Crowds gather at Rupert s town square to watch fireworks fill the sky above the historic Wilson Theatre. By Dianna Troyer

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1 Crowds gather at Rupert s town square to watch fireworks fill the sky above the historic Wilson Theatre. Photos courtesy of Warren Yadon A Biannual Blast in Rupert Rupert firefighters labor long hours to shoot two annual fireworks shows By Dianna Troyer While shooting a fireworks show, Roger Davis wondered why his fellow firefighter kept slapping him on his back a little too hard. Roger yelled to be heard above the noise. I asked him why he kept doing that, says Roger, chief of the Rupert Fire Department for the past five years. He told me that I was on fire. Unbeknownst to Roger, a drifting ember had landed on his back. It ignited and began burning and melting away his protective coat s strip of wide silver reflective tape. It can be dangerous shooting a fireworks show, so we follow strict safety precautions, Roger says. At the same time, it s a rewarding community service and fun to hear the crowd s reaction. Thousands of people come to watch our Fourth of July show. A few blocks from the town square in front of the firehouse, 18 firefighters help stage two annual fireworks shows one on the Fourth of July and the other the day after Thanksgiving to celebrate Santa s arrival and the start of 4 NOVEMBER 2015

2 Volunteer firefighter Lendon Moss, his son Ryker, and his fiance,tonya Judd, enjoy Fourth of July festivities. the Christmas holiday season. The downtown s a great place to shoot a show because the buildings magnify the booming sounds, he says. Sometimes the reverberations are so intense that car alarms are set off. To get extra height for some rounds, we shoot from certain rooftops. Before shooting a show, firefighters work for hours during a couple of days to get ready, knowing their labor of love will go up in smoke and vanish in about 20 minutes. We keep the show to about 20 minutes because that s about the length of time people can look up without getting a sore neck, Roger says. Our November show is about five minutes shorter than the July show because of the weather. People don t want to stay out too long in the cold. One year, big snowflakes were falling and drifting around. It was really neat and one of our most memorable shows. Firefighters never know what will happen each year. One year, a spark from a round landed in the grand finale, so those rounds went off prematurely and all at once because the fuses are linked together, recalls Roger, who has worked for the department since Since then, we ve made sure to put foil over the grand finale rounds so that won t happen again. Another year, winds were so gusty during the day that Roger almost cancelled the show. I monitored the weather all day, he recalls. I didn t want to be the bad guy and cancel. But for safety reasons, you can t shoot a show if winds exceed 30 miles an hour. There s too much danger from burning and drifting embers. Luckily, once the sun went down, the winds calmed, so the show went on like usual. To learn to shoot a show, Roger and other firefighters received training from fireworks vendors and previous firefighters. A few days before the show, they unpack boxes of fireworks. They carefully check hundreds of rounds with exotic names such as fan-shaped coconut tree, green flashing mums or shaped silver to red tail. We throw about 900 shots of 21/2-inch rounds for the July show and a little less in November, Roger says. We pick different types of rounds every year because we don t want people to say the show was just like last year. Besides inspecting each round, they clean out singed paper and other debris from mortar racks lined with tubes in which the fireworks are inserted. On the day of the show, they cordon Fire Chief Roger Davis unpacks boxes of fireworks. Photo by Dianna Troyer off several blocks around the fire station and set out the loaded racks. We have four rows of racks and stagger firefighters in diagonal lines at each row to light the rounds, Roger says. During the show, firefighters wear their old sooty protective clothing. It s dirty and hot, so we don t wear our newest turnout gear, he says. While shooting the show, Roger listens to the crowd s reaction. The crowd lets you know what they like, so when I hear applause or a lot of oohs and aahs, I ll tear the label off that particular one as a reminder to reorder for next year, he says. While some firefighters are shooting the rounds, others are stationed on rooftops and in alleys to watch for drifting embers. They have weed sprayers filled with water to douse any embers, Roger says. When the show ends, Roger hopes the crowd is satisfied. We want people to leave feeling like they haven t seen anything like that before, Roger says. We want them to wonder what we ll throw next year. n NOVEMBER

