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By Frank Bonini April 26, 2023
Southwest Public Power District is proud to announce the Frank & Betty Potthoff Memorial Scholarship Program! Frank and Betty Potthoff were both formerly employed by SWPPD, and the Potthoff family has generously offered to fund this scholarship as a memorial to them. This $500 per semester scholarship will help a student attend the Utility Line Program at either Northeast Community College or Western Nebraska Community College. To qualify for the scholarship students must be a high school senior or graduate and reside in the border territory generally served by SWPPD and all towns therein. The applicant must have already applied to be admitted to the Utility Line Program at either college and have been accepted or placed on a waiting list. To apply for the scholarship, the student must submit a personal essay to SWPPD not more than 350 words in length explaining why they are interested in the Utility Line Program as their course of study. They must also provide their class rank and GPA. If the applicant has graduated high school and is attending college, they must submit college transcripts with their essay. Applicant essays will be forwarded to a selection committee. SWPPD would like to award the first scholarship for the Fall semester of 2023. Applicants must have their essays submitted by May 31, 2023 in order to be eligible. Please contact Frank Bonini at (308)285-3295, or frankb@swppd.com, with questions.
August 11, 2022
As the country continues to recover from the many recent global and national events, the supply chain issues are going to remain a challenge for at least the next 12 to 24 months. The inventory SWPPD requires to build and maintain new and existing services has been strained. Today, the current order lead time for transformers used in our industry are estimated to be approximately 52 weeks out. Unfortunately, transformers are not the only inventory item of concern. Everything from the raw materials used in our conductor wire to the poles, cross-arms and bolts used in construction have been impacted. The trade associations and organizations we belong to have been proactive in working with the federal government and with manufacturers to make sure we have what we need to serve our customers. SWPPD has adapted by ordering supplies further in advance and in larger quantities when the manufacturer allows. We also continue to recycle and reuse materials where possible. Materials ordered by SWPPD are also subject to change based on several unexpected events such as national and local storm restoration needs, transportation costs and availability, raw material interruptions and many other possible unexpected scenarios. These circumstances have been substantial enough that we can no longer guarantee that new services will be completed prior to the summer of 2023. More specifically, no new irrigation service requests that are not already in our que will be built before the summer of 2023. Therefore, any new service requests for the rest of the year will be put on a waiting list on a “first come, first serve” basis. The Board and Management at SWPPD felt strongly that it was better to communicate this delay to our customers as far in advance as possible to make the necessary adjustments in your plans if you are considering a new service in 2023. We apologize for any inconvenience. Please reach out to SWPPD if you have any questions.
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