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CO-OP NEWS
www.kvremc.com
CONTACT US Toll Free: 800-552-2622 Local: 219-733-2511
OFFICE HOURS 7:30 a.m.–4 p.m. Central Time Monday-Friday
STREET ADDRESS 8642 W. U.S. Highway 30 Wanatah, IN 46390
MAILING ADDRESS P.O. Box 157, Wanatah, IN 46390
EMERGENCY POWER OUTAGES To report a power outage, please call 800-552-2622. We are available to serve you 24 hours a day. When calling, please provide the name in which your account is listed. Also, please be sure to check your fuses or breakers.
KANKAKEE VALLEY REMC STAFF Scott Sears, Chief Executive Officer Alissa Tucker, Executive Assistant Angie Swanson, Office Manager Amanda Steeb, Communications and Marketing Director Dave Howell, Purchasing and Facilities Manager Scott Hanson, Director of Operations Bri Travis, Director of Engineering
To ensure your payment information is kept secure, our in-office CSRs can no longer process an over-the-phone payment. All payments must be made using our automated payment system. When calling the office, please follow the prompts to the payment system. We still welcome in-person payments at the office.
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facebook.com/KVREMC FROM THE CEO:
Celebrating Membership
OCTOBER IS NATIONAL COOPERATIVE MONTH.
Fall is a busy time, and October is a particularly eventful month with school, community and sports activities in full swing. It’s also when all cooperatives celebrate National Cooperative Month.
When Kankakee Valley REMC celebrates Co-op Month, it is celebrating you! After all, our coop wouldn’t exist without you, our members.
Our core business purpose is to serve as your electricity provider, but your co-op’s larger mission is to help make our communities a better place. “Concern for Community” is one of seven guiding principles that all coops share.
Just like the wires that run through our service territory, our concern for community flows through all of our decisions –– because being a co-op means being a responsible partner and good neighbor.
Kankakee Valley REMC helps our communities thrive through initiatives led by our employees and a local board made up of neighbors who live in them. Because we’re local, we understand our community’s unique needs and strive to help meet them. The word “cooperative” is close to “cooperation,” meaning people working together toward a common goal — mutually benefiting one another and the larger community. That’s the essence of the cooperative spirit. Our employees and memberelected board members are invested in the community in which we live andserve.
Above all, as a co-op we put our members’ priorities first. As your trusted energy partner, we know that saving energy and money is important to you. That’s why we have numerous programs and rebates available through our Power Moves and Power Shift programs.
We want to empower you to manage energy use at home. If you haven’t already, I encourage you take a moment to download our app, SmartHub. Through the app, you can conveniently monitor and manage your energy use. We’re here to help so call us if you have questions about your energy bills.
Kankakee Valley REMC is continually examining ways to operate more efficiently while providing the highest level of friendly, reliable service you expect and deserve. After all, we’re your local co-op. We were built by the members we serve.
SCOTT SEARS
Chief Executive Officer
WHEN WEATHER STRIKES
We do our best to avoid them, but there's no way around it: power outages happen.
While some outages often only last a few hours, extended outages are unavoidable when a major storm hits our service area.
So, when the power goes out, how do KV REMC crews know where to start working? In the aftermath of a major storm that causes power interruptions, we implement a service restoration plan emphasizing safety and efficiency. Repair crews are first assigned to the most critical areas to make them safe for the general public. Our second priority is to restore power most efficiently. We have taken these steps when deciding where to send crews during a widespread outage.
SUBSTATIONS/TRANSMISSION LINES/EMERGENCIES
KV REMC has 10 substations and four metering points from where electricity is sent out over the REMC lines. Any problems with the substations or transmission lines, getting the power to those substations must be attended to first before other damages can be detected and repaired. During this time, we also respond to emergency accident situations.
MAIN THREE PHASE CIRCUIT LINES
Main three phase circuit lines carry electricity from substations and metering points to tap lines, homes, farms, and businesses. KV REMC checks main three phase circuit lines if the problem doesn't involve a transmission line or a substation. Crews work main three phase circuit line outages to restore electricity to the greatest number of members simultaneously.
TAP LINES
KV REMC's main three phase circuit lines branch off into tap lines. Tap lines serve only one member or very small groups of members.
INDIVIDUAL OUTAGES
Sometimes a problem lies at an individual transformer or on a tap line that serves one meter. These are usually the last to be restored unless a crew is working a tap line outage in the same area. During a storm, trees are generally the culprit of these individual outages.
If you experience a power outage, don't assume a neighbor reported it. It's best to report the outage yourself, and we can make it easy to do so. The quickest way to report an outage is through the SmartHub app or by calling 800-552-2622. You can keep up to date on restoration efforts on the KV REMC Facebook page.
Mother Nature can be unpredictable, but as a member of KV REMC, you can feel confident knowing we're standing by, ready to restore power as quickly as possible, keeping safety as our number one priority.
While most of us say we can’t live without electricity, there is a group of KV REMC members who literally can’t live without it. Your cooperative keeps a medical necessity list of households with an occupant dependent on life-support equipment. If you are on this list, we can notify you before a planned outage allowing you to make alternative arrangements. In an unplanned outage, the cooperative’s restoration process requires the system’s backbone to be restored first. We encourage members to be prepared with backup plans in case of an outage.
DO YOU RECOGNIZE ANY OF THESE NAMES?
