April 2024 Meeting Summary
PrintSDCEA Board of Directors Meeting Highlights, April 30, 2024
On Bill Repayment Program – A program to empower SDCEA members to make electrification and energy efficient home upgrades, paid for overtime on their monthly utility bill, with no money down, no credit check and low interest rates, will begin May 1. The program is made available by a collaboration between SDCEA, the Colorado Clean Energy Fund and Tri-State Generation and Transmission (SDCEA’s wholesale power supplier). For more information, members are asked to complete an interest form available on SDCEA’s homepage or: https://www.myelectric.coop/electrify-and-save/.
Building improvements – The board considered three bids on the repair of the heating and cooling system, replacing ceilings, and replacing office lighting throughout the Buena Vista headquarters building. The lowest confirmed bid on the project was $1.575 million, submitted by Bestway Mechanical.
References are being checked and further review of the bid with an architect is underway.
The board approved hiring Bestway Mechanical. The board did not approve increasing the 2024 structural improvement budget for remodels at the Buena Vista and Westcliffe offices. Instead, the board asked management to use the 2024 budgeted amount first, speak with a contractor, and come back when needed or add to the 2025 budget.
Election & Credentials Committee – Members Rob Canterbury, Sue Cobb, Terri Fitter, and Seth Williams were appointed by the board to review and confirm the results of the June 3 board election.
Cooperative Family Fund– The board authorized a $1,000 donation to the Cooperative Family Fund, a national organization that aids children of electric cooperative employees when they experience the loss of a parent while actively employed at a cooperative.
CARE – The board agreed to fund the Colorado Advocates for Rural Electrification (CARE) organization $2,500 in 2024.
New ERA Funding – SDCEA submitted a letter of intent to obtain solar and batteries for use at the Querida and Kettle substations for a possible New ERA federal funding grant. The cooperative may hear whether it is eligible for funding by the end of April.
GRIP 2 – SDCEA submitted a joint application with San Luis Valley REA, United Power, and several other cooperatives for federal GRIP 2 funding. The total SDCEA Grant request is $9,674,701. SDCEA would need to contribute $3,224,900.
Financial Report
Year-to-date (March 2024): Revenues are 2.4 percent under budget. Margins are healthy due to lower than budgeted expenses.
Total expenses are 9 percent under budget. The two main reasons for expenses being under budget are:
- More labor money is going to capital projects vs. expenses, when compared to last year.
- Purchased power costs reflect accrued purchased power expenses which are lower because SDCEA has purchased less power than budgeted so far this year (warmer winter heating months season than last year).
Engineering Report
154 New Service Work orders have been started in 2024.
NTRC is performing an engineering analysis for fiber installation. This includes working closely with Visionary Broadband (who bought Aristata), helping bring fiber communications to the Johnson Village and Nathrop areas.
A systemwide solar/distributed generation saturation study by Toth Engineering is nearing completion.
A new joint attachment agreement is complete and in use.
Buena Vista Town annexations, The Boulders, Carbonate Street, and The Crossing, are all ready for SDCEA construction to start in May.
Phase two of the Tommy Young line rebuild is underway. The Upper Verdemont Road line replacement will take place this spring.
Staking work is underway for line replacements by Silver-West Airport and by SDCEA’s Westcliffe warehouse. Work is scheduled for this spring.
Wildfire Mitigation Update:
Two crews are working in Custer County, where the grant funding by the Colorado State Forest Service will be utilized.
Operations is developing a plan to perform tree mitigation in Buena Vista.
Mitigation Project Totals since inception:
Total Overhead Line Miles in System: 750
Estimated miles to be Cut/Trimmed: 264
Total Miles Cust/Trimmed: 136
Percent Complete: 43
Estimated Project Cost: $9 Million
Total Project Spent: $5,347,000
Amount Remaining to Spend: $3,653,000
2024 Budget $2,119,045
2024 Spend Year to Date $492,538
2024 Budget Remaining $1,626,507
2024 Progress
Total Trees Removed – 367
Total Trees Trimmed –181
Hazard Trees Removed – 22
Executive Session: The board adjourned into executive session to discuss matters to be held in confidence. No action was taken by the board after the executive session.
