Summer 25 Generator

GENERA OR
a publication of Loup Power District SUMMER 2025
IN THIS ISSUE:
Wholesale Power Contract Negotiations
History of Lineworker Safety Gear
Lost Creek Siphon Work

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jim Donoghue
Chairman
Mike Fleming
First Vice Chairman
Rich Aerni
Second Vice Chairman
Larry Zach
Secretary
Dick Tooley
Treasurer
Bob Cerv
Alan Drozd
Steve Heesacker
Dana Schultz
EXECUTIVE STAFF
Neal Suess
President/CEO
Walt Williams
Vice President,
Accounting & Finance/CFO
Todd Duren
Vice President,
Corporate Services
Korey Hobza
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
Area students earn scholarships
Skilled & Technical Sciences Scholarships
Seven high school graduates were awarded the Skilled & Technology Sciences Scholarship
for their work in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses at their high
schools.
The scholarship recipients are: Columbus High School —Nykolys Rutten; Lakeview High
School — Carter Dietrich; Scotus Central Catholic — Jacob Rother, Jordan Kouma, Evan
Jelinek, Spencer Shotkoski, and Henry Chard.
The Columbus Economic Council, Loup Power District, and local businesses provide support
for STEM/STEAM programs at the students’ high schools.
The following local sponsors provided financial support to this year’s program: Behlen Mfg.,
Columbus Hydraulics, DiStar Industries, Dorothy Lynch, Electrical Contracting Solutions
(ECS), Gene Steffy Ford, Great Plains Building Supply, Superior, Technik and TORIN Products.
Since its beginning in 2004, the Linkages Program has awarded 223 scholarships totaling
$80,575.
Loup Power District Scholarships
Loup Power District has awarded scholarships to six area students who are planning to attend
Central Community College in Columbus this fall.
Scholarship recipients are: Columbus High School — Brandon Espinoza; Lakeview High
School — Olivia Behnk; Schuyler Central High School — Esdras Santay; St. Edward High
School — Anthony Reader; Twin River High School — Llyandrah Sagales; Columbus Home
School — Ceclilia Gutierrez.
Loup Power District has presented scholarships to high school graduates in Nance, Boone,
Colfax, and Platte counties and a portion of Madison County for more than 50 years. The
scholarships are designed to encourage students to further their education locally and build
careers in the area.
Selection is based on academic achievement, employment and school activities, personal
statement, application, and recommendations.
HALIE NELSEN
Newman Grove Public Schools
—
Plans: Working for a horse trainer in Texas
Daughter of Chris and Nancy Nelsen,
Customer Service Representative
pReSIDeNT’S MessAGe
Loup negotiating NPPD
wholesale power contract
Over the past year and a half, District
management has been working with
Nebraska Public Power District and other
wholesale customers of NPPD to renegotiate
the current wholesale power contract.
The existing wholesale power contract does
not expire until the end of 2035. However,
NPPD needs to build and finance new
generation to meet load growth and wants
to have contracts in place to help keep
financing costs as low as possible.
This prompted the need to extend the terms
of the existing wholesale power contract.
As you might imagine, there are many
complexities surrounding these negotiations.
The guiding principles that NPPD and its
wholesale customers have used for the
negotiations are:
• Analyzing how the contract impacts enduse
customers
• Providing the financial security needed to
stabilize the cost of electricity and manage
risks appropriately for NPPD’s customers
• Having a contract length that supports
cycles of building and financing
• Allowing customers to change their
relationship with NPPD, as long as others
are not disadvantaged
• Promoting the unique benefits of an all
public power state
• Using a framework that adapts to
statutory, regulatory, and technology
changes
Each of these points have been discussed
during the negotiations and have played
a key role in the framework for a new
agreement.
Some of the more intricate topics include:
• How long of a term should these agreements
have?
• What should the exit fee be if a wholesale
customer wants to leave NPPD before the
end of the contract?
• What incentives are there for NPPD to
maintain low-cost, reliable electricity to
its wholesale customers?
