United Electric

By Dianna Troyer

While studying music education at Brigham Young University, an unfor-gettable violin concert changed Jolene Hobson’s life.

Children who had learned the late Shinichi Suzuki’s method of playing vio-lin performed complex concertos with ease.

“It was amazing,” recalls Jolene, who has been playing violin since childhood. “They played better than college stu-dents. I knew I had to learn more about that method of teaching.”

Since becoming a certified teacher

with the International Suzuki Association, Jolene, 61, has taught about 200 students—some for as long as 15 years—in the Mini-Cassia area. During the past 30 years, her students have ranged in age from 3 to adults.

Jolene says she loves playing violin and teaching it to others.

“It’s so exciting and satisfying when you see improvement in students’ play-ing and see how music helps them to become better people,” says Jolene. “Playing is also a way for me to give to the community.”

A member of the Magic Philharmonic Orchestra in Burley, Jolene performs

classical songs and hymns at church, community events, nursing homes and funerals.

For most of those events, Marilyn Whiting has accompanied her on piano.

“We’ve been playing together for 40 years,” says Jolene. “Music has blessed me with many lifelong friendships.”

As Jolene learned more about Suzuki’s philosophy and teaching methods, she realized the Japanese musician’s ideas meshed with her own.

“I agree with Dr. Suzuki when he said, ‘Teaching music is not my main purpose. I want to make good citizens. If a child hears fine music from the day of his birth

Strumming Heart StringsSuzuki violin teacher passes on her musical passion to students

Jolene Hobson teaches her granddaughter, Claire, how to properly hold a bow during one of her lessons.

4 M ay 2015

and learns to play it himself, he develops sensitivity, discipline and endurance. He gets a beautiful heart.’ I think that’s what music is all about.”

Suzuki believed learning to play a musical instrument was a skill that could be acquired through consistent, focused practice. He compared it to learning a spoken language. Just as people learn to speak their mother tongue through lis-tening and repetition, they also can learn to play a musical instrument.

Jolene shares one of her favorite moti-vational mottos from the late Adolph “Bud” Herseth, a trumpet player: “The more I practiced, the better I played, and the better I played, the more I enjoyed it.”

Jolene recalls how she practiced and practiced when she received her first vio-lin from her father.

“I was 8 years old and so excited,” she says. “He’d taken me to the Utah Symphony, so I’d heard what a violin could sound like. When I tried to play mine, it sure didn’t sound like what I’d heard at the concert. It took years to learn to play.”

Among her 32 students is her grand-daughter, Claire Hobson, 5.

To teach Claire to hold her bow cor-rectly, Jolene places a small finger puppet on the end of her bow, reminding Claire to hold it upright so it will stay on.

Together, they sing, “Up like a rocket, down like the rain, back and forth like a choo choo train. Round and round like the great big sun, put it on your head, curl pinky and thumb.”

“It’s hard to keep kids motivated after the novelty of getting an instrument wears off, so Jolene always comes up with different ways to make playing and prac-ticing fun,” says Claire’s mother, Laura. “She makes lessons enjoyable with gad-gets like the puppets or letting them wear a special crown when they play well.”

Like her students, Jolene is always learning. She often hears new ideas dur-ing a weeklong summer program orga-nized by the Intermountain Suzuki String Institute in Salt Lake City.

“It’s like a week of heaven, being sur-rounded by violin music and other musi-cians,” says Jolene, an instructor there.

As Jolene’s students become proficient, they perform at local concerts. To help them relax, she tells them to take deep breaths. She also suggests they think of their music as a color or story they want to tell to their audience.

“I also give out treats and tell them it is a secret potion that I concocted to help with whatever problem they are having,” says Jolene.

During her three decades of teaching, Jolene has enjoyed watching her students

grow up, including her own children. She taught her two daughters to play violin and one son to play cello. Her other two sons play piano, although she did not teach them.

“I get close to my students from the weekly lessons and miss them when they leave for college,” she says.

Some have returned to the area. A former student, Cassandra Grisenti, per-forms with Jolene in Burley’s orchestra. When Cassandra was 5, she began taking lessons from Jolene, studying with her for 13 years until high school graduation.

