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Florida Keys Electric Cooperative NOVEMBER 2017 orida Keys Electric Cooperative Fl orida Keys Electric Cooperative orida Keys Electric Cooperative s ank h T ving i G e B l p o e e P h T Q 4 E G PA r e w o e P h d t n i h e e B an l P r e op r P Q 6 E G PA r 8 E G PA ing t an

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Florida Keys Electric Cooperative

N OV E M B E R 2017

orida Keys Electric CooperativeFl

orida Keys Electric Cooperative

orida Keys Electric Cooperative

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It is often during the holiday season thatwe are reminded to take time to givethanks. This year, following our face-offwith Hurricane Irma, we not only have agreat deal to be thankful for, but we alsohave a great deal of people to thank. Wealso have to remember those who are stillworking to rebuild their lives and continueto provide them with the support andcommunity spirit to help them through it.

At the top of my gratitude list areFKEC’s employees, who rose to theoccasion before, during and afterHurricane Irma. They sacrificed their timeat home to put the overall needs of ourcommunity first, and it was truly amazingto watch as they dedicated themselveswhole-heartedly to restoring power to theUpper and Middle Keys.

I would also like to thank ouremployees’ families who lent us theirloved-ones and supported their work andthis cooperative during a highly stressfultime. This extends to the families of theoutside assistance crews that traveledthousands of miles to work with us.

This leads me to all the companies,crews and support staff we brought intohelp with restoration. Michels fromWisconsin and Arkansas ElectricCooperatives and Storm Services alldelivered the professional, efficient anddiligent services the job required. Theybrought experience and positive attitudes

to every day of the 10 days they workedhere in the Upper and Middle Keys.

I must also express my appreciationfor our Board of Directors for their support.These nine local residents who you haveelected to represent your interests havedone that well. Their support andallocation of funds over the years to build astorm strong system proved successful.While no power system can withstand “thebig one” with no outages, our transmissionand distribution system did very well.

I’m also thankful for you, our members.Your support, patience and encouragementduring our tireless storm restoration workfed our morale, and our many generouscommunity members and local businesses attimes also fed our bellies.

Lastly, I’m grateful for the end ofHurricane Season this month. I’m suremost of our members and neighborsthroughout the Florida Keys and in theentire state share this sentiment. While I’mproud of the work we did and all thosewho did it, I’m ready for a break fromstorm season.

Please enjoy the holiday season and, ifyou can, give back to those who still needour help putting Irma’s destruction behindand moving ahead into a brighter future.

SCOTT NEWBERRYChief Executive Officer

Giving Thanks& Appreciation

FLORIDA KEYS ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION, INC.Member Owned Since 1940

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

James J. BoiliniDistrict 1, Key Largo • President

Gretchen HollandDistrict 1, Key Largo • Vice President

Cale SmithDistrict 3, Islamorada • Treasurer

Michael H. PutoDistrict 4, Marathon • Secretary

David C. RitzDistrict 1, Key Largo

Craig BelcherDistrict 2, Tavernier

Joseph RothDistrict 2, Tavernier

George D. HertelDistrict 3, Islamorada

Karl M. WagnerDistrict 4, Marathon

CONTACT US:(305) 852-2431 • (800) 858-8845 Pay by Phone 1-855-385-9912www.FKEC.comMailing AddressP.O. Box 377, Tavernier, FL 33070

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 7 W W W . F K E C . C O M

4 NOVEMBER 2017

Unless otherwise noted, “FKEC NEWS”writing, design & photography by:

Nikki Dunn Cullen• [email protected] by: Rebecca Callahan Newman

FKEC NEWS

MEMBERS SHOULD KNOW: Only call FKEC's secure phonepayment system when paying yourelectric bill by phone! 1-855-385-9912.If you are given a different number tocall for payment it is a SCAM!

We are proud to be the hometown electric cooperative serving our resilientcommunities in the Upper and Middle Keys. You, our members, are why we workso hard during even the most trying of times. Receiving words of praise andencouragement from you throughout the long days after Hurricane Irma kept usfocused on the importance of the storm restoration work and kept us going.

We greatly appreciate all the thank you messages sent via social media, emailsand in the mail. Your kind words, friendly smiles and waves to our employees inthe field made the 15-hour days in 90-plus degree heat more bearable, and gavepurpose to our work.

As a cooperative, FKEC is owned by you, the members, and our employees arealso our members. This structure unites us all with a special sense of service andcamaraderie that is held with high value at FKEC. Thank you for being a positivepart of the restoration process.

NOVEMBER 2017 5

To Our Members...

Thank You for the Gratitude

FKEC Gives $15 Bill Credit to MembersTo assist our Upper and Middle Keys residents with their post-Irma recovery, Florida Keys Electric Co-op gave all residentialand general service account members a $15 credit on their October electric bill.

