Lisbon man's collection driven by love of restoration - Cass County ...

February
2013
Lisbon man’s collection driven
by love of restoration
This year, Cass County Electric Cooperative will feature a series on collections
in our service territory. If you have an interesting, unique collection, or know
someone who does, please share the information with Carrie at 701.356.4534
or ccarney@kwh.com

When approaching Charlie Jorgenson’s farm near Lisbon, it’s obvious
he’s a collector. About 15 perfectly restored gas station signs stand
intentionally alongside the neat outbuildings. The farmstead, where
he was born, looks different than it did when other generations of his
family farmed there. The barns are different as are the buildings that
have popped up over the years and house the rest of his collections.
The collection began in the early 1990’s with Mobil memorabilia.
Charlie and his son, Steve, both began collecting and it grew from
there. Now, Charlie’s collection includes over 300 restored gas pumps
from different eras, many restored cars from the ‘50s and ‘60s, and
many signs. Each gas tank he’s restored has a miniature gas tank to
go along with it. Charlie creates a miniature replica after he restores
each tank.
A couple of meaningful pieces in his collection are the 1927 car that
was once driven by his grandfather and the gas wagon he restored.
driven
love of
by
restoration
“It’s fun. You wouldn’t believe all
the people we’ve met. We sell
stuff overseas. We’ve had people
from China here. Some were from
South Africa that stayed about 10
days. We’ve just met a lot of really
fun people and without the hobby I
would have never met any of them,”
said Charlie.
Pictures on opposite page, clockwise: Charlie Jorgenson and his wife
stand near their favorite cars in the collection; ust a few of Charlie’s
restored gas pumps; part of Charlie’s Mobil collection; model gas
pumps; and a gas wagon Charlie restored.
Between Charlie and Steve, they have about 1,500 cars total. Some
are restored and some are lined up neatly in a nearby field, waiting to
be restored. Charlie has a collection that he keeps to himself, the rest
are for sale.
His son restores older cars and his grandson carries on the tradition
through his own growing interest and says he’ll one day take over
the restoring and collecting that his dad and grandfather do.“My
grandson is only 10 and is really into it. Has his own 1957 truck,” said
Charlie.
Farming has always been Charlie’s career and he continues to farm
with his son. In one outbuilding, he keeps all of the farm equipment
he’s ever used since he started farming, although he doesn’t collect
farm equipment beyond his own. He spends much of his downtime
on his collection and never watches TV, claiming he wouldn’t even
know how to turn it on.
“Right now I’m restoring a ’57 Cameo pickup they only built about
2200 of those,” said Charlie. “The hardest thing I’ve restored was
the gas wagon. That was the most intricate with the wheels and the
spokes, there was just so much stuff.”
The gas pumps Charlie restores represent a worldly collection. He has
French and Argentinean gas pumps, just to name a couple. Because
he buys and sells a wide variety of items and parts, he is in contact
with people all over the world.
“It’s fun. You wouldn’t believe all the people we’ve met. We sell stuff
overseas. We’ve had people from China here. Some were from South
Africa that stayed about 10 days. We’ve just met a lot of really fun
people and without the hobby I would have never met any of them,”
said Charlie.

Getting Back
On Line
At CCEC we strive to provide you with the most reliable electric service. However, outages do occur and
they are an unavoidable aspect of providing electricity. Therefore, we would like to illustrate the process of
how we restore your power during an outage. This article examines the repair process in one isolated area,
but an important fact to remember is that with a typical outage, there are usually several areas affected at
the same time. Consequently, this effort is occurring across our service area simultaneously.
CCEC’s basic outage restoration principle: Priority goes to
the lines that will get the most people back in service the quickest.
Cass County Electric typically follows a basic principle when it comes to restoring power: priority goes to the lines that will
get the most people back in service the quickest. This usually begins with main lines from the substations that can affect
200-600 members, and continues out to tap lines, which may affect 30-200 members, and then to individual service lines
affecting just 1-5 members.
Step 1. Repairs start with the main line.
Repairs start here.
Energized power lines
Un-energized power lines
Location of damage
The substation is energized but a main distribution line
is damaged near the substation, leaving most members
without power. First, all damaged tap lines need to be
isolated from the main line and then repairs can begin
on the main line from the substation. A large number of
members (shown with orange arrows) will have power
returned once the main line is fixed. All other repairs would
be pointless until this line is restored as it feeds all the
other lines.
Step 2. With the main line restored, the line crew can isolate other damage.
With the main line restored (now
shown in red), the line crew can
isolate other damage and prioritize
repairs. Though a couple of repairs
were closer, fixing the line that
serves this subdivision down the
road will get a larger number of
consumers on more quickly.
Energized power lines
Un-energized power lines
Location of damage
One stop and an entire
subdivision has power again.

