Download - In this issue - Co-op Web Builder 3mckenzieelectric.coopwebbuilder2.com/sites/... · sculpting on to the next generation. At the ranch, Haugen takes her granddaughter and neighbor,

PHO

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908 4th Ave. NE Watford City, ND Outpost - Killdeer, ND

701-444-9288 | 800-584-9239

MARCH 2017

www.mckenzieelectric.com

In this issue:• Art in the Badlands

• ND winters increase bills

• We’ve moved

• Board report

www.mckenzieelectric.com McKENZIE ELECTRIC NEWS , MARCH 2017 C1

Shelly Haugen remembers digging her hands in the cool, wet mud along Lake Sakakawea

when she was a child. While her family cast their lines in the water, she was on her hands and knees, transforming that sticky clay-like mud into something beautiful.

“My dad let me put those clay things in the fire,” she recalls. “And what kid wouldn’t love that!”

And so from the earth of her home in western North Dakota, an artist was born.

Haugen, who lives and works with her husband on their ranch near Alexander, has always drawn her inspiration from the beauty in nature that surrounds her, a gift she learned to appreciate from the artists and creative people who raised her. A mother of three and now a grandmother to seven, Haugen is known for crafting unique teddy bears, which now reside in museums around the world, but these days her hands are back in that clay, with a mission to spread her love of sculpting on to the next generation.

At the ranch, Haugen takes her granddaughter and neighbor, Henri, out on picnics to identify and pick wildflowers that they bring back to Haugen’s shop to create beautiful 3-D plaster casts from clay molds. Last summer, the pair put on an art show and sold those casts to raise $2,800 for the Boys & Girls Club of Richland

County. Haugen has also spent some time in the classroom teaching kids how to work with clay.

“It’s important for kids to have that go-to in life,” says Haugen, who no longer sells her art for personal profit, but uses it as a way to help special causes and charities. “It’s hard being a kid sometimes and art is an outlet.”

A community of artistsCommunity-minded artists like

Shelly Haugen are what founding board members of McKenzie County’s Long X Council on the Arts are hoping to draw out of the buttes and prairies of the area in an effort to bring more art-based opportunities, not only for the artists, but for the

community as well. Founded informally in 2015,

the Long X Arts Foundation is a nonprofit organization made up of a board of directors with the mission of enriching the lives of Watford City and McKenzie County community members and youth by offering unique opportunities for arts-based development, cultivation and entertainment.

In the spring of 2016, in an effort to draw awareness and raise money for the foundation, the foundation hosted the first annual Badlands Arts Showcase that featured an evening of original western North Dakota dance and music performances. Not only was the event a success, but it gave the organization insight into the expanse of artistic talent that resides in McKenzie County and western North Dakota.

“Not only did the event reinforce

Art in the BadlandsNew Long X Arts Foundation focused on connecting art and community in western North Dakota BY JESSIE VEEDER-SCOFIELD

The Long X Arts Foundation will be hosting its second annual Badlands Arts Showcase

Thursday, April 27, 5:30 p.m.Doors open to art show and silent auction

7 p.m. Performance showcase featuring internationally acclaimed hoop dancer Kevin Lock and other area musicians and dancers.

For more information on the event and how you can support the Long X Arts Foundation, visit www.longxarts.com.

C2 MARCH 2017 , McKENZIE ELECTRIC NEWS www.mckenzieelectric.com

our notion that we had exceptional artists here, but it also showed us that the public was ready for the opportunity to experience it,” says Jan Dodge, a founding board member of the Long X Arts Foundation. “With support from the community, the sky is the limit on what arts-based opportunities the foundation can provide for artists and residents as well.”

Art tells a storyArt can tell a story of a place

sometimes better than words. This is what Mike Kopp and Mary Lou Tastad discovered on a camping trip they took together in the Badlands during the height of the area’s

oil boom. “I was hearing all these stories

about how the oil industry had destroyed the beauty of the area,” says Tastad, who grew up as the fourth-generation farm kid in the Red River Valley. “But what I discovered was that the beauty that I remembered as a child was still there.”

Tastad felt angry about the misrepresentation of the community and her newfound passion for the landscape helped to rejuvenate Kopp, who had been working in the area for decades. Both accomplished award-winning photographers, the pair decided to tell the story the way they saw it, through the lenses of their cameras. The pair started

by publishing the photos they took on their motorcycle trips through the area on a Facebook page titled “Beautiful Bakken.” As the page quickly started gaining ground, moving from 40 followers to more than 2,000 to date, they expanded their project to include a dynamic website, www.beautifulbakken.com, focused on telling the story of the area, complete with places to eat, stay, explore and learn about the history.

“As photographers, we work on diligently using our artistic concept to create a quality image people will want to hang on their walls,” says Kopp of the work they do in photographing everything from a bison in the Theodore Roosevelt

“I wish you peace,” a sculpture by Haugen.

Haugen’s granddaughter Henri in her shop making wildflower casts.

