AIEC gearing up for annual meeting silent auction

The annual silent auction to benefit the Thomas H. Moore IEC Memorial Scholarship Fund will be held on Thursday evening, July 29 during the evening reception.  Established in 1994, the program awards seven $1250 scholarships annually to high school seniors in the "electric cooperative family".  The monies raised at the auction help to support these awards. 

Shown here are just a few of the items up for auction this year - two necklaces from Schramm-Bacher Jewelers & Gemologists, one is a 14K yellow gold pendant with a .28ct Opal and a round diamond suspended from an 18" 14K pendant rope chain and the second is an elegant 14K white gold custom made pendant with a .15ct round brilliant diamond suspended from a 16" 14K white gold pendant rope.  There will be a wide variety of items to bid on including Pam Renfrow and Roger DeWitt prints, various gift baskets, overnight packages, sports tickets, etc.

SIPC closes private placement

Southern Illinois Power Cooperative (SIPC), Marion, Ill., secured $360 million through a private placement earlier this month.  The funds will be used to finance the G&T's 7.9 percent share of the Prairie State Energy Campus, a 1,600mw supercritical coal-fired plant and adjacent coal mine.  The Washington County, Ill.-based project is expected to come online in late 2011.

Spoon River Electric shows cooperative spirit

Several Spoon River Electric employees, directors and the manager gave up a Saturday and volunteered to work on a project that made the electrical system at the Fulton County Fairgrounds safer and more reliable.  

Even though the fairgrounds property is outside of Spoon River's territory, they decided it was a worthwhile project that would benefit members and other community members.

The work consists of two phases.  This year was focused on the fairground's grandstand.  Three large poles with low-hanging wires were removed and the  wire was buried underground.  New light fixtures were also installed to help illuminate the popular events in the grandstand and help save money with their energy efficiency.

"That wire was a safety hazard," said Bill Dodds, President/CEO of Spoon River Electric.  "Kids would hang on the guy wires that supported those aging poles, and it would make the wires bounce.  If it had ever fallen on the aluminum bleachers at the grandstand, people could have been really hurt."

"Service to community is important to cooperatives," said Dodd.  "The Fulton County Fair is something that so many people here look forward to every year, and if we made it safer and more enjoyable, that's a rewarding thing for all of us."