A LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER DEDICATED TO THE SERVICE OF GOD AND MANKIND.
I. The year in review: fiber installation in the Houston District complete, Internet customers skyrocketed from 250 last year to 2,500, and flexible billing now offered.
II. Editor’s note: Here is a copy of remarks delivered by Natchez Trace EPA General Manager Shawn Edmondson, PE, during the group’s annual meeting Monday night, April 25.
III. Good Evening and welcome Members to your Natchez Trace EPA Annual Meeting. Thank you for taking time away from family, friends and normal activities to participate with us in the business and elections of your Electric Cooperative. We had an amazing year last year. We took care of our Electric Members, while hitting some major milestones on our Broadband Project. I’ll cover the details in my report later this evening. If we could go back and start this Broadband Project over again, we would have a killer process in place. Everything would flow smoothly and we would hit all of our deadlines on cue. When we started this Project, we probably knew as much about Broadband as our predecessors knew about electricity. The Farmers and Businessmen who started Natchez Trace. Like them, the only thing we really knew is that you needed it and no one else was going to deliver. Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, “There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still.” We had to start a Communication Subsidiary from scratch with no detailed game plan. Many times we were unsure of the next step to take, but we made the best decision we could with the information we had and we moved forward and worked out the kinks on the way. I can’t thank the Board enough for the risk they took and their leadership and vision. Without our Employees’ dedication and hard work, there wouldn’t be a Broadband Subsidiary. They made it happen with their dedication by coming in early, staying late and even working weekends to see to our Electric Members (which is our first responsibility) and to ensure that our Broadband Subsidiary would be a success. Now I’ll ask Terry Wills, our Board President, to come and give the invocation and introduce the entertainment.
IV. Tonight, we have two special guests with us from TVA; John Malone, Director of Customer Relations and Josh Wooten, Customer Relations Manager. TVA is not only our power provider and regulator, but also our Partner. They help us chase down issues on our Electric Distribution network and they help our Members with electric issues in their facilities. I’ll ask John Malone to come and give us report on TVA.
V. As Member-Owners you elect Board Members each year to represent you. Three Board Members are elected from each of our three districts – Calhoun City, Eupora and Houston – for a total of nine Board Members. The Board hires the General Manager and sets the policies that govern how NTEPA is operated. Each Board Member serves a three-year term. Each year, a Board Member’s slot from each District comes up for election. This year the Board Member slots up for election are Sheila Freely from the Calhoun City District, Robert Harrington from the Eupora District and Kenneth Linton from the Houston District.
Let me now introduce the rest of our Board. From the Calhoun City District, Jimmy Ball (Vice-President) and Mike Wade. From the Eupora District, Terry Wills (President) and Joe Hays (Secretary). From the Houston District, Danny Ellison and Earline Wilson. The Attorney is Paul Moore.
NTEPA has an 82-year history of providing affordable and reliable electric service. That history has involved our experienced workers training our new men and women. That training is not limited to specific job duties, but also how to serve our Communities and what it means to be a part of the NTEPA Team. So, do we have any retirees here tonight.
Last, but in no way least, our Employees. They not only provide your electric service, but now also your internet and phone service.
In early April each member received in the mail the Annual Meeting Edition of the magazine “Today in Mississippi”. This publication is our means of sharing NTEPA information with our Members and we have a few extra copies here tonight if you need them. Inside the plastic covering with the magazine was a ballot that you could use to either vote for the candidates or assign a proxy. We appreciate your support in getting those ballots back to us so we could have a quorum.
Now I’ll ask Mr. Wills to come back and open the Business Portion of our Meeting.
X. Our 4-year RUS Construction Work plan will end this year. We have begun work on our next Construction Work Plan. The Board will vote on the Construction Work Plan this Fall and it will take effect at the beginning of next year.
Some of the projects we are working on:
• We will complete our Radio Frequency Advanced Metering Infrastructure conversion this year. We’ve completed all of the regular single-phase 200 Amp meters. All we lack are 400 Commercial meters. We would have been through last year, but Supply Chain issues have affected us like everyone else. We couldn’t get the meters.