• What role can customers play in developing
a voice for issues with the NPPD Board
of Directors?
NPPD is hopeful to have new contracts in
place sometime in the third quarter of 2025.
Loup management has been discussing these
topics with our Board of Directors to keep
them informed of the ongoing negotiations.
The most important aspect in all of the
ongoing discussions is keeping electric
service reliable and affordable and making
sure the public power model throughout
Nebraska can be showcased at its best.
More information regarding these
negotiations will be forthcoming in the near
future. Entering into long-term contracts
are important, and they need to be done
correctly to protect all parties. Loup wants
to do what is best for all of our customers to
ensure we can provide electricity at the most
reliable and affordable levels.
NEAL SUESS
President/CEO
2 | GENERATOR
Cover photo: Hunter Holmgren, a Line Technician Intern, and Line Technician Connor
Neal working just south of Humphrey
SUMMER 2025 | 3

Lost Creek Siphon Reinforced
Construction of the Lost Creek siphon
began in 1936. It was one of two
siphons designed to carry the creek
under the Loup Power District canal.
That culvert held its own for nearly
90 years. But it was starting to thin.
If it collapsed or failed in some way,
water would flow uncontrolled from
the canal.
So Loup’s engineering team began
searching for solutions for reinforcing
the culvert. They found Subsurface,
Inc.
The company offers trenchless
solutions for rehabilitating and
extending the life of vital drainage
structures.
The company used this technology
to repair the Lost Creek siphon in
May.
Employees first dewatered the culvert
and cleaned out the sediment.
Next, they pulled a liner through
the culvert and filled it with air so that
it molded to the inside of the existing
culvert.
The liner is constructed with corrosion-resistant
fiberglass and contains
photosensitive resin that was cured in
place with ultraviolet light. The result
is a structurally sound new pipe that
lines the original culvert.
The project was partially funded
by the Surface Water Irrigation and
Infrastructure Fund from the State of
Nebraska.
“This grant made it financially
feasible to refurbish the siphon and
guarantee that we can continue to
supply irrigation water to the people
downstream,” said Korey Hobza, Vice
President of Engineering.
Photos of the Lost Creek siphon construction on October 17, 1936. The culvert is five feet wide and about 255 feet long.
Left: After dewatering and cleaning the culvert, Subsurface
employees pulled the liner through the culvert and filled it
with air to mold it to the existing culvert.
Above: The existing culvert is now lined with a structurally
sound cured-in-place pipe.
Below: An illustration of the Lost Creek siphon.
LOST CREEK
CANAL
4 | GENERATOR SUMMER 2025 | 5

SIPHON SCIENCE
There are a total of seven siphons along the Loup Power
canal. The 916 and Lost Creek siphons both carry Lost Creek
under the canal. The other siphons divert the canal under
two railroad lines, and three creeks.
Six of the seven are three-barrel concrete inverted siphons.
Only the Lost Creek siphon was a corrugated metal
pipe culvert. It has now been reinforced with PVC.
When water fills the siphon, it flows under pressure as
opposed to open-channel gravity flow.
Looking Glass siphon under construction in 1935.
The Beaver Creek siphon diverts the canal under the creek just south of Genoa.
SIPHON DIMENSIONS
length | width | height
BEAVER CREEK
550' | 12.5' | 16'
RAILROAD
67.5' | 11.67' | 15'
LOOKING GLASS
420' | 12.5' | 16'
DRY/CHERRY CREEK
420' | 12.5' | 5'
916
315.67' | 6.67' | 5'
OCONEE
67.5' | 11.637' | 15'
LOST CREEK
255' | 5' diameter culvert
Left: Articles from the Columbus
Telegram dated November 17, 1934,
and June 17, 1935.
Aerial view of the Beaver Creek siphon.
