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Forrest Hill Substation
energized▼
There’s a new
source of power for our members living in the Selmer area.
This source of power is provided by the new Forrest Hill
Substation that was recently constructed in South Selmer.
Contractors began
dirt work in the summer of 2005 and the new 161-kilovolt
substation was energized on October 26. It is the first
substation built by the cooperative since the North Selmer
Substation was completed in 2003.
The new substation
replaces two older ones, the Selmer District Substation,
also known as the John D. Mitchell and the Selmer Primary
Substation. These two substations have provided service to
our members for more than half a century. They were
de-energized in December of 2006.
“This new substation
completes a decade of system improvements and the
elimination of 30 miles of 69,000-volt, wood pole
transmission lines, said PEC President Karl Dudley. “This
has made our electric system more flexible and efficient to
better serve our members.”
Some distribution and
transmission line work remains to be completed, but it
should be finished sometime this spring. The cooperative
will save money both in maintenance and losses, reduce
widespread outages, increase reliability, have more breaker
bays to better divide the load in the Selmer area, and allow
PEC’s long range 25 KV conversion plan of the cooperative to
be facilitated.
“As more people and
businesses move to this area, it creates an increased power
demand and we need to stay ahead of it,” PEC Director of
Engineering Keith Johnson says. “In addition, the closer
residences and businesses are to the substations, the more
reliable the electric service. The shorter distances creates
fewer opportunities for disruptions between them and their
power source and it also reduces line losses.” Line losses
are the amount of electricity lost as current travels from
one point to another.
The Forrest Hill
Substation will receive electricity from TVA’s power grid at
161,000 volts and through the substation’s transformers this
voltage will be stepped down to 25,000 volts. The
electricity is then distributed through a network of
breakers, lines and transformers to PEC members homes and
businesses in the area.
What to do if you
▲experience
a power outage▼
Power outages don’t happen often and
usually don’t last long. But if one does happen, do you know
what to do?
Stay away from downed power lines and broken utilities poles. Please note
the location and call us immediately. Even lines that look
harmless can be dangerous.
If your power is out, check with your neighbors. If they still have
electricity, check your fuses or circuit breakers. If that
doesn’t solve the problem, give us a call.
Once you’ve called us, there’s no need to keep calling; your request will
be handled as soon as possible. However, if your power is still
out once your neighbors’ have been returned to service, you
should call again.
When service is restored, overloaded lines could cause another outage. You
can help prevent this by switching off your heating and cooling
equipment and other appliances during the outage. Leave a light
on so you’ll know when service is back on.
Don’t keep checking the refrigerator and freezer. Food will keep much
longer if the doors are left closed.
Prepare a “lights out” kit: keep a flashlight, spare fuses, and
battery-powered radio handy. Know where the electric service
panel for your home is located and how to reset circuit breakers
or replace blown fuses. Make sure your family knows where the
kit is and what to do if you are not at home.
Cooperative
offers
new decorative lighting
▲ for
homes and businesses
▼
Outdoor
lighting has always been one of the more popular programs
that Pickwick Electric Cooperative provides. The cooperative
introduced a leased lighting program last year that has
sparked a greater interest in outdoor lighting. The program
was designed to provide area lighting for homes, businesses
and industries.
With this
increased interest, the cooperative has added some new
options to our program that now gives all members more
choices for lighting around their homes and businesses. The
program can even assist cities and counties with lighting
special projects such as ballfields, walking tracks, parks
and city streets.
There are many
advantages to having a well lit home or business. Additional
lighting provides security that helps discourage prowlers
and deter vandalism. A well illuminated area helps to
prevent accidents around the home or business by providing
well lit sidewalks and parking lots. Outdoor lighting
extends your hours of business, particularly in the dark
winter months. In addition, your signs, landscape, and
architecture are much more noticeable. It also adds
convenience when opening doors and checking around the
property after dark.
The cooperative has
partnered with several companies to provide new decorative
and parking lot lighting. Ameron International and Dynamic
Lighting are providing decorative concrete and aluminum
poles and Dynamic Lighting and American Electric Lighting
are providing decorative fixtures that will work with all
four types of poles. The poles range from twelve to
thirty-five feet in height and go from a simple round design
all the way up to a fluted ornate design. The lights range
from an acorn style fixture that is typically seen on city
streets to a colonial design.
Once you
have selected the lighting style you prefer, PEC will design
and install your new outdoor lights. The cooperative will
take care of the repairs and maintenance, right down to
changing the lamps, all for an easy, convenient lease
payment that is added to your electric bill. One affordable
bill every month covers everything, including power use.
The cooperative has
installed samples of all poles and fixtures in the front
parking lot area of the PEC office. A brochure and pricing
list is also available so our customers can choose the
fixtures they want to install. For more information about
the lighting program contact Keith Johnson at 646-3773.
Electric
Water Heater Rebates
All Electric new homes
▲and gas to electric change outs▼
To encourage PEC members to install
electric water heaters and build all-electric new homes we have
increased our rebates paid to homeowners from $100 to $200. In
addition we have also increased our rebates paid for gas to
electric change outs from $100 to $200. This increase was
effective July 1, 2006. To claim your rebate, call 646-3825,
646-3786 or 646-3794.
PEC supports
McNairy County
▲ Foundation for Academic Excellence
▼
Several years ago,
Pickwick Electric Cooperative and TVA began an alliance with the
McNairy County Foundation for Academic Excellence. The
foundation was chartered in 1996 and is a private non-profit
charitable corporation. The goal of the foundation is to provide
community support mechanisms to fund special initiatives and to
provide positive messages about the importance of community
support for education.
