Website at www.clearwater-polk.com

CURRENTA C T I V I T I E S

Phone 218-694-6241 or toll free (888) 694-3833

–– OFFICE HOURS: 7:00 AM-4:30 PM, MONDAY-FRIDAY ––

OCTOBER –2017–

October is National Co-op Month and Clearwater-Polk wants to extend an invitation to our Co-op Members and the community members to help us celebrate!

Stop in at the Co-op’s office located at 315 Main Ave. N. in Bagley to enjoy homemade pie and donuts, coffee and juice

on Thursday, October 19th and Friday, October 20th. Co-op members can also sign up to win an energy certificate

to be applied to their account. Mark your calendar and make plans to attend.

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU ON THE 19TH OR 20TH!

Clearwater-Polk Electric’s Member Advocacy Group met on Tues-day, September 12th for their quarterly meeting. A guest presenta-tion was made by Jennifer Maleitzke with Enbridge who presented on the pipelines Line 3 replacement project. Also attending was community member Cheryl Grover.

The Member Advocacy Group meets four times each year and consists of three members from each of the three cooperative dis-tricts. Current members include: From District 1: John Sandland, Steve Hughes and Pam Goebel; from District 2: Larry Djernes, Matt Huschle, and Pam Arneson; and from District 3: Al Rasmussen, Bill Nunemaker, and Les Janssen.

Clearwater-Polk Electric’s Member Advocacy Group Meets

Clearwater-Polk Electric is joining 30,000 cooperatives nationwide in October to cel-ebrate National Co-op Month, which recognizes the many ways cooperatives are committed to strengthening the local communities they serve. “Co-ops Commit” is the theme for this year’s celebration, spotlighting the countless ways cooperatives meet the needs of their members and communities.

Rural America is served by a network of about 1,000 electric cooperatives, most of which were formed in the 1930s and 40s to bring electric-

ity to farms and rural communities that large, investor-owned power companies had no interest in serving because of the higher costs involved in serving low-population and low-density areas.

“Our cooperative delivers electricity to almost 4,000 member-owners in our five-county service area,” says Bruce Bjerke, General Man-ager. “Delivering safe, reliable, affordable power is our top priority, but we are also invested in our communities because we are locally owned and operated. Revenue generated by Clearwater-Polk goes back to Main Street, not Wall Street.”

Clearwater-Polk Electric Co-op

observing National

Co-op Month in October

2017 ~ Clearwater-Polk Electric Newsletter PAGE 2

The Clearwater-Polk Trust Fund committee will soon be holding a grant-funding meeting. Request for funds will be accepted until Friday, November 17, 2017. Application blanks can be picked up at our office, on our website clearwater-polk.com or from one of the com-mittee members, Glenn Rettmann, Larry Blasing or Mary Tronerud.

Donations from the Trust will gener-ally be made to organizations which benefit the service area community of Clearwater-Polk Electric Cooperative. Non-profit Organizations which have been granted IRS Code 501© (3) status and serve a large number of people will be given priority.

Donations from the Trust will gener-ally not be made for:

A. Lobbying, political, and religious organizations;

B. Veteran, fraternal, and labor organi-zations;

C. Fund-raising dinners, raffles and other events;

D. Individuals;E. National fund drives;F. Advertising; andG. Economic development projects.

The following factors will be con-sidered in the evaluation of all funding requests.

A. Potential benefit to area residents and the entire community;

B. Level of community support for the program or project or organization requesting the funds;

C. Fiscal and administrative capability of the organization to deliver a quality service or program; and

D. Results that are predictable can be evaluated.

All donations to organizations will be published in area newspapers and the Current Activities Newsletter.

All applications will be kept on hand for one year.

“Your small changecan make a BIG difference.”

APPLICATIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR OPERATION ROUND UP FUNDS

By Tom Tate

Perhaps you are familiar with an undesirable aspect of the electronic

and IOT (Internet of Things) revolution: vampire loads. Vampire loads come from devices that use electricity even when they appear to be off. The primary culprits are chargers, set-top television boxes, instant-on televisions and gaming systems. There are others, but these four represent the major offenders.

