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Month: May 2018

SECO Energy Trustee Dennison Earns NRECA Director Gold Certification

SECO Energy District 4 Trustee and Vice President Richard Dennison has completed the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) Director Gold Credential Program.

 

According to the NRECA, the Director Gold credential recognizes utility professionals who are committed to advancing their knowledge and performing their fiduciary duty to the best of their ability. Before obtaining the advanced Director Gold credential, Vice President & Trustee Dennison completed both the NRECA’s Board Leadership Certification and the Credential Cooperative Director Certificate.

 

A SECO member since 1999, Vice President & Trustee Dennison lives in Marion County and is active in his local community. Dennison was first elected to SECO’s Board of Trustees during a special election in 2015 when a former Trustee vacated the post. Dennison was re-elected in 2017 and was elected to his first officer position as Board Vice President in April 2018.

 

Vice President Dennison stated, “I am proud to continue my education through the NRECA. Earning the Director Gold credential allows me to broaden my utility industry knowledge to benefit the SECO membership at large. SECO Energy has an outstanding operational and financial performance record. I am proud and humbled to work with my Board peers and serve our SECO members.”

 

CEO Jim Duncan praised Dennison’s commitment to his continuing education and SECO members. Duncan stated, “I commend Vice President Dennison’s committed effort to enhancing his industry knowledge through the NRECA Board education program. Mr. Dennison is an essential member of SECO’s Board of Trustees, I am grateful for his service and commitment to our members.”

 

Visit our website for photos and brief bios of the Trustees along with an interactive District map. “Like” SECO’s Facebook page and “follow” @SECOEnergy on Twitter for news releases and cooperative updates.

SECO Energy Raises $29,462 for Relay For Life’s “Hunt for a Cure”

SECO Energy joined the movement of fighting cancer with its “Hunting for A Cure” team slogan during the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life annual fundraising campaign. Year after year, SECO’s employees enthusiastically adhere to one the cooperative’s core values – Commitment to Community – by supporting local community projects and causes. This year, SECO employees, vendors and partners reflect this principle by generously donating more than $29,462 to the American Cancer Society (ACS) of Citrus, Marion Lake and Sumter Counties – doubling its set goal and raising over half of Sumter County’s ACS goal.

 

ACS Community Development Manager Katrina Baggett stated, “I am excited to see a small community such as Sumter County make such a huge impact for the American Cancer Society. The Sumter County Relay For Life set out in September of 2017 to reach a goal of $50,000 and by the end of the event on April 28, 2018, that goal had been met. Sumter County is not only crushing goals on the local level, but is helping ACS with the overall goal of crushing cancer.”

 

Several fun-filled SECO employee activities including the April 21 SECO sponsored golf tournament at Arlington Ridge, pushed the company’s fundraising efforts beyond its goal. Over 60 players and their respective companies committed to sponsorships valued at over $10,500. These funds were donated to ACS to find cures for cancer and reduce the burden of the disease on our community, co-workers, friends and family members. “We salute our sponsors and our participants, who joined us for a fun day of “Hunting for a Cure” on the green,” said SECO employee and Relay For Life team member Lisa Perryman.

 

On April 28, SECO’s Team joined a community gathering of volunteers, caregivers and survivors at the Relay For Life walk held at the Sumter County Fairgrounds. SECO employees Danielle Booker and Donna Etts created a “Hunting for a Cure” campsite. Relay team members played fun games and took turns walking themed laps during the 10-hour event signifying a cancer patient’s non-stop fight. At the Relay, two members of the SECO Team honored as cancer survivors took part in a special lap.

 

SECO also matched the first $10 of its employees online team contribution and supported other fundraisers in the first quarter that raised ACS funds. The company sold camouflage t-shirts with the “Hunting for a Cure” theme, held a silent auction and other drawings. Participation resulted in record-breaking ACS fundraising for SECO.

 

The SECO team and the Relay For Life purpose is to support those currently battling cancer, honor those that have fought the battle and won and remember those who have lost their fight against cancer. Proceeds help the ACS make an international impact on cancer.