Kankakee Valley REMC accounts for the following individuals and businesses have credit balances that were left when electric service was disconnected. If you know anyone on this list, please have him or her contact our office during normal business hours of Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. or you can email acollins@kvremc.com
ALLIANCE BUSINESS COMM AMARA & DAWN KPANDEYENGE AMY KAJER ANGELA CLEMONS ANN FRENCH BARBARA SAUNDERS BAUDELIO RAYGOZA BRANDEN BRKLJAC BRETT FISHER CAROLYN & CHRIS MCCURDY CASEY ROBINSON CHRISTOPHER BYERLEY CHRISTOPHER FORSTER COLE LANIGAN CRYSTAL COTY-JOHNSON DAVID N PAULSON DAVID ROOT DAVID W BURNS DC2A DC2A DELTA REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT DEREK HOWARD DERRICK BACEWIC DEVERLE SHAFER DEVON KEY DUANE JOSEPH DUSTEN CLARY ELEXUSS FABIAN ERICA BLAIR FRANCEILA MCFADDEN GABRIEL GARRITY GENE YOUNGGREEN GERALD RITHCIE GRID ELEMENTS HAYLEIGH YORK ILIE TOMUTA IRA GROUNDS JASON BATES JEFF BAILEY JENNIFER LOPEZ JEREMY DANIEL JERROLD MARTINEZ JOAH A MARTINEZ JOELLA OWENS JOSE PEREZ JOSEPH E JR & JOAN KENEVAN JOSH & MATTHEW LAWRENCE KAYLEE CARNAHAN KEVIN D HARNESS KYLE MANOLOVIC LAINE BRADLEY LARRY & GENEVA SHIDLER LINDA THOMPKINS LISA CRANDALL LYNNETTE JURCIK M & M MORTGAGE SERVICES INC MARK GRANT MARK H GRZANKA MARY ANN LYONS MICHAEL FOUT OSCAR DESCHAMPS PAUL & JANET BROWN RANDALL BOOKNIS ROBERT HINES ROSE KRUEGER SAMUAL RENFROW SHUNNA MASON SKYLER MORRIS TGC ENTERPRISES LLC THOMAS BOURSIER THOMAS RAYBURN TRAVIS NUSS WILLIAM J RISNER WRI PROPERTY MGMT ZACHARY JAMISON
ENTER TO WIN A BILL CREDIT!
Each month we ask three questions from the Kankakee Valley REMC articles.
DRAWING THREE WINNERS $75, $50, $25
Each month, one name will be drawn for each dollar amount. The winners will receive a bill credit on their next electric bill.
AUGUST WINNERS
Congratulations to the August winners! • $75: Cheryl W. - Medaryville • $50: Julie M. - Union Mills • $25: William S. - Kouts
DEADLINE TO SUBMIT CORNER ANSWERS IS THURSDAY, OCT. 13.
u _________________ is one of seven guiding principles that all co-ops share.
vThis year, KV REMC reimbursed over ____________in 4-H dues to our membership.
wThe quickest ways to report an outage are through _____________ and ___________.
Name: _________________________________________________
KV REMC Account No. ____________________________________
Address:________________________________________________
HOW TO ENTER
Enter online by visiting kvremc.com/quizcorner or mail your answers to: KV REMC, Attn: Quiz Corner, P.O. Box 157, Wanatah, IN 46390
For years, Operation Round Up has given Kankakee Valley REMC members an easy way to support local non-profits and students. The organization’s grants and scholarships are overseen by a volunteer board of directors. Last month, longtime director Darl Jarnecke retired.
“In my professional career, I served on a number of boards within Porter County,” Darl told us. “I will say the Round Up board was one of the best boards that I ever served on.” When asked to join, he saw it as a great opportunity to learn more about our part of Indiana. “The directors were dedicated to making sure the REMC members who rounded up their electric bills every month saw their dollars going to organizations that were helping those in need in their communities.”
The longtime member of the Kouts Chamber of Commerce says he’ll miss working with his fellow directors. “Each board member's perspective was somewhat different but there weren’t harsh differences about whether to fund an application.” Darl added that the co-op board and the Operation Round Up board “represent a hidden gem. More than just providing electricity to our homes, the boards work hard to improve our rural way of life.”
With a mission of serving the community, it is with the help of people like Darl and their investment of time in Operation Round Up that we can continue to help our community thrive.
Thank you, Darl, for your 20 years of service.
POWERING a better community
A focus of Kankakee Valley REMC is our commitment to the community. This commitment calls upon co-ops like ours to support the sustainable development of the communities weserve.
That′s far more than just a concept to our directors and staff. Every year, the REMC invests significant time and funds in activities supporting residents and strengthening our communities.
Here are some of the ways we demonstrate our commitment:
• Our employees promote safety by conducting high-voltage demonstrations for schools, 4-H groups, festivals, first responders, county highway departments, and other organizations. • Operation Round Up has given more than 1.5 million to local non-profit organization in addition to funding student scholarships.
• The REMC supports 4-H through financial donations, while our employees volunteer their time to provide classes and judging for the electric project. KV REMC reimbursed over $2,500 in 4-H dues to our membership this year.
• For the past eight years, our members have provided backpacks and school supplies to help local students who needed a little extra help. The KV
REMC Pack–a–Backpack program has given away over 2,000 backpacks filled with school supplies. • Festivals, parades, and fairs are loved not only by the community but by your co-op, too. Your co-op employees hosted a booth at the county fairs on
KV REMC Day at the Fair and threw candy and offered friendly waves at four town parades.
• Each year your co-op participates in a company-wide community service day. This year′s support was provided in conjunction with United Way Day of Caring and supported two Porter
County and one Starke County nonprofits.
Why is this commitment so important to us? We know that everyone benefits from a stronger community. Helping our neighbors has always been a tradition in our part of Indiana, and as a Kankakee Valley REMC member, you can take pride in this form of Hoosier hospitality.
