OPALCOGRAM 153 10/26/95 NEXT PREVIOUS Doug Bechtel It seems like I always get surprised when fall arrives. One day the temperatures are in the 80os and it is sunny, the next time I look around the temperature is in the 50os, it is raining and the wind is blowing. This year was probably a little bit worse because I lost the month of September working on the repairs to the Lopez to San Juan submarine cable. For what it is worth, this repair project went well. The cable has passed all its tests and will be put into service during a short, scheduled outage in a week or so. Back to my main topic, fall also brings with it extended vacations by many of our members. It seems like this time of year our ferries are full, not necessarily with tourists but with OPALCO members heading for the sunshine. I would like to leave you with a few suggestions before you head out. I am certain all of our members realize that if your payment is not postmarked by the 10th of the month we charge a 5% late penalty. What many people don't realize is that we waive this late payment penalty one time a year. If you have made 11 payments on time we will forgive the late charge on the 12th. If you do plan to be off island and don't want to take a chance on a late payment penalty, send us an advance payment of whatever you think your bill will be while you are gone. If we get a significant payment in advance we are not going to worry if you are off a few dollars from your actual bill. If you are not sure just how much to send us, give us a call and we will help you figure it out. If you travel often or are gone for extended periods, you might want to consider a bank that offers paying agent service. There may be others, but many of our members use the Washington Mutual bill paying service. We mail them a copy of your bill and they will pay it for you out of your account. Of course, you have to have an account with them for this to work. Some of the major regional banks also offer this service, but they need a minimum of ten OPALCO members to request this service before OPALCO can be added to their list. Some of our local banks will pay your bill for you but there would be a small charge for this service. If you do plan to be gone for an extended period of time, you should arrange for a neighbor to check your house from time to time. I was aware of problems in Alaska where a freezer or a refrigerator did not come back on after a power outage and a lot of food spoiled. It is hard to anticipate what this winter is going to be like. Looking at the recent efforts of spiders I get the feeling it is going to be a long, cold winter. Let's hope that the lights stay on.   Doug Bechtel NEXT PREVIOUS