Twenty-one years ago, the members of District 7 elected

Joe Hise to represent them as a trustee of Alfalfa Electric Cooperative. Joe didn’t know that much about the co-op but wanted to stay busy – did not want to be idle. Busy, he was! Besides the once-a-month board meetings, Joe attended endless numbers of training and informative workshops. He only missed two board meetings during the past 21 years.

The bylaws of AEC state that trustees may only serve 7 consecutive 3-year terms. It is this bylaw that forces Joe to step aside and let someone new be the trustee for District 7. Although Joe does believe in term limits, he is at a loss for what will fill the gap in his life. “This is the only thing that I have been committed to, other than my church and family. With that said, I feel like older people need to bow out. You need that new blood.”

Joe has loved being a trustee at AEC. Like

any job, though, being a trustee has its rewarding moments and its trying moments. Joe benefited from being up to date with the latest co-op news. He was also in the loop with his community – his district. However, he did find it difficult dealing with members who didn’t understand the co-op model. Joe represented members from several communities and had to do what was best for the district and for the co-op as a whole.

Before becoming an AEC Trustee,

Joe led an exciting life. He grew up in the country and graduated from Tonkawa Schools. He attended college at Northern Junior College. After graduating from Northern, he joined the United States Air Force and was eventually stationed in Anchorage, Alaska. It was there that he met his wife Trish, a civil servant from Buffalo, NY. The couple married in Alaska.

Soon after marriage, the Air Force transferred Joe to Colorado

Springs. With all their possessions in their Volkswagen, he and Trish left Alaska. Joe had several titles while serving in the Air Force. He was a supplier in Alaska and served in an administrative position in Colorado. He was an Honor Guard and attended over 200 funerals in that capacity.

After his discharge from the Air Force, Joe went to Stillwater to get a teaching degree in agriculture. When

he graduated, he took a job at Aline-Cleo as

Continued on page 2

ALFALFA ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE'S

February 2020 | NUMBER 2 VOLUME 75

Published monthly for our members

HOTLINESPO Box 39, 121 E Main, Cherokee, OK 73728 | www.aec.coop

Trustee serves twenty-one yearsBy Robyn Turney

Joe Hise and his wife Trish make plans for their future. After 21 years of serving as the trustee of District 7, Joe will be stepping down due to term limits.

their ag instructor. Joe taught for three years and then began working

for Farmland Industries in Enid. He was a fertilizer salesman for 25 years. Joe and Trish have one daughter Kim who lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. She has

two sons Kale and Nash.Joe has a few hobbies. Cooking

and canning are a few examples. He is about to start canning the crop of sand plums he has in his freezer. Joe is also an avid reader. He keeps a stack of books on the table by his chair. Last October, Joe and Trish donated boxes of his books to Hospice.

Trish and Joe like to travel some. They have taken a few trips to Colorado. Joe likes history, so trips to Gunnison, Colorado, are full of historical information. Taylor Lake offers another vacation spot for Joe and Trish.

A few years ago, Trish and Joe went back to Anchorage to enjoy the city and the areas around it. The couple even found the chapel where they were married.

Several people in his life have inspired Joe. An ag teacher from Blackwell, OK, Hallard Randell, inspired him to go to Stillwater and get a teaching degree. His parents, Ralph and Violet Hise, had excellent work ethics and raised him to have those same ethics. Last but not least, his wife Trish has inspired and motivated him. She has encouraged him spiritually and urges him quite often to live one day at a time. Trish reminds him, “Slow down and stop to smell the roses.”

As Joe began to think about his life after leaving his trustee position at AEC, he was very solemn. When asked what he wants members to know about their co-op, he said, “AEC has dedicated employees.” It is clear that Joe is proud of his co-op and honored to have served its members. He has a poem that he shared with me that might describe his feelings about leaving the co-op world; however, he wishes to share it at another time...perhaps at the annual meeting?

