Loup Generator - Summer2019

GENERA OR
a publication of Loup Power District SUMMER 2019
PICKING
THEPIECES
UP
Rebuilding the Headworks

BOARD
OF DIRECTORS
Larry Zach
Chairman
Chris Langemeier
First Vice Chairman
Ross Knott
Second Vice Chairman
Alan Drozd
Secretary
Dick Tooley
Treasurer
Rich Aerni
Robert Cerv
Jim Donoghue
Mike Fleming
Steve Heesacker
EXECUTIVE STAFF
Neal Suess
President/ CEO
Walt Williams
Vice President,
Administrative Services/CFO
David Bell
Vice President,
Development/Marketing
Ron Ziola
Vice President, Engineering
Dan Hellbusch
Vice President, Operations
The Loup Generator is
published quarterly as a
service for Loup employees,
families, friends and
associates.
For feedback, story ideas
and submissions, contact:
Stacy Wemhoff
Communications Coordinator
402-562-5711
swemhoff@loup.com
2,011 public power utilities
provide electricity to 49 million people in 49 states
and five U.S. territories. While each utility is unique,
public power is characterized by some key values.
COMMUNITY OWNED
Public power utilities are owned by the communities
they serve. They provide local jobs and support the
local economy. You’ll see your friendly utility staff at the
ball games and the grocery store.
LOCALLY OPERATED
Public power utilities are run by the city. They are
regulated and governed by the city council or a board
with local representatives. If you live in a public power
community, you have a voice in decision-making for
your utility.
RESPONSIVE
Public power utilities focus on delivering the highest
level of service and value to customers. They are
committed to meeting the needs of the community
through environmental stewardship, high reliability
and economic development.
NONPROFIT
Surplus revenues stay in the community and are
invested in system improvements, shared with the local
government, or used to lower your electric bills.
Revenues are not distributed among outside
shareholders.
LOW-COST
Public power utilities have access to tax-exempt
financing and generally have stronger credit ratings
than privately owned utilities. Community-owned
utilities operate efficiently, and many have access to
less expensive federal hydropower.
2 GENERATOR

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
‘It won’t happen overnight’
Rebuilding Headworks will take several years
Many people around Nebraska continue
to be in awe at the destruction caused by the
mid-March storm event (or bomb cyclone).
From the damage at Nebraska Public Power
District’s Spencer Dam, to road damage on
Dodge Street in Omaha, to the bridges that
were damaged near Schuyler, Monroe and
Genoa, to the levees that were breached
along the Missouri River, to all the sand that
has been deposited outside of the river beds
throughout Nebraska — the damage caused
by this one event will be felt for many years
by the people throughout Nebraska.
Obviously the Loup Power District was
affected by this storm. The District saw
damages to (1) the substations in St. Edward,
Cedar Rapids and the sand plant south and
by NEAL SUESS
President/CEO
The District is in the process of finalizing
the temporary design repair drawings and
submitting them to the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC) which has
oversight of this project.
The District will be designing permanent
canal repairs to assist with future storm
events. The District is also in the process
of finalizing the root cause analysis for the
damages. This report indicates the level
of water and debris that was contained
in the Loup River during the storm event
was beyond any design capabilities of the
Headworks and Canal system.
For the near future, especially through the
summer, fall and winter months, the entirety
of the Headworks will be closed off to the
west of Genoa, (2) subtransmission and distribution
lines near the Headworks and south and west of
Columbus, and (3) the obvious breaches and damage to
the Canal system near the Headworks, as well as damage
in the Tailrace section of the Canal, south and east of
Columbus.
District employees and contractors continue to
work on all of these, but I want to focus mostly on the
Headworks and Canal repairs for this article.
The District continues to work to seal up the breaches
that occurred along the Canal, south and west of Genoa.
The breaches have been sealed up enough to allow the
District to bring a certain amount of water into the
Canal; however, this amount is far below that for normal
operation and will continue in this manner for some
time, probably through the end of 2020.
As the District starts to get into more temporary
and permanent repairs, we expect water levels in the
Canal to fluctuate, in order to manage and complete the
repairs.
public for recreation purposes.
With the construction activity ongoing and the heavy
equipment being used to move sand, dirt and gravel
from one area to another, it is too dangerous to open
any of these areas to the public. We realize this creates
some inconveniences. However, the public safety is too
great of a concern to allow these areas to open. The
District will let everyone know when it is safe to use
these areas again.
We want everyone to know we are working as quickly
as possible to make the repairs to all of our systems and
get back to normal operation. This will be a process that
will last many months and take several years. It will not
happen overnight.
The District appreciates everyone’s patience, prayers,
thoughts and ideas. We know that we are part of your
communities and we plan to be in your communities for
a very long time.
Continue to look at the District’s website and social
media outlets for updated information.
SUMMER 2019 3

