Valley Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.

10700 Fairgrounds RoadP.O. Box 477

Huntingdon, PA 16652-0477814/643-2650

1-800-432-0680www.valleyrec.com

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AS THE dog days of sum-mer draw to a close, I oftenturn my thoughts towardautumn in anticipation of itsglorious, colorful foliage. I’msure most of us would agreethat we are truly blessedhere in central Pennsylvaniato be able to enjoy what Iconsider nature’s most spec-tacular show of the year.

Sometimes as I’m driv-ing to or from work, taking

in the bright reds, oranges and yellows,I’ll spot an area where the co-op’s tree-trimming crews cut branches growingtoo close to our power lines.

Trees add so much beauty to ourregion. But I also take comfort in know-ing power will be available when I needit. At Valley Rural Electric Cooperative,we’re committed to providing you withthe most reliable electric service possi-ble. There are some things we can’t pre-vent — high winds, ice storms, hurri-canes — but we do everything in our“power” to mitigate other risks.

As you can probably guess, weather-related events cause the majority ofpower outages for electric cooperatives— nearly 20 percent according to a sur-vey by our national service organization,the National Rural Electric CooperativeAssociation. But vegetation — trees,shrubs, brush — that comes in contactwith power lines and distribution equip-

ment is the second leading cause of serv-ice interruptions.

To “cut back” on potential tree-relatedproblems, Valley operates an aggressiveright-of-way maintenance program. Ourcrews look for overhanging branches,foliage growing under lines and “danger”trees that are growing toward lines. It’s ajob that is never done. In fact, our main-tenance cycle ensures that all 2,900 milesof Valley rights-of-way are trimmedevery five years. Last year alone, wespent more than $960,000 on right-of-way maintenance costs.

In working to keep a safe, reliable andaffordable supply of power flowing toyour home or business, we need yourhelp. Let us know if you notice trees orbranches that might pose a risk to ourpower lines. Even more important, beforeplanting trees in your yard, think abouthow tall they may grow and how widetheir branches may spread. As a rule ofthumb, 20 feet of ground-to-sky clearanceshould be available on each side of ourutility poles to give power lines plenty ofspace. Choose tree varieties with care andplant with power lines in mind.

Thanks for your help as we worktogether to keep electricity reliable whilepreserving the natural beauty aroundus. To report trees you think may pose aproblem, call 800/432-0680 or emailmemberservices@valleyrec.com. To findout more about proper tree planting,visit www.arborday.org. l

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One of 14 electriccooperatives servingPennsylvania and

New Jersey

COOPERATIVEconnection

F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T & C E O

Trimming future problemsValley

Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.

by Wayne MillerPresident & CEO

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VALLEY RURAL ELECTRIC Coopera-tive sponsored 13 high school students onthe 2010 Rural Electric Youth Tour toWashington, D.C. The teens, from nineschools in five counties, departed June 13and returned June 18.

They joined more than 1,500 otherjuniors and seniors from electric co-opsall over the country who participated inthe event.

The all-expenses-paid trip was packedwith activities, including meetings withfederal legislators and rural electric lead-ers, visits to historic monumentsthroughout Washington, D.C., and toursof the Smithsonian museums, HolocaustMuseum, National Zoo and ArlingtonCemetery. The agenda also included acruise on the Potomac River, a parade atthe Iwo Jima Memorial and a theater pro-duction at the Kennedy Center.

“The All-States Dinner and Danceand Madame Tussauds Wax Museumwere two of my favorite experiences onYouth Tour,” reports Anita Park ofMapleton Depot.

“All the events were great. This tripwas basically the best I’ve ever taken,”says Miranda Powell of Huntingdon.

In addition to sightseeing, Youth Tourparticipants learned about the coopera-tive way of doing business and the princi-ples that govern rural electric co-ops.

Recommended by guidance coun-selors at their respective schools, the stu-dents were selected for the trip on thebasis of academic achievement, leader-ship in extracurricular activities andcommunity service.

