Sauk City Utilities Celebrates 100 Years of Service

The Sauk City Village Board held a special ceremony during its September meeting to recognize Sauk City Utilities for providing 100 years of low-cost, reliable electricity to their customers. A couple of special guests joined the meeting to recognize the utility and employees, past and present. State Sen. Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center) and State Representative Steve Hilgenberg (D-Dodgeville) presented commendation plaques from both the State Legislature and Governor Jim Doyle.

“There are more public power communities in my senate district than any other in the State,” said Sen. Schultz. “I am proud to know that the Sauk City Utilities which is locally governed and managed, has provided affordable, reliable electric service to our residents, businesses and industries for 100 years.”

MEUW Associate Director Scott Meske represented the association and presented a certificate to the Village Board President, Jim Anderson, and Director of Public Works and Utilities, Herman Mack.

“I think what sets public power utilities apart are the people,” said Meske. “One hundred years ago, the leaders in Sauk City believed so strongly they needed electric power, they didn’t wait for any other company to come to town. They did it on their own. Those principles of ownership and local control still guide our public power communities today.”

By passing the century of service mark, Sauk City Utilities became the 47th Wisconsin public power community to reach the service milestone. By the year 2015, 62 of Wisconsin’s 82 public power utilities will be in service more than 100 years.

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MEUW 4th Annual Lineman’s Rodeo a Success

The 4th annual MEUW Lineman’s Rodeo took place on September 12, 2009, in scenic Sturgeon Bay. The Rodeo consisted of five events this year: Lineman Safety & Knowledge Challenge; Pole Top Rescue; Dead End Bell Change Out; 600 Amp Disconnect Change Out; and, Transformer Change Out. Seven two-man teams completed throughout the day under sunny skies before a crowd of spectators:

  Tyler Leick and Neil Jack (Kaukauna Utilities);
  Josh Rohan and Toney Stobbe (Kaukauna Utilities);
  Steve Hedden and Mark Niggemeier (Oconomowoc Utilities);
  Shawn Foss (Reedsburg Utility Commission) and Mark Throndson
     (Cedarburg Utilities);
  Larry Donaldson and John McLain (Stoughton Utilities);
  Jonathan Diller and Chas Schink (Sturgeon Bay Utilities); and
  Ralph Vernig (Sun Prairie Water & Light) and Dave Strake
     (Wisconsin Rapids Water Works and Lighting Commission).

The day concluded with the traditional Awards Banquet, this year consisting of a Door County Fish Boil and Barbeque, and the following Rodeo winners were recognized:

  First Place: Josh Rohan and Toney Stobbe (Kaukauna Utilities);
  Second Place: Tyler Leick and Neil Jack (Kaukauna Utilities);
  Third Place: Jonathan Diller and Chas Schink (Sturgeon Bay
      Utilities); and
  Pole Top Rescue Individual Top Score: Neil Jack, Kaukauna
     Utilities (1:30.0 seconds).

Congratulations to all of the participants in this year’s Rodeo and thank you to all of the volunteers who assisted with the day’s events, including the event judges. For a complete listing of the final results and various photos from the 2009 Rodeo, go to www.meuw.org.

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Thanks to the Lineman’s Rodeo Host and Sponsors!

MEUW and the Rodeo Committee would like to thank the City of Sturgeon Bay and Sturgeon Bay Utilities for hosting this year’s event, and the following sponsors for making the 4th Annual MEUW Lineman’s Rodeo a great success:

Alternative Technologies, Inc. (ATI)
American Transmission Co.
Border States Electric
Burndy Electrical
Cooper Power Systems
Crescent Electric Supply Co.
DUECO, Inc.
Energis High Voltage Resources, Inc.
Faith Technologies, Inc.
H & H Utility Excavating, Inc.
Int'l Union of Op. Engineers
Just in Time Corporation
Krause Power Engineering
Muscoda Light & Water Comm.
PAR Electrical Contractors
R E S C O
Riverside Manufacturing Co.
Stuart C. Irby Co.
The Farm
Utility Sales & Service, Inc.
W.U.S.A.
WESCO - Utility
WPPI Energy

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MEUW District Dinner Meetings in October-November

We have once again scheduled MEUW District Dinner Meetings in the Fall. With so much going on for the association and in the electric industry, these meetings will be beneficial to all who attend. Please plan to have a representative or two from your utility and community attend.