Henry Ellis Warren
MASTER
OF TIME
A rare Telechron Type A Master Clock resides
in a display case at the Columbus Powerhouse.
It was invented by Henry Ellis Warren in 1916.
The Master Clock was used to control the frequency
of the alternating current to an even 60 cycles per
minute. This regulation facilitated the rise of the
electric clock in homes across the country.
By 1941, the Warren Telechron Company
produced about 3 million clocks annually.
THE WARREN TELECHRON MASTER CLOCK TYPE A
by Harry S. Holcomb, Ill (VA) and Robert Webb (IA)
Henry Ellis Warren, a native of Boston, graduated from the
Massachu setts Institute of Technology in 1894. He settled
in Ashland, MA, in 1907, and set up a small workshop there
where, as a hobby, he tinkered with electrically driven clocks.
He developed a battery-driven clock and took out his first
patent on this clock in July 1909.
The Warren Clock Company was founded in 1912 and
his commercial production of battery driven clocks began in
1915. However, he considered these clocks inadequate and
unreliable, and thus sought other methods of telling time
accurately.
Although the idea of driving electric clocks with alternating
current was not new, Henry Warren was the first to develop,
in early 1916, a simple self-starting alternating current motor
which was truly “synchronous” with an alternating current and
which could be produced inexpensively.
However, he discovered that the synchronous motor clock,
when driven by alternating electricity from the local power
company, still did not keep perfect time, losing up to 15
minutes per day. The reason for this was because the power
companies had difficulty controlling precisely the alternations
or frequency of their generators.
Henry Warren realized that the next problem he faced was
“to bring about in some manner the accurate regulation of
the alternating current impulses which were being sent in all
directions over the wires so that these impulses, in connection
with the newly designed motor, might be used to supply
power companies’ customers with a dependable time-telling
device.”
He went to work and “took only a few months to design and
build a thoroughly satisfactory master clock which could be
used at power stations so as to indicate errors in the average
frequency, which were hundreds of times smaller than could
be measured with instruments then in use.”
His first clock was installed for demonstration purposes at
the L Street Station of the Boston Edison Company on October
23, 1916. The company was so impressed with the clock that
they insisted on keeping it.
The concept of the Telechron Master Clock is very simple.
Its large five-minute dial carries two hands, both of which
are center mounted. One hand is connected to an accurate
pendulum clock and the other to a synchronous motor. The
synchronous motor is so geared that when the frequency of
4 GENERATOR

A page from the Master Clock instruction manual. Thanks to Cliff Wilson and the Ashland (Mass.) Historical Society.
Columbus Powerhouse operators used this
Telechron clock to keep the official time
for the State of Nebraska until 1950.
the generators is correct (exactly 60 cycles per second) the gold hand will
rotate at exactly the same speed as the black pendulum-regulated hand.
As described by J. E. Coletnan, “The generating station operator watches
the clock and adjusts his turbine governors regulating the frequency so as to
keep the black and gold hands in line.
By doing this, the other synchronous clocks plugged into the system automatically
keep correct time.”
There was a second benefit for the power company from the use of the
Master Clock. Since the current (cycles per second) could be regulated very
precisely, it became possible for several generators of generating plants to
hook together efficiently in one large grid system.
By 1921, the Master Clock Type A, or improved versions of it, and the
synchronous motor-driven electric clock were in widespread use.
In addition to the large 5-minute dial previously mentioned, there is a
lower 12-hour dial with hour and minute hands. The upper five-minute dial
has one hand driven by a synchronous motor. This is an auxiliary clock motor
to be kept running at all times in case the primary motor should fail.
The seconds beating clock, when properly regulated, is to run with an
error of less than one second per day using the Graham “clead beat” type
escapement.
The pendulum movement, which drives the black hands on the center
dial and the lower dial, is regulated by two methods. The first means of
adjustment is by adding or subtract ing small weights.
SUMMER 2019 5

