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Doug Bechtel
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Well, we survived another annual meeting. We had over 150 memberships represented amounting to nearly 300 people, exceeding the 100 that we needed for a quorum. I appreciate all of you who came with the specific intent to help ensure that we had a quorum.
As usual, we used a small, chartered boat to bring our Friday Harbor members to Orcas to board the ferry. This year the boat that we usually use is in San Diego for the America's Cup and we used the Mystic Sea out of LaConner. Several of you told me that this boat, plus the nice weather, made for a very enjoyable trip from Friday Harbor to Orcas. Next year we will arrange a parking area for our members (probably the county courthouse parking lot) and arrange for a bus to bring you from the parking lot to the Port of Friday Harbor.
Outgoing President, Ed Marble, talked about the problems of having the annual meetings on the ferry and the other alternatives that the board had considered. Ed commented that the board had decided to continue to meet on the ferry as long as we could, a sentiment that most OPALCO members present seem to echo. Several OPALCO members commented how important it was to have a countywide meeting rather than a series of district meetings.
The results of the election are as follows:
There were several questions from our members: some during the formal question and answer and some in one on one discussions with me and several other OPALCO employees, that I will address in future OPALCOGRAMS.
Stuart Clarke, of the Bonneville Power Administration, made a brief presentation in which he pointed out the BPA's rates to OPALCO will go up by 4% October 1st of this year (this translates into something less than a 2% increase to our members).
He also pointed out that OPALCO will have greater flexibility in future rates which will take place on October 1, 1996 when we will be able to choose rates that are fixed for a longer period of time. He also discussed their work analyzing the long term "Plan of Service" for Orcas. This is a fancy term that relates to what Bonneville facilities will be needed to meet our long term energy needs. He also pointed to the competitive pressures that BPA is facing and their efforts to reduce employees by nearly 20% to keep their rates competitive with alternative suppliers of power.
The directors held a short board meeting after the annual meeting to elect officers for the coming year. Ed Peterson of Orcas, was elected President; Joe Gruber of San Juan, Vice-President; and Roger Crosby of Orcas, Secretary/Treasurer.
I want to thank each OPALCO member who took time out of their beautiful Saturday to attend our annual meeting. I really appreciate your interest in our co-op and look forward to seeing you again next year.
Doug Bechtel
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