“As a proud community partner of the Upper and Middle Keys, we want to offer our members a bit of relief whileeveryone continues to clean, repair and recover from Irma’s impact,” said Scott Newberry, FKEC’s Chief Executive Officer. “Todo this our board of directors has approved a $15 bill credit, not only as an acknowledgement that our members were withoutpower for a short period of time, but also as a way to thank them for their patience and support during our restoration process.”

This one-time bill credit appeared as a line item on FKEC October electric bills.Florida Keys Electric Co-op is a not-for-profit electric utility owned by the members we serve. As your hometown

cooperative, we are committed to providing you, our member-owners, with safe, reliable and affordable electric service.

Thank you for the update and for yourcontinued quick responses and all theefforts being made to get everyone backonline and get close to normal life again!

Pam

Stay hydrated and beat that heat outthere! We appreciate your hard work anddedication. Please thank your families forsupporting your very important work andstay safe! ❤ FKEC and your contractorswho traveled down for us!Leslie

You guys are doing a fantastic job.We're so proud of you and the crewswho have joined you from other placesfor your efforts. Thanks and God Bless.Mike

Your job is never thought of until thereis no power. Yours is a very dangerousone and we salute you for all you havedone in making Marathon and the Keysgreat again!

Therese

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!❤❤❤

Kim

6 NOVEMBER 2017

Peter AmendolaTom AnthonyAshley ArrabalGeorge BackhusJennifer BaileyDon BartonAndy BaxterLisa BaxterCris BeatyDon BellJaniene BennettJerry BetancourtDarrell BirkhimerMike BlackDavid BogueMarie BraunSheri BulkiewiczAndy BurdickBrooke CashJuan CastanoLuis ChavalaRobert ChristensenSharon Claude

Brandon CoileDarrell DavisDave DiMaggioShawn DudleyEddie DudleyTom EckhardtJosh EllsworthBrandon FinchHermes GarciaBilly GoodwinPhil GuintaSara HamiltonKeith HargroveWill HeatonJason HellerDoug HensleeSteve HorneCharlie HughesJordan IzaguirreMike JamesMike JenkinsKim JonesMaria Jones

Vickie JorgensenJoe JoyceSusan KohlhoferNicole KrausKeith KropfRyan LachowiczScott LaFreniereIsaiah LeakeBill LeeVictoria LeonardBernie LietaertLowell LockeRobert LovellSuzanne LovellNick LyonsMarcus MartinCheryl MasseySean McMahonPaulette McNamaraRafael MedinaScott MeinerGeorge MirabellaLucy Miranda

Yamile MoreiraJuan MorenoAmber NavarreteScott NewberryJim NicholsErin OrnelasVeronica OrnelasBlane ParkerT.J. PattersonVan PhilpotTamie PiekarskiAdam PierceDan RaberCraig RabitoDave RaglandBeth RainesVyviana RapozoDale RatzaJody RatzaRay RhashJason RichardsMike RobertsHoward Sanders

Tommy SawyerKevin SetchellScott SheffieldJoe SheriffClay SmithGeorge SmithAivie SorknesWalt StephensJohn StuartBrian TiedemannMike VallesRudy VegaHector VivancoChris WalkerMark WeeksTravis WhiteTommy WhiteRory WhitePhyllis WilliamsJoe ZajacChris ZischkaTim Zuccaro

Below are the dedicated men and women of the FloridaKeys Electric Cooperative who each put the needs of ourmembers before their own and returned to work to restorepower to our communities following Irma’s wrath.

While the Co-op urged employees to heed the County’smandatory evacuation order, the company also asked eachperson to be prepared to return as soon as conditions would

allow – and FKEC employees did just that. In many casesthis meant leaving loved ones behind, because onlyemergency workers with county credentials could return inthe immediate days after the storm. This also meantspending their days working from sunrise to sunset, insteadof working to address storm damage at their own homes orhelping with the struggles their families were facing.

Your FKEC Team: The People Behind the Power

In the days prior to Hurricane Irma,FKEC held daily briefings with allemployees in both Tavernier and

Marathon. Here company leadershipshared news from the County and

weather officials, urged all personnel totake all safety precautions as well as set

expectations for employees after thestorm passed over our area.

NOVEMBER 2017 7

“We were honored to assistFKEC during their time of needafter Hurricane Irma. Theprofessionalism displayed by theco-op’s line crews and employeeswas top-notch. The acts ofappreciation and sincere acts ofkindness by the co-op’s membersgave our men an extra boost inour efforts to restore service tothose impacted.”

– Peyton Duncan, lineman withArkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc.

of Little Rock.