Step 3. Tap lines serving the most members take precedence
over those serving fewer members.
Energized power lines
Un-energized power lines
Location of damage
Moving back down the road to fix this tap line
will restore electricity to the three homes marked
with arrows.
Back down the road, the crew makes one
repair and restores power to this stretch of line.
Next on the list for the line crew is a tap line serving
two homes and a barn. The move probably doesn’t
make the folks in the blue house too happy. They’ve
seen the crew driving by their home and working
right across the road. They see lights in the homes
of all their neighbors but they don’t have power.
That’s because even though electricity is coming
to their pole (that happened with the first repair
in Step 1), the service line from their pole to their
meter is damaged. Individual repairs come after all
distribution and tap lines are restored.
Energized power lines
Un-energized power lines
Location of damage
This repair restores power to
these homes and farm.
Step 4. Individual repairs are finished last.
Energized power lines
Un-energized power lines
Location of damage
Individual repairs begin once all other lines are repaired.
Only after the tap lines are repaired does the
crew start work on individual service lines.
The crew could have stopped to restore
power anytime after the first main line was
repaired and electricity was flowing to the
pole nearby. But it is more efficient for the
crews to move down the road and restore
power to dozens of homes in the same
amount of time.
Outage Number:
(701) 356-4499

Can an electric
space heater save
you money
Some manufacturers claim that their electric space
heater can significantly cut a home’s heating bill, but it’s
important to understand how best to use them before
accepting those claims.
Most electric space heaters use between 600 – 1,500
watts of electricity. If a homeowner were to use a space
heater eight hours per day, five days per week for a
month, it would cost about $26.
Can space heaters cut your home heating bill Perhaps,
but they simply can’t outperform efficient central heating
or weatherization improvements.
For example, an electric space heater produces one
unit of heat for every one unit of electricity consumed,
meaning they are 100 percent energy efficient. Space
heaters that use natural gas are 80 percent efficient.
Other factors also must be taken into consideration:
• How much energy the space heater uses
• How efficient the heating system is
• How much the utility charges, for example, for natural
gas and electricity
Three main types are available, usually in a price range of
$30-$100. Before purchasing a space heater, you should
determine how and where it will be used and which type
will do the job best.
Radiant heaters are intended to heat people – not the
air – in a room. They are best used when the person can
be directly in front of the heater, and they can be a good
choice if you are in a room for a short period of time and
want instant heat. They can pose a burn or fire risk and
should not be placed near furniture, drapery, pets or small
children.
Convection heaters are designed to heat the air – not
people. Hot air from the convection heater rises to the
ceiling and forces cooler air to the floor. The cooler air is
warmed and then rises to the ceiling, creating a cycle that
continues as long as the heater is on. Convection heaters
are warm to the touch and, compared to a radiant heater,
have a decreased fire and burn risk.
Combination heaters are radiant and convection heaters
all in one package. They often have an internal fan that
aids in distributing heat. They are versatile and more
common, though they do not typically perform as well as
a radiant or convection heater.
Zone heating can cut costs. You can save money if you
use the space heater with these tips in mind:
Turn the thermostat of your central heating system down
considerable (as low as 50 degrees in some cases).
Place the space heater in a room that is occupied by
people, and close that room off from the rest of the home.
This method of “zone heating” will save money.
Before purchasing a space heater, consider how the
device is going to be used. While it may be technically
possible to cut your heating bill, it is impractical and
unrealistic for many.