“Three Brown Eyed Susans,” a cast that Haugen and her granddaughter Henri made for a charity art show last summer.

PHOTO BY BEAUTIFUL BAKKENPHOTO BY BEAUTIFUL BAKKEN


National Park to historic buildings. Tastad added that they work in photo-realism to accurately portray what it really looks like to potential visitors and residents.

“We don’t want to portray the area to be something that it isn’t. Anyone can see what we see, they just have to go there and take a look,” she says.

And while art can tell a story of a place, sometimes it’s the place that inspires the artist.

Inspired by placeThat seems to be the unlikely case

of 23-year-old singer/songwriter and Minneapolis area native Devin Wolf. After his parents moved to the community to take advantage of the economy out west, Wolf decided to put his pursuit of a degree in mechanical engineering on hold to find work near Watford City and Williston, only to discover, between the long hours and unfamiliar landscape of people, that his passion was music.

That’s the short story of it all. But Wolf is quickly and unexpectedly making a name for himself in the area’s music scene. His first paying gig was in Watford City’s Outsiders Bar and Grill. From there, he’s been gaining ground and fans, being hired at local venues and area events, writing and recording original music and finding connection, encouragement and a chance to learn from other area musicians.

“There’s more of a support system here than I expected,” says Wolf of the community of musicians he’s met. “From them, I get an informed opinion on what I’m doing, giving me confidence to continue. It’s not competitive, it’s more of a support system than anything.”

Support for artists, opportunity for community

Support. That’s the word that the Long X Arts Foundation is working to execute for up-and-coming musicians like Wolf, experienced artists like Haugen and visionaries like Kopp and Tastad. And to the members of the foundation, providing support means helping connect the artists to the community by providing opportunities in the form of performances, venues, gallery showings and classes, creating immediate access to arts programming for a rural community with residents and students who may not otherwise have the opportunity to experience them.

As a new organization, foundation members have been reaching out to the community through forums and one-on-one conversation, not only for financial support, but also for suggestions on how the foundation can go to work for the community.

“With enough support and feedback, we can impact a variety of demographics,” says Daniel Stenberg, McKenzie County economic development director and founding Long X Foundation board member. He adds that the board has been developing ideas for community and after-school art workshops in everything from dance to culinary classes as well as hosting special concerts or open mic nights, assisting with community theater or supporting the existence of public art.

Because art, in any form, not only tells a story, but gives us the opportunity to pause, to listen, to see and to connect us in the unique challenges we face as humans in a complicated world.

“Art is a universal language,” says Haugen, who has been discussing the possibility of teaching a class on flower casting for the Long X Arts Foundation this summer. “If it moves you, it doesn’t matter who it’s made by. You don’t see the barriers.”

visit www.longxarts.com

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Devin Wolf A sampling of Shelly Haugen’s pottery.


TURN YOUR COINS INTO

CHANGE.

makes a difference!

North Dakota winters can increase bills

McKenzie Electric Cooperative would like to explain what may cause a bill to increase during the winter months. The main reason members will see an increase in their bill is due to colder

temperatures. This winter has been exceptionally cold, with several days of below-zero temperatures in December. There were 14 days in December that were below zero temperatures. Please keep in mind, even if the thermostat is not turned up, a furnace is still having to run more often to keep up with these severe cold temperatures.

Some other uses that can also increase a member’s bill during winter months are Christmas lights, plugging in vehicles, as well as space heaters being used.

Having a heat meter installed will help. An electric heat meter records your heat usage only. During the heat season (Oct. 1 to April 30), the usage on your heat meter is billed at our electric heat rate. For a residential member, that is a savings of 2 cents per kWH on your electric heat usage. If you are heating with electric heat and do not have a heat meter, please contact the MEC office at 701-444-9288.


WE’VE MOVED!McKenzie Electric Cooperative settles into new headquarters


Your account at your fi ngertipsMcKenzie Electric Cooperative is putting the power of data into members’ hands. With SmartHub, members have convenient account management and detailed usage information at their fi ngertips, to:• Check your usage• Pay your bill• Report service issues

SmartHub, a mobile and Web app, delivers accurate, timely account information and allows you to make payments in a secure environment with the touch of a button, right from your mobile device or on your PC. The two-way communication available with SmartHub

allows you to notify us of account and service issues while providing us a way to let you know about special offers, programs, events and more.

Creating a SmartHub account takes less than three minutes. Then, manage your account right from your computer or smartphone.

Download the FREE app today in the Apple app store or Android marketplace for secure account management right at your fi ngertips.

www.smarthubapp.com


January 25, 2017The regular meeting of the McKenzie

Electric Board of Directors was held at the new Headquarters Building in Watford City, N.D. Directors present were: Clayton Monsen, Rondee Hanna, Ray Tescher, Cameron Wahlstrom, Tim Wasem, Ken Sanford, Chris Link and Glen Houghton. Director Travis Thompson was absent. CEO John Skurupey, Attorney Dennis Johnson and staff personnel of McKenzie Electric were also present. The Board meeting was the first to be held in the new headquarters building board room.