FKEC would like to thank all of the utilityprofessionals who came from far and wide tohelp restore power to our 32,000+ accounts.

FKEC thanks Storm Services, a utilitystorm restoration support company, for theirexemplary work to organize and care for theutility crews who came to help. We alsoexpress our sincere appreciation specifically tothe members of the 50 line constructionscrews, 20 tree crews, 12 damage assessmentteams, and various administrative and supportteams who assisted with our power restora-tion. These 350 skilled utility professionalsrepresented the following companies:• Michels – Line Construction Contractor basedin Wisconsin• Davis H. Elliot Company, Inc. – LineConstruction Contractor based in Kentucky• Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. – LineConstruction Contractor based in Arkansas

• Asplundh Tree Expert, LLC – Line ClearanceContractor based in Pennsylvania• Storms Services Engineering, LLC – Line Designand Construction Contractor based in Georgia

Every employee workedon restoration efforts.With true dedication, ouremployees jumped intoroles outside of theirnormal duties to restorepower. They workedtirelessly away from theirfamilies and their homesto get the job done. Forthis I give them each mysincere gratitude.

– Scott Newberry, FKEC Chief Executive Officer

The FKEC Board ofDirectors recognizes andcommends CEO ScottNewberry and the entirestaff of FKEC. We extendour sincerest thanks toeveryone involved for his orher exceptionally hardwork and outstandingefforts, as this monumentalrestoration effort wouldnever have been possiblewithout each of you.

– Dr. James Boilini,FKEC Board President

We Couldn’t Have Done it Without You

From left, FKEC’s David Bogue,Isaiah Leake, Tommy Sawyer,

Marcus Martin, and Darrell Davisstart another day of storm

restoration work.Photo by Lisa Baxter

8 NOVEMBER 2017

An outside assistance utility crewmancalls home after a long day working torestore power to FKEC members. Photo by Doug Finger Photography

Over 50 Asplundh crewpersonsjoined FKEC tree crews to clear

powers lines.Photo by Marie Braun

Outside assistance crews gettingto enjoy one of the perks of workin the Florida Keys, the view.Photo by Doug Finger Photography

A crewman from Michel’s UtilityContractor meeting some of ourresilient FKEC members.Photo by Doug Finger Photography

FKEC members and crewsworking side-by-side to

put our lives back together.Photo by Maria Jones

Working together toget the job done.Photo by Lisa Baxter

Working among the debris leftbehind by Hurricane Irma.Photo by Jason Richards

There was an immediate camaraderie betweenthe outside crews and our FKEC linemen.Photo by Doug Finger Photography

FL-152

3 305.852.2431 • 800.858-8845 • www.FKEC.com

Photo by Doug Finger Photography

Photo by Doug FingerPhotography

Photo by Vyviana Rapozo

Photo by Maria jones

25 NOVEMBER 2017

In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma,we know our members will bereplanting landscaping. When doingso please remember these tips forplanting near power lines.

Remember trees growing underor near power lines are the mostcommon cause of power outages, tohelp prevent outages consider themature growth of any tree and plantthe right tree in the right place.

BEFORE PLANTING CONSIDER:• Rate of growth: Slow growingplants are easier to groom andmaintain.

• Mature size: Small, immature treesplanted today can grow intoproblem trees in the future soplease consider the ultimate maturesize of a tree before planting.

• Canopy size: Large canopy treesgrow up and out. Plant these treesaway from power equipment.

• Root system: When planting nearunderground power equipment, useonly vegetation with a shallow rootsystem.

• Air Flow: Power equipment needsventilation to operate properly. Do notplant trees or other vegetation that willobstruct natural airflow aroundoverhead and underground powerequipment.

GENERAL PLANTING GUIDELINES:• Shrubs & Small Trees (20’ matureheight or less): Plant these under oradjacent to overhead power lines.

• Medium Trees (20’-30’ mature height):Plant at least 20 horizontal feet fromoverhead power lines.

• Large Trees (30’ mature height ortaller): Plant at least 30 horizontal feetfrom overhead power lines.

• Palm Trees: Plant one maturefrond length (coconut palmshave 15’ long mature fronds)plus ten horizontal feet fromoverhead power lines.

For more details consult FKEC’sProper Planting guide. The free guide toplanting around power equipment isavailable online at www.FKEC.com or inCo-op offices.

UNDERGROUND POWEREQUIPMENT

Even areas served by undergroundpower have some above groundequipment requiring clearance. Utilityworkers must have proper clearances(see smaller diagram) to work safely onpadmount transformers (equipmentnecessary for underground power).

Plant Smart to Prevent Power Outages

CALL BEFORE YOU DIG! Avoid injury and prevent damage tounderground equipment by calling

Sunshine State One Call.

Always dial 811 beforeyou do any digging.