Behind the Switch

A Newsletter Edition

November 14, 2024

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, CVEA would like members to know that it is YOU we are most thankful for. We appreciate your ongoing support of the Cooperative, and wish you all a safe and happy holiday season.

CVEA Recognizes the Veterans

That Power Our Cooperative

In honor of Veterans Day, CVEA thanks all veterans who have bravely sacrificed for our freedoms. We are grateful for your service.

We also want to highlight the CVEA veterans who power our cooperative! We appreciate all that you do. #VetsPowerUs

Nate Bengtson - Navy

Erik Brenden - Army

Lee Burke - Army

Dave Coon - Navy

Mike Haley - Air Force

Wayne McKinzey - Navy

Alex Reed - Army

CVEA Community Foundation Contribution Season Award Recipients

The CVEA Community Foundation (Foundation) was created to help the Cooperative do more for the communities we serve. The Foundation provides scholarships for students and contributions to educational, scientific, and charitable organizations in our communities. The Foundation is funded by capital credits that have escheated back to CVEA and generous donations 

from CVEA members.

Each year the Foundation contributes funding to local nonprofit organizations looking to fund new or expanding projects or programs that meet the Foundation's contribution guidelines. 

CVEA and the CVEA Community Foundation are pleased to announce recipients of the Foundation's 2024 nonprofit contributions. In 2024, the Foundation is proud to provide over $30,000 in support for these worthwhile organizations, and to assist in funding programs that are impactful for our members and communities.

Congratulations to everyone involved, and thanks to all for everything they do!

Cooperative Month Trivia Winner

Thanks to everyone who participated in the 2024 Co-op Month Trivia Contest. Congratulations were given to Alysia Hancock, in the Copper Basin district! Alysia was the lucky winner of a $150 CVEA energy credit. Roughly 137 people participated in the contest, checking into the CVEA Facebook page daily over a 10-day period to see what trivia question we asked and commenting with their answer. Everyone did great. Post-contest comments indicate that you had fun and learned a bit about electric cooperatives. We look forward to playing trivia with you again in the future.

Kids' Co-op Month Crossword Challenge

Congratulations to Tovey, Davey, and Savvi Malone-Crain, and Harper Feicht. They were winners of the Co-op Month Energy Explorers crossword puzzle challenge. For showing us what they know about the Seven Cooperative Principles, they each won a Subway gift card.

Thanks for participating!

Thanks for Celebrating Community at the CVEA Co-op Month Pick-Your-Own Pumpkin Patch

Supporting Our Food Banks

Sharon Scheidt, Todd Stahley, Wayne McKinzey, and Amanda Shipman of CVEA, along with CVEA/Alyeska volunteer, Eric Scheidt, delivered food and monetary donations given generously by participants during the CVEA Co-op Month Pick-Your-Own Pumpkin Patch, to representatives of the CRB Resource Council and Valdez food banks.

The 2024 events raised $850 in the Copper Basin and $2,896, in Valdez. In addition, over 12 boxes of food were collected in Glennallen and 803.2 pounds of food were donated at the Valdez event.

Kate Dugan, of Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, announced Alyeska's plan to match the monetary donations with $750 in the Copper Basin and $2,250, in Valdez, raising total donations to $1,600 and $5,146, respectively, for our local food banks!

CVEA thanks Alyeska, and all those who donated at the Pumpkin Patch, for their generosity!

The video below highlights support of the food banks this Co-op Month. Click to view.

Local Nonprofits and Vendors

Click the videos below to enjoy highlights of the Copper Basin and Valdez Co-op Month Pick-Your-Own Pumpkin Patch events!

Roughly 350 people attended the Copper Basin event and 600 joined us in Valdez. An estimated 750 pumpkins were picked from the patches, combined.

In addition to having fun, we supported seven local nonprofit organizations in each district; providing an opportunity for exposure, interaction with the community, and FUNdraising. Together, we raised $400 for each nonprofit in the Copper Basin and $425 for each participating organization in Valdez.

CVEA thanks the local nonprofits and vendors for their participation. Our events would not be successful without them.

Participating nonprofits include:

Copper Valley Community Library, Glennallen Nordic Ski Club, Copper River Hockey Club, Glennallen PTO, Connecting Ties, CREMS, CRB Child Advocacy Center, CVT, Imagination Library, Valdez 5th Grade Field Trip, Valdez Police Department/ASFA, Valdez Blizzards Youth Wrestling, End of the Road Ren Faire, Valdez Adventure Alliance, and Valdez Co-op Preschool.

Food vendors include: Sarah Dolge's Gluten-Free Cupcakes, The Love's Kitchen, B's Hive, and Sticky Fingers Bakery.

We appreciate everyone coming together to celebrate COMMUNITY with us this Co-op Month!

Copper Basin Pick-Your-Own Pumpkin Patch. Click to view.