Let’s look at how these vampire loads occur and why they are approaching 10 percent of average household electric use according to the Environmental Pro-tection Agency.

Chargers take the 120 VAC (volts

devices with a DVR function that records your favorite TV shows.

The instant-on television is another culprit. The intention of the “instant-on” feature is instant gratification for the viewer, meaning no waiting for the TV to turn on and warm up. Unfortunately, for that convenience, the TV must be on at nearly full power. So, in this mode, it can be a real energy drain.

The typical gaming console can use as much energy as a regular refrigerator even when it’s not being used. Make sure to check the console settings and disable automatic updates, which is where the energy drain comes from. Games on the console are frequently updated, which requires a lot of electricity.

So how does the average family com-bat these dreaded vampire loads? Garlic garlands? Silver bullets?

Fortunately, none of the remedies of fable are necessary. You just need to change how you handle these energy-sucking electronics. (Jacob Willborg) Here are a few suggestions.• Unplug chargers when not in use. • Invest in smart power strips. These

look like normal power strips but have a twist; one of the outlets is the “master” that receives power all the time. The others are off. When the device connected to the master outlet turns on, the rest of the outlets receive power too. Ingenious and perfect for entertainment set ups. Have the televi-sion in the master outlet and when you turn it on, the set-top box, speakers, streaming devices, etc. will turn on too. They are also ideal for PCs and their peripherals.

• Turn off the instant-on function on your TV. Turn off set-top boxes that do not contain the DVR functionality or use a smart power strip.

• Disable automatic updates in gaming consoles and turn the console com-pletely off when you finish using it.

• When replacing any device or appli-ance, look for an EnergyStar rated product.

Vampire loads are a real problem that will only continue to grow as the digital age advances. But you can fight the vampires with vigilance and application of the recommendations above.

Tom Tate writes on cooperative issues for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Associa-

tion, the Arlington, Va.-based service arm of the nation’s 900-plus consumer-owned, not-for-profit

electric cooperatives.

The dreaded vampire loads

alternating current) power at the outlet and reduce it down to the voltage required by the connected device, usu-ally 5 to 12 VDC (volts direct current). Obviously, when your device is charging, the charger is using electricity, but you might be surprised to learn that chargers are still using small amounts of energy even when they’re not connected to a device.

Television set-top boxes also consume energy when they appear to be inactive. Anytime the set-top box’s lights are on, it is using power. Like chargers, they use more when the television is on, but they are always working – even when the TV is off. This is especially true for those

2017 ~ Clearwater-Polk Electric Newsletter PAGE 3

216B.097 COLD WEATHER RULE; COOPERATIVE OR MUNICIPAL UTILITY.

Subdivision 1. Application; notice to residential cus-tomer. (a) A municipal utility or a cooperative elec-

tric association must not disconnect and must recon-nect the utility service of a residential customer during the period between October 15 and April 15 if the dis-connection affects the primary heat source for the resi-dential unit and all of the following conditions are met:

(1) The household income of the customer is at or below 50 percent of the household income. A mu-nicipal utility or cooperative electric association utility may (i) verify income on forms it provides or (ii) obtain verification of income from the local energy assistance provider. A customer is deemed to meet the income requirements of this clause if the customer receives any form of public assistance, including energy assistance, that uses an income eligibility threshold set at or below 50 percent of the state median household income.

(2) A customer enters into and makes reasonably timely payments under a payment agreement that con-siders the financial resources of the household.

(3) A customer receives referrals to energy assis-tance, weatherization, conservation, or other programs likely to reduce the customer’s energy bills.

(b) A municipal utility or a cooperative electric as-sociation must, between August 15 and October 15 each year, notify all residential customers of the provi-sions of this section.

Subd. 2. Notice to residential customer facing dis-connection. Before disconnecting service to a resi-

dential customer during the period between October 15 and April 15, a municipal utility or cooperative electric association must provide the following information to a customer:

(1) a notice of proposed disconnection;(2) a statement explaining the customer’s rights

and responsibilities;(3) a list of local energy assistance providers;(4) forms on which to declare inability to pay; and(5) a statement explaining available time payment

plans and other opportunities to secure continued util-ity service.

