a c t i i t i e s - clearwater-polk electric cooperative

–– OFFICE HOURS: 7:00 AM-4:30 PM ... MONDAY-FRIDAY –––– OFFICE HOURS: 7:00 AM-4:30 PM ... MONDAY-FRIDAY ––

Phone 218-694-6241 – or – toll free (888) 694-3833November & December 2019

A C T I V I T I E SA C T I V I T I E S Website at www.clearwater-polk.com

CURRENTCURRENT

We had a great turnout for our open house celebrating Co-op Month with over 150 people stopping by on Thursday and Friday, October 17th & 18th. It was great to see and visit with everyone who took the time to stop in.

Members were treated to homemade pie and donuts, coffee and juice. They also signed up for a chance to win one of four $25 energy certificates. Congratulations to the lucky winners who are: Joel Mayer of Bagley, Dale Halvorson of Clearbrook, Bruce Netland of Bagley and Tracy Tollefson of Leonard.

Thank you to all of you who stopped by to help celebrate Co-op Month and make our open house a great success!

Thank You Thank You to everyone to everyone who stopped who stopped

by during our by during our Co-op Month Co-op Month Open House!Open House!

2019 ~ Clearwater-Polk eleCtriC Newsletter PAGE ... 2

OFFICERS &DIRECTORS

Leroy Riewer, President .................. BagleyGreg Spaulding, Vice President ........ BagleyRobert Johnson, Secretary ............. BagleyGreg Renner, Treasurer .................. ShevlinGary Mathis ................................. GonvickKim Solberg ................................. GonvickBill Lanners ................................... Shevlin

Bruce Bjerke ...........General Manager

SIGN UP FOR AUTO-PAY AND YOU WILL BE

ELIGIBLE TO WIN

$25.00EACH MONTH WE DRAW TWOTWO MEMBER’S NAMES

THAT HAVE CHOSEN TO PAY BY AUTO-PAY. THEY WILL RECEIVE A $25.00 CREDIT

TOWARDS THEIR ELECTRIC BILL.

CURRENT WINNERSCURRENT WINNERSLeta Rabideou, Leslie Bardwell, Leta Rabideou, Leslie Bardwell,

Frederick Klasen, & Richard LongFrederick Klasen, & Richard Long

SCHEDULED BOARD MEETING

Held at the Clearwater-Polk Electric board room

at 8:00 a.m. on the last Wednesday

of each month.

Swap Shop Swap ShopSwap Shop Swap ShopRULES: Ads for Clearwater-Polk Electric members only. Current Events newsletter will only be published every other month. Ads must be received by the 10th of the print month. Limit your ads to two items. No commercial ads, please.FOR SALE: VIZIO sound bar for TV Model SB3821-C6 38” wide. Includes instruction book. $100. Rear End for Farmall M tractor, good wheels. Call 218-694-6326

FOR SALE: 62” wide by 31” high 3 drawer 2 door modern buffet/dresser. Solid wood. Formica top. Excellent shape. $50 or Best Offer. Call 218-657-2304.

FOR SALE: Older 4 drawer chest with glass knobs. Needs refinishing. $50 or Best Offer. Call 218-657-2307.

FOR SALE: Oreck air filtration unit like new with extra filters. $50. Call 218-280-2849.

FOR SALE: Easy Share Kodak printer dock and photo paper. New! $50. Call 218-280-2849.

FOR SALE: TO 20 & 30 & 35 Ferguson right angle drive pulley. $100. 8N and 9N Ford right angle drive pulley, $100. Call 218-467-3474.

FOR SALE: 12” planer with stand $160; 10” compound slide miter saw with stand $135; 18” 31cc Craftsman bushwacker $20: Poulan P1500 trimmer, 16”, 25cc $10. Call 218-657-2853.

FOR SALE: Bobcat 1080C 1980 Year shear head Cummins engine. Call 218-556-1840 and leave message.

FOR SALE: White Geese various ages $10 each. Call 218-657-2660

FOR SALE: 1 Floating dock 8x16 foot, $650. 1 Floating dock 8x20 foot, $710. Call 218-556-1840 and leave message.

