What do you do outside of serving on Dawson PPD’s board of directors?
I farm and ranch with my family east of Brady in Lincoln County. I also enjoy serving on the board of Trustees at the First United Methodist Church in Gothenburg and attending Nebraska Cattlemen and Dawson County Cattlemen meetings and activities. My fun hobby is to raise show pigs for 4-H and FFA kids with my sons Patrick and Evan.
What made you want to serve on the Dawson PPD Board of Directors?
The opportunity presented itself in 2014 to run for the Lincoln subdivision and I have always had an interest in how the electrical power system worked and benefited farmers and communities. I am currently serving my second term and treasurer of the Dawson PPD board.
What is your favorite memory serving on the board?
Being a young fellow coming on the board and being able to sit with legends such as Paul Neil, Bill Henry, Dave Dwiggins and the current board members; and how they were open and mentored me to be the current board member I am.
Why is it important to serve on Dawson PPD’s board?
Nebraska is a public power state and needs to be served by individuals in the state that are consumers of the product. In order to maintain the public power model, we need to ensure that we maintain safe and affordable public power from today through the tomorrows.
What does the future hold for public power?
Some exciting times, but also some challenging times lie ahead. We need to ensure that the electrical generators maintain a healthy mix of base load generation with the right mix of renewable energy generation. Along with this, the need to incorporate our customers’ renewable generation such as home solar and wind projects into the electrical formulas. The mix of all of this is to make sure we have continuous power to the District’s customers 24/7. The future is bright for Dawson PPD and this could not be done without the workforce at Dawson PPD who maintain our infrastructure, poles, wires, equipment and provide customer service all while monitoring the continuous increased cost of inputs and maintaining affordable rates to our customers.
OTHER NEWS
Between the lines: Weathering the storms
By Gwen Kautz, General Manager gkautz at dawsonpower.com 308-324-2386 Another cloudy day with forecasted rain. Normally we appreciate the rain, but this year the rain has wore out her welcome. Locally, I’ve seen numerous road closings as well as pick ups and tractors...
New incentives available for electric vehicles
New incentive programs have been introduced to help consumers adopt electric vehicles. Through a grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust, Nebraska Public Power District and Dawson Public Power have announced three programs to help reduce the upfront cost of...
5 outdoor electrical hazards
1. Power Lines Always look up and out for power lines. Keep you and your equipment at least 10 feet away from power lines. 2. Outdoor Outlets These should be powered by a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI), whihc turns itself off it is senses a current leak or a...