Subd. 3. Restrictions if disconnection necessary. (a) If a residential customer must be involuntarily dis-

connected between October 15 and April 15 for failure to comply with subdivision 1, the disconnection must not occur:

(1) on a Friday, unless the customer declines to enter into a payment agreement offered that day in per-son or via personal contact by telephone by a municipal utility or cooperative electric association;

(2) on a weekend, holiday, or the day before a holiday;

(3) when utility offices are closed; or(4) after the close of business on a day when dis-

connection is permitted, unless a field representative of a municipal utility or cooperative electric association who is authorized to enter into a payment agreement, accept payment, and continue service, offers a payment agreement to the customer.

Further, the disconnection must not occur until at least 20 days after the notice required in subdivision 2 has been mailed to the customer or 15 days after the notice has been personally delivered to the customer.

(b) If a customer does not respond to a discon-nection notice, the customer must not be disconnected until the utility investigates whether the residential unit is actually occupied. If the unit is found to be occu-pied, the utility must immediately inform the occupant of the provisions of this section. If the unit is unoccupied, the utility must give seven days’ written notice of the proposed disconnection to the local energy assistance provider before making a disconnection.

(c) If, prior to disconnection, a customer appeals a notice of involuntary disconnection, as provided by the utility’s established appeal procedure, the utility must not disconnect until the appeal is resolved.

Subd. 4. Application to service limiters. For the pur-poses of this section, “disconnection” includes a

service or load limiter or any device that limits or inter-rupts electric service in any way.

The Military Service Personnel, section 325.027 of the Public Utilities Act, provides:

Section 1. [325E.028] UTILITY PAYMENT AR-RANGEMENTS FOR MILITARY SERVICE PER-

SONNEL.

Subdivision 1. Restriction on disconnection; payment schedules. (a) A municipal utility, cooperative elec-

tric association, or public utility must not disconnect the utility service of a residential customer if a member of the household has been issued orders into active duty, for deployment, or for a permanent change in duty sta-tion during the period of active duty, deployment, or change in duty station if such a residential customer:

(1) has a household income below the state medi-an household income or is receiving energy assistance and enters into an agreement with the municipal utility, cooperative electric association, or public utility under which the residential customer pays ten percent of the customer’s gross monthly income toward the custom-er’s bill and the residential customer remains reason-ably current with those payments; or

(2) has a household income above the state me-dian household income and enters into an agreement with the municipal utility, cooperative electric associa-tion, or public utility establishing a reasonable pay-ment schedule that considers the financial resources of the household and the residential customer remains reasonably current with payments under the payment schedule.

(b) For purposes of this subdivision, “household income” means household income measured after the date of the orders specified in paragraph (a).

Subd. 2. Annual notice to all customers; inability to pay forms. (a) A municipal utility, cooperative elec-

tric association, or public utility must notify all residen-tial customers annually of the provisions of this section.

(b) A municipal utility, cooperative electric associa-tion, or public utility must provide a form to a residential customer to request the protections of this section upon the residential customer’s request.

Subd. 3. Application to service limiters. For the pur-pose of this section, “disconnection” includes a ser-

vice or load limiter or any device that limits or interrupts electric service in any way.

Subd. 4. Income verification. Verification of income may be conducted by the local energy assistance

provider or the municipal utility, cooperative electric as-sociation, or public utility unless the customer is au-tomatically eligible for protection against disconnection as a recipient of any form of public assistance, includ-ing energy assistance that uses income eligibility in an amount at or below the income eligibility in subdivision 1, clause (1).

Subd. 5. Appeal process. (a) The municipal utility, cooperative electric association, or public utility shall

provide the residential customer with a commission-ap-proved written notice of the right to appeal to the com-mission or other appropriate governing body when the utility and residential customer are unable to agree on the establishment, reasonableness, or modification of a payment schedule, or on the reasonable timeliness of the payments under a payment schedule, provided for by this section. Any appeal must be made within seven working days after the residential customer’s receipt of personally served notice, or within ten working days af-ter the utility has deposited first class mail notice in the United States mail.