Joe feels there is a real threat to the electric cooperatives. He is concerned that the younger generations do not understand why co-ops were actually formed. Joe shared one crucial aspect. “Electric

co-ops were established because investor-owned utilities (IOU) didn’t want to build power lines in the country. They only wanted cities with concentrated power – less expense and more profit.”

So, what does life after being a trustee look like for Joe and Trish? There are paintings of Joe’s father hanging in their living room. Joe, too, enjoys painting and hopes

to spend some time painting outdoor scenery. Joe and Trish have begun to prepare their home to sell. In the future, they would like to move to Stillwater.

AEC is losing a dedicated trustee who loves his co-op. His work and dedication have helped make it the successful co-op that it is today. Joe will forever be a part of Alfalfa Electric Cooperative. AEC wishes Joe and Trish the very best as they start another enjoyable chapter in their life.

ALTERNATING CURRENTS...

Kyle PuffinbargerApprentice Lineman

Continued from page 1

Three years ago, Kyle Puffinbarger started working for Alfalfa Electric Cooperative on the Right of Way crew. A year later he began working as a Groundman with the line crew. He earned his Apprentice Lineman certification about six months later. Kyle has worked diligently to earn his promotions.

Kyle was born in Fairview, OK, to parents Ed and LaDonna Puffinbarger, but Cherokee is the only home he has ever known. Kyle married his high school sweetheart, Kendra. They have two boys, Jaxon seven and Landry four.

The best reasons for working at AEC are being able to work outdoors and being able to work with great guys on the line crew. Kyle enjoys and appreciates the opportunity to work for Alfalfa Electric Cooperative.

When Kyle is not working at AEC, he has a side business called Tile by Kyle. He and Mitch Judd, HVAC Technician for AEC Services, have built up quite a bit of business in northwest Oklahoma. Tile by Kyle specializes in a variety of flooring and tile for both kitchens and bathrooms.

Becoming a dad is one of Kyle’s best accomplishments. He enjoys hunting with his boys in his spare time. Kyle would like to go to Alaska someday to hunt moose. He plans to wait until his boys get older so they can join Dad.

Kyle’s mom LaDonna, who passed away suddenly 10 years ago, inspired Kyle with her work ethic. You haven’t disappointed her, Kyle. Mom is smiling down on you, for sure.

"Santa Joe" enjoys a good laugh at one of the many board meetings he attended.

Geothermal heating and coolingBy Terry Ryel

Alfalfa Electric Cooperative has not always had a heat and air

department. Our board was adamant about providing quality services for our members. In 1997 AEC Services was formed, and geothermal has been a big part of the service that we offer.

AEC Services is a Climate Master GeoElite Dealer and will provide service to anyone in our service territory and the surrounding areas. AEC’s service area includes five counties in Oklahoma, Grant, Alfalfa, Woods, Major, and Garfield; and two counties in Kansas, Barber and Harper. Climate Master has been making geothermal units since 1957. AEC Services has been installing Geothermal for over 23 years. Geothermal systems are considered the most energy-efficient available today; however, in the past, high installation costs, attributed primarily to the underground loop, have put the technology out of reach for some homeowners. Now there is a federal tax credit – 26% of the total cost of installation. The federal program is a step-down program. The percentages through the end of the Federal geothermal tax credit program is as follows:

30% for systems placed in service by 12/31/2019.

26% for systems placed in service after 12/31/2019 and before 01/01/2021.

22% for systems placed in service after 12/31/2020 and before 01/01/2022.

If you combine the tax credit with AEC’s $1,000 per ton rebate and energy savings, the overall price is the same or less than a conventional heating and cooling system.

AEC Services has installed hundreds of residential and commercial geothermal systems over the last 23 years as well as conventional heating and cooling systems.