The weights are applied to a pan
fastened to the pendulum rod. They
are marked with a numeral displaying
the number of seconds per day which
that particular weight would change the
clock’s rate. Weights are added to the
pan to increase the rate and removed
from the pan to slow it.
A second way of regulating the clock
is with two small rheostats located in
the top of the case. These control the
intensity of a magnetic field set up by
a battery coil in the bottom of the case
and affect the pendulum swing. One
rheostat will set the clock, correcting
small errors of up to five seconds. The
other rheostat will correct the rate of
pendulum movement and acts in the
same manner as the weights on the
pendulum pan.
The pendulum movement is powered
by a spring which is kept wound by a
connection with the synchronous motor.
If the clock should stop, the synchronous
motor must be turned off to prevent
over-winding of the clock spring. The
main and auxiliary synchronous motors
are controlled by means of toggle
switches in the top of the case.
The instruction manual suggests
that the movement be cleaned and
overhauled and that new synchronous
motors be installed every two years.
These clocks were to receive very good
maintenance to ensure reliable service
for the power plants.
Henry Warren’s Master Clock Type A
and the synchronous clock motor, both
relatively simple in concept and design,
were ingenious products.
Their development made possible, for
the first time, the widespread use of the
household electric clock that we know
today.
Article used with permission. This article was originally published in the February 1985 issue of the NAWCC Bulletin (pages 35–37), a journal of the National Association of
Watch & Clock Collectors, Inc. For more information about the Association and its membership benefits, please visit nawcc.org.
“
In the modern electric clocks . . . the function of measuring time
is separate from the function of telling time. Two devices are
necessary, first a single very reliable and accurate master clock
located at some central point on a power system, and second an unlimited
number of synchronous motor clocks located wherever convenient on the
distribution system of the power company. The same generators, wires, and
transformers which carry light, heat and power to all the company’s customers
also carry without any extra charge accurate time impulses to those modern
electric clocks. The only thing that is necessary for the electric clock to do is
to translate the alternating current impulses into time indications. Therefore,
they serve to tell the time which is accurately measured by another device.
TOP: The nameplate from Loup Power
District’s Warren Telechron Master
Clock.
BOTTOM: Historical records show
that Loup’s clock was initially used at
Muscatine Electric Light Company in
Muscatine, Iowa. Loup acquired the
clock sometime in the late 1930s.
Courtesy of Ashland (Mass.) Historical Society.
6 GENERATOR
As a result of this arrangement the mechanical construction of the electric
clock is of a very different nature from that of the ordinary spring and weightdriven
clock. In the latter conservation of power is of the utmost importance.
Only a slight amount of energy is available in a tightly wound spring or a lifted
weight and this naturally must be used in the most miserly way if the delicate
time-measuring escapement device is to perform accurately . . . In the electric
clock, however, it is not difficult to provide an abundance of power which can
be used for the simple task of keeping the clock hands in motion . . .
Synchronous motor clocks may be readily substituted for practically all forms
of ordinary clocks and their field of usefulness may be extended far beyond
that of spring and weight-driven clocks.
The electric movements are small and compact so that they may be mounted
in any ordinary form of case. The dial may be readily illuminated by using
a trifling amount of the energy which is available inside the case itself.
They have already become the most popular form of alarm clock. They
may be arranged to show the time of day by moving numerals in place of
moving hands. They may be arranged to switch electric current on and off
at predetermined times or to give signals according to a regular program. In
fact there seems to be no limit to the field of usefulness of these new timekeepers.
— HENRY ELLIS WARREN, February 6, 1937
Meeting of the Clock Club in Boston

