Manager’s Message — January 2021
Lane Electric Staff Works to Serve You
Dear Co-op Community Members:
Happy New Year! As we prepare for a new year and new goals, there is one thing we remain committed to: serving you, our members. While our operations have looked different the past several months, we continue to focus on providing reliable electric service to your homes and businesses.
With our doors still closed to the public, we miss the face-to-face interactions with you, but it has not stopped our dedicated staff from serving you. Lane Electric staff are devoted to our members. They are ready to answer your phone calls and questions; provide assistance to your electric service needs; and provide routine maintenance and repair to electric lines.
In the midst of the adjustments to our new—hopefully temporary—normal, we continued to prepare for 2021. In the upcoming year, we have some planned projects, continuing projects, and hope to receive grants that offset costs and increase safety to our members.
Staff will continue to focus a significant amount of time on the repairs and rebuilding of the McKenzie River area after the summer wildfires. These fires were devastating to our community and to the electrical infrastructure that services the area. To mitigate disasters like this in the future, Lane Electric has applied and is awaiting approval for two Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Grants for projects in Eugene and Veneta. These grants will help implement long-term hazard mitigation planning and reduce the vulnerability of communities to the effects of disasters.
Lastly, in 2021, we have planned four overhead-to-underground projects in Creswell, Eugene, Oakridge, and Cottage Grove. Moving these lines underground increases electric service reliability for our members, especially during inclement weather.
These planned projects are part of our continued effort to make the Lane Electric electrical system more resilient. Due to COVID-19, we will continue to have limitations, but we look forward to resuming normal operations sometime in the future. Someday soon, we hope to reopen the office doors to you and meet in person at a district meeting. We miss our members, and we wish you the very best in 2021!
Sincerely,
Debi Wilson