Clearwater Polk Electric's Office will be closed for the holidays on

the following dates.Veteran's Day, closed on Monday, Nov. 11th

Thanksgiving, closed on Thursday and Friday,

Nov. 28th & 29th

Christmas, closed on Tuesday and Wednesday,

Dec. 24th & 25th

New Years Day, closed on Wednesday, Jan. 1st

YOU COULD WINYOU COULD WIN$$2525

To reward our faithful readers, one member’s name will be drawn at random each month and placed

somewhere in the newsletter. If you should find your name, let us know

before the 15th and win $25 off your next bill.


ENERGY ASSISTANCE ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROVIDERS:PROVIDERS:

Clearwater County Social Services216 Park Ave NWBagley, MN 56621

218-694-6164

Polk County Social Services240 SW Cleveland AveMcIntosh, MN 56556

218-435-1585

White Earth Energy AssistancePO Box 418

White Earth, MN 56591218-473-2711

Inter-County Community Council207 Main St

Oklee, MN 56742888-778-4008

Red Lake CAP Program15533 Main Ave

Red Lake, MN 56671(218)-679-1880

MAHUBE-OTWA (For Hubbard Co.) 120 North Central

Park Rapids, MN 56470-0229 218-732-7204

Bi-County Cap6603 Bemidji Ave N. Bemidji, MN 56601

800-332-7161

The Clearwater-Polk Trust Fund committee will soon be holding a grant-funding meeting. Request for funds will be accepted until Monday, December 2, 2019. Application blanks can be picked up at our office, on our website www.clearwater-po lk .com or f rom one o f the committee members: Cindy Benson, Lois Rydeen or Laurie Pemberton. Donations from the Trust wil l generally be made to organizations which benefit the service area community of Clearwater-Polk Electric Cooperative. Non-profit Organizations which have been granted IRS Code 501© (3) status and serve a large number of people will be given priority. Donations from the Trust wil l generally not be made for:

A. Lobbying, political, and religious organizations;B. Fraternal and labor organizations;C. Fund-raising dinners, raffles and other events;

D. Individuals;E. National fund drives;F. Advertising; andG. Economic development projects.

The fol lowing factors wi l l be considered in the evaluation of all funding requests.

A. Potential benefit to area residents and the entire community;B. Level of community support for the program or project or organization requesting the funds;C. Fiscal and administrative capability of the organization to deliver a quality service or program; andD. Results that are predictable can be evaluated.

All donations to organizations will be published in area newspapers and the Current Activities Newsletter. All applications will be kept on hand for one year.

Clearwater-Polk Electric Trust Funding and Donations

HELP US FIND THESE INDIVIDUALSHELP US FIND THESE INDIVIDUALSAlphabetically listed are capital credit checks of former members of Clearwater-Polk Electric Cooperative, Inc. that have not been cashed. If your name or someone you know appears on this list please contact our office at 218-694-6241. All members are reminded that they should maintain contact and keep the Cooperative informed of their current address for sending capital credit payments after they leave our system.

ACKERLAND JERRYADAMS RICHARD FAMES HARRY LAMUNDSON RONALD DANDERSEN ARTHUR FANDERSON ANNETTAANDERSON GERALDANDERSON MAVISAUGE ANDREWBAKKE JASONBAKKE ROBERTBAKKEN BROSBANK OF AMERICABARNUM JESSICA SBARTH DON

BEBENSEE NORMANBENNETT HUBERTBENSEN CLARENCEBENSON GORDONBERGESON L ABERGH JUNEBERGH WAYNE FBERGMAN RICKYBERRY BILLBESTASSETSBETHLEHEM LUTHERAN CHURCHBJERKE LAVERNEBJERKE RUDOLPH OBLAZER LOIS

BOE DOUGLAS EBOE TODDBOUCHER ROLAND CBOUCHER ROLAND CBOYLE BRENDA LBRICHNAC LOURENEBROBERG MEGHANBROUSE DAVIDBYDLON FRANK PCAMPBELL DONNA NCHERRY RACHEL LCHOC FRANKCLAUSEN JAMES MCLEARWATER VALLEY SEEDS