May 1930 Ladies’ Home Journal ad courtesy of clockhistory.com 7

Top: A view of the two major canal breaches on the north
and south sides of the intake structure at the Genoa
Headworks a few days after the March storm.
Top left: The Nebraska National Guard helped drop
sandbags in the south side breach. Employees added
sand and rock to completely fill the breach.
Bottom left: The storm’s flooding ripped off an addition to
the Headworks building, damaging the break room and
an office. Employees are still using the shop area.
Right: Employees from the neighboring Preferred Sands
of Genoa helped fill the north breach in the days following
the storm.
8 GENERATOR

The storm destroyed the caretaker’s house
at the Genoa Headworks (below). Most of
the house has been removed from the canal.
PICKING
THEPIECES
UP
The March
storm caused
a large canal
breach near
the Highway 22
bridge southwest
of Genoa. Preferrred
Sands employees
helped fill the gap, but
Loup employees need to
widen the dike an additional
10 to 20 feet in places.
Ice jams. Rain. Snow melt. Fluctuating temperatures.
They collided violently in mid-March, leaving
behind disaster and destruction throughout much of
Nebraska.
Loup Power District’s Genoa Headworks was not
spared. The water breached the canal walls in several
places between the intake structure and the Highway
22 bridge southwest of Genoa. The two largest
breaches flanked the intake structure.
Over the next week, Loup employees worked to fill
the breaches and stop the uncontrolled flow of water
from the Loup River in to the canal.
They had help from neighboring Preferred Sands of
Genoa. Preferred employees used the business’ large
machinery to haul loads of sand to help fill the gaps
and rebuild roads.
The Nebraska National Guard assisted as well,
dropping 280 massive sandbags in the south breach.
Now, four months later, employees are working
to pick of the pieces and rebuild the area. It is
a frustratingly slow process — made so by a
combination of the extent of damage, the weather,
and the regulatory procedures mandated by the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Although some of the pieces are falling into place,
it will take several years to finish the puzzle.
SUMMER 2019 9

Top: The March storm washed away
the decking on the weir bridge at the
Genoa Headworks. This left employees
unable to access the south side of
the canal. New decking was installed
in April.
In this photo, Heavy Equipment Operator
Kurt Mohr (crane operator),
Drege Foreman James Reeg (left)
and Headgates Operator Andy Zarek
(right) install stop logs on April 18.
Right: The weir bridge after the storm.
Bottom: The intake structure received
some damage but remained operational.
10 GENERATOR

Left: The Pawnee II, a dredge used to
remove sand from the canal’s settling
basin, took on about four feet of water
during the flood, damaging the dredge
pump motor.
A portion of the dredge roof was
removed with the help of a crane, which
then lifted out the 11-ton, 3,000hp motor
so it can be refurbished.
The Pawnee II’s predecessor — the
Pawnee — also survived a flood in 1966.
Bottom left: Dredge Operator Joe
Kleckner works to separate the motor
coupling prior to the motor’s removal.
Bottom right: Hydro Superintendent
Brad Morton, Monroe Chief Operator
Jamie Held, and Hydro Electrical/
Mechanical Technician Matt Kathol
discuss dredge repairs.
SUMMER 2019 11