Three of the Valley REC-sponsored stu-dents are from Mount Union Area HighSchool. They are Catherine and MylieMyers, daughters of Douglas and DeborahMyers of Shirleysburg, and Miranda Pow-ell, daughter of Greg and Tracey Powell.

Catherine serves as the 2010 Hunting-don County Dairy Princess. She’s also

president of the Captain Jack FFA andhas been a member of the NationalHonor Society and local 4-H Club. Inaddition, she enjoys square dancing andplaying volleyball and softball.

Recently named student of themonth, Mylie is on the honor roll. She isalso active in FFA, 4-H and FutureBusiness Leaders of America. Shespends her time working on her fam-ily’s dairy farm.

Miranda is a member of the NationalHonor Society, is captain of the varsity

volleyball team, and has lettered in trackand field. She is also active in herchurch’s youth group and enjoys fishing,bowling and singing.

Three more of the Valley REC-spon-sored students are from Southern Hunt-ingdon County High School. They areJacob Chapman, son of Jerry and TeresaChapman of Blairs Mills; Tori Cutshall,

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Valley Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.

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B y S u s a n R . P e n n i n g

Director of Member Services

V IS FOR VALLEY: Valley’s 2010 Rural ElectricYouth Tour group shows its support for the cooper-ative during the Youth Tour trip to Washington, D.C.,June 13-18.

Valley REC sponsors 13 area studentson Youth Tour to Washington, D.C.

daughter of Ronald and Laura Cutshallof Orbisonia; and Anita Park, daughterof Rodney and Thekla Park.

A member of the National HonorSociety and Tri-M Music Honor Society,Jacob is an avid musician. He plays in thecounty, marching, concert and jazzbands. He also sings with the Blue andGold Tones chorus and in regional,county and district choruses. In addition,he enjoys participating in school musi-cals and plays.

Also a member of the National HonorSociety and Tri-M Music Honor Society,Tori serves as class treasurer and playsvarsity field hockey. She also sings withthe Blue and Gold Tones, and she volun-teers for Big Brothers Big Sisters, at localsenior centers and as a peer tutor.

Anita is a member of the NationalHonor Society and Tri-M Music HonorSociety. She has lettered in varsity fieldhockey and is active in her church’syouth group and 4-H. She also volun-teers for Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Youth Tour student Emily Burkhardis from Hollidaysburg Area High School.She is the daughter of Gary and TeresaBurkhard of Duncansville. A member ofthe National Honor Society, Emily isactive in show and concert choirs andher church youth group. She also volun-teers at Altoona Hospital.

Holly Daniels, from Calvary ChristianAcademy in Maryland, is the daughter ofJoseph and LaRae Daniels of Bedford.Holly is student body president and var-sity soccer captain. She is active in herchurch’s youth group and the math andoptimist clubs at school. She also bowlsand plays volleyball.

Ruth Effland was chosen for YouthTour from Fannett-Metal High School. Thedaughter of Sam and Karen Effland of FortLoudon, Ruth is a member of the NationalHonor Society and is volleyball manager ather school. She is active in drama club,track and her church’s youth group. Shealso volunteers as a camp counselor.

Youth Tour student Karah Fissel hailsfrom Biglerville High School. The daugh-ter of James and Kathy Fissel ofArendtsville, Karah is a member of stu-dent council. She has lettered in basket-ball and track and was cast in herschool’s production of the musical

“Grease.” In addition, she is active in GirlScouts and in her church’s youth groupand choir.

Mara Hershberger of Central HighSchool is the daughter of Daniel andMary Hershberger of Martinsburg. Maraparticipates in the mock trial team at herschool and has advanced to regional andstate-level competitions. She is also amember of the National Honor Societyand a varsity cheerleader. In addition,she is active in ballet, tap, jazz and otherdance styles, and volunteers as an assis-tant in special needs dance classes.