While these are District Meetings, we encourage MEUW representatives to attend whichever dinner meeting is most convenient (whether it is in your district or not).

The cost for the dinner will be approximately $20 - $30 per person, depending upon location and menu. We will bill your utility for the guests from your community who attend. To allow us to give an accurate head count to the restaurant, please R.S.V.P. to MEUW Receptionist Shari Baumann (608/837-2263 or sbaumann@meuw.org) at least a week before the meeting you plan to attend.

The meetings will start at 6 p.m. with a cash bar, dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m., and there will be a presentation after dinner (either by MEUW Executive Director Dave Benforado or by MEUW Associate Director Scott Meske), followed by an informal discussion. Most meetings should be done by 8:00 p.m.

Hope to see as many of you as can make it at these District dinner meetings.

2009 MEUW District Dinner Meetings:
District 1 - Thursday, October 15, Rolling Oaks Golf Course, Barron;
District 2 - Thursday, November 12, Castle Hill Supper Club, Merrillan;
District 3 - Tuesday, October 20, Anello’s Supper Club, Shawano;
District 4 - Wednesday, November 4, 5th Quarter Sports Bar, Little Chute;
District 5 - Thursday, October 29, Badger Crossing, Cashton;
District 6 - Wednesday, October 21, Green Acres
Restaurant, Sauk City;
District 7 - Wednesday, November 4, Rock River
Country Club, Waupun;
District 8 - Thursday, October 29, Red’s Supper Club, Cuba City; and
District 10 - Wednesday, October 28, Olympia Resort, Oconomowoc

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Bill Pappathopoulos Has Passed Away

William C.T. Pappathopoulos, age 67, of Two Rivers, died on September 3, 2009, after a brief battle with cancer.

Bill was the Utility Director for the City of Two Rivers for 30 years, until his retirement in June of 2004. He served as MEUW President in 1980-81. He was Director and Secretary of WPPI from 1976-80 and an Executive Member of WPPI from 1981-84. He was also a Life Member of AWWA and IEEE, where he served as Section Chairman from 1980-81.

Bill was a charter member of the UW-Manitowoc Lakeshore Wind Ensemble, participating from 1984 until the present. He was also a member of the UW-Manitowoc Lakeshore Big Band, Two Rivers Municipal Band, and a regular member of the Mystic Moods Band.

Survivors include his wife, Marilyn; his mother, Roselyn; sons Daniel, Nicholas, Christopher and Michael; daughter Susan and her fiancé, Joshua Van Houten; daughers-in-law Allison, Sarah and Rana; grandchildren Tula and Abigail; sister Mary-Ann Wolters; brothers-in-law Mark Wolters and Douglas Kind; as well as nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends.

Funeral services were held on Tuesday, September 8, at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Two Rivers. Rev. David Scherbarth officiated at the service, with burial following in St. John's Lutheran Church Cemetery, town of Gibson.

Memorials may be made to St. John's Lutheran Church or the Lakeshore Wind Ensemble Association.

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“Session D” (Utility Accounting, Finance and Negotiations) on Wednesday, December 9
2009-2010 MEUW Management Certification Program Continues

The 2009-2010 MEUW Management Certification Program will continue with “Session D” (Utility Accounting, Finance and Negotiations) in Marshfield on Wednesday, December 9. We are offering this six-part series for the third time, based on two highly successful series in which we had over 150 MEUW member employees register for one or more of the sessions, 54 of whom received official certificates at the MEUW Annual Conference between 2006 and 2009.

One past attendee commented: “Getting much more out of this management program than the UW-Madison series. Will be attending all future sessions”. Another said: “This is the best class that I have ever attended. The speakers were great, very interesting and understandable”.

Each session will take place in central Wisconsin and run from approximately 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and the fee is $250 per person per session. We have locked in dates at the Marshfield Holiday Inn and lined up presenters for the next three sessions, as well as for a “bonus” session (not required for the certificate but offered due to requests from MEUW Members), Municipal Utility Labor Management Relations 101.

  Session D (Utility Accounting, Finance and Negotiations),
     Wed., Dec. 9, 2009 (Marshfield): John Andres and Jodi Dobson
     of Baker Tilly will lead this session. The registration deadline is
     Wednesday, November 25, 2009. The registration materials will be
     sent out on October 28 and will also be available online at
     www.meuw.org/events.htm.