Unlike traditional systems that use the air to heat and cool your home, geothermal systems circulate water through a network of sealed underground piping loops that carry heat and cool to and from the earth to the system. In the heating mode, the system uses the heat from the water to warm air that circulates throughout the house. In the cooling mode, the system reverses the process, taking the heat out of the home’s air and distributing it back into the earth where it is cooled. Because the system works less to reach the desired temperature setting throughout the year, the system is highly efficient and lowers operating costs. A fossil fuel furnace is approximately 85% to 98% percent efficient; a geothermal system is amazingly 450% efficient.

Another advantage to a geothermal system installed in a new home is that from day one you will be cash flow positive, as the cost of the system each month is lower than the savings you realize on your monthly energy cost! You can get free hot water for your home as well.

Wherever you live, the temperature beneath your home remains constant regardless of the season. Geothermal Heating and Cooling Systems harness the stable underground temperature to provide heating, cooling, and hot water at remarkably high efficiencies. So high, in fact, this energy used can be cut by up to 80%.

AEC Services installed one of our larger installs at the Cherokee High School in the summer of 2009,

while school was out of session, to minimize impact to the students. The system consists of 160 boreholes drilled into the athletic fields parking lot. There are vertical heat exchange loops and 18 heat pump units totaling 67 tons. While installing the GSHP, AEC Services also replaced and sealed all ductwork to improve the efficiency of the forced-air system. Services also installed the piping system.

Currently, AEC Services is working on Alfalfa Electric Cooperative’s new headquarters building located at 305 W. 12th Street in Cherokee. The new facilities will be a geothermal system, 15 heat pump units totaling 47 tons of heating and cooling. Two 15-ton units totaling 30 tons of water to water Geothermal heated floor in the transportation building. This system has 80 boreholes of pipe in the ground. AEC will soon have the most efficient, reliable,and green energy system (no pollution). This addition enables your co-op to save money for many years.

If you would like to know more about geothermal or conventional heating and cooling, give Terry or Thomas a call at 580-596-3333.

AAEECClfalfa ooperative

lectric

Power Outage?SmartHub App

580-596-3333 | 888-736-3837

Board of Trustees John Regier, President

Ringwood, OK (District 4)

Steve Eck, Vice President Sharon, KS (District 6)

Julie Russell, Sec. Treas Freedom, OK (District 3)

Mark Angle Byron, OK (District 1)

Larry Dewitt Cherokee, OK (District 2)

Joe Waggoner Nash, OK (District 5)

Joe Hise Cleo Springs, OK (District 7)

Joe Woods Cherokee, OK (District 8)

AEC Staff Greg Goetz

CEO & General Manager Gail Ridgway

Chief Financial Officer Jim Daub

Manager of Engineering & Operations Brandon Wright

Director of EngineeringChristy Schanbacher

Director of AccountingTerry Ryel

Manager of Marketing & Public Relations

Scott Cudmore Director of Operations

Robyn Turney Communications Specialist

Kyle Hadwiger Attorney

580-596-3333

Two districts to hold trustee elections

District 5 That portion of Oklahoma in Garfield and Grant counties served by

Alfalfa Electric Cooperative, Inc. within the following townships:

Township 23, Range 8; Township 24, Range 6-8 Township 25, Range 6-8 Township 26, Range 6-8 Township 27, Range 6-8 Township 28, Range 6-8

Township 29, Range 6-8

District 7 That portion of Oklahoma in Alfalfa, Major, and Woods counties served by Alfalfa Electric Cooperative, Inc. within

the following townships: Township 21, Range 11 Township 22, Ranges 11,12,13 Township 23, Ranges 11,12,13,14 Township 24, Ranges 11,12,13,14

Alfalfa Electric Cooperative members in districts 5 and 7 should note that the filing period for potential candidates running for the position of Trustee will open soon. Members in these districts

who wish to file for this position must obtain a filing document from the AEC office. Information containing the qualifications needed to be elected to this position is also available at the

office of AEC. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Potential candidates must return the document to the AEC office during the filing period of February 1-10, 2020.