TOM WALCH

BY TOM WALCH CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

THE MEN AND WOMEN BEHIND YOUR POWER

E lectric lineworkers serve on the front lines to deliver our nation’s energy needs. On April 13, Grand Valley

Power, along with electric cooperatives across the country, will honor the dedicated men and women who work so hard to keep our lights on.

We count on electrical power being there when we need it. Because lineworkers do their jobs so well, we often take it for granted that our homes will be heated and cooled, the lights will come on, and devices like our televisions, computers and cell-phones will always be powered up and ready. Our Grand Valley Power line crews work around the clock, sometimes in difficult and dangerous conditions, to keep power flowing to our local communities, empow-ering lives with our trademark hometown service. Whether they’re restoring power

after a major storm or maintaining critical infrastructure, they set aside their personal priorities and instinctively begin work on restoring power quickly and safely. Mother Nature doesn’t work around holidays, vaca-tions and birthdays. With a service-oriented mentality — one of the many admirable characteristics of electric lineworkers — our crews are always on call, 365 days a year, around the clock.

Grand Valley Power is proud to honor the 16 linemen who maintain 1,673 miles of power lines in our service territory. We invite all co-op members to take a moment and thank a lineworker for the important work they do. On April 13, you can use #ThankALineworker on social media or tag “Grand Valley Power” to show your support for the brave lineworkers who power our lives.

APRIL 13, 2020

---THANK A---

LINEWORKER

@GVRuralPower

/GVRuralPower

#LineworkerAppreciationDay

GVP OFFICEIS CLOSEDTO THEPUBLIC

FOR THE SAFETY OF OUREMPLOYEES AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC

FOR CURRENT UPDATES, VISITGVP.ORG/CORONAVIRUS

#DoingOurPartCO

COMMENTS TO THE CEOYou are a member of a cooperative and your opinion does count. If you have any questions, concerns or comments, please let me know by writing to Ask the CEO, P.O. Box 190, Grand Junction, CO 81502, or send an email to me at twalch@gvp.org. Check out our website at gvp.org.

BOARD MEETING NOTICEGrand Valley Power board meetings are open to the members, consumers and public. Regularly scheduled board meetings are held at 9 a.m. on the third Wednesday of each month at the headquarters building located at 845 22 Road, Grand Junction, Colorado.

The monthly agenda is posted in the lobby of the headquarters building 10 days before each meeting, and posted on the GVP website. If anyone desires to address the board of directors, please let us know in advance and you will be placed on the agenda.

7COLORADO COUNTRY LIFEAPRIL 2020

YOUR CO-OP NEWS

G reen utility boxes, known as pad-mounted or padmount transformers, are part of the equipment that helps provide power to your neighborhood. Those boxes sit

on an easement, which allows us access to them. Even though the transformer is in your yard, it is technically on an easement and our workers need clear access to it to maintain equipment and keep power running smoothly.

What are the green boxes for? Their job is to step down high-voltage electricity to a lower voltage needed for the underground wires supplying power to the lights and appliances in homes.

As you beautify your yard this spring and summer, Grand Valley Power wants to remind you of these tips when planting around those important utility boxes. MAINTAIN 10 FEET OF CLEARANCEDo not plant shrubs and trees close to padmount transformers or other utility equipment. Limiting or restricting access to the box in your yard could delay restoration work during an outage and create a serious safety hazard. We need at least 10 feet of clearance in front of the transformer (the side that is padlocked), as well as 4 feet of clearance on the other three sides.

#ProTip — Roots grow deep! Be mindful of what you’re planting around the box. Consider the spread and depth of any plant you are considering. Plant roots can grow into the box and interfere with its operation. CALL 811 BEFORE YOU DIGCall 811 prior to digging around a transformer and respect the clearance requirements noted above. If you dig near a transformer

— even if it is beyond the clearance requirements— you could inadvertently hit a live underground cable. Always call 811 prior to any digging.

DON’T PAINT ON MEPlease do not paint, enhance, block, cover or otherwise obstruct padmount transformers or meters. Barriers, such as fences or land-scaping, that are in the way may have to be removed at any time of the night or day, in order to restore power or during maintenance. GVP does not replace any obstructions that need to be removed. By respecting all utility equipment, including meters and transformers, you can help keep the power on and your local utility workers safe.

For more information about landscaping around padmount transformers, contact GVP’s Operations Department at 970-242-0040. As with any project that involves digging, you should call 811 before you dig at least three workdays prior to starting.

10 feet

4 feet

Never touch, climb or play on pad-mount-ed transformers.Never put �ngers, sticks or other objects through cracks in the transformer.

Keep shrubs and structures at least 10 feet away from the transformer doors and 4 feet away from the sides, so that workers can safely maintain transformers as needed.

Never dig near a pad-mounted transformer. They are surrounded by underground cables. Hitting the cable could result in electrical shock or disruption of service. Always dial 8-1-1 before you dig.

Report problems. If you notice anything amiss, like an unlocked transformer or one that has been damaged, please contact us immediately.

Please stay away from pad-mounted transformers (the big green box). While safe, they are not meant for touching, climbing or playing. Pad-mounted transformers carry high voltages of electricity that serve many homes in our communities.

Avoid the Big Green Box

Landscaping with bushes, fences or flower beds around pad-mounted transformers can create hazards. When surrounded by vegetation or structures, transformers may overheat and cause service interruptions when the air circulation around it is compromised.

Beautify Your YardBut Leave Access to Your Utility Box

BY CHRISTMAS WHARTON

8 COLORADO COUNTRY LIFEAPRIL 2020

YOUR CO-OP NEWS

Three Ways to Electrify Your Lawn Care

Spring has arrived and you can practi-cally smell the freshly cut grass. If you’re in the market to upgrade your lawn

care equipment, you may want to consider electric (or battery-powered) options.

