Older, Wiser, and Keeping Pace With the Younger Set

Lost in the noise at the last meeting of the Green Cove Springs were three items relating to the City’s electric utility that were not mentioned in the articles published in the MyClaySun.   These were three very positive stories that need to be told to readers outside of Council Chambers.

I was very pleased that Council began discussing the Centennial celebration of our Electric Department.  The ordinance establishing the utility was passed on November 1, 1905.  The City spent the next 2 years acquiring right of way and building poles and lines.  In 1907 (most likely in May) the City threw the switch and began continuously serving the electrical needs and economic development of our City.   OK, so we’re late with the birthday card, but I am pleased that the Council collectively recognized the significance of this event. 

I brought up the discussion of the centennial celebration last year when Council began concocting a scheme to amputate portions of the system to sell to other utilities.  I commented that it wasn’t nice to chop off body parts of any 100-year old.  One of my colleagues on the Council quipped that things should be put out to pasture and out of their misery when they turned 100-years old.  This was an unfortunate comment, since our tradition in Green Cove Springs is to defy the ages.  We are, after all, the home of the world-famous spring that provides healing, healthful waters.  In my opinion (with all due respect to my friends in St. Augustine), our spring was the “fountain of youth” that Juan Ponce de Leon missed during his first trip to Florida.  If only Senor de Leon had traveled another 30 miles west he would have found what he sought, and spared himself the trip to south Florida where the less-hospitable locals killed him.  But that’s another story.

The story here is that you don’t have to be young to be competitive.  The old dog can still lead the pack.  According to the latest analysis, the Green Cove Springs Electric system provides electricity at the seventh lowest rate (after taxes) of any municipality in Florida.  The reliability and service is unmatched.

Reliability and service is the second of the three positive stories that didn’t get told.  Seven hours before the Council meeting, tornadoes touched down throughout northeast Florida, including Green Cove Springs.  Some customers served by the four electric systems in the area—Florida Power & Light, Clay Electric, JEA, and Green Cove Springs—lost power.    The crews of the City Electric Department had electric service restored to all customers on the system within 45 minutes of the storm, well before the crews of the other systems mobilized to the sites of the outages.  Clay, FPL, and JEA are very good utilities, which goes to show that crews of the City Electric Department can compete with the best.  When your business depends on electricity, fast response to outages is money in the bank.  Our City electric crews are among the best in getting service restored.  They work fast and they work safely.

Safety is the third story that went unreported.   During the Council meeting, our Electric Department was presented the American Public Power Association FIRST PLACE safety award for having no accidents in 2006.  This recognized the City as one of the safest electric systems in the nation.  Working with electricity is dangerous.  Accidents cost everyone money.  

The main ailment our 100-year old system faces is the lack of TLC over the past eight years.  Little has been done to improve the capacity of the system to handle growing electrical usage by existing customers and new customers.  Right now we have too many “extension cords plugged into too few outlets” so to speak.  If you did that in your home, you would either trip a breaker or burn down your house.  Doing that sort of thing on a system-wide basis magnifies the consequences.  As the City electric system reaches its Century mark, it is gratifying to know that the Council, on a 3-2 vote, directed the City Manager to begin addressing these capacity issues.   This is a good investment. 

This investment is a long-overdue birthday present to our 100-year old electric system.

Happy Birthday!