“One of the most important things Jolene taught was that through reaching my personal level of excellence, I could learn to do hard things,” says Cassandra. “That, in turn, has made the difference in all areas of adversity throughout my life.”

Cassandra began teaching violin eight years ago.

“Jolene helped me start out and con-tinues to help me succeed in learning to teach my students,” says Cassandra. “I’m thankful for her example as a person and as a teacher.”

Jolene says, “It’s great to think I was a small part of my students’ music edu-cation. Playing a musical instrument is something you can do your whole life. I tell my students music will bless them throughout all stages of their lives.” n

From left, Claire grins frequently during lessons. Jolene, who plays violin at various community events, demonstrates proper technique.

M ay 2015 5

United Electric

Energy Efficiency ProgramsUnited Electric offers rebates for making your homes, businesses and farms more energy efficient. Rebates for insulation, windows, ductless heat pumps, commercial lighting and irrigation sytem upgrades are available for qualifying measures.

If you have any window or insulation upgrades you want to complete before winter, hurry. Rebate amounts lower in September. Contact Chris at 679-2222 for more information.

Annual Meeting ReportThe annual meeting this year was great. This was the second year the UEC annual meeting was at Minico High School, which provided a warm and comfortable experience for members.

The homemade chili, soup and cinnamon rolls prepared by the Minidoka Food Service Association were excellent. The addition of wheelchairs to help members travel from the cafeteria to the auditorium was beneficial.

Other highlights include George Toner and Ron Osterhout remaining on the board of directors.

Members Eddie and Nancy Blanch won the $500 shopping spree.

United Electric AnnouncementsSummer Hours for United ElectricImportant changes to our summer operating hours, running from May 26 to September 8, are:XX Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. XX Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Prepay ProgramUnited Electric is happy to announce that prepay is now available. If you are interested in signing up for the prepay program or have any questions, call the office at 679-2222.

Clockwise from top, UEC board members from

left, Brent Bowen, Dean Nielsen, Ronald

Osterhout and John West are ready to greet

members. Board member Bruce Beck and

member Ray Abo, don their green for St. Patrick’s Day. UEC

linemen Eric Loock and Shawn Free, are ready to wheel members to

the cafeteria.

8 M ay 2015

United Electric

It is May, and United Electric Co-op is celebrating National Electrical Safety Month.

While safety for our members is a pri-ority year-round, Electrical Safety Month is a time to acknowledge the importance of safety excellence. This year, we are focusing on electrical safety in the home.

Electricity is the cause of more than 140,000 fires each year, and results in more than 500 deaths, 4,000 injuries and $1.6 billion in property damage, according to Electrical Safety Foundation International.

Use these helpful tips to protect your family and home.

In the Kitchen• Vacuum refrigerator coils every

three months to eliminate dirt buildup that can reduce efficiency and create fire hazards.

• Ensure all countertop appliances are located away from the sink.

• All appliance cords should be placed away from hot surfaces. Pay par-ticular attention to cords around toasters, ovens and ranges. Cords can be damaged by excess heat.

• The top and the area above the cooking range should be free of com-bustibles, such as potholders and plastic utensils. Storing these items on or near the range may result in fires or burns.

Light the Way to Safety• The wattage of the bulbs you use

in your home should match the wattage indicated on the light fixture. Overheated fixtures can lead to a fire.

• Check lamp cords to make sure they are not damaged or cracked. Do not attempt to repair damaged cords yourself. Take items with a damaged cord to an authorized repair center.

• Extension cords should not be used to provide power on a long-term or permanent basis. Have additional receptacles installed by a professional to provide power where needed.

Be Prepared• Nearly two-thirds of fire deaths

result from fires in homes without working smoke alarms. Smoke alarms should be located on every level of your home, inside each bedroom and outside each sleeping area.

• Test smoke alarms every month. Batteries should be replaced at least

once a year, or sooner if indicated in the manufacturers’ instructions. All smoke alarms should be replaced at least every 10 years.

• Talk to your family about an emergency plan in the event of a fire in your home. If you have small children, include them in planning an emergency escape route. They are more likely to remember the plan if they are involved in creating it.

Electrical safety awareness and education saves lives. For more tips and information about electrical safety, visit www.esfi.org.

