Manager’s Message — May 2019

You’re Invited to District Meetings

Dear Co-op Community Members:

I am thrilled to write this message officially as your general manager. After 20 years at Lane Electric, beginning as controller in 1998 and then finance and administration manager from 2009 until now, this is exactly where I want to be. This is where my heart is.

I am honored to work alongside your board of directors on local, regional and national issues that affect our cooperative and you, our members. I am providing a seamless transition for the board and our dedicated employees, and look forward to leading our co-op into the future.

You know as much as I do that 2019 has been eventful! Just five weeks after the historic snowstorm and resulting widespread outages, a torrential downpour drenched the Willamette Valley, causing flooding, landslides and evacuation notices that affected many of you. This was a disaster preparedness reminder that came sooner than we all imagined one would.

I encourage you to read pages 4-5 in this issue to learn about the experience of Zechariah English, an employee who is also a Lane Electric member and was affected by both the snow and the flood. He also is our disaster preparedness advocate. Page 8 continues our snowstorm 2019 recap and includes answers to FAQs we received after the storm. Page 25 includes tips for safely using a generator.

For more information about disaster preparedness, I invite you to attend our upcoming district meetings. We are especially grateful to Lane County Emergency Manager Patence Winningham-Melcher, who will present disaster preparedness information at each meeting.

Also at our district meetings, you can meet with your directors, hear updates from your board president, legal counsel and me, and learn about the financial condition of the co-op. The meeting will include a question-and-answer session, dinner and door prizes. You should have received your voter’s packet in the mail by now or will soon. You can mail your ballot or turn it in at a district meeting.

District Meeting Dates and Locations

Dinner at 6 p.m., meeting at 6:30 p.m.

  • Thursday, May 2, Twin Oaks Elementary (Eugene)
  • Thursday, May 9, Westridge Elementary (Westfir)
  • Tuesday, May 14, Lowell High School Gymnasium
  • Thursday, May 16, Upper Mckenzie Community Center
  • Thursday, May 23, Dorena Grange

I look forward to seeing you at the meeting nearest you!

Sincerely,

Debi Wilson
General Manager