Alaska Village Electric Cooperative > Messages from the CEO > A Message from Meera — January 2019

A Message from Meera — January 2019

Posted: January 1, 2019

Meera Kohler

November 30, 2018 is a day many of us will not forget soon. At 8:29 a.m., a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Anchorage. That seems modest compared with the 9.2 Good Friday earthquake in 1964, but this one was centered much closer, so was strongly felt in and around Anchorage.

The earthquake was felt hundreds of miles away and caused a fair amount of damage to roads, bridges and buildings. The Minnesota Boulevard off ramp to International Airport Road—a mile from AVEC headquarters—was pictured on national news and hundreds of social media sites! Dozens of buildings have been declared unsafe to occupy and it is likely, when all is said and done, that damages will total hundreds of millions of dollars.

Thankfully, the AVEC property suffered no damage other than a lot of rattled employees. Pictures and other artwork fell off walls and several computer monitors came down. Shelves were emptied of files and books but because we strengthened our building against earthquakes when we remodeled a few years ago, damages were minimal.

The Christmas season is upon us and the New Year shines bright ahead. We are planning on a lot of construction activity in 2019 and here is a sampling:

  • The 20 mile intertie between St. Mary’s and Mt. Village will be built over this winter and work will continue at the St. Mary’s power plant to integrate the new wind turbine. We also expect to break ground for the new tank farm there.
  • The tank farm in Noorvik will undergo repairs to the dike and liner.
  • Generator overhauls/replacements will occur in Chevak, Elim, Goodnews Bay, Holy Cross, Kiana, Koyuk, Marshall, Mekoryuk, Minto, Old Harbor, Quinhagak, Scammon Bay and Toksook Bay.
  • Roofing and deck projects are planned for Alakanuk, Ambler, Anvik and Holy Cross.
  • Battery system upgrades will occur in Eek, Shungnak and Wales

In addition, we expect to build services to connect dozens of homes, install or replace streetlights as needed by the communities and continue pole replacements and right-of-way clearing in many of our communities. We wish you all bountiful fish and game, good fortunes and healthy families in the New Year!

Happy New Year,

Meera Kohler
President and CEO