National Electrical Safety MonthPutting safety first this month and throughout the year

M AY 2015 25

United Electric

By Dianna Troyer

Using modern technology and maintain-ing a healthy respect for the environ-ment, two Burley companies manage to meet business and environmental goals simultaneously.

In fact, Pacific Ethanol’s Magic Valley plant and Packaging Specialties Inc. both have been awarded the Excellence in Industrial Energy Efficiency Award from the the Idaho Governor’s Office of Energy Resources.

Pacific EthanolAs manager of Pacific Ethanol’s Magic Valley plant, Ken Wilson routinely deals with mind-boggling dimensions.

“We make about 185,000 gallons of ethanol a day,” says Ken. “Last year, the facility used 1.2 billion pounds of corn to make 65 million gallons of ethanol.”

Standing in front of four 670,000-gal-lon tanks filled with fermenting corn, he explains why the plant recently received a prestigious Excellence in Industrial Energy Efficiency Award from the Idaho Governor’s Office of Energy Resources.

In 2013, a sophisticated software pro-gram was implemented to control the variable frequency drive pumps attached to the 50-foot-tall, silo-shaped fermenta-tion tanks.

The motor speeds on the pumps are automatically adjusted, depending on how much water is needed to cool the tanks during fermentation. The pumps run at full capacity when needed and slow down when not needed. As a result, the company’s monthly electrical use has decreased.

“We hoped to save at least 5 percent on our monthly electric bills,” says Ken.

“We’re pleased to be saving 7 percent. That’s about $7,000 a month. In usage terms, this amounts to a savings of approximately 220,000 kilowatt-hours of energy per month.”

After analyzing the manufactur-ing process, Nosh Makujina, a member of Bonneville Power Administration’s energy smart industrial team, suggested the changes.

“They already had variable frequency drives installed on the pumps, but they were only being used in the clean-ing cycle,” says Nosh. “We helped with programming and controls to slow the pumps at prescribed periods during fer-mentation to help save energy.”

Ethanol represents nearly 10 percent of the nation’s gas supply, says Ken. It is made by mixing corn, water, sugar and yeast.

“In addition to corn, the plant uses about 400,000 pounds of refined sugar a day from Amalgamated Sugar Co.,” says Ken.

As yeast converts sugars in the mix-ture to alcohol, heat is generated. As

temperatures inside the fermentation tanks rise, 200-horsepower pumps cir-culate the “mash” through coolers to maintain a temperature set point of 95 degrees.

“The cooling system is circulating about 18,000 gallons of water per min-ute to help keep the tanks cool,” says Al Lowe, maintenance manager. “It’s a closed-loop system, with the water recir-culating in a large loop through a cooling tower and then back to the fermentation tanks.”

During fermentation, the yeast eventu-ally become less active.

“After about 54 hours, the yeast have done their work,” says Al.

Next, ethanol is distilled out of what is, at this stage, called beer.

“After distillation, the leftover corn solids are concentrated and then sold to dairies and feedlots in the area to the tune of about 1,500 tons per day,” says Ken.

Ken and Al plan to complete a few more energy-efficiency projects.

“Whenever a pump is pushing

Companies Recognized for EfficiencyBurley companies receive Excellence in Industrial Energy Efficiency Award

Mark Baer, a production operator at Pacific Ethanol, shows how he monitors fermentation activity.

28 M ay 2015

liquid against a closed valve, we look for an opportunity to install a variable frequency drive to reduce electrical con-sumption,” says Ken.

Packaging Specialties Inc.Energy-efficiency projects were as crucial as installing a state-of-the-art printing press when Packaging Specialties Inc. executives designed their new Burley plant in 2008.

Employees print packaging for snacks, beverages and poultry found in most consumers’ pantries and refrigerators.

The company recently received a prestigious Excellence in Industrial Energy Efficiency Award from the Idaho Governor’s Office of Energy Resources.

“Some employees were taking lean manufacturing classes at the College of Southern Idaho and heard about the gov-ernor’s program,” says Monte Bird, main-tenance manager. “So we submitted an application and were picked.”

The company’s energy-efficiency proj-ects have focused on lighting, recycling solvent and burning ink fumes in an oxidizer.

“Our company has a history of imple-menting energy saving, environmentally friendly technology because our philoso-phy has always been to have a sustainable business model and be responsible stew-ards of resources,” says plant manager Craig Jones.