  Session E (Personnel Issues), Wed., Feb. 10, 2010
     (Marshfield): Attorney Steve Zach of The Boardman Law Firm
     will lead this session, with an after lunch presentation by MEUW
     Safety & Health Manager Lisa Haen.

  Bonus Session (Municipal Utility Labor Management
     Relations 101), Thur., Feb. 11, 2010 (Marshfield): Attorney
     Steve Zach of The Boardman Law Firm will lead this session, held
     on the day after Session E (Personnel Issues).

  Session F (Customer Service and Public Relations), Wed.,
     April 21, 2010 (Marshfield): Instructor Stuart Fields will lead this
     session, with an after lunch presentation by Eagle River City
     Administrator (and former Menasha Mayor) Joe Laux.

This management training series is tailored for municipal utility personnel. The curriculum was designed by the MEUW Management Certification Program Committee, and is designed for both existing managers and future management prospects. Please consider taking advantage of these quality educational offerings.

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Register for October 15 Webinar
Pandemic Planning and an H1N1 Influenza Virus Update
By Chris Schlechta, MEUW Regional Safety Coordinator

On Thursday, October 15, at 10:00 a.m., MEUW will host a live Webinar for MEUW Members titled “Pandemic Planning”. We will discuss the important issues of municipal operational continuity, vaccination protocols for municipal employees, and other key pandemic planning topics. If you are interested in participating, watch for the Webinar announcement with registration information in early October.

In mid-April 2009, reports began to surface of a new strain of the flu that seemed particularly virulent. Within days, hundreds were reported to be sick in Mexico and soon the first reports of deaths attributed to this new strain of influenza were confirmed. Within the space of a couple of weeks this strain reached epidemic status having crossed numerous geopolitical borders and spreading to other continents.

Today we know the virus as the Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Virus (or 2009 H1N1 Influenza) which has actually been determined to be a mixed strain with genetic markers from the Swine, Avian, and Human Influenza strains. While vaccines will not be ready for distribution until October as a tentative target date, the virus has been found to be readily treatable with the prescription anti-viral medications “Tamiflu” (oseltamivir) and “Relenza” (zanamivir) which have been shown to be remarkably effective.

For more information, please visit http://www.cdc.gov or http://pandemic.wisconsin.gov. We look forward to sharing additional valuable information with you during the October 15th MEUW Webinar.

PREVENTION
Although there is a new threat out there, the methods of prevention are not new. Here are some common sense prevention tips to avoid becoming infected with the H1N1 or the seasonal flu;
1. Avoid close contact (within 6 feet) with sick people as much as
    possible.
2. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you
    cough or sneeze. Commercially available alcohol-based hand
    sanitizers are also extremely effective to reduce the spread to germs.
3. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth; germs can spread easily
    through your mucous membranes.
4. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue if you cough or sneeze,
    throw the tissue in a covered trash receptacle after you use it (don’t
    place it on your desk or in your pocket to use again), and then wash
    your hands or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

At home and at work you can also take steps to limit the spread of the flu;
1. If you are sick stay home.
2. Wash your hands frequently.
3. Clean all frequently touched surfaces such as door knobs,
    refrigerator handles, toilet seat and handle, telephone handsets,
    steering wheels, etc. Also clean hard surfaces such as bedside
    tables, bathroom surfaces, children’s toys, desks, and countertops
    with a standard disinfectant.

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New Southern Regional Safety Coordinator Jeff Helgestad Joins MEUW

MEUW welcomes Jeff Helgestad as the new Southern Regional Safety Coordinator.

Jeff began work on Monday, August 24, 2009 and brings a wealth of safety knowledge to our team. He will provide regulatory compliance and safety services to the five members of the Southern Regional Safety Group: City of Lodi; Villages of Prairie du Sac, Sauk City and Waunakee; and Waterloo Utilities.

Jeff brings 10 years of safety expertise in safety training, regulatory compliance, and safety program development to the MEUW Safety Team. Some of you may have heard Jeff’s name before as he previously served as the Training Manager with the Wisconsin Safety Council. Jeff also served as a Safety Technician for a general industry manufacturer prior to his employment with the Council.

Born in Fort Atkinson, Jeff currently resides in Cambridge, Wisconsin with his wife Joann and their two children; Jenna age 15 and Jared age 13. In his spare time, Jeff enjoys outdoor landscaping for wildlife, hiking for morel mushrooms and Muskie fishing.

Please join us in welcoming Jeff to the MEUW Safety Team!

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