Each year the Foundation
awards grants to teachers who develop innovative programs and
concepts to enhance the educational opportunities available for
the leaders of tomorrow. Grants in the amount of $500 each are
awarded to classrooms based upon completion and merits of the
proposal. These grants are competitive among teachers and this
year 15 were given. Each grant application is submitted to the
Education Department of Freed Hardeman University for
evaluation.
“We believe that
education begins with a firm foundation, but students in today’s
world need more than the basics,” says Gene He’bert Chairman of
McNairy County Foundation for Academic Excellence. “That’s where
the foundation helps. The grants given to teachers provide
funds earmarked specifically to underwrite the type of
innovative instructional programs and teaching techniques that
will give the students of McNairy County the edge in their fast
paced, highly competitive world. The foundation was established
to work for years to come and currently has over $40,000 in our
growing endowment. This endowment will continue to allow the
foundation to spark excellence in our schools far into the
future”.
Cooperative
celebrates
▲ 70 years
of service
▼
In today’s high-tech world
we tend to take our dependable electric service for granted.
Without thinking we flip a switch and enjoy electricity’s
comfort and convenience every day. With so many modern-day
electrical gadgets in our home, it’s hard for us to imagine
living in a time when electricity was unavailable.
Those days without
electricity meant drawing our drinking water from a well,
reading by a coal oil lamp and cooking our meals on a wood cook
stove. Farmers would work from sunrise to sunset because natural
light was the only thing available. Today this drudgery is gone
thanks to the organization of electric cooperatives.
For people in this area,
the formation of Pickwick Electric Cooperative on December 16,
1935 brought with it the magic of electricity. With the
formation of an electric cooperative the people began to wire
their homes to receive electricity. In one home as the lights
were turned on, an elated farmer was overheard to have said:
“When I pulled that chain to turn on the lights, I felt as
though I had been living in the dark all my life. Electric
lights give me so much more light than my kerosene lamps, and I
don’t have to smell the smoke”. Another Tennessee farmer when
asked to give his testimony at a local church, stood up and
said, “Brothers and sisters, I want to tell you that the
greatest thing in this life is to have the love of God in your
heart, and the next greatest thing is to have electricity in
your home.” No other venture, before or since, has ever made
such a change in the lifestyle of those living within PEC’s
service area.
The early days of PEC were
difficult ones. Only two or three employees were available to do
the work and on several occasions a loan had to be secured from
a local bank to meet payroll. Many times area farmers would
pitch in to help build the lines.
The first cooperative
office was located in Adamsville. It stayed there until 1940
when it was moved to Selmer to be closer to the railroad. It was
located near Holmes Brothers car lot but was later moved to
Houston Street where True-Savers Hardware is located today. In
1954, a new headquarters building was erected and PEC moved to
its present location on Mulberry Street.
PEC’s first board members
were: Ralph Smith of Chewalla; Lester Hamm of Ramer; John R.
Harris of Finger; J.E. Deford of Savannah: M.R. Lott of Morris
Chapel; Glen Hassell of Enville; E.A. Churchwell of
Milledgeville; and Allen McCoy of Eastview.
In 1935, only the people
in Savannah, Adamsville, Selmer and Bethel Springs had
electricity. These towns were served by the Tennessee Electric
Power Company. Alcorn County Electric Power Association, with
headquarters in Corinth, Mississippi, had built a few miles of
rural lines into McNairy and Hardin counties. They built a line
along Highway 22 to Stantonville via Shiloh National Military
Park, a line north along Highway 45 to Eastview, and west along
Highway 57 to Ramer. These lines were bought by PEC on April 21,
1936 with money borrowed from the Tennessee Valley Authority. At
the time of purchase there were 32 consumers in Adamsville, 23
in Bethel Springs, 161 in Savannah, and 139 in Selmer. The
remaining lines built by the Tennessee Electric Power Company’s
facilities in Tennessee were bought by the cooperatives,
municipalities and TVA on May 12, 1939.
From the beginning it was
the objective of the cooperative to provide electric service to
anyone who wanted it. This was finally achieved in 1949 when the
cooperative had a total of 6,000 members and more than 1,100
miles of lines. Since then the cooperative has grown at a rapid
pace. In 1950 there were 6,500 members being served. By 1960
this number had grown to 8,312. Today, PEC serves more than
20,000 customers with almost 2,100 miles of electric lines.
PEC has made a tremendous
impact on the business and economic life in this area. It has
served as a constant beacon, lighting the way to better things,
as people gradually raised their standard of living over the
past 70 years.
Since 1935, PEC has
expanded and grown in order to meet the increasing needs of its
consumers. We have seen many changes and no doubt there will be
many more. Our members can rest assured that we will respond to
these changes and strive to provide the best electric service
possible.
Avoid Outdoor
Electrical Hazards
▲ at Work
and Home
Warmer weather brings an
increase in outdoor work, both on the job and at home.
Increasing electrical safety awareness can help ensure those
activities do not result in injuries and deaths.
Awareness of the more
frequent causes of electrical injuries—and following basic
electrical safety guidelines—can help reduce electrical safety
hazards for you, your family, friends and coworkers.
Practicing the following
safety rules can reduce electrical deaths and injuries on the
job or while working around the home.
Water does not mix with
electricity. Avoid damp conditions—including wet grass—when
using electricity.
Ladders –even those made of
wood—carried in an upright position can contact a power line
with potentially fatal results.
Unplug outdoor tools and
appliances when not in use.
Inspect power tools and
appliances for frayed cords, broken plugs and cracked or broken
housing and repair or replace damaged items.
Use ground fault circuit
interrupters (GFCIs) on outdoor outlets. Portable GFCIs are
available from most hardware and home improvement stores.
For more electrical safety
information call Pickwick Electric at 645-3411 or visit
www.electrical-safety.org, and be sure to download the Outdoor
Electrical Safety Check, in ESFI's Library.
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