COLSEN SHANNONCOOK JAMES FCOULTER ROBERT PCRABTREE BRIAN WDARST ARLENE MDAVIDS WAYNEDAVIS CORA GDAVIS SHELIA EDEWALD JOHN HEDEVOLD VERNONEDMAN LORAINEGELAND MARTINEILERS ALBERT AENTENMANN KEVIN EERICKSON ANITA L

ERICKSON LARRYEVANS CHASFAHL MARKFARMERS HOME ADMFISHER FRANK JFISHER TERRANCEFLEMMING CLARENCEFOSSTON SPORTSMAN CLUBFOSSTON SPORTSMEN’S CLUBFREDELL CLEARY C J DRFREDENBURG LORENFREDRICKSON BRADYFREEDOM RIDGE

...Continued Page 6


WHAT IS REQUIRED OF A DIRECTOR?The bylaws of Clearwater-Polk Electric Cooperative establish

certain qualifications that must be met in order to become a director. These are:1. Be a member in good standing of the Cooperative, receiv-

ing electric service at the member’s primary residence in the district from which the director is elected prior to being nomi-nated for director; provided, further that “primary residence” is defined as the residence that is the chief or main residence of the person and where the person actually lives for the most substantial portion of the year;

2. Not be, nor within three (3) years preceding a director can-didate’s nomination have been, an employee of the Coop-erative;

3. Not be, become, nor shall have been at any time during the five (5) years preceding a director candidate’s nomination, employed by a labor union which represents, or has repre-sented, or has endeavored to represent any employee of the Cooperative;

4. Not be a close relative of an employee or director, where as found in these bylaws “close relative” means any individual who is, either by blood, law, or marriage, including half, step, foster, and adoptive relations, a spouse, child, grandchild, parent, grandparent, or sibling, or principally resides in the same residence;

5. Not be employed by, materially affiliated with, or have a

material financial interest in, any director, individual or entity which either is:(i) directly or substantially competing with the Cooperative; or(ii) selling goods and services in substantial quantity to the

Cooperative; or(iii) possessing a substantial conflict of interest with the Coop-

erative.For purposes of this section, the terms “material” or “substan-tially” shall be interpreted as constituting a minimum of 5% of a member’s total hours of employment, sales, or income on an annual basis;

6. Not be or become the full-time employee or agent of, or be or become the full-time employer or principal or, another director;

7. Not be absent, without being excused by the board, from three (3) or more regular meetings of the board of directors during any twelve (12) month period;

8. Be only one, and not more than one, member of a joint membership; provided, however, that none shall be eligible to become or remain a director or to hold a position of trust in the Cooperative unless all shall meet the qualifications hereinabove set forth;

9. If a representative or agent of a member is not a natural person, i.e. a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, or simi-lar, then the representative or agent designated as a nominee for director shall be an individual residing within the external boundaries of the district from which (s)he is nominated; and

10. Never have been convicted of a felony.

The following Members wish to nominate [insert name] _____________________, for the three-year (insert District 1, or 2) _________________ director position, or (insert name) ____________________ for the two-year District 2 director position, and to place such name on the ballot for the April 15, 2020 election, at the annual meeting of the Clearwater-Polk Electric Cooperative, in accordance with Artlicle III, Section 8, of the bylaws.

District 1 District 2

Gary Mathis (3-year term) Leroy Riewer (3-year term)

Any 10 or more members who reside in the district, up for election, may nominate an eligible member for a director's position. No member may be elected to a director position unless nominated in this manner. In the event of a joint Membership, only the signature of one member shall be acceptable.

The Cooperative must receive the completed petition no later than close of business February 1, 2020. At the annual meeting scheduled for April 15, 2020, elections will be held for the following districts where Director's terms are expiring:

PETITION FOR NOMINATION

Map of District 1,2, & 3


Bruce Bjerke

Manag

er’s M

essage

Manag

er’s M

essage

Manager’s MessageAs I am writing this article for our next

newsletter, it seems early to be thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas! What happened to summer and fall?

The holidays are a time of year that many of us eagerly anticipate. The season is marked by special foods, seasonal decorations and lots of festivities.

We cherish carrying on old family traditions and enjoy creating new ones. For me personally, I look forward to more time spent with family and friends.

