NEPPA eNewsletter
July 2011
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Kenneth Sullivan, director of utilities for the Jewett City, Conn., Department of Utilities, received the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Larry Hobart Seven Hats Award at the association’s national conference in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes managers who perform a variety of duties in communities of 2,500 or fewer electric meters. During the past six years as director, Sullivan has made many improvements at the city’s electric and wastewater utility, addressing personnel management, policies and procedures and energy conservation. Sullivan is also secretary and a member of two operating committees for the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative. ##SHARELINKS##
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The Transmission Access Policy Study Group (TAPS) announced that John Twitty will become its first Executive Director effective July 1, 2011. Additionally, Thomas J. Heller, CEO of Missouri River Energy Services, has been elected Chair of the Board of Directors. He succeeds Roy Thilly, former president and CEO at WPPI Energy, who has retired. "John Twitty, through his long history of service to the utility industry as a leader and advocate for fairness and improvement in the transmission process, was a logical choice to help us manage TAPS to a new level," said Heller. "He’s the right person to lead this group at the right time." Twitty will retire on June 10 from a 28-year career in public power, most recently serving as General Manager/CEO of City Utilities of Springfield, Missouri. He is a well-known and respected voice for public power at the local, state and national levels. During his career, Twitty has served as Chair of several industry groups, including the American Public Power Association – Washington, D.C., The Energy Authority – Jacksonville, Fla. and the Missouri Association of Municipal Utilities. He has testified at the state level and before the Congress on utility issues. TAPS mission includes:
John Twitty, 417.838.8576 ##SHARELINKS##
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Two days of sunny, clear weather graced the 2011 Apprentice Skills Assessment Rodeo, which was held in mid-June at NEPPA’s training center at the Pascoag Utility District in Rhode Island. More than 60 apprentice students participated in activities which featured nine separate events over one and a half days. This year’s Rodeo will probably be remembered by one and all as the "Stanley Cup Rodeo," since the Boston Bruins and the Vancouver Canucks played game seven of the Stanley Cup finals on the first night of the Rodeo, with most of New England (and NEPPA apprentices) cheering the Bruins on to victory and then joining in the celebrations that followed. At the conclusion of the Rodeo, Steve Socoby, NEPPA trainer and apprentice instructor, drew some valuable lessons from the Bruins victory as he spoke to the apprentices. It was, he said, like so many other competitions, a battle of skills and will, with the talented Canucks ultimately losing to a team that brought more passion and willpower to the contest. As in hockey, he reminded them, so it is in any field of endeavor. Individuals who are determined, who grind it out, who refuse to quit, will always find a way to succeed, whether or not they possess all the skills of their more gifted opponents. This powerful combination of determination and effort, displayed so well by the Bruins, was on display throughout the Rodeo, as young apprentices performed difficult and dangerous tasks high in the air. For many of them, it was the triumph of confidence over fear, through constant practice and repetition and the support and encouragement of their fellow lineworkers. As Steve Socoby said, skill is evident to everyone, but will is hidden and can only be seen over a period of time. It is, however, within everyone’s grasp, as the Bruins showed us all on June 15th. ##SHARELINKS##
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Braintree Electric Light Department (BELD) has announced the launch of a state-of-the-art meter project called Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). The new system will provide customers with many important benefits, including remote meter reading and early detection and reporting of outages. These improvements will result in more efficient repair and response times. "Restoring power as quickly as possible after an outage has always been a top priority at BELD," said Municipal Light Board Chairman Tony Agnitti during a recent meeting with Vice Chair Jim Regan and Secretary Tom Reynolds. "This system will help us do that even more efficiently." The AMI project will be phased in over a two-year period, during which all BELD residential and business accounts will be equipped with an upgraded electric meter. ##SHARELINKS##
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Nearly everyone has heard of social media and some of the most common applications: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Yelp, blogs and wikis. Social media provides a rapidly growing audience and an immediate outlet for customer contact – especially for those in the under-40 crowd. How can public utilities harness the power of this new marketing and communications channel? NEPPA's annual conference will feature a session that will provide a high-level overview of the benefits and possible pitfalls associated with social media and building an online following for your utility. NEPPA's Annual Conference will be held August 21-24 at the Samoset Resort, Rockport, Maine. If you haven't signed up, do so now. Hotel rooms are going quickly. ##SHARELINKS##
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Each year, NEPPA seeks to recognize individuals who have made contributions to their utilities, communities and to public power. Award presentations are made during the Annual Conference in August. To help identify these individuals, NEPPA asks its members to submit nominations of worthy candidates. The award categories are as follows: Person of the Year - for sustained outstanding service and contributions to NEPPA and to public power.Francis "Skip" Willey Individual Achievement Award - for an employee of a NEPPA system who demonstrates a professional commitment to public power through personal development and participation in NEPPA’s educational programs and other association activities. Distinguished Service - for outstanding service to a NEPPA utility. NEPPA Service -for significant contributions to the association. Commissioner Service - for Commissioners or elected Light Board members who have provided outstanding leadership to their public power systems for three full terms or at least 10 years. Century Award - for member systems that celebrate their 100th anniversary during the year. Written nominations for any of these awards are welcome, along with a brief description of the individual’s contributions or achievements. Nominations of more than one individual may be made for the Distinguished Service, NEPPA Service or Commissioner Service Awards. Please send nominations to the NEPPA office by no later than July 8 (fax: 508-482-0932; email: sboone@neppa.org).