PRELIMINARIES: The agenda for the meeting, minutes of the previous board meeting and minutes of a special executive committee meeting were approved by the Board of Directors. Expenses were also approved.

DIRECTOR DISCUSSIONS: The Board and management discussed recent member assistance in helping MEC crews navigate through the snow while responding to outage situations and expressed their appreciation for member assistance.

ASSOCIATED ORGANIZATIONS: Director Tim Wasem reported on the recent North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives (NDAREC) board meeting. The Board also discussed the recent NDAREC annual meeting and the Legislative dinner held with North Dakota legislators.

POWER SUPPLY: There was no Upper Missouri meeting on which to report. The Upper Missouri Board of Directors will be holding its February board meeting at the new McKenzie Electric headquarters. There was no Mid-West Electric Consumers Association meeting on which to report.

ATTORNEY’S REPORT: Attorney Dennis Johnson reported on several issues relating to easements, litigation and project areas.

CEO REPORT: CEO John Skurupey reported on discussions with Basin Electric regarding the 345-kV transmission agreements. The Board approved a budget deviation to purchase equipment to clean the cement floors in the new headquarters building. The Board approved a Western Area Power Administration contract for roles and duties related to Transmission Operator Services and Transmission Operator Procedures. Basin’s 2017 load forecast and written reports were also reviewed by the Board.

HUMAN RESOURCES: The Board reviewed the written report. The report indicated one trailer house no longer being utilized for employee housing had been sold.

NDAREC VISIT: Josh Kramer, the Executive Vice President and General Manager of the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives along with Safety Instructor James Neether, met with the Board to introduce themselves and to give an update on details of NDAREC, training and safety programs and legislative developments.

OFFICE REPORT: Financial and statistical reports for December were reviewed with the Board along with a budget-to-date comparison, the capital projects report and the comparative cash report. A review of the headquarters project and project to date expenses were provided to the Board. The Board approved special capital credit retirements and discussed a member capital credit inquiry. The Board also discussed bankruptcy and other member debt collections in process.

ENGINEERING REPORT: The report provided an update on the progress of the headquarters building, information systems update, transmission system update and contractor agreements. The new headquarters Certificate of Occupancy was granted five days prior to the board meeting however there are punch list items that still need to be resolved. The Board approved five budget deviations to include a distribution line maintenance issue, a tie line maintenance issue, additional costs for the Outage Management System, costs associated with the Coyote Charlie Substation and costs associated with updating the TWACS server.

OPERATIONS/CONTRACT MANAGEMENT REPORT: An update was provided on projects currently being worked on by MEC contractors and a work order progress report. The report also indicated the following: Horse Creek Substation was moved to the 115-kV source from Timber Creek, the (Christmas) winter storm snow accumulation made outage restoration extremely difficult, crews have been busy pushing snow, working on outages maintenance and work orders. The safety report was also reviewed.

SPECIAL PROJECTS COORDINATOR: An update was given on the continuing process to develop policies and programs for MEC to become NERC (North American Electric Reliability Corporation) compliant.

The report indicated a peer review of compliance programs will be conducted. A report was given on landowner restoration processes for work orders to be closed and member issues that are being reconciled. The Board approved a restoration request associated with a substation site.

MEMBER SERVICE REPORT: The written report was reviewed by the Board. The annual meeting planning has begun. MEC is also planning a grand opening of the new headquarters complex to invite the public.

NEXT MEETING DATE: The next meeting date was set for February 22, 2017, at the Watford City Headquarters building.

ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned. n

Board report

Hanna

Thompson

Monsen

Houghton

BOARD OF

DIRECTORS

Wasem

3817 23rd Ave. NEWatford City, N.D. 58854

Phone: 701-444-9288Toll-free: 800-584-9239

OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS:Clayton Monsen, President Director, District 2B, Arnegard .................. 586-3336Travis Thompson, V. President Director, District 1C, Charlson ................. 675-2373 Upper Missouri Power Cooperative DirectorRondee Hanna, Sec.-Treas. Director, District 2C, Watford City ......... 675-2516Glen Houghton, Director At Large Director, District 3B, Grassy Butte ........... 863-6606 Tim Wasem, Statewide Director Director, District 3C, Halliday ................... 938-4376Cameron Wahlstrom Director, District 1A, Alexander ............... 770-6631Ken Sanford Director, District 1B, Watford City .......... 842-2581Ray Tescher Director, District 3A, Beach ....................... 565-2342Chris Link Director, District 2A, Alexander ............... 651-6524

Web page: http://www.mckenzieelectric.com

Email: [email protected]

Wahlstrom

Sanford

Tescher

Link

CEO:John Skurupey701-570-3542


Download - In this issue - Co-op Web Builder 3mckenzieelectric.coopwebbuilder2.com/sites/... · sculpting on to the next generation. At the ranch, Haugen takes her granddaughter and neighbor,

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