(b) The utility shall not disconnect service while a payment schedule is pending appeal, or until any ap-peal involving payment schedules has been determined by the commission.

Subd. 6. Enforcement. This section may be enforced pusuant to chapter 216B.The purpose of this notice is to inform you of your

rights and responsibilities under section 325E.027, Utility Payment Arrangement for Military Service Per-sonnel. These rights and responsibilities are designed to help you meet payment of your utility bills. You must act PROMPTLY, if you choose not to assert your rights or choose not to enter into a mutually acceptable pay-ment schedule, your service may be disconnected.

Your responsibility is to declare inability to pay by completing our inability to pay form and to return to Clearwater-Polk, within ten days.

Your responsibility to provide documentation to Clearwater-Polk that your household income is less than 50% of the state median level.

You have the right to a mutually acceptable pay-ment schedule with Clearwater-Polk. This payment schedule will cover your existing overdue bill plus your estimated use during the payment schedule period. If you are able to pay but still wish to enter into a payment schedule, contact Clearwater-Polk to make such pay-ment arrangements.

You have the right not to be involuntarily discon-nected on a Friday or the day before a holiday.

Your responsibility, if you choose to appeal, is to mail or hand deliver the letter of appeal stating your situation and issues in dispute. Your letter of appeal must be in our hands before the day of disconnection. The Clearwater-Polk Electric Board of Directors will re-view your appeal after it is received. If you want to be present at the appeal, you must call the cooperative for the date and time of the appeal review.

If you need help paying your electric bill, you may qualify for state or federal fuel assistance. For complete qualifications, applications and information, contact your local county social services or community/citizens ac-tion council listed below. These organizations may also provide budget counseling.

Clearwater Social Services ........... 694-6164Polk County Social Services ......... 435-1585White Earth RBC ............................ 473-2711

COLD WEATHER RULE NOTIFICATION

Bi County Cap ....................... (800) 332-7161Red Lake Cap ................................679-1880Inter-County ....................................796-5144

2017 ~ Clearwater-Polk Electric Newsletter PAGE 4

One free, easy call gets your utility lines marked AND helps protect you from

injury and expense.

Safe digging is no accident: Always call 811 before you dig.

Visit call811.com for more information.

SWAP SHOP

RULES: Ads for Clearwater-Polk Electric members only. Ads received after the 15th of each month will be held over for the following month. Ads may be run consecutively for two months. Limit your ads to two items. No commercial ads, please.

FOR SALE: (I WILL TAKE CONTRACT FOR DEED UP TO 10 YEARS!!!) 81 Acres (51 tillable & 30 woods, grassland). 6½ miles south of Solway or 8 miles south of Shevlin.Great hunting & farming land!! Asking $97,000.00 or reasonable offer. If inter-ested call 218-766-3635.

--------------------FOR SALE: 12 panel gates (6-10 footers, 6-12 footers, 2 - head gates). One new Ironton motor 420 cc. Call 218-686-4037.

--------------------FOR SALE: Hand-crafted log cabin with loft, sleeps 8, $4500.00 OBO. Call 218-766-8176.

--------------------WANTED: Canoe, wood cook stove. Call 218-766-8176.

--------------------FOR SALE: Remington 30.06 semi-auto Woodmaster 742, Bushnell scope, 2 clips $475.00. Remington Wingmaster 870 $1299.00, pump action shotgun $375.00. Call 320-232-5769.

WANTED TO BUY: Old tractor tires - 2 rear tires 11/12 x 38 & 2 front 515 tires. Call 218-760-1567.

--------------------FOR SALE: 42” snowblower for Cub Cadet. Model # 190-032-101, weights, chains & manual included. Good condi-tion – used 1 yr. Call 218-694-4075.