6 | GENERATOR SUMMER 2025 | 7

The Evolution of Lineworker Safety Gear
EARLY HEADGEAR
Line workers commonly
wore hats made of felt or
leather for protection
HOMEMADE BELTS
Line workers fashion
belts to wrap around
their waist and pole
CLIMBING SPIKES
Homemade climbers
lack pads and have
only upper and
lower straps
HOMEMADE HOT STICKS
Linemen make their own hot
sticks and slather them with
varnish to keep moisture out
DIGGING SPOON
Workers dig holes by hand
with digging bars,
spoons, and shovels
RUBBER GLOVES
Safer gloves are
introduced around
1915 along with
other rubberized
equipment, such
as line hoses and
blankets
BARE HANDS
Workers rarely
wear protective
gloves
SHOTGUN STICKS
Allow line workers to
perform more tasks
without climbing
STANDARDIZATION
Belts and safety straps
are more standardized,
adjustable, and
attach to D-rings
LEATHER TOOL BAGS
Used to store and carry
climbing and work tools
HATS
Most workers wear
Stetson-style hats
until the transition
to hard hats later
in this period
HYDRAULICS
A-frame digger trucks evolve
into hydraulic digger derrick
trucks with augers, resulting in
safer, more efficient work
RUBBER GLOVE PROTECTORS
Linemen wear two pairs of gloves —
leather on top of rubber — for more
protection
HARD HATS
Head protection made
from thermoplastics
gains widespread use
BUCKET TRUCKS
Insulated buckets
with fall protection
come into use
TWO-WAY RADIOS
Radio technologies
improve communication
TELESCOPING
during emergencies
STICKS
and storm
Fiberglass extendo
restorations
sticks let workers
perform tasks like
opening and closing
switches or removing
tree limbs while
staying on or near the
ground
RUBBER SLEEVE IMPROVEMENTS
New sleeves extend to the shoulders
for extra protection
INSULATED HARD HATS
Linemen now wear hard hats
insulated with a special
polyethylene that
protects against
blows to he head
BATTERY-
OPERATED
CRIMPER
Lightweight me-
chanical crimpers
eliminate squeezing
connectors by hand
CLOTHING
Arc-rated clothing
is written into
OSHA-required
Personal
Protective
Equipment
TABLETS
Mobile devices
help lineworkers
troubleshoot
problems using
SCADA and meter
data instead of
climbing a pole
or going up in a
bucket
1875–1900
In the early years, linemen learn basic
principles and hazards in realtime.
Safety standards are non-existent,
and most line equipment is
handmade.
1901–1925
Safety rules and formalized training
become available, but they’re limited.
During this period, linemen de-energize
lines to restore power, but as de-
mand grows, live-line work becomes
more common.
1926–1950
The industry develops more formalized
safety rules and procedures to protect
lineworkers. In the late 1930s, apprentice
programs with stricter standards also
begin.
1951–1970
Fiberglass sticks evolve to “rubber
gloving,” with more formalized rules
and training. The advent of the
bucket truck, utility undergrounding,
and improved communications are
major steps.
1971–1990
President Nixon signs the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
law. Underground line installation becomes
widespread. Material-handling bucket trucks
and hydraulic and mechanical compression
tools also improve work conditions.
1991–TODAY
OSHA begins requiring utilities to
provide lineworker clothing to
protect from arc flashes as well
as fall protection devices like body
harnesses and fall-arrest lanyards.
HOT STICK HISTORY AND USE
Hot line maintenance began around 1913
when homemade wooden sticks were used to
open energized switches.
They were susceptible to moisture and dirt
and had to be replaced frequently.
Still, these bulky wooden tools led to the
development of today’s refined hot line tools.
Hot sticks today are insulated fiberglass
rods designed to protect lineworkers from
energized power lines.
They can be used for a variety of tasks
including operating switches, testing voltage,
tightening fasteners, and repairing equipment.
Left: Loup has a collection of hot sticks that date back to the 1930s.
