Arizona G&T Cooperatives Employees and Their Families Volunteer to Boost Curb Appeal at Benson Primary School Parking Lot
Benson School Board Member Vicky Konrad thanks AzGT
For Immediate Release
Contacts:
- Geoff Oldfather, (520) 586-5465, C: (520) 444-3473, email Geoff Oldfather
- J.D. Wallace, (520) 586-5157, C: (520) 235-4203, email J.D. Wallace
Benson – For many years, Benson School Board Member Vicky Konrad worried about the negative impression made by the parking lot and drop-off area in front of Benson Primary School. Volunteers from Arizona G&T Cooperatives spent a day in December improving that impression.
“I’m a 16-year employee of the school, so I used this parking lot daily and I knew of all the problems we had with it,” said Konrad, who’s been a Benson School Board member for a year. “Our school’s appearance means a lot, and I want to thank Arizona G&T Cooperatives for everything today.”
The school didn’t budget for the project, so ten AzGT employees and their family members descended on the area to sweep the parking lot, repaint the stripes and curbs, shovel and spread decorative rock, and remove overgrown trees and brush. AzGT funded the supplies. It was all part of a Cooperative Concern for Community Challenge presented by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
“It seemed like a really good opportunity for AzGT to lend a hand and give back to the community,” said Ben Engelby, general counsel for AzGT, who brought his wife Rochelle, daughter Emma and son Ben, Jr., to help out. “Being part of a cooperative, it feels like you’re part of a family.”
AZGT regularly donates funds for schools and other community projects. “But one of the best expressions of caring about the community is donating our time,” said Gerard Rodriquez, AzGT business information manager, who volunteered along with his wife Darla.
Micah Mortensen, superintendent of Benson Schools, explained that improved parking lot markings are important for safety. “Having partners like Arizona G&T is critical for our success,” he said. “It’s a great partnership in the community.”
You can see the volunteers in action on a video at our website.
About Arizona G&T Cooperatives
Arizona Electric Power Cooperative (AEPCO) and Sierra Southwest (Sierra) together comprise Arizona G&T Cooperatives. AEPCO owns and operates the 625-megawatt (MW) (combined gross) Apache Generating Station, located at Cochise, east of Benson. AEPCO also owns, operates and maintains 866 miles of electric power transmission line—including line owned in part with other utilities—and 36 substations to provide wholesale electric power from Apache to 6 Member distribution cooperatives in southern Arizona, western New Mexico, northwestern Arizona and California.
Sierra is the vehicle to develop new ways to serve the renewable energy needs of AzGT Member cooperatives and customers, and helps maximize solar and other renewable tax credits. Sierra has initiated 2 utility-scale solar projects. AEPCO’s 20 MW Apache Solar project is located on AEPCO property adjacent to and northeast of Apache Generating Station. The second project includes SunAnza Phase I, a 2 MW solar array, as well as SunAnza Phase II, which includes an additional 1.4 MW solar array and a battery storage system, all on property owned by Anza Electric Cooperative adjacent to its headquarters in Anza, California.
Combined, the distribution cooperatives that receive AEPCO’s wholesale power serve more than 161,000 meters representing more than 420,000 individual residential, commercial, agricultural, and industrial member/consumers.
The Class A Member cooperatives that receive wholesale power from AEPCO include Duncan Valley Electric Cooperative, Duncan; Graham County Electric Cooperative, Pima; Mohave Electric Cooperative, Bullhead City; Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative, Willcox; Trico Electric Cooperative, Marana; and a California member, Anza Electric Cooperative, Anza.
These Member cooperatives own AzGT and, by extension, AzGT’s Member distribution cooperatives are owned by their members—the people at the end of the line who use the power.
AEPCO also serves 5 Class D energy services Members which are scheduling and trading customers and which include the Central Arizona Water Conservation District, Phoenix, AZ; Lincoln County Power District #1, Pioche, NV; Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA; Southwest Public Power Agency, Maricopa, AZ; and Valley Electric Association, Pahrump, NV.
AEPCO is also a Member/owner of ACES, a nationwide energy management company that helps its Members and customers buy, sell, and manage energy more efficiently and with less risk. The AEPCO/AzGT Benson campus hosts the ACES West Regional Trading Center (WRTC), which benefits AEPCO/AzGT Members and customers.