However, given the hustle and bustle of the season, the holidays can also offer an opportunity to slow down and reflect. For all of us at Clearwater-Polk, we are grateful for you, the members of the co-op.

As a member of Clearwater-Polk, you’ve frequently heard that you’re an owner of the co-op. You may have wondered, What exactly does this mean?

Most people think of ownership in more individual terms of their personal property, such as a home, car, cabin or boat. While being an owner of (Travis Carlson) your electric cooperative is slightly different, you still receive many valuable benefits that are exclusive to member-owners.

First and foremost, you have a powerful voice in how Clearwater-Polk operates. Each year, as part of your co-op’s annual meeting, members elect board directors. The directors, who are also members of Clearwater-Polk, are elected to represent your interests when it comes to setting policies or making decisions on issues that impact the co-op and our members. Every member-owner of the cooperative is eligible to run for the board of directors, provided they meet the minimum qualifications outlined in our bylaws. If you’re interested in learning more about this process, visit www.clearwater-polk.com, call or stop by our office. We would be happy to discuss the process with you.

We encourage co-op members to attend our annual meeting, which is held every

year in April, and exercise your right to vote as an owner. For our members’ convenience, we also offer mail-in ballots for board of director positions. During our annual meetings, we provide an update on the performance and long-term stability of the cooperative by reviewing financials, infrastructure investments and community involvement. Unlike other utilities – who are often owned by Wall Street investors – local ownership means individual involvement and your voice in the co-op matters. You can be on a first-name basis with our staff and directors because they are part of your community and are your friends and neighbors.

When you own items, such as a home, you’re building equity. The same is true of being an owner of Clearwater-Polk. When you use electricity, you accumulate equity and it’s tracked for every member through a capital credits allocation. As a not-for-profit business entity, we meticulously track revenue and expenses. At the end of the year, if our business expenses are less than our income, the excess goes to our members based on the amount of electricity you’ve used. These funds are allocated to your account and returned over time when the board determines it’s financially feasible to do so. In recent years, the board has approved retirements of approximately $200,000 each year; it shows up as a credit on your electric bill in December. The amount of credit you receive depends on if you were a member and the amount of electricity you purchased the years these capital credits are paid back. If the board approves a retirement of capital credits for 2019, it will be for the years 1986 and 2012. To date, Clearwater-Polk has returned $6,918,817 to our members. When other types of utilities have margins, the profits are returned to investors.

About one in 10 Americans receives power the way you do, from a locally owned electric cooperative. There are more than 900 electric co-ops across the country and 50 of those co-ops are providing safe, reliable, affordable and increasingly clean power to Minnesota members like you. Because each co-op belongs to the people who live there, the co-op listens to the community it serves. Whether it’s working with the latest energy efficiency technologies or keeping the electric grid safe and secure, Clearwater-Polk offers solutions that make the most sense locally.

You see, one of our founding principles as a co-op is “Concern for Community.” While our focus is providing safe, reliable and affordable energy, we want to give back. We want to help our community thrive.

In looking back at this past year, I’m grateful that we were able to make a positive impact in the community. Through programs such as Operation RoundUp, where thanks to our members, we will collect nearly $20,000 this year; and since the program began, over

$400,000 has been given back to help support many local organizations. This fund continues to make lasting impressions on the lives of neighbors and the community. Just pennies a month can be a shining example of how each of us, doing a little bit, can make a huge impact in our local communities. One of the biggest assets of being part of a cooperative is that we have strength in numbers to accomplish our objectives.

We were also grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Progressive Agriculture Foundation to raise awareness of the importance of Electrical Safety, Food Safety, Animal Safety, Dangers of Distracted Driving, Fire Prevention, Tractor/Grain Bin Safety, AED Training, ATV Safety, and Hazardous Chemicals. Each session provided education, training and resources for youth to make healthier and safer choices on a farm, home and in their own communities. There were approximately 190 students from Bagley, Clearbrook-Gonvick and Fosston schools who participated this year.

Thank you to our members who stopped by our office October 17th and 18th in celebration of Co-op Month. They were treated to pie, donuts, coffee and juice. A big thank you to Deanna who baked the delicious pies, and to Angie and Judy for helping serve the goodies to our members.