8 | GENERATOR SUMMER 2025 | 9

employee notes
JOE HUBENKA
Humphrey Local Superintendent
MIKE BRABEC
Line Crew Leader
BRIAN HERMAN
Journey Line/Service Technician
ANN OLMER
Customer Service Representative
TOMMY WEMHOFF
Journey Line Technician
MASON HINZE
Line Technician
Joe Hubenka joined Loup in 1980 as
an Apprentice Line
Technician at the
Columbus Service
Center and was later
promoted to Line
Technician.
He was promoted to
Journey Line Technician
in 1984. In 1990,
he was promoted
to Humphrey Local
Superintendent.
Hubenka is responsible for overseeing
the maintenance and construction of
the Loup’s electric power transmission
and distribution system in the Humphrey,
Creston, Cornlea, and Tarnov
areas.
He is a graduate of Leigh High School
and earned an Associate of Applied
Science Degree in Utility Line from
Northeast Community College in Norfolk.
He has four children — Nathan,
Derrick, Marcus, and Alex.
HARRISON WEYERS
Drafting Technician
Harrison Weyers
was named Drafting
Technician at Loup
Power District in
2024.
45 YEARS
His duties include
revising distribution
maps using
AutoCAD software;
assisting with line 1 YEAR
and substation projects;
and revising
structural, mechanical, and electrical
technical design drawings.
Weyers is a graduate of Columbus High
School. He took classes at Milford and
UNL and earned an associate degree
in Mechatronics from Central Community
College.
Weyers joined Loup in 2022 as a
part-time employee in the Engineering
Department before his full-time
promotion.
Mike Brabec joined
Loup in 1995 as
an Apprentice
Line Technician in
Humphrey. He was
promoted to Line
Technician later that
year and to Journey
Line Technician in
2000. In 2007, he
was named Local
Superintendent in
Clarkson.
Brabec transferred to Journey Line
Technician in Columbus in 2008. He
was promoted to his current position of
Crew Leader at the Columbus Service
Center in 2014.
As Crew Leader, Brabec oversees the
line crew that is responsible for construction
and maintenance of Loup’s
electrical transmission and distribution
system in the Columbus Division.
Brabec is a graduate of Clarkson High
School. He earned an Associate of
Applied Science Degree in Utility Line
from Northeast Community College in
Norfolk. He and his wife, Lori, have two
sons: Gavin and Haden.
BLAKE GROSSNICKLAUS
Customer Service Representative
Blake Grossnicklaus joined Loup as a
Customer Service Representative at
the Columbus General Office in 2024.
Her responsibilities
include greeting
customers, processing
payments, setting
up and closing
service, and answering
phone calls.
30 YEARS
Grossnicklaus
is a graduate of
Shelby-Rising City
Public Schools. She
1 YEAR
studied business
administration
at Southeast Community College in
Lincoln and Metropolitan Community
College in Omaha. She and her fiancé,
Blake Eller, live in Silver Creek.
Brian Herman joined Loup in 1995 as an
Apprentice Line Technician in Fullerton
and was promoted to Line Technician
later that year. He was promoted to
Journey Line Technician in 2000 and
transferred to Journey
Line/Service
Technician in 2018.
Herman’s primary
responsibility is
ordering and receiving
materials for the
Fullerton Division.
He also conducts
monthly substation
inspections, maintains
street lights,
and performs other
duties for the Fullerton Division.
Herman is a graduate of Clarks High
School. He earned an Associate of
Applied Science Degree in Utility Line
from Northeast Community College in
Norfolk.
He and his wife, Angie, have three
children — Skyler, Spencer, and Stormy.
JACI NICHELSON
Customer Service Representative
Jaci Nichelson
joined Loup as a
Customer Service
Representative
at the Columbus
General Office in
2024.
Her responsibilities
include greeting
customers, processing
payments,
setting up and
closing service, and
answering phone calls.
30 YEARS
1 YEAR
Nichelson is a graduate of Scotus Central
Catholic High School and earned
an associate degree from Central
Community College.
She and her husband, Mark, have two
children: Cade and Brandon. Brandon,
and his wife Morgan, have two children,
Kelce and Maddux.
