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Does Installing Your Own Renewable Energy System Make Sense?
It’s very important to first check with AVEC to be sure whatever system you want to install will be allowed to be connected to the utility system (grid). With the high cost of fuel and energy in rural Alaska there are often vendors that want to sell renewable energy “solutions” to co-op members with the […]
September 2016 – Nominations Open for AVEC Board:
The bylaw amendments adopted by the membership last year have changed the way board members are elected. Instead of being elected by delegates at the annual meeting in Anchorage, they are now elected by you, the members, via a mail-in ballot. To implement that process, the AVEC Board will soon appoint a nominating committee of […]
August 2016 – Construction Season is Upon Us.
I was at a conference in the Lower 48 last month, and someone asked me how many seasons we have up in Alaska. Without missing a beat, I responded, “Two: winter and construction season!” While it did get a chuckle, it is nonetheless the truth. We have small teams of employees and contractors scattered throughout […]
July 2016 – Summer Means Fire Season.
It is summer in Alaska! That also means it is fire season. Last winter was a mild one with less snowfall than normal. Spring came earlier than usual as well, with the accompanying good news that break-up was largely uneventful, with no significant flooding. A mild spring with less than normal rainfall has brought many […]
June 2016 – Looking Back to the Year 2000.
It seems like only yesterday, but it has been 16 eventful years since I came to AVEC as your president and CEO. So much has happened since then. I thought it would be interesting to look back on all we have accomplished. At the end of 1999, we served 21,000 Alaskans in 51 communities and […]
May 2016 – In Memoriam, Steve Gilbert.
Steven Gilbert was a respected member of our leadership team at AVEC the past few years. He passed away unexpectedly on April 3, 2016, leaving an enormous gap in our cooperative family. Steven was born November 21, 1957, in Marion, Indiana. He was an electrical engineer who moved to Alaska in 1984. Steven worked for […]
April 2016 Back Page – Board of Directors Election and Annual Meeting.
This edition of Ruralite magazine will arrive in your mailbox just about exactly the same time as our 2016 Annual Meeting is underway in Anchorage. We will soon have results of AVEC’s first director election where the members themselves have selected their representatives to serve on the board. Approximately 6,800 ballots were mailed in late […]
March 2016 Back Page — Bethel Community Annual Meeting.
I had the pleasure of attending Bethel’s second community annual meeting last month and am pleased to report it was well attended, with a lot of good discussion and questions asked and answered. The meeting was chaired by one of last year’s Bethel delegates, Beverly Hoffman. It is the privilege of the chairwoman to determine […]
February 2016 Back Page — Nominating Committee Selects Board Candidates.
With the bylaw changes passed by the membership last year, nomination of candidates for board seats is now the responsibility of a seven-member nominating committee appointed by the AVEC Board of Directors. The committee was appointed in October 2015, and met numerous times via teleconference to complete its assignment. Members of the nominating committee must […]
Proper Ground Is Important
By Bill Stamm. What is Ground? In a home electrical system, “ground” is literally the earth. Electrical equipment and receptacles are grounded to prevent personal injury and equipment damage. In modern house wiring there are three wires. One of the wires is a ground wire, which runs back to the main service panel and is […]