November 11th is Veteran’s Day, a special time to honor our veterans. Freedom is a precious gift that must be defended, or it will be taken from us. Through the decades there have been those who sacrificed to protect our freedom, and we call them heroes. We take for granted the freedom and opportunities we have in this country. These extraordinary men and women have done things most people don’t want to do, gone places we would never want to visit and have lived at length in uncomfortable surroundings we can’t even imagine. All of us owe them a lot! To all our Veterans and those serving our country today, thank you and your families for the sacrifices you have made!

Looking ahead to 2020, we hope you will share your opinions with us. We recognize that our members have a valuable perspective, and that’s why we continually seek your input. Whether through community events, our social media channels or at the annual meeting; we want to hear from you. We are led by you – the members of the co-op – and we depend on your feedback.

As we prepare for next year, we look forward to the opportunity to serve you and the greater community. On behalf of our hard-working board of directors and employees, thank you for the privilege of serving you! We would like to wish you a blessed Thanksgiving and Christmas season along with a prosperous New Year. God bless you, our troops and their families!

Bruce


Ingredients:

Preparation: In large skillet, saute' onion and green pepper in oil until tender; remove from heat. Stir in the turkey, 1/2 cup of cheese and chillies; set aside. In a saucepan, combine the sour cream, soup, coriander and cumin, Cook and stir over low heat until warm; stir 1/2 cup into the turkey mixture. Spoon about 1/3 cup turkey filling down the center of each tortilla; roll up tightly. Place seam side down (Clara Lien) in a greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Spoon remaining soup mixture down center of tortillas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Yield; 6 servings.

1 md. onion 1/3 c. chopped green pepper 2 T. Vegetable oil 2 c. cubed cooked turkey 1 c. shredded Colby Monterey Cheddar (divided)

1 can (4 oz) chopped green chillies 1 c. (8 oz) sr. cream 1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted 1/4 tsp ground coriander 1/8 tsp. ground cumin 6 flour tortillas (8 inches), warmed

CHEF’S CHEF’S CORNERCORNER

Turkey EnchiladasTurkey EnchiladasJoEllyn Lundin (Bagley)JoEllyn Lundin (Bagley)

CALL 694-6241 or 1-888-694-3833

AFTER HOURS OUTAGES CALL AFTER HOURS OUTAGES CALL

1-877-881-7673 1-877-881-7673

Trouble CallsTrouble Calls

DURING OFFICE HOURS 7:00 am - 4:30 pm, Mon. - Fri.

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REICHERT ROBT LREISINGER PAUL JRICE LAKE FIRE HALLRINGSTAD MARK ARISTEIGEN REUBENRIVERVIEW FARMS INCROLLER DOMEROONEY GARY RROWLAND LYNNSCHAIPER & MAZZOCKELLISCHMIDT WILLIAMSELIX TRACEY LSEVERSON MYRTLESINCLAIR SUNBEAM 4-H CLUBSINLAND JUNE HSMITH L RSODON DOUGLASSORENSON DANSORENSON LARRYSOVICK BRUCESPARHAWK GEORGE SSTEVENS CARRIESTEVENS LAWRENCE OSTEVENS MILDREDSTIEGELMEYER DALESTOAKS SALLY LSTROM HARLEYSUNDQUIST LESTERSUNDQUIST MARK ASWENSON ASHLEYSWENSON RONALD DSYVERSON JOHNTABER EARL ETERZO SAMTESCH JACKTEW MILLARD OTHOMPSON ALICE TTHOMPSON APRILTHOMPSON LUCY STHORSON JOHN OTOLLEFSON HARRYTORGERSON ALBERT

TREICHEL DOLLYTURNER WILMAUBERT MARTIN EUDY GUY LUS WEST - REAL ESTATEVALLEY PAULVANNOTE VANCEVAN’T HUL BERNARDVIOLETTE LEONARDWEAVER ALEXANDER EWESTMAN EVERETTWHITESIDE M CWILCOWSKI SAMANTHA AWOOTAN JODIWRIGHT TIMOTHY

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a c t i i t i e s - clearwater-polk electric cooperative

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