Valdez Pick-Your-Own Pumpkin Patch. Click to view.

Special Thanks

CVEA thanks the following businesses that helped make the 2024 events special:

• IGA - Assisted with the purchase of pumpkins and corn stalks and provided quantity discount
• Wilson Brothers Distributing - Transported and delivered pumpkins and corn stalks, plus value-added services
• AK Photo Emporium - Provided a fun, new photo booth for an extended period at reduced pricing
• Alyeska Pipeline Service Company - Matched a portion of monetary donations to the local food banks
• Copper Valley Telecom - Sponsored the $5 vendor coupons, provided the Apple Grab, and loaned extra tents in Valdez
• Valdez Elks Lodge - Provided use of the back room and parking area for the event
• Glennallen Schools - Provided chairs for the Copper Basin event

Recycling Our Area's Resources

Behind the Switch - A Newsletter Edition

Photo Contest

Click the button below for details and official rules!

Photo: Adobe Stock-Paul

Right-of-Way Work at the Swan Pond

CVEA contractor, Talus, has been working to remove trees from the right-of-way (ROW), in the Valdez district, near the area commonly referred to as the 'Swan Pond'. The Swan Pond tree removal project was completed to prevent power outages caused by dead trees falling into power lines.

Due to repeated flooding in this area, it became a priority, as the water engulfed structures causing greater outage risk and making access for outage restoration more difficult, time consuming, and costly.

To date, Talus has removed nearly 60 trees around the ROW, with a primary focus on those in the water. In late October, Brandon Reese, owner of Talus, worked in the water to cut down high-risk trees. Similar work has been done in the past. Although this effort reduced risk, some trees that could fall on the lines remain.

If you have questions about this or other right-of-way management activities, email Customer Service by clicking the button below.

The first image below is a video of Brandon Reese, in the water, felling a danger tree near the power line. Click to view video. The second image is a photo of CVEA structures surrounded by water and danger trees.

Unfortunately, in today's world, scams are inevitable. Even worse, they are prevalent during the holidays when many people are at their most vulnerable.

Scammers can threaten you with everything from legal action involving the IRS to turning off power to your home. 

Utility scams often involve an individual or group posing as an employee of your electric cooperative. The scammer may use threatening language in order to frighten you into offering your credit card or bank account information. Don't fall victim. It is important you understand the threats posed and your best course of action. 

If someone calls your home or cell phone demanding you pay your electric bill immediately, gather as much information as you can from that individual, hang-up the phone and contact the local authorities. Scammers often use threats and urgency to pressure you into giving them your bank account number or loading a prepaid credit or debit card. 

CVEA will never ask you to offer up personal finance information over the phone. If you have any doubts about your utility bill, contact CVEA either in person, or over the phone at 907-822-3211 in the Copper Basin, or 907-835-4301 in Valdez.

If someone comes to your home claiming to be an employee of CVEA that needs to collect money or inspect parts of your property, call the Co-op to verify they are an employee. If they are not, call local authorities for assistance and do not let the individual into your home. 

There are other types of scams consumers should watch out for as well:

• Government agencies like the IRS will never call to inform you that you have unpaid taxes or other liens against you 
• If you receive an email from an unknown sender riddled with spelling errors and typos; or an email threatening action unless a sum of money is paid, just delete it, do not click any links, and do not respond to the email 
• Other emails often appear they are being sent by someone you know and sound familiar and relevant; pay close attention, if it sounds outside of normal procedure, talk to the person you believe sent it to you
• If someone calls your home claiming to have discovered a virus on your computer, hang up, this caller's intent is to access personal information you may be keeping on your computer 

Have Feedback on the e-Newsletter or Ideas For Articles?

CVEA's goal is to meet your communication needs. If you have feedback or topics you would like to see included in a future issue of Behind the Switch - A Newsletter Edition, send us an email by clicking the button below. We will review thoughts and ideas and do our best to make adjustments and include member suggestions throughout the year.

Copper Valley Electric wants to know what members have to say, and our team is on hand to answer questions you may have.

If you have comments or questions on any CVEA topic, email Customer Service by clicking the link below.

CVEA has excellent opportunities for qualified applicants. View current job opportunities posted on the CVEA website.

Important Dates

• November 21 I 10 a.m. I CVEA November Board Meeting - Valdez
• November 28 I Thanksgiving Holiday - CVEA Offices Closed
• December 19 I 1 p.m. I CVEA October Board Meeting - Glennallen
• December 24-25 I Christmas Holiday - CVEA Offices Closed
• December 31-January 1 I New Year's Holiday - CVEA Offices Closed

Copper Valley Electric Association | info@cvea.org | 907-822-3211 | www.cvea.org

Mile 187 Glenn Highway, PO Box 45, Glennallen, AK 99588

Copyright © 2023 Copper Valley Electric Association, All rights reserved.