastily scan the Colorado Readers in front of them in an attempt to locate additional responses. The Colorado Reader — an eight-page student activity newspaper focused on agriculture and natural resources, specifically electricity for this edition — was distributed to the students the day prior in preparation for the current  discussion and subsequent lesson on electricity.

A similar scene is taking place in more than 1,500 Colorado classrooms as students from fourth to seventh grade learn about electricity through the information provided in the Colorado Reader.

Published and distributed at no cost to educators by the Colorado Foundation for Agriculture (CFA), the Colorado Reader was originally produced based on the fact that less than five percent of textbook content was related to agriculture and natural resources.

10-year transmission plan filed with Public Utilities Commission

Published on February 7, 2012 in General, Public Meetings, Public Outreach, Resource Planning and Transmission. 0 Comments Tags: .

On Feb. 1 Tri-State filed its first 10-year transmission planning document with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission in compliance with CPUC Rule 3627. In support of that filing, and in an effort to update the public and interested parties on the association’s future transmission projects, an extensive revamping of the transmission planning section of Tri-State’s Web site has been completed.

The first ever filing for the PUC Rule 3627 was the culmination of an extensive planning process, mainly by the system planning, transmission engineering and the public affairs groups. Several stakeholder outreach meetings were held in 2011 to engage interested parties, followed by a comment period for people to provide their input on various projects that are on the association’s 10-year planning horizon.

“Through the eyes of the PUC, the purpose of the filing is so that stakeholders – including elected officials, county commissioners and city administrators – are engaged early and often in the transmission planning process,” said Sarah Carlisle, public affairs coordinator. “Since other utilities in the state must also file under this rule, it also may provide the commission with an opportunity to identify mutually beneficial projects in which utilities might partner and provide economic benefits to electric consumers in Colorado.”

G&T’s EEP program helps bring savings to Colorado dairy

Published on January 27, 2012 in General and Public Outreach. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

New lighting installed with the help of Tri-State's EEP program has helped this Colorado dairy operation save big dollars on energy costs.

With the support of Tri-State and member system Morgan County REA (Fort Morgan, Colo.), a family-owned dairy producer, Empire Dairy, near Wiggins, Colo., is now able to cut more than $1,000 per month in electric utility expenses from its bottom line production costs with the installation of some new high-efficiency lighting.

A very similar retrofit of induction type lighting at Tri-State and several other member co-ops was provided by the same firm, Sustainable Building Experts of Denver. The Tri-State installation was for new lighting in the Westminster operations center parking lot in 2011.

Induction lighting is essentially high performance fluorescent illumination that can be retrofitted in existing fixtures at considerably less expense than the increasingly popular LED (light emitting diode) applications.

These installations are a part of a series of pilot projects funded through the association’s Energy Efficiency Products (EEP) program. Tri-State’s EEP pilot projects are aimed at testing and demonstrating the viability of emerging technologies in lighting and other energy efficiency products, according to Jon Beyer, Tri-State’s member services manager.

Left to right: Riley McLaughlin of Sustainable Building Experts, Bill Annan and Geoff Baumgartner, both with Morgan County REA, were key in the successful implementation of the energy-saving project at Empire Dairy.

Installed in Empire’s main dairy barn, the 97 new induction lights are designed to last up to 100,000 hours before replacement and save the eastern Colorado milking operation more than 9,000 kilowatt-hours per month in energy consumption. Payback for the retrofitted lights is estimated at a little more than a year from the installation date.

Empire Dairy has been a member-consumer of Morgan County REA since 1989. This large operation employs 85 people, who oversee a herd of 5,000 cows that must be milked three times a day. Most of the six loads each of 440,000 pounds of milk that is produced daily at Empire are transported to Leprino Foods in Fort Morgan for the production of cheese.

In addition to Tri-State and Morgan County REA’s support of the project, additional funding was provided through iCast, a Denver-area nonprofit organization that secures funding mainly to electric utilities and local government entities for sustainable technology projects throughout Colorado.

2012 National Western wraps up with high numbers

Published on January 25, 2012 in General and Public Outreach. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

The 2012 National Western Stock Show and Rodeo completed its 16-day run Sunday, Jan. 22. This year’s event, sponsored in part by Tri-State and the region’s Touchstone Energy co-ops, saw a total attendance of about 636,000. That ranks it among the top 10 for the number of visitors over the past 106 years, according to Stock Show officials.

Many Stock Show visitors saw the Touchstone Energy-sponsored six-horse draft hitch perform at all pro rodeo performances and other scheduled events.  This year’s hitch was provided by Black Hollow Percherons from Plum City, Wisconsin.

The National Western junior livestock auction was also notable and broke several records this year. Nearly 100 animals were sold for a highest-ever total of $611,000 – that’s about $20,000 more than the previous record. The money helps fund a college education for young people who intend to pursue a living in livestock and agriculture.