• Our Construction Crews installed 250 new electric services last year. The crews also kept up with normal maintenance on our system, plus make-ready work for the Broadband Project. They replaced almost 12,000’ of copper wire and 240 poles.
• Our Construction Crews, Substation and Engineering Personnel replaced a 161,000 Volt Circuit Switcher that was nearly 40 years old with a new SF6 Gas Breaker in our Houston Substation. We changed out the nitrogen system on one of the Power Transformers at Eupora. We repaired a 161,000 V switch at our Vardaman Substation. We performed routine testing at the Derma Substation and replaced the battery charger. We did work in each of our substations to increase reliability. Our Employees performed the work at Houston at Midnight on Saturday to limit your inconvenience. For the Vardaman work, they switched around 2,200 Members to keep the lights on.
• Our ROW Crew removed 1,324 trees, cleared over 100 miles of primary line and 571 services to Members’ homes and businesses. We also chemically treated 532 miles of ROW last year.
• With TVA’s help and equipment, we did an Infra-red Survey of 900 miles of line last year and all 4 substations.
• Our Accounting Department created flexible billing dates for Members with fixed incomes. Those Members can now align their electric bill due dates more closely with when they receive their monthly Social Security check. If you are a Commercial Member with multiple electric accounts, we can consolidate those accounts into one bill for your convenience. Please call our office if you are interested in either of those two programs and don’t forget we also offer electronic statements if you’re not receiving your mail on time.
• This time last year, we had 225 internet customers. Now we have over 2,500 internet customers with over 200 voice customers.
• Last year we installed 638 miles of fiber. We also installed our second DIA last October, which dramatically reduced the outages we were having from AT&T. We want to thank our early internet customers for their patience and support, while we worked through that process.
• We have completed fiber installation in the Houston District and are currently installing drops and providing home installations to everyone who has completed an application.
• Our goal is to begin offering service in the Vardaman Area, which includes Rocky Mount and Thorn, by Mid-Summer.
• Mainline fiber crews have begun work in the Calhoun City District. Our Construction Crews are busy with the make-ready work in the Calhoun City District. We hope to begin offering service in the Calhoun City District by the beginning of next year. Follow our NT Spark FB page for the latest construction updates.
So, that’s what we were busy doing last year. We continue to maintain and upgrade our electric system while building out a state of the art fiber communication network for broadband and voice. We are where we are today because of the leadership of our Board, the hard work of our employees and the support of you – Our Members. Now I will turn the Program back over to Mr. Wills.
Robert is managing editor of the Chickasaw Journal.
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 90F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..
Variably cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. Low 69F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
You'll receive our top headlines each morning, seven days a week, as well as each weekday afternoon.
Get news sent to your inbox as it happens, as well as our top stories each week.
Sign up to receive area high school football scores and recaps each Friday night.
Are you a Daily Journal subscriber? Sign up to view our daily e-editions each morning with just a click.
Are you a Chickasaw Journal subscriber? Sign up to view our weekly e-editions each Wednesday with just a click.
Are you a Chickasaw Journal subscriber? Sign up to view our weekly e-editions each Wednesday with just a click.
Are you an Itawamba Times subscriber? Sign up to view our weekly e-editions each Wednesday with just a click.
Are you a Monroe Journal subscriber? Sign up to view our weekly e-editions each Wednesday with just a click.
Are you a New Albany Gazette subscriber? Sign up to view our weekly e-editions each Wednesday with just a click.
Are you a Pontotoc Progress subscriber? Sign up to view our weekly e-editions each Wednesday with just a click.
Are you a Southern Sentinel subscriber? Sign up to view our weekly e-editions each Wednesday with just a click.
Are you a Daily Journal subscriber? Sign up to view our daily e-editions each morning with just a click.
Get weekly recaps during Mississippi's annual legislative session, plus breaking alerts, from our state politics team.
Get news sent to your inbox as it happens, as well as our top stories each week.
You'll receive our top headlines each morning, seven days a week, as well as each weekday afternoon.
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Invalid password or account does not exist
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.
Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
A receipt was sent to your email.