employee notes
RICK SCHAECHER
Meter/Maintenance Superintendent
Retired
Rick Schaecher of Columbus retired from Loup Power District after more than 27 years
of service.
He joined Loup in 1992 as the District Substation Meter/Maintenance Superintendent at
the Columbus Service Center and continued in that position until his retirement.
Schaecher was in charge of the Meter and Maintenance Department at Loup Power
District. The Meter and Maintenance crew performs high voltage switching, maintenance
and inspections of distribution and transmission substations throughout the district,
as well as metering and relaying. The crew also operates and maintains Loup’s SCADA
(Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system and irrigation Load Control.
A graduate of Lindsay Holy Family High School, Schaecher has an Associate of Applied
Science degree in Electrical Technology from Southeast Community College in Milford.
He and his wife, Karla, are the parents of two children: Jared and Ryan.
1 year+Promotion
JOHN FRITZGES
Equipment Operator
John Fritzges of St. Edward
joined Loup Power District as a
Maintenance Man at the Genoa
Headworks in 2018.
He was promoted to Equipment
Operator in May.
Fritzges is responsible for
maintaining the District’s parks,
facilities and equipment. He also
assists equipment operators and
serves as a dredge deck hand
during the dredging season at the
Genoa Headworks.
He and his wife, Kaitlin, have
three children: Kohen, Reese, and
Rhett, are expecting another in
September.
Transfer
TIM RECEK
Maintenance Man
Tim Recek of Columbus
transferred to the Hydro
Department where he is now
working as a Maintenance Man.
He joined Loup Power District
in 2017 as a Utilityman.
In his new role as
Maintenance Man, Recek is
responsible for maintaining
District parks, facilities, and
equipment.
He and his wife, Brenda, have
two children: son, Dylan, and
daughter, Sydney.
Welcome
NANCY NELSEN
Customer Service Rep
Nancy Nelsen of Newman
Grove joined Loup Power District
as a part-time Customer Service
Representative in the Newman
Grove office.
In her new position, Nelsen’s
responsibilities include greeting
customers; processing payments;
setting up, transferring, or closing
service; taking service calls; and
preparing reports.
Nelsen graduated from
Lincoln High School and earned
an Associate of Applied Science
degree from Southeast Community
College.
She and her husband, Chris,
have a daughter, Halie.
12 GENERATOR

SHARON TROFHOLZ
Columbus Service Center Coordinator
Sharon Trofholz of Columbus retired after more than 37 years of service.
Trofholz joined Loup in 1982 as the Steno-Clerk at the Columbus Service Center. Her
position title was changed to Service Center Coordinator in 1999 and she continued in that
position until her retirement
As the Service Center Coordinator, Trofholz handled communication among the
personnel at the Service Center including linemen, meter and maintenance, shop, and
canal crews. Her duties also included taking service calls including outages, receiving
locate requests, sending irrigation load control messages and handling dispatches. She also
prepared work tickets, service orders, and reports.
Trofholz and her husband, Gary, are the parents of three adult children: Greg, Kelly, and
Kari. They have seven grandchildren and two great-grandsons.
Retired
1 Year
ANDY YRKOSKI
Lineman
Andy Yrkoski joined Loup
Power District as a Lineman on
the Columbus Line Crew at the
Columbus Service Center in 2018.
As a Lineman, Yrkoski is
a member of the crew that is
responsible for the construction,
tree trimming, operation,
and maintenance of electric
transmission and distribution
systems and substations in the
Columbus Division.
Yrkoski is a graduate of
Columbus High school. He earned
an Associate of Applied Science
Degree in Utility Line from
Northeast Community College in
Norfolk.
1 Year
AARON SUNDBERG
Lineman
Aaron Sundberg of Fullerton
joined Loup Power District as a
Lineman in the Fullerton Division
in 2018.
He is a member of the
crew that is responsible for
the construction, operation,
and maintenance of electric
transmission and distribution
systems and substations in the
Fullerton Division.
Sundberg is a native of
Clarks and a graduate of High
Plains Community Schools. He
graduated from the Utility Line
program from Metropolitan
Community College.
10 Years
MATT KATHOL
Hydro Electrical/
Mechanical Technician
Matt Kathol joined Loup as
Meter, Relay, and Equipment
Technician II in 2009. In 2018,
he transferred to the Hydro
department and began working
as a Hydro Electrical/Mechanical
Technician.
In that role, Kathol maintains
and repairs equipment at
the Columbus and Monroe
Powerhouses.
A graduate of Norfolk High
School, Kathol earned an Associate
of Applied Science Degree in
Electromechanical Technology
from Northeast Community
College in Norfolk.
He and his wife, Ashley, are the
parents of a son, Eli.
SUMMER 2019 13