--------------------FOR SALE: Sleeper sofa in good condi-tion, $75.00, 1 set of wooden bunk beds, $45.00/OBO. Call 218-266-3373 or 952-303-1126.

--------------------FOR SALE: Wood & metal futon (85”) with mattress - $50.00. Two twin with matching wicker headboards $50.00 each or $90.00 for both. Black & brass fireplace screen with glass door & metal mesh (38½” x 31 ½” x 1½”- $50.00. All items are OBO. Call 218-266-3373 or 952-303-1126.

--------------------FOR SALE: New 1000 square foot, hand- crafted log home shell - $19,500.00. Call 218-766-8176.

Get up-to-date information on what is happening at your electric co-

op. You can also find information on storm, extended and planned outages

affecting Clearwater-Polk members. In October we will be featuring a series of safety tips on Cybersecurity.

1 tube crescent dough¾ pound thinly sliced ham12 slices Swiss cheese, thinly sliced½ cup melted butter1 Tbsp. poppy seeds1½ Tbsp. mustard1 Tbsp. dried minced onion½ tsp. Worcestershire

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish. Roll out and press dough in a 13 x 18 rectangle and top with ham and cheese. Starting on the long side, roll dough tightly with seam side down. Cut into 12 pieces and place in baking dish. Mix together melted butter, poppy seeds, mustard, dried minced onion and Worcestershire. Then pour the sauce mixture over the roll-ups. Bake uncov-ered for 25 minutes.

BAKED HAM ROLL-UPSFROM THE KITCHEN OF: SANDY MALMQUIST

If you have a favorite recipe you wouldlike to share with Clearwater-Polk Electric members, please send to:

CLEARWATER-POLK ELECTRIC COOP.P.O. BOX 0

BAGLEY, MN 56621

SIGN UP FOR AUTO-PAY AND YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO WIN

$25.00EACH MONTH WE DRAW FOR

TWO NEW OR EXISTING MEMBER’S NAMES FOR A

$25.00 CREDIT TOWARDS YOUR ELECTRIC BILL.

OCTOBER WINNERS: DANIEL WACHTLER

MELVIN BELLEFY

2017 ~ Clearwater-Polk Electric Newsletter PAGE 5

Manager’s Message

Bruce Bjerke

OUR HISTORY OUR FUTURE

A quote we often hear, “Those who do not remember the past are

condemned to repeat it.” Yet some-times remembering our history with the goal of repeating it can be a good thing. As the nation’s 30,000 coopera-tives celebrate National Co-op Month this October, it is a great time to look back – and a look forward.

Clearwater-Polk Electric Coop-erative was founded when neighbors worked together to bring electricity to our rural community. Big investor-owned power companies didn’t think they could generate enough profit, so they bypassed rural areas. Back then, there were frequent meetings among neighbors to discuss the formation of the cooperative. Once established, annual meetings were the “must at-tend” event of the year. The co-op, on behalf of the member-owners, com-mitted to provide the community with electricity.

Fast forward to today; Clear-water-Polk currently serves nearly 4,400 members. We have returned $6,678,127 in capital credits to our members over our 70-year history. We understand the spirit that helped create this co-op must be continually nurtured. While times and technology continue to change, our commitment to you will not.

As we look toward the future, you can be confident that Clearwater-Polk is committed to continually explore new ways to help our members and our community.

In celebration of Co-op Month, I encourage you to stop by our office for pie, donuts and coffee on October 19th

and 20th. We want to thank you for your support and ask that you con-tinue to stay involved as we build a better future together.

ARE YOU SECURE?October is also National Cybersecu-

rity Awareness Month. Sony, Target, Home Depot, Yahoo, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and most recent Equifax have all been attacked by cybercriminals. Let’s face it: In to-day’s world, the cybersecurity threats facing our nation can seem over-whelming – and downright scary. Cy-bersecurity, specifically the protection and security of consumer-members’ assets and the nation’s complex, inter-connected network of power plants, transmission lines and distribution facilities is a top priority for electric cooperatives and other segments of the electric power industry.

