Thank you!

I would like to take some time this month to thank the membership for your patience and understanding during the outages we experienced across our system in December and January due to the heavy frost.

This was the third major weather event in ten months that drastically affected our service area and our membership.

Thank you to the members who moved snow so our crews could access damaged lines and poles to make repairs.  Also, thanks to the members who reported low-hanging lines, broken poles, broken crossarms and downed lines. The information was very valuable and a big help to us.

We had assistance in the field from our co-op friends at Cass County Electric Cooperative,Fargo, Dakota Valley Electric Cooperative, Edgeley, and Lower Yellowstone Rural Electric Cooperative,Sidney, Mont., as well as contracting companies, Higher Power and Voltage Power Solutions.

In all, crews replaced 51 broken poles, spliced countless broken wires, and replaced numerous broken crossarms and jumper wires.  We believe we have covered the system fairly well, but we might have missed some things. We would appreciate a call if you notice things that still need our attention.

I would encourage you to pay special attention to power line clearances when working in the fields this spring. Lines may have been stretched because of the heavy frost on the lines and could be hanging lower than in the past.

I would also like to thank the employees of Burke-Divide Electric Cooperative. During a time of extreme stress and long days, all of the employees of the cooperative adapted to the roles needed during the storm restoration process.  We became a cohesive unit, with the end goal of getting power restored to our membership. I’m proud of all of the employees, and I hope you are, too!

With sincere gratitude,

Jerry King
General manager