Youth Tour student Morgan Mills ofSouthern Fulton High School is thedaughter of Walter and Cathy Mills ofNeedmore. Morgan is a member of theNational Honor Society, is the junior class

president and president of senior highband. She is also captain of the varsitybasketball team and has acted and dancedin six plays and musicals. In addition, sheis active in her church’s youth group.

Kira Stitt of Belleville MennoniteSchool is the daughter of Donald andDebra Stitt of Mill Creek. Kira is a mem-ber of the National Honor Society andhas earned the Kauffman HistoryAward. She is active in choir and is pres-ident of a girl’s club at her church. Shealso volunteers for Relay for Life.

“Thanks to (Youth Tour), I was ableto develop a greater appreciation for ournation’s capital, the individual sacrificesmade by others to protect and preserveour freedom, and the hard work anddedication of our representatives. Tomeet and share this experience withother teens from all over the country wasthe chance of a lifetime. I hope to con-tinue to stay in touch with my newfriends, and would encourage otherteens to take advantage of this amazingprogram,” says Tori.

To be eligible to participate in YouthTour, students must be juniors or seniorsin high school and must be sons ordaughters of co-op members or employ-ees. For more information about theRural Electric Youth Tour, contact themember services department at ValleyREC at 800/432-0680 or email mem-berservices@valleyrec.com. l

Valley Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.

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LEARNING THE CO-OP DIFFERENCE: Before thetrip, Valley’s Youth Tour students studied informa-tion about rural electric co-ops. They then tookan exam that determined how much they under-stood about the cooperative business model.

MONKEY BUSINESS: On the trip, Youth Tour stu-dent Tori Cutshall, who represented Valley REC inthe Youth Leadership Council competition, stopsfor a photo at the National Zoo.

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Valley Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Highlighted in this column is a recentaddition to the Valley REC team, MattAndrasi. Matt came to work at the co-oppart time last summer as a geographicalinformation systems (GIS) technician. InDecember 2009, he was hired full time asa GIS and automated/field mapping tech-nician.

One of Matt’s main responsibilities is toadd new equipment locations using the co-op’s digital mapping software.

“I also make sure the digital mappinginformation is imported accurately anddisplays correctly in Valley’s customerinformation system,” he adds.

In addition, he verifies that all digitallyrecorded poles, lines and equipmentmatch exactly with what is out in the

field. And he corrects discrepancies whennecessary, renumbering poles and pad-mounted transformers to ensure they areproperly inventoried.

Matt came to Valley with a very spe-cific set of skills, meeting the co-op’sneeds perfectly.

He graduated from Kutztown Univer-sity with a Bachelor of Arts degree ingeography. While in school, he learnedhis way around digital mapping softwareand GPS equipment. In fact, he workedwith the same software used at Valley.

After graduation, Matt worked forDavey Resource Group, headquartered in

Georgia. He was hired as a GPS technicianand mapper. While at DRG, Matt spent alot of his time on a four-wheeler, invento-rying poles and equipment for rural utili-ties around the country.

Matt was one of the DRG technicianshired by Valley when the co-op per-formed its own system-wide inventory.While working here, Matt fell in lovewith the Huntingdon area (and a localyoung lady), so he jumped at the chanceto fill a position at the co-op.

A native of Hazleton, Pa., Matt is theson of Tom and Diane Andrasi of Hazle-ton. He has one sister, Noelle, who lives inHuntingdon.

Matt and his fiancé, Rachel Rarich ofMcClure, plan to marry this October. Intheir spare time, they enjoy hiking, camp-ing and other outdoor activities.

“I’m accomplishing some of mybiggest life goals,” Matt says. “I’m gettingmarried, I bought a house, and I amdoing what I went to school for.”

Matt’s fellow co-op employees look for-ward to working with him for a long time.He’s one of the people you can count on.l

Meet youremployees

Matt Andrasi

B y S u s a n R . P e n n i n g

Director of Member Services