 

SECO’s Relay Team Captain Elizabeth Beagle spoke during the April 28 Relay For Life event on SECO’s behalf as a presenting sponsor. Beagle stated, “SECO has supported Relay For Life for 16 years and has raised over $124,000 for ACS. I am truly humbled by each employee’s effort to make this a successful campaign. Thank you SECO for continuing to adhere to our core values to support the Relay For Life event year after year.”

 

Visit SECO’s Community page online to learn more about SECO’s community involvement. “Like” SECO’s Facebook page and “follow” @SECOEnergy on Twitter for news releases and cooperative updates.

SECO Energy Congratulates 2018 Scholarship Awardees

May 1, 2018 – SECO Energy is a not-for-profit electric cooperative operating for the benefit of its members. As a member-focused cooperative, SECO is committed to delivering reliable, safe, affordable power to its members and focuses on community enrichment.

 

SECO Energy’s Board of Trustees first approved the scholarship program for local students in 1996. In the twenty years since inception, SECO’s scholarship program has awarded almost $600,000 in scholarship monies to 281 young scholars residing in SECO’s service area.

 

This year’s SECO scholarship recipients are a class of bright, ambitious, hard-working students who are concentrated on achieving their goals. SECO’s 2018 Scholarship Program awardees are:

 

Jahmani Walter Beckford, Groveland, is graduating from Real Life Christian Academy.
Eunice Garcia Ceballos, Ocala, is graduating from Belleview High School.
Chelsea Chapa, Eustis, is graduating from Mount Dora High School.
Kaylie Rae Fields, Umatilla, is graduating from Umatilla High School.
Jasmine Renee Gee, Ocala, is graduating from West Port High School.
Odalis Lora, Astatula, is graduating from Tavares High School.
Moriah Martin, Bushnell, is graduating from South Sumter High School.
Luz Elena Mata, Summerfield, is graduating Belleview High School.
Corinne Ross, Tavares, is graduating from Tavares High School.
Ashlyn Paige Saunders, Ocklawaha, is graduating from Belleview High School.
Stephen Ngozi Unamaka, Clermont, is graduating from East Ridge High School.
Katelin Vaughn, Belleview, is graduating from Belleview High School.

 

President and District 9 Trustee Jerry Hatfield is looking forward to meeting this year’s scholarship recipients. Hatfield stated, “As a former Lake County educator, I know first-hand our local schools are filled with students who desire an education beyond high school. This desire is sometimes hampered by limited financial resources. SECO’s Scholarship Program offers students monetary assistance to help them achieve their goals of a further education and a future career.”

 

CEO Jim Duncan believes the SECO Scholarship Program could be a first step to a successful career path, possibly with SECO. Duncan stated, “A career path with SECO Energy may be a good fit for some of our scholarship recipients. SECO is centrally located near their hometowns and several metropolitan areas in Central Florida. We hire a host of high-skilled, high-wage positions that include a robust benefits package with generous paid-time-off, medical coverage, dental and vision coverage. An additional benefit that may be particularly interesting to younger potential employees is our student loan repayment assistance program.”

 

Duncan continued, “The energy industry is growing and with that growth are new technologies and new career opportunities. SECO is a growing cooperative that needs highly skilled employees to keep up with the latest industry trends and available technology.”

 

SECO will host a celebratory event for the 2018 scholarship recipients and their families at its headquarters on May 21, 2018.

 

Learn more about SECO Energy and its community participation online. “Like” SECO’s Facebook page and “follow” @SECOEnergy on Twitter for news releases and cooperative updates.

Sunshine State Stats, April 2018

April 2018 was slightly cooler on average than April 2017. The average temperature was 72°, while April of 2017 had an average temperature of 74°. Rainfall for April of 2018 was 3.46 inches compared to last April at 2.33 inches.