employee notes
GINNY JOHNSON
Customer Service Representative
25 years
Ginny Johnson of Genoa joined Loup in 1994 as a regular part-time Cashier at the
Genoa Office.
In 2009, the position title was changed to Customer Service Representative. Johnson
was promoted to a full-time Customer Service Representative in 2018.
Her responsibilities include greeting customers; processing payments; setting up,
transferring, or closing service; taking service calls; and preparing reports.
Johnson is a graduate of Genoa High School. She also took accounting and computer
courses at Central Community College-Columbus.
Johnson and her husband, Don, are the parents of four sons: J.J., Andy, Craig, and Scott.
They have six grandchildren.
5 Years
CAMERON KNOPIK
Journeyman Lineman
Cameron Knopik joined Loup Power District in
2014 as a Lineman in Albion and was promoted to
Journeyman Lineman in 2017.
Knopik is a member of the line crew that is in
responsible for the construction, operation, and
maintenance of Loup’s electrical transmission and
distribution system in the Albion Division.
He is a native of Fullerton and a graduate of
Fullerton High School. He earned an Associate of
Applied Science Degree in Utility Line from Northeast
Community College in Norfolk.
Knopik and his wife, Connie, live in Albion.
Transfer
ZACH REICKS
Meter, Relay & Equipment
Technician
Zach Reicks of Columbus recently transferred to
Meter, Relay and Equipment Technician.
He joined Loup in 2007 as an Apprentice Lineman
at the Columbus Retail Division based out of the
Columbus Service Center. Later that year he was
promoted to Lineman. In 2011, he was promoted to
Journeyman Lineman.
In his new role, Reicks is part of the team that
is responsible for installation and maintenance of
substation power equipment for the District.
A graduate of Columbus Lakeview High School,
Reicks has an Associate of Applied Science Degree in
Utility Line from Northeast Community College in
Norfolk.
He and his wife, Ashley, are the parents of three
children: Leyton Michael, Camden Lee, and Lily Jean.
14 GENERATOR

MARIE ZACH
Administrative Assistant — Engineering
Marie Zach of Columbus joined Loup in 1999 as a Cashier at the District’s Columbus
General Office. She was promoted to Computer Operator in 2001 and to Lead Customer
Service Representative in 2011. She was promoted to Administrative Assistant for the
Engineering Department in 2014.
Zach provides support to the Vice President of Engineering and other department
personnel. She maintains work order files, state and federal forms, consultant materials,
internal reports, and more.
A native of Humphrey, Nebraska, Zach is a graduate of Humphrey St. Francis High
School. She earned an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Business Administration
and a Management Diploma from Central Community College -- Columbus.
Zach and her husband, Steve, are the parents of four children: Wes, Austin, Danny,
and Laura. They have 11 grandchildren.
20 Years
Welcome
DREW GRAHAM
Utilityman
Drew Graham is a Utilityman
based out of the Columbus Service
Center in June.
In his role as Utilityman,
Graham’s duties include servicing
the District’s rental water heaters,
delivering interoffice mail, and
assisting on other projects as
needed.
Graham is a native of Silver
Creek and graduated from Twin
River High School. He earned a
degree in Heating Ventilation and
Air Conditioning/Refrigeration
from Northeast Community
College.
He and his wife, Jordan, live in
Columbus.
Welcome
JACOB CZARNICK
Lineman
Jacob Czarnick is a Lineman
based out of the Columbus Service
Center.
Czarnick is a member of the
crew that is responsible for
the construction, operation
and maintenance of electric
transmission and distribution
systems in the Columbus area.
He graduated from Columbus
High School and earned his Utility
Line degree from Northeast
Community College last month.
Czarnick interned at Loup
during the summers of 2017 and
2018.
Welcome
BEAU SCHOMMER
Lineman
Beau Schommer is a Lineman
based out of the Columbus Service
Center.
In his new role, Schommer
is a member of the crew that is
responsible for the construction,
operation and maintenance
of electric transmission and
distribution systems in the
Columbus area.
Schommer graduated from
Norfolk Catholic High School and
earned his Utility Line degree from
Northeast Community College. He
interned with Loup Power District
in Humphrey last summer.
SUMMER 2019 15