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NEPPA’s annual Safety & Operations Conference and Expo was held in early June and was attended by lineworkers and operations personnel from around New England. During the Expo, attendees had the opportunity to visit more than 45 different vendors representing a wide variety of utility tools, equipment, clothing, trucks and other services. Demonstrations were also held thoughout the day on fall protection equipment, FR clothing, tools and truck operations. The first day of the conference ended with a dinner in the hotel and a lively debate about the New England sports scene by radio personalities Larry Johnson and Craig Mustard of the WEEI Sports Radio Network.
The 2011 Expo was held in Fitchburg, Mass on June 8-9. Keynote speaker was Ricky Tobey who spoke on insulating. Evluma, Hydron and DC Bates were just a few of the exhibitors at this unique event. Linda Calderiso (bottom) sold tickets to the Benevolent Fund Lottery and $1,185 was raised.
On the second day of the conference, NEPPA held its traditional "Safety Forum" for utility lineworkers and managers. This year’s program featured four excellent presentations on safe working procedures and policies for public power utilities, focusing on the theme of "Work Smart and Work Safe!". Nancy Pearce from the Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards discussed her department’s role in overseeing workplace safety in the public sector and pointed out that it is the policy of her office, under Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 149, that public sector employees, including municipal light departments, must follow OSHA standards as a minimum. She also emphasized the need for written safety policies in all municipal light departments and described the ongoing collaboration between her department and NEPPA to develop model safety procedures for all Massachusetts public power systems.
Following Nancy’s presentation, NEPPA trainers Bob Henriksen, Linda Calderiso and Dave Fabrizius each addressed a different topic related to workplace safety. Bob Henriksen highlighted the critical importance of job briefings in utility work and strongly recommended that utilities consider having their job briefings put into writing for future use and review. Linda Calderiso provided a refresher on first aid and covered the steps that should be taken in the event of an accident or other health incident on the job. She reminded everyone of her teaching acronym: SETUP, which provides a quick checklist of things to be considered when stepping into an emergency situation: Stop, Environment, Traffic, Unknowns and Protection. Finally, Dave Fabrizius, NEPPA’s Safety Director, reviewed a checklist of things to do in the event of a job-related accident, including notification procedures, communications with family and fellow employees and crew and management responsibilities. He noted that NEPPA has recently developed a checklist of suggested post-accident procedures, which will be made available to all members in the near future following a legal review.
In summary, the 2011 Safety Forum was an excellent few hours of information and professional guidance from individuals who spend all their time trying to improve workplace safety. The message "Work Smart and Work Safe" came through loud and clear.
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The Northeast Public Power Association held its annual Apprentice Lineworker Skills Assessment Rodeo on June 15th and 16th at NEPPA's field training facility, located on Silver Lake Avenue in Pascoag, RI. Michael Kirkwood of the Pascoag Utility District welcomed participants and guests at the opening ceremony and Pascoag employees served barbecue lunches on both days. The events included Hurtman Rescue, Cross Arm Change Out, Transformer Change Out, Obstacle Course, Free Climb/Bucksqueeze, Rope Toss and "H" Frame Climb.  ##SHARELINKS##
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June is traditionally the time for high school and college graduations, but this year another group finished its classwork in June: students in NEPPA’s six-week "Professional Skills for Office Personnel" series. This first-time program, held at the Littleton, Mass. Electric Light & Water Departments, attracted 28 students from 13 utilities in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut (see box below). Students had the option of choosing from among the topics or enrolling in all six. An eclectic collection of topics was covered, all built around a common theme of professionalism: "Practicing Effective Interpersonal Skills," "Communicating with Email," "Working with Different Generations," "Communicating Upward," "Dealing with Difficult Employees" and "Managing Your Time and Getting Organized." Those who attended all sessions earned a certificate of completion and gathered for a group photo:
(Kneeling, l-r): Paula Travers, Helen Panico. Participating Utilities Massachusetts Rhode Island Connecticut ##SHARELINKS##
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