Customer service and communications professionals from around New England gathered in Rhode Island on April 10 -11 for the 2008 NEPPA Customer Relations Conference. The event began with a minor league baseball game at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket. Participants experienced first-hand top-flight customer service while Pawtucket Red Sox General Sales Manager, Cookie Rojas, gave tips on diffusing difficult customer situations and shared anecdotes drawn on the successful development of the popular stadium.

An individual and a team were the recipients of the Carol Tracey Award for excellence in customer service in 2008. The awards were presented at the NEPPA Customer Relations Conference on April 11 at the Renaissance Hotel in Providence, R.I. The recipients were recognized for their contributions to outstanding customer service in their utilities in a variety of different areas.
The recipients were Brigit Lambert of the Templeton Municipal Light and Water Plant and the Information Technology Team at New Hampshire Electric Cooperative

We are now four months into our 2008 budget year and I am pleased to report that progress is being made on several fronts in the implementation of NEPPA's strategic plan. Member support (through increased dues) and the hard work of staff and committees are showing positive results in achieving some of the first-year goals contained in the plan

Ground has been broken at the 150 Potter Rd. site of the new power plant that will be known as the Thomas A. Watson Generating Station in honor of the founder of Braintree Electric Light Department (BELD).

The South Hadley Electric Light Department recently took delivery of a new $1.3 million, 65-ton transformer. that measures 18 feet 9 inches tall, 15 feet wide and 13 feet 10 inches long. It came on a 114-foot-long flatbed truck from Lynchburg, Va.

In a landmark initiative for a utility, the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) has announced a partnership with Portsmouth-based Clean Air - Cool Planet (CA-CP) to quantify and reduce the company's greenhouse gas emissions

NEPPA welcomes two new associate members: Direct Energy and Evergreen Electric.

Hello. As the "new kid on the block"-NEPPA's new training consultant - I thought it might be a good idea to introduce you to my background, some of my thoughts about workforce education, and my training goals for the next few months. I am already familiar with the organization, having delivered several Public Utility Management Program seminars in New Hampshire, and have always enjoyed my interaction with the participants in those sessions. Now I am looking forward to interacting with you more frequently.

It gets pretty tiring to be constantly looking for linemen, engineers and supervisors. Placing ads - hoping, praying that someone - anyone will apply. The persistent pressure of running short. The steady questions from employees, from trustees, as to when you're getting some help on board. Unless you're the human resource manager, you're dealing with this on top of your regular job.

Mark and Jay Kruger of long-time NEPPA member and supporter, Altec Industries, will be dinner speakers at NEPPA's Safety & Operations Conference planned for June 10-11. However, the two brothers will not be talking about bucket trucks. The topic will be the value of a healthy life style.

Each year, NEPPA recognizes individuals who have made contributions to their utilities, communities, and to public power. The awards are presented during the annual conference in August, and nominations are welcome from all NEPPA members.

At the invitation of the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a group of NEPPA members met in mid-April to provide first-hand information on their working relationship with ISO-New England, as part of a national study of RTOs and ISOs. The study, which has been commissioned by the GAO as a result of a Congressional request from the offices of Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), is expected to take approximately 6 months to complete.

May 7
Regional Power Supply Committee Meeting
Highlander Conference Center
Manchester, N.H.

May 7
Human Resources Roundtable
Chocksett Inn
Sterling, Mass.

May 9
Public Communications Committee Meeting
NEPPA Office
Milford, Mass.

May 13-15
Substation Program
Pascoag, RI

May 20-22
Advanced Lineworker
Pascoag, RI

May 27-30
Apprentice Lineworker III
Pascoag, RI

June 4-5
Apprentice Lineworker Skills
Assessment Rodeo
Pascoag, R.I.

June 10
Board of Directors Meeting
Holiday Inn
Boxboro, Mass.

June 10 - 11, 2008
Safety & Operations
Conference
Holiday Inn Boxboro Woods
Boxboro, Mass

August 10-13, 2008
Annual Conference
Mt. Washington Resort
Bretton Woods, N.H.

September 11
GF/Crew Leader Roundtable
TBA

October 3
Annual Membership Meeting
Chocksett Inn
Sterling, Mass.

October. 28-30
Crew Leadership
Stowe, Mass.

November 19-21
Public Utility
Management Program
New England Center
Durham N.H.