employee notes
TIM RAMAEKERS
Meter/Maintenance Superintendent
Promotion
Tim Ramaekers was promoted to Meter/Maintenance Superintendent at Loup Power
District.
In his new position, Ramaekers oversees the Meter and Maintenance Department.
The Meter and Maintenance crew performs high voltage switching, maintenance and
inspections of distribution and transmission substations throughout the district, as
well as metering and relaying. The crew also operates and maintains Loup’s SCADA
(Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system and irrigation Load Control.
Ramaekers joined Loup in 2001 as a Lineman. He was promoted to Journeyman
Lineman in 2006 and was promoted to Meter Relay & Equipment Technician in 2008.
Ramaekers is a graduate of Norfolk Catholic High School and earned an Associate of
Applied Science Degree in Utility Line from Northeast Community College.
He and his wife, Michelle, are the parents of a daughter, Garyn, and a son, Kai.
Employees help raise funds for flood relief
Nikki Brunken saw photo after
photo of the devastation caused by
flooding in mid-March.
She wanted to do something for
the victims, but wasn’t sure exactly
how to help.
The answer ended up coming to
her when she was asked to volunteer
for a flood relief event in Columbus.
“I decided it was something I
was interested in,” Brunken said. “I
couldn’t just sit at home and see my
house that was perfectly fine and not
do something.”
Brunken was tasked with
organizing a silent auction just three
weeks before the event.
“I knew there was absolutely
no way that I could go around and
solicit enough on my own,” she said.
“I knew I was going to need a team
to help me out.”
She asked three fellow coworkers
for help along with some other
friends. They agreed to help for the
same reason she did.
“We all felt we wanted to do
something but didn’t know what we
could do,” said Shari Cromwell.
The team reached out to local
businesses and asked if they would
consider donating to the event. The
response was amazing — especially
since there were several recent
fundraisers for other causes.
Loup Power District employees (left to right) Lynette June, Nikki Brunken, Shari
Cromwell and Rhonda Rogers volunteered with a flood relief event in April. They are
pictured with Julie Oppliger, who also volunteered time for the event along with Sue
Hoge, wife of Loup employee Jim Hoge, and many others.
“The community was quite
generous,” Brunken said. “A lot of
people donated on their own for the
flood and yet they were still willing to
donate to the silent auction.”
In the end, the event, held on April
27, raised $86,374.77. The total does
not count businesses or individuals
who donated directly to the fund.
Donations are still being
accepted. To learn more,
visit floodreliefne.org.
16 GENERATOR

AC tune up water heater heat pump
$
40
Tune-ups on cooling
systems that have been
neglected for a few years
will improve efficiency
and provide energy
savings of 15% or more.
QUALIFYING SYSTEMS:
Residential central air
conditioners, air-source and
water-source heat pumps.
$
400–600
A heat pump water heater
is more efficient than a
standard unit. While it
costs more upfront, the
savings will pay back the
difference in two years.
QUALIFYING SYSTEMS:
Air source HP water
heaters ($400), and wateror
ground-source heat pump
water heaters ($600).
$
400–3,300
Heating and cooling your
home is probably one of
your largest energy
expenses. High-efficiency
heat pumps can help
reduce that cost.
QUALIFYING SYSTEMS:
Minimum 15 SEER,
12.5 EER, and 8.5 HSPF;
or a variable capacity
heat pump.
ENERGYWISE ℠ INCENTIVES
increased to aid flood victims
Loup Power District, in partnership with Nebraska
Public Power District (NPPD), is increasing three
residential EnergyWiseSM incentives to help those
affected by the recent historic and devastating
flooding.
The incentive amounts for the High-Efficiency
Heat Pump, Cooling System Tune Up and Heat Pump
Water Heater programs have increased approximately
33 percent.
The temporary incentive increases end December
31, 2019. They are available to all customers — not
just those with flood damage.
All projects must be installed and operational
during the calendar year to be eligible for the
corresponding EnergyWiseSM program year
incentives.
LEARN MORE AT LOUP.COM
SUMMER 2019 17