 

Sunshine State Stats April 2018 breakdown

 

There were 208 cooling degree days and 6 heating degree days for April 2018, while last year there were 283 cooling degree days with 4 heating degree days. The Degree Days are based on how much warmer or cooler the average temperature at a particular location is than 65°F. In other words, if the average temperature is 60° degrees outside on a particular day, there are 5 Heating Degree Days for that day in that location.

 

May 2018 is forecast to be somewhat the same as last year with average temperatures in the 80s and 90s. Rainfall is forecast to be heavier than normal compared to 2017. Much hotter weather is coming our way.

 

Keep in mind that 78°- 80° is the national standard for thermostat settings during the summer months. Per ENERGY STAR, investing in a programmable thermostat can save you about $180 annually. Wifi models that you can program from your computer or smartphone start at under $100 nowadays. Or you could win a wifi programmable thermostat in our May Facebook incentive. Read this month’s SECO News for details.

 
 
If you want to check historical usage, log into SmartHub to view past bills and charts. If your usage is high, SECO offers several energy-efficiency tools to help you identify energy wasters. Take the Home Energy Assessment to receive a detailed email tailored to your home’s features and lifestyle. The energy-saving advice will provide low-cost ways to decrease your usage – and your electric bill.

 
 
To easily calculate how much energy your appliances, lighting, electronic devices, and other energy-using items in your home consume, use the Energy Estimator. If you want a member of our Energy Services team to come to your home to perform a free energy audit, contact us today to book an appointment.

Nature’s Reflections – Florida Osprey

The Fish Eagle – Master of the Catch

 

The osprey (Pandion haliaetus), Florida’s fish eagle, gets its name from the Latin word for sea eagle. These eagle-like birds of prey catch fish with impeccable precision and finesse. Measuring 21 to 24 inches in length, ospreys have long, pointed wings spanning six feet. The head, throat and undersides are white; the back, nape, tail and back of the head are dark brown with a black stripe located behind the eye. Ospreys have a conspicuous crook in the wing and a black “wrist” mark in flight which differentiates it from the Bald Eagle. Its usual call is a loud, whistle: chewk-chewk-chewk.

 

Found throughout the world except in polar regions, northern ospreys migrate to warmer climates. A year-round Florida resident, ospreys are often sighted near large lakes and rivers.

 

Feeding almost exclusively on fish, ospreys capture a meal by nose diving into the water. Its feet are built to grasp and hold fish. Ospreys’ reversible outer toe can rotate and extend to the foot’s rear to grasp its prey with two front toes and two back toes by plunging its strong, hooked claws to grip either side of its prey.

 

Osprey pairs breed at three years, and build a bulky nest of collected sticks and debris including seaweed, bones, driftwood, corn stalks and trash. It is a little smaller than a Bald Eagle’s nest. Ospreys have a fondness for high trees, towers and utility poles near the water’s edge and usually not far from where it was born.

 

Both parents incubate the clutch of two to three white, buff/pink eggs for 35 days. The young fledge at eight to ten weeks.

 

Ospreys are not neat carpenters; the large nests often appear on SECO pole crossarms. Nests, debris and often ospreys come in contact with electric lines resulting in power outages and possibly the bird’s death. During rain, or when nest material is wet, the damp material conducts electricity to the nest site.

 

Strictly following the requirements and limitations of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, SECO exercises extreme care to protect these birds and their offspring by installing fiberglass nesting dishes to keep ospreys’ stick-built homes away from power lines in heavily osprey populated areas.

 

By placing the birds and nests out of harm’s way, SECO aids the survival of a protected species and helps prevent unexpected disruptions to your electric service. Ospreys enjoy having this secure nest and members enjoy watching the birds raise their families.

 

Installing nesting dishes near active osprey breeding sites is one of several initiatives to help protect our environment and the creatures that live within it.

 

Visit SECO’s YouTube channel to see osprey nest protection in action at the Dead River in Tavares.

 

Column & photos by Sandi Staton – sandi.staton@gmail.com

 

Read the full Nature’s Reflections article in the May 2018 SECO News online.