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Your Electric Co-op
Chief Executive Officer
Matthew Collins
Mountainair Office
P.O. Box 157 • Mountainair, NM 87036
Moriarty Office
P.O. Box 669 • Moriarty, NM 87035 Telephone and Outages
505-832-4483 • 800-339-2521
marketing@cnmec.org
Website
www.cnmec.coop
Office Hours
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (M-F)
Board of Trustees President
Duane Frost Claunch, District 7
Vice President
Wayne Connell Mountainair, District 4
Secretary
Bill King Moriarty, District 8
Assistant Secretary
Phil Wallin Moriarty, District 1
Treasurer
Joe Vicente, Vaughn, District 3
Lisa Gardner
Estancia, District 6
Santos Tapia, Jr.
Moriarty, District 5
Mike Valdez
Estancia, District 2
Board Meeting
The Board of Trustees meets the fourth Thursday of the month at 9:00 a.m. unless otherwise noted. Please visit www.cnmec.coop for meeting notices and location of the meeting.
Operations During COVID-19 Pandemic
Our hearts go out to all affected by the
COVID-19 pandemic. This unprecedented crisis is challenging for every individual, family and community and it reminds us of how we are all connected as a community.
I want to personally reach out and share with you how we are approaching this situation at Central New Mexico Electric Cooperative. We have put in place contingency plans for business continuity and crisis management. This includes ongoing communication with staff and the board of trustees to coordinate emergency preparedness, crisis response and communications.
We’re focused on the health and safety of our employees and their families, so they can focus on serving you, our members. Several of our office personnel are working remotely from home. We’ve encouraged social distancing to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 at work, at home, and in our communities.
We’ve also diversified our staff redundancy for critical functions to maintain continuity of operations and customer service. Along with canceling all non-essential travel, we are working to combat the crisis at hand through strict adherence to the CDC guidelines on the job, at home, and in our community.
I want you to know we at CNMEC truly care about our members and our community, and we are committed to providing safe and reliable power especially through this challenging time. We are all in this together. ~ Matthew Collins, CEO
2020 Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., Canceled Congrats Youth Tour Winners
Dan-Enan O’Neill Kimber Perkins Julian Rutiaga
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) has canceled all in person programs hosted by
NRECA through June 24, 2020, due to the COVID-19 coronavirus public health crisis. This includes the 2020 Youth Tour. NRECA continues to monitor the public health crisis and based on health risks, local, state, and national stay at home orders and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NRECA has determined it is in the best interest of all members and families to avoid the risk of coming down with the virus.
Since many have prepared and planned for this incredible trip months in advance, this announcement may be disappointing to you as it is to all of us, but the safety and the well-being of our delegates and all those participating in this program is what matters most to the New Mexico Rural Electric Cooperative Association and NRECA.
Due to the cancelation of the 2020 Youth Tour, our 2020 recipients will have the opportunity to participate in the 2021 Youth Tour. Congratulations to Dan-Enan O’Neill, Kimber Perkins and Julian Rutiaga.
If you have a spring project involving any type of digging, it’s very important to make sure to locate and avoid any possible utility lines buried underground. Possible buried lines include electric, gas, phone, internet, and water. Whether you’re taking on building a new fence, deck, or tilling the soil to plant a garden, you should always call 811 before digging.
Dialing 811 is a free call that can be made from anywhere in the country. You can also visit nm811.org to submit an online request. Give the operator your location, and within a few days, they will arrange for “locators” from your local utility service providers to mark any buried lines with brightly colored paint or flags.
Failing to contact 811 and proceeding to dig in an unmarked area could result in disastrous, very expensive, and sometimes fatal consequences. In 2016, it was estimated that underground lines were damaged every six minutes caused by people that chose not to call and have the lines located and marked before digging.
Please remember to call 811 every time you dig even if you’ve had lines marked in the past. A few days wait is well worth the prevention of damage to buried utility lines. The neighborhood will also thank you as well.
Call 811 Before Digging
Small Changes Add to Big Savings
When the goal is keeping the house cool and comfortable, remembering that any activities adding heat and humidity to your air-conditioned spaces can increase your costs. • A cooler stocked with cold drinks and chilled snacks and placed outdoors can help reduce household traffic on hot summer days. • When cooking, consider using smaller appliances like a slow cooker or fire up the grill. • Ceiling fans operating in airconditioned space can make you feel about 4 degrees cooler while you are in the room. But the benefits only occur when a room is occupied. Turn off the fan when you leave the room.
Trimming Trees Near Power Lines Can Kill
There’s really no other way to say it: Trimming branches or limbs near power lines can kill
If you look the other way, get distracted by deciding which limb to trim next or lose your footing, you could inadvertently make contact with a power line. You might think you have a steady hand but moving a few inches off course could be the last thing you ever do. It doesn’t take contact with a wire to cause a fatal shock—electricity will jump to find the quickest path to the ground. Keep yourself and your tools or equipment more than 10 feet away from lines.
Report a dangerous tree
Trees close to power lines can be dangerous and cause wildfires. You can help our prevention efforts by reporting a tree you believe is potentially a hazard. Call us at 505-832-4483 or 800-339-2521.