Ann Olmer has
served as the
regular part-time
Customer Service
Representative for
the Humphrey office
since 2010.
Her responsibilities
include greeting
customers; processing
payments; setting
up, transferring,
or closing service;
taking service calls; and preparing
reports.
Olmer is a graduate of Lindsay Holy
Family High School and has an
Associate of Applied Science Degree
in Human Services from Southeast
Community College – Lincoln.
She and her husband, Tom, have five
children — Jacey (Matthew) Korus,
Quinn, Connor, Delaney, and Kenna.
They also have one grandson, Grey.
ZANDER ZIETTLOW
Engineer
Zander Ziettlow
joined Loup Power
District as an Engineer
in 2024.
15 YEARS
Ziettlow plans,
designs, and implements
additions
to Loup’s electric
system to service
expanding and
new loads. He also
performs engineering
system studies,
works on reliability plans, and helps
order equipment.
1 YEAR
Ziettlow is a graduate of North Bend
High School and earned a bachelor’s
degree in electrical engineering from
the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
He and his fiancée, Julia Knapp, live in
Columbus.
Tommy Wemhoff joined Loup in 2005
as an Apprentice Line Technician at the
Columbus Service Center and was later
promoted to Line Technician. He was
promoted to Journey Line Technician
in 2009.
Wemhoff is member
of the underground
crew that is responsible
for the construction,
operation,
and maintenance
of Loup’s electrical
transmission and
distribution systems
and substations
in the Columbus
Division.
He is a graduate of Coleridge High
School and earned an Associate of
Applied Science Degree in Utility Line
from Northeast Community College.
RON CHRISTO
Cedar Rapids Local Superintendent
Ron Christo joined
Loup in 1985 as an
Apprentice Line
Technician in Albion.
He was promoted
to Line Technician/
Serviceman in 1986
and to Journey Line
Technician in 1990.
He was promoted to
his current position
of Local Superintendent
for Cedar
Rapids in 2015.
20 YEARS
40 YEARS
Christo oversees the maintenance and
construction of Loup’s electric power
transmission and distribution system
in Cedar Rapids and Primrose. He also
is in charge of customer service in the
area.
Christo is a graduate of Albion High
School. He earned an Associate of
Applied Science Degree in Utility Line
from Northeast Community College in
Norfolk.
Mason Hinze joined
Loup Power District
in 2024 as a Line
Technician based
out of the Columbus
Service Center.
He is a member
of the crew that is
responsible for
the construction, 1 YEAR
operation and maintenance
of electric
transmission and distribution systems
in the Columbus area.
Hinze is a graduate of Lakeview High
School and earned an associate
degree in utility line from Northeast
Community College. He began working
as a temporary part-time Line Technician
for Loup in 2022.
LOUP PAYS COMMUNITIES
NEARLY $1.8 MILLION
Loup Power District delivered lease
payments totaling nearly $1.8 million
to area communities in May. Each of
the communities owns their electric
distribution systems. These payments
compensate them for the use of those
systems for the first quarter of 2025.
The payments were:
Columbus — $1,292,790.27
Platte Center — $17,930.40
Monroe — $16,703.26
Tarnov — $2,372.36
Creston — $10,156.15
Humphrey — $38,753.08
Lindsay — $57,849.49
Cornlea — $2,551.79
Newman Grove — $25,134.32
Duncan — $20,820.05
Fullerton — $41,986.30
Genoa — $33,235.71
Belgrade — $4,726.18
Richland — $3,807.40
Howells — $29,490.48
Leigh — $21,616.24
Clarkson — $26,269.62
Albion— $63,859.82
Cedar Rapids — $24,691.42
Primrose — $1,872.04
Petersburg — $12,645.11
St. Edward — $24,561.56
Total — $1,773,823.05
10 | GENERATOR SUMMER 2025 | 11

2404 15th Street | PO Box 988
Columbus, NE 68602-0988