MICHAEL ZIOLA
Doane University
—
Master’s Degree
in Educational Leadership
MORGAN TROFHOLZ
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
—
Bachelor’s Degree
in Business
BRIANNA PRATER
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
—
Bachelor’s Degree
in Psychology
JACEY OLMER
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
—
Bachelor’s Degree
in Graphic Design
Plans: Continue to teach
and coach at Waverly High School
Son of Peg and Ron Ziola,
Vice President of Engineering
Granddaughter of Gary
and Sharon Trofholz,
Columbus Service Center
Coordinator (Columbus)
Plans: Master’s Degree in Clinical
and Mental Health Counseling
Daughter of Sue and Rick Prater,
Supervisor of Safety and Training
Daughter of Tom and
Ann Olmer, Humphrey
Customer Service
Representative
AUSTAN KORUS
Twin River High School
AIDEN CROMWELL
Columbus High School
BRADY SOKOL
Newman Grove High School
GRIFFIN BABB
Boone Central High School
Son of Brenda Korus and Neil
Korus, Chief Mechanic
Plans: Study mechatronics
at Central Community
College-Columbus
Son of John and Shari Cromwell,
Lead Customer Service
Representative
Plans: Ag Business
at Northeast Community College
Son of Joan and Scott Sokol,
Newman Grove Local
Superintendent
Plans: Lineman Program at
Northeast Community College
Son of Shelly and Roy Babb,
St. Edward Local Superintendent
18 GENERATOR

Area students earn scholarships
LINKAGES SCHOLARSHIPS
Linkages Scholarships were awarded to 11 students in the 2019
graduating class at Columbus High School.
The Linkages Program is a nationally recognized program that supports
high schools offering a quality program of engineering and technology
courses. The Columbus Economic Council, Loup Power District, and local
businesses provide support for the program.
The students qualified for the Linkages Scholarship by taking engineering
and technical courses. The scholarship can be used at each student’s college
of choice.
The 2019 Linkages Scholarships were awarded to the following students:
Gold Level —Logan Garbers, Edwin Ortiz-Morales, Eduardo Lares, and Ethan
Gaston; Silver Level — Avery McMeekin, Pedro Zayas-Vargas, Mitchell
Thelen, and Heriberto Huerta-Zayas; Bronze Level — Jan Gomez, Treyton
Mead, and Eduardo Loredo-Luevano.
The following local sponsors provided important financial support to this
year’s program: BD Medical, Behlen Mfg., Cargill Protein, Columbus Bank,
Columbus Community Hospital, Duo Lift Manufacturing, Pinnacle Bank, and
TORIN Products.
Since its beginning in 2004, the Linkages Program has awarded 192
scholarships totaling $57,775.
LOUP POWER DISTRICT SCHOLARSHIPS
Loup Power District has awarded scholarships to nine area students who
are attending Central Community College-Columbus this fall.
Loup Power District scholarships are awarded to high school seniors
living in Boone, Colfax, Nance, and Platte Counties and portions of Madison
County. Selection is based on academic achievement, employment and
school activities, quality of the personal statement, application completeness
and recommendations.
Scholarships were awarded to: Boone Central High School — Haley Buck;
Columbus High School — Juliette Caballero, Aiden Cromwell, Hailey Wagner,
and Nadine Hernandez; Howells-Dodge High School — Dylan Horejsi;
Lakeview High School — Emma Williams; St. Edward High School — Keean
Cruise; Twin River High School — Logan Dickey.
Lease payments
total more than
$1.2 million
Loup Power District officials recently
presented lease payment checks
totaling more than $1.2 million to
area communities.
Each of these communities owns
their electric distribution systems.
These payments compensate them
for the use of those systems for the
first quarter of 2019.
Communities use the funds for a
variety of public projects.
The payments were:
Columbus — $1,099,536.66
Genoa — $30,863.46
Creston — $9,053.75
Lindsay — $53,710.91
Leigh — $18,945.55
Newman Grove — $23,287.06
ELECTRICITY
REMAINS A
GOOD VALUE
The cost of powering your home
rises slowly compared to other
common expenses. Looking
at price increases over the last
five years, it’s easy to see that
electricity remains a good value!
Average Annual Price Increase 2013-2018
Percent
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
3.6%
3%
2.8%
1.1%
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Consumer Price Index
0
Rent
Cable/
Satellite TV
Education
Electricity
SUMMER 2019 19

2404 15th Street | PO Box 988
Columbus, NE 68602-0988
Employees added 2×4s to the diversion wall at the Genoa Headworks on June 19.
The wall diverts water into the settling basin and must be repaired every year.