The cavernous plant is as bright as a summer day with banks of efficient T5 fluorescent lights suspended from the ceiling. In the warehouse, rolls of thin plastic sheeting are stacked to the 24-foot tall ceiling, ready to be wheeled into the pressroom, where they will be printed with packaging labels.

In 2012, a reclaimer was installed, allowing solvent to be filtered and reused after it has been used to clean the press.

“After a job, we use solvent to flush ink out of the lines on the press,” Monte explains, as he stands in front of a 600-gallon vat containing clear solvent.

“You can’t have any ink residue left over from one job because it will contaminate the next job. For some jobs, we’ll have as many as 10 different ink colors.”

The solvent-containing ink is pro-cessed through a tank and heated to vaporize it. The ink solids remain and are removed. After the vaporized solvent goes through a cooling coil, it becomes a reusable liquid.

Another project funnels ink fumes from the exhaust system into an oxi-dizer, where they are burned in a fur-nace, saving on the need for natural gas.

Another energy-saving feature is the use of a 150-horsepower motor with a variable frequency drive. The powerful motor rotates a 12-foot drum on the press at varying speeds, depending on the need.

“At a rate of 1,500 feet a minute, our presses can put a photo on a plastic label,” says Monte.

Besides saving energy, Packaging Specialties Inc. also recycles film and cardboard, and donates corrugated pads to schools for art projects and foam packing to monument companies.

“We go the extra mile,” says Monte. n

Above, Monte Bird, maintenance manager for Packaging Specialists Inc., shows the oxidizer outside the plant. Below, the press is state-of-the art and prints labels for food and consumer items.

M ay 2015 29

What does Woody Guthrie have to do with electric rates at United Electric, you ask? In 1941, the Bonneville Power Administration hired Woody Guthrie to write music and record songs about the Columbia River hydro system and public power.

At the time, Grand Coulee Dam, Bonneville Dam and BPA were part of a long-term effort to bring cheap public power to rural homes and underdeveloped areas in the Northwest. Today, members of United Electric continue to benefit from the development of the Federal Columbia River Power System.

As BPA customers, we realize the value of the federal hydro system each time we flip the switch. In addition to providing more than one-third of the electricity used in the Northwest, the federal hydro system supports irrigation, navigation, flood control and recreation. The fish and wildlife program implemented by BPA and its operating partners ensure healthy fish and wildlife populations co-exist with the federal hydro system. It is one of the largest of its kind.

As BPA customers, we understand there is a cost associated with maintaining and sustaining the value consumers in the Northwest realize from the federal hydro system.

Last December, BPA announced an increase in wholesale power and transmission rates effective October 1, 2015. The power rate increase primarily is driven by maintenance on the federal hydro system. The transmission increase primarily is driven by necessary maintenance and expansion of the federal transmission system. As United Electric’s main power supplier, the increase in BPA costs will have a direct effect on United Electric and our members. The board of directors and management plan to perform a thorough review and evaluation of the cost of service to determine the impact to retail rates. This process is expected to be complete by fall 2015.

No one likes to see costs increase. However, as beneficiaries of the tremendous value of the Federal Columbia River Power System, we need to be good stewards.

Roll on, Columbia, roll on.

Jo Elg, General Manager

ID-29

Electric Rates at United Electric

UNITED ELECTRICCO-OP, INC.

UnitedElectricCo-op Inc.Directors President Dean NielsenVice President Bruce BeckSec./Treas. Cordell SearleBrent Bowen Ronald Osterhout David PhillipsGeorge TonerJohn R. West

General ManagerJo Elg

Engineering and OperationsTrevor Parke

Line SuperintendentDan Kidd

Executive AssistantPenny West

Manager of Finance and Admin.Curtiss Peterson

Community Relations ManagerChris Seibold

Mailing address:1330 21st St.Heyburn, ID 83336Phone: (208) 679-2222Fax: (208) 679-3333Email: uec@unitedelectric.coopWebsite: www.uec.coopO� ce hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

After Hours: (208) 679-4444

Jo Elg

“And on up the river is Grand Coulee Dam,

The mightiest thing ever built by man,

To run these great factories and water the land,

It’s roll on, Columbia, roll on.”

—Woody Guthrie

32 M AY 2015