Overall, the 2012 National Western and Tri-State’s involvement with it can be considered a huge success. “We couldn’t be happier,” said Paul Andrews, the National Western’s president and chief executive

Empire Electric helps support MLK Day of Service

Published on January 23, 2012 in Energy Efficiency and Public Outreach. 0 Comments Tags: , , .
Crystal Curtsinger and her daughter receive an energy efficiency kit donated by Empire Electric.

Tri-State member co-op Empire Electric Association (Cortez, Colo.) teamed with the Four Corners Office for Resource Efficiency, Southwest Conservation Corps and AmeriCorps to enhance energy efficiency at the Por Dia daycare facility in Cortez on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day last week.

The organizations participated in a well-attended day of service in honor of the holiday, providing free weatherization services to increase safety and comfort for school children, while decreasing energy bills at the daycare facility.

Empire Electric donated 35 energy efficiency kits that were given out to the parents of the preschoolers for use in their homes. “This is a wonderful project coordinated by 4CORE to install energy saving measures at Por Dia Preschool and provide some energy education for parents and preschoolers,” said Bobbe Jones, Empire’s assistant member services manager. “EEA is pleased to be part of it.”

Many energy efficient updates were made at Por Dia Daycare facility on MLK Day.

4CORE administers the Weatherization Assistance Program, which is a 34-year-old Department of Energy program that strives to increase the quality, safety and energy efficiency of residential, low-income housing through improving energy performance.

“This is a great opportunity for our school,” said Amy Long, owner of Por Dia Preschool. “With rising utility costs and several heating sources in our preschool, I think weatherization will really make a difference in keeping our children warm, safe and comfortable, at an affordable rate for us.”

2012 National Western Stock Show in full swing

Published on January 13, 2012 in General and Public Outreach. 0 Comments Tags: , .

The Rocky Mountain region’s electric cooperatives are once again serving as one of the main sponsors of National Western Stock Show and Rodeo, which officially takes place Jan. 7-22 at the National Western Complex in Denver.

For the 14th consecutive year, Tri-State and the region’s Touchstone Energy co-ops are presenting the popular and powerful six-horse draft hitch.  This year’s hitch is being provided by Black Hollow Percherons from Wisconsin.  It’s one of the National Western’s top entertainment attractions and will be featured at all pro rodeo (PRCA) performances and other scheduled events.

Attendance over the course of the 16-day event typically exceeds 640,000 visitors.

Parade kicks off 2012 National Western Stock Show

Published on January 6, 2012 in General and Public Outreach. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

The Westernaires are a perennial favorite at the National Western Stock Show.

The one-of-a-kind National Western Stock Show Parade, featuring a longhorn cattle drive, marching bands, floats, rodeo clowns, cowgirls, cowboys and more meandered along 14 blocks of Denver’s downtown business district yesterday to celebrate the opening of the 106th annual show.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock also declared parade day to be “Dress Western Day” in the city, encouraging downtown workers, visitors and others to show their western spirit.  The parade’s grand marshal was former Denver Mayor Federico Peña.

The Rocky Mountain region’s electric cooperatives are once again serving as one of the main sponsors of National Western Stock Show and Rodeo, which officially opens tomorrow at 9 a.m. at the National Western Complex and runs through Jan. 22. Continue reading ‘Parade kicks off 2012 National Western Stock Show’

LPEA offers the gift of electricity this holiday season

Published on December 9, 2011 in General and Public Outreach. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Tri-State member co-op La Plata Electric Association (Durango, Colo.) is offering its member-consumers an opportunity to extend a little holiday cheer to a friend, family member or neighbor who might appreciate the gift of electricity during these economically challenging times.

In addition to a providing a way for the co-op’s consumers to help out a friend or relative with their electric bill, the LPEA gift program also is a way for members to support their favorite non-profit organization with the gift of electricity to allow these organizations to focus more funds on their mission of support to the local community.

“When economic times become more challenging, we do see an increase in late payments and delinquencies, so we know first-hand that many people are having difficulty with even the most basic of necessities,” said Dennis Svanes,  LPEA CFO. “The gift of electricity is definitely one that can be used and appreciated this holiday season.”

Anderson, McInnes receive Patriot Award for support of employees in military

Published on December 7, 2011 in General and Public Outreach. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Tri-State executive vice president and general manager Ken Anderson and senior vice president of production Mike McInnes were presented with the prestigious Patriot Award yesterday by an organization of the U.S. Department of Defense for their continued support of Tri-State employees who serve in various branches of the military through the Guard and Reserve organizations.

The award was jointly presented by Barry Ingold, Tri-State senior manager of production assets and a U.S. Navy Captain — who recently retired after 26 years of service — along with Lynn Albe of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve organization at a ceremony conducted at the beginning of Tri-State’s monthly board meeting in Westminster.

“I’d like to express my sincere thanks for this award as well as my gratitude for all of our employees who are serving in our military,” said Anderson.