This October, Clearwater-Polk is participating in National Cyberse-curity Awareness Month (NCSAM). Since its inception under leadership from the U.S. Department of Home-land Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance, NCSAM has grown exponentially, reaching consumers, small and medium-sized businesses, corporations, educational institutions and young people across the nation. By raising awareness and understand-ing of basic cybersecurity practices, we can all work together to combat cyberthreats.

You have a role to play in ensur-ing the security of your personal and professional data. Use the tips below to safeguard your computer:

• Keep all software on internet-connected devices – including PCs, tablets and smartphones – up to date to reduce risk of infection from malware.

• Create long passwords that only you will remember, and change them ev-ery six months. Remember, a strong password is at least 12 characters long.

• Avoid the use of thumb drives and other portable memory devices.

• Don’t click on weblinks or attached files in emails when you’re not cer-tain of who the sender is.

• Keep pace with new ways to stay safe online. Check trusted websites for the latest information. Share security tips with friends, family and colleagues, and encourage them to be web wise.We hope you will join us in rais-

ing cybersecurity awareness. To learn more about NCSAM, visit www.staysafeonline.org. Check out our website www.clearwater-polk.com, under our Facebook link, where we will be featuring weekly safety tips on Cybersecurity.

NATIONAL FIRE PREVENTION MONTH

October has been designated as National Fire Prevention Month, a time when public service departments across America join forces to spread the word about fire safety. While the campaign lasts the entire month, most fire departments designate the second week of October as Fire Prevention Week.

In a fire, seconds count. Seconds can mean the difference between residents of our community escaping safely from a fire or having their lives end in tragedy. That’s why this year’s Fire Prevention Week theme: “Every Second Counts: Plan 2 Ways Out!” is so important. It reinforces why everyone needs to have an escape plan. Here’s this year’s key campaign messages:• Draw a map of your home with all

members of your household, mark-ing two exits from each room and a path to the outside from each exit.

• Practice your home fire drill twice a year. Conduct one at night and one during the day with everyone in your home, and practice using different ways out.

• Teach children how to escape on their own in case you can’t help them.

• Make sure the number of your home

––– CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 –––

2017 ~ Clearwater-Polk Electric Newsletter PAGE 6

DURING OFFICE HOURS 7:00 am-4:30 pm, Mon.-Fri.

CALL 694-6241 or 1-888-694-3833

** AFTER HOURS CALL

Cell # 1-877-881-7673** For after hour outages,

please contact the above cell #.

TR CO AU LB LL SE

To reward our faithful readers, one member’s name will be drawn at random each month

and placed somewhere in the newsletter. If you should find your name, let us know before

the 15th and win $25 off your next bill.

YOU COULD WIN$25

Leroy Riewer, President ..............................BagleyVernon Hamnes, Vice President .............. GonvickRobert Johnson, Secretary .........................BagleyHarlan Highberg, Treasurer ........................BagleyGary Mathis ............................................. GonvickGreg Spaulding ...........................................BagleyKeith DeMaris ........................................... Shevlin

Bruce Bjerke .....................General Manager

OFFICERS & DIRECTORS

is clearly marked and easy for the fire department to find.

• Close doors behind you as you leave – this may slow the spread of smoke, heat, and fire.

• Once you get outside, stay outside. Never go back inside a burning building.As always, I encourage you to call Clearwater–

Polk Electric Cooperative for any assistance we can offer. Together, we can make a difference.

–Bruce

MANAGER’S MESSAGE... continued from page 5

TIP OF THE MONTHFall/Winter Energy Tip: When you are asleep

or out of the house, turn your thermostat back 10° to 15° for eight hours and save around 10 percent a year on your heating and cooling bills.

A programmable thermostat can make it easy to set back your tempera-ture – set it and forget it! Source: U.S Department of Energy

STAY SAFE ON HALLOWEEN!

Be aware, never trick-or-treat alone and have an adult check your candy before you eat it.

Happy Halloween

SCHEDULED BOARD MEETING Held at the Clearwater-Polk Electric board room at 8:00 a.m. on the last Wednesday of each month.