By Brad Dolinski, CEO
Good afternoon NIECI,
I’m still waiting for the beautiful days of spring to hit. It just seems like winter and summer are in a battle for our attention. Many of our members are asking for rain; the lakes do look low this spring. I know Lake of the Woods is about 2-4 feet down from where it typically is in the spring. That will give us a little more room on the islands we fish from, just be careful and watch for hidden obstacles.
April 14th was Lineman’s Appreciation Day. I want to thank all our employees for their hard work and commitment to North Itasca Electric.
The linemen are a special part of what we do. They are committed to NIECI and their trade beyond what many know. Willing to jump up in the middle of the night in the nastiest of weather, our lineman pride themselves on turning the lights back on. These guys are willing to drop everything to help a neighbor out, they even travel to other service territories to assist when Mother Nature takes an ugly turn for the worse. Please help me to thank our line crew! Also, please help me keep them safe, when they are working on the side of the road slow down and move over. Thank you.
We are gearing up for the 85th Annual Meeting of North Itasca Electric, June 12th, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. in Northome at the fairgrounds. This is our opportunity to let you know how 2024 ended financially. We will report on the state of the cooperative and I’ll let you know what I see for our industry. I encourage you to attend if you are available. We will also attempt to broadcast the annual meeting via Zoom. Your registration card has the meeting ID and Passcode to enter the Zoom Meeting if you are not able to attend in person. We will provide a $25 bill credit for attending in person or online.
Andrew is working on another event I’m excited to see. We are planning a Member-Owner appreciation event on the 29th of May. Drew is inviting various vendors to showcase their equipment to help us save money on our energy bills.
Roxanne will have some appliances to showcase as well. I will fire up the grill and start serving burgers and brats from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. I hope to see Member-Owners and contractors at the event to share a little information and conversation.
It sounds like I need to take a trip to the SE side of our service territory. The rights-of-way are being trimmed and looking good before the summer winds hit. Also, we have one of my favorite stops open back up. The old Scenic Pines Restaurant is now Trail Side. The new owner has great food and outstanding service by the sounds of it. I have heard great reports and I’m looking forward to heading that way. This will be a great opportunity to grab a bite and refreshment when we are out on the ATV trails this spring/summer.
I look forward to seeing you at the events coming up. If I don’t catch you there, I’ll see you at our local businesses and restaurants! We have a lot to be thankful for in our service territory.
By your side! Miigwech
Brad