Gas-powered lawn mowers and trim-mers may be your go-to, but before you invest in a traditional model, consider going electric. Not only will you bid goodbye to jerking a pull cord, replacing fouled spark plugs and storing flammable fuel, you’d be doing your part to reduce carbon emissions. Here are three ways you can electrify your lawn care this spring.

ELECTRIC LAWN MOWERSElectric lawn mowers have come a long way over the last few years. Early models required corded connections, which were tricky to manage — but

the cord has been cut. Newer cordless elec-tric mowers are certainly more expensive than gas-powered mowers, but much of the upfront cost can be recovered since elec-tricity is a less expensive fuel than gas, and electric engines generally require less main-tenance than gas engines. Cordless electric mowers typically range from $200 to $500.

Electric mowers are suitable for most lawn care needs, with batteries that typi-cally require about one to two hours to fully charge, and most batteries can run for a full hour. That said, if you have a large yard (half an acre or larger), a gas-powered option may be best to suit your needs.

ELECTRIC TRIMMERSCordless electric string trim-mers are a great option for most lawns. Traditionally, like lawn mowers, string trimmers have typically been powered by gas.

But new versions of electric trimmers are improving and are now considered worthy competitors of gas-powered models.

Cordless electric trimmers are much quieter and easier to use and most batteries last about 30 to 45 minutes. So, if you have a lot of space to trim, you may want to consider a backup battery or plan to work in short bursts. If you’re interested in purchasing an electric trimmer, the main factors to consider are the battery’s life, charge time and power. Costs can vary depending on your needs, but you can find a quality version for about $100.

ELECTRIC LEAF BLOWERSAfter cutting and trimming your lawn, you’ll

need to clear off those walkways and patios for the finishing

touch. If you don’t want to deal with the maintenance of a gas-powered blower or the restraints of a corded blower, a cordless electric version is a great option.

Cordless electric leaf blowers are light-weight and easy to maneuver, but they don’t offer quite as much power as gas-powered and corded blowers. If your leaf blowing and clearing needs are minimal, a cordless electric leaf blower can get the job done. Costs for a cordless electric blower vary depending on power and battery quality, but you can purchase a dependable model for about $150 and up.

If you’re looking to electrify your lawn care equipment, be sure to do your homework. Search online for the latest reviews and check trusted websites like ConsumerReports.org. With a little research, you’ll be well on your way to Lawn of the Month with less maintenance, hassle and noise — and your neighbors will thank you.

Director Petitions Available in MayThe election process for the Grand Valley Power Board of Directors is approaching. The nominating proce-dure begins in May with the election in August. There are three director posi-tions up for election every year.

Board seats up for election this year include positions presently held by Robert Saunders, Don McClaskey and Janie VanWinkle.

Nominating petitions will be avail-able to be picked up beginning May 18, 2020, at the Grand Valley Power office. Petitions must be signed and returned no later than by the close of business on June 22, 2020.

The Annual Meeting of Grand Valley Power and the election of directors will be held on Thursday, August 6, 2020, at Colorado Mesa University’s Meyer Ballroom. Mark your calendar.

More details on the election process will be published in the May issue of this newsletter and can also be found at gvp.org/bylaws.

CorrectionIn our March 2020 Colorado Country Life issue, we conducted an interview with Darrell Gilbert about his retirement plans after leaving Grand Valley Power. We mistakenly reported that he would enjoy his free time in his camper with his wife, when we meant to state his sister.

GVP apologizes for the error.

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YOUR CO-OP NEWS

Plan Ahead to Call Before You Dig

D igging without locating underground utilities — even the smallest digging projects — could leave neigh-borhoods in the dark, cause thousands of dollars in

damages or cause severe electrical shock. To help stay safe, make use of the national underground utility locating service for free by calling 811.

The 811 “Call Before You Dig” number will route you to your local utility locating service. Make sure to tell the operator where and when you plan to dig and what type of work you will be doing. From there, it takes two to three business days for a professional to come mark your public utilities with flags or spray paint. So, make sure to plan ahead and call in advance.

There are different colors of paint and flags that mark the underground utilities, and each color is universal to what utility is buried.

• Red – Electric• Orange – Communications, Telephone/CATV• Blue – Potable Water• Green – Sewer and Drainage• Yellow – Gas and Petroleum Pipeline• Purple – Reclaimed Water• White – Marked Site of Intended ExcavationEven if you previously had utilities located by calling 811, it

is best to call before every digging project. Underground util-ities can shift, and it is important to be certain of where they are before ever putting a shovel in the ground.

If you have any private utilities, you will need to hire a private utility locator. Some examples of private utilities include underground sprinkler systems, invisible fences, data communication systems, private water systems or gas piping to a garage.

Once all of your underground utilities are located, it is time to start digging, but be sure to keep a 24-inch distance from any utility markings. It can be helpful to excavate by hand when more control is needed to maintain this safe distance. If you do strike anything underground, stop work immediately. Your first priority should be evacuating the area for safety. Call 911 to notify emergency personnel and the affected utility. Even small nicks in underground lines can be expensive yet neces-sary to fix. For more information about 811 and digging safety, visit colorado811.org.

Call 811 2-3 business days prior to

starting any digging project.

A professional will come

& locate any potential

underground hazards.

Be sure to use appropriate digging tools

& respect the marks made by your

utility professional.

Never attempt to move

or relocate utility lines.

This job is meant for

a professional. If you accidentally hit a line,

immediately stop all operations,

call 911 if injured, & notify your

utility company.

We are the professionals. Visit,

gvp.org/safe-outdoors for more

safe digging information.

ELECTRIC

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YOUR CO-OP NEWS