Use electrical cords properly:
Use heating correctly:
• Avoid using damaged extension cords or
running any cords through walls, under rugs
or furniture, or across doorways.
• Do not overload outlets or extension cords. If
a cord feels warm, it could be a fire or shock
hazard.
• Never try to repair a damaged extension cord
with electrical tape.
• Never cut off the ground pin to connect a
3-prong appliance cord to a 2-wire extension
cord or receptacle. Instead, use a national labcertified
(CSA, UL, etc.) adapter.
• Replace older extension cords if one of the
prongs is not “polarized” (wider than the other).
• Avoid placing cords where someone can
accidentally pull them down or trip.
• Cover unused outlets on the extension cord to
prevent kids from getting a shock.
• Before buying an extension cord, check that it’s
lab-certified.
• Outdoors, only use extension cords and
appliances approved for such use.
• Select the right cord. Larger appliances and
power tools use cords with three prongs.
• Make sure space heaters are in good repair and
lab-certified (CSA, UL or ETL).
• Do not use an extension cord to power a space
heater. Make sure the circuit can handle
the heater’s power demands and any other
appliances plugged into it.
• Keep space heaters three feet or more away
from flammables (drapes, papers, upholstery),
and out of reach of children and pets.
• Never use heaters as drying racks.
• Space heaters should have an automatic shutoff
in the event they tip over.
• If the heater runs on fuels like gas, kerosene
or wood, follow manufacturer instructions
carefully. Make sure carbon monoxide
detectors are installed, and keep chimneys
and flues free from corrosion or blockages.
• Make sure electric blankets are undamaged. Do
not put anything on top of it or tuck it under a
mattress.
Stay warm safely:
• Space heaters and electric blankets can keep you cozy,
but they can be fire and safety hazards, too.

NEWS
Cooperative
In December, over 2,000 new Two-Way
Automatic Communications System (TWACS)
meters were installed in Fargo. The installation
project will continue over the next couple of
years until the system has been converted to
TWACS meters.
CCEC participated in the annual Holiday Lights
Parade on November 20 with a new float this
year promoting “We bring energy to life”.
Employees donated gifts to FirstLink’s Giving
Tree of Hope. Twenty-one gifts were collected
and delivered to the event.
Angie Hochhalter has been promoted to
member account specialist. Angie started at
CCEC in March as member care representative.
Sarah Masseth has been hired as member care
representative. Sarah recently graduated from
Minnesota State Community and Technical
College.
Chris Erickson, power quality technician,
completed training and has been certified as a
Level I Infrared Thermographer.
Visit us at the
home & garden show
February 22 - 24, Fargodome, Booth #780
Cass County Electric Cooperative can help you save energy and money.
Visit with us about energy saving ideas and products!
HEADQUARTERS
3312 42 nd St. S. Suite 200
Fargo, N.D. 58104
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Wendy Loucks, Chairman
Russell Berg, Vice Chairman
John Froelich, Secretary
Sid Berg, Treasurer
Douglas Anderson
Robert Huether
Marcy Svenningsen
Steve Swiontek
Jeff Triebold
EXECUTIVE STAFF
Scott Handy, President/CEO
Brad Schmidt, Vice President of Engineering
and Operations
Chad Sapa, Vice President of Corporate
Services/CFO
Marshal Albright, Vice President of Member
and Energy Services
Tim Sanden, Vice President of Information
Technology/CIO
EDITOR
Carrie Carney, ccarney@kwh.com
DESIGNER
Jocelyn Lura, jlura@kwh.com
POWER CONTROL/
SYSTEM MONITORING
HOURS
24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a
year, our power control center monitors our
system and handles outage situations. If
you are a Cass County Electric member and
encounter an emergency or power outage,
please call (701) 356-4499 or (888) 277-4424.
WEBSITE
www.kwh.com
EMAIL
info@kwh.com
BILLING QUESTIONS OR
START/STOP SERVICE
(701) 356-4430 or (888) 277-4422
OTHER QUESTIONS
701-356-4400 or 800-248-3292
CALL BEFORE YOU DIG
811 or 800-795-0555