3 Proposed Amendment to United Electric s Bylaws How will the proposed bylaw amendment affect me? If the amendment is approved at the annual meeting March 15, 2016, it will give every member an opportunity to receive some of their capital credits. Without the bylaw amendment, newer members would have to wait until their service years are retired to receive capital credits. For example, without the amendment, it could be 20 years before capital credits from 2015 are returned to members. The amendment would provide the ability for a percentage of capital credits from 2015 to be returned to the members at the beginning of next year. Members who already receive capital credits could see an increase in the amount they get back. Below are a few examples of how the amendment could change the amount of capital credits you could receive. Member Type Capital Credits Returned Under New Amendment Capital Credits Returned Under Current Bylaw Active business with service in 1985 $3,503 $2,840 Active business with service starting in 1990 $125 $0 Active residence with service in 1985 $142 $138 Active residence with service starting in 2000 $9 $0 Active irrigator with service in 1985 $286 $217 Active irrigator with service starting in 2012 $31 $0 8 NOVEMBER 2015

4 United Electric Announcements Payment Regulations United Electric no longer accepts credit card payments at the office drive-thru. We are happy to assist you with a credit card payment at the front counter, where we have a swipe device available to meet PCI regulations. United Electric staff can help you learn how to make payments via our SmartHub app on mobile devices and home computers. Proposed Amendment to Bylaws As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, United Electric is owned by the members who use our services. When you pay your electric bill each month, you are building equity in your cooperative based on your use, referred to as capital credits allocation. At the board s discretion, and as the financial condition of the co-op allows, capital credits are periodically retired and returned to co-op member-owners. Currently, United Electric returns capital credits to the cooperative s first members (first in). The proposed bylaw amendment would allow United Electric to return capital credit funds to the cooperative s first members (first in) and also to the co-op s newest members (last in). This way, our longest-served members and our newer members both experience the benefits of cooperative ownership. Additional information about the amendment is on page 8 of this issue of Ruralite. For any questions or concerns, please come into the office or call us at Notice to Irrigators Members should be aware that pump panels may be energized. Pumps will be disconnected only upon request. If you want your pump disconnected for the season, please call the office at If you need to have a pump disconnected to perform work, please call the office to schedule the work. Please verify pump panels are de-energized before performing work on them. Irrigation services will not be billed for the winter months unless more than 10 kilowatt-hours of energy are used for that month. Verify that pump panel disconnects and variable speed drive controls are off to protect equipment and avoid unnecessary charges. Thanksgiving Closure The office is closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 26, and Friday, November 27. Emergency crews are on call if needed. In case of an outage or emergency, the after-hours number is Best wishes from all from us at United Electric. May your holiday season be filled with joy. Mitten Tree e Time! The Mitten Tree tradition is back. As we have done in the past, we will collect mittens, gloves, scarves, hats, socks and coats to be distributed locally to children needing warm winter clothing. This year we also will collect stuffed animals. Items can be bought or handmade, but all should be new and unused. We will have a grocery cart out for donations of staple food items to ment supplies s at local food supple- pantries. Items always in demand are macaroni and cheese, pasta and sauce, canned veggies and fruit, peanut butter, soups, chili and stew. This year, sider items a con- child can prepare after school or on a weekend, when there is no adult to provide a meal. Food easily microwaved or eaten en cold is useful. Microwaveable soups and noodles or individual servings of fruit, sauce, pudding, cold or instant cereals and Gossner s apple- milk would satisfy a hungry child during a long weekend. Call the office for more details, NOVEMBER

5 Co-op Connections Card Please support these businesses that participate in the Co-op Connections Card program Barry Equipment & Rental Barry Equipment & Rental or Taylor Rental as it was then known was formed by Gene and Stasia Barry in Originally, it was just a small equipment rental shop no sales products and no repair. In 1986, with the help of their son, Andy, Taylor Rental became The Rental Place and took on Echo Power, the first retail line. Next came Homelite a $12,000 investment that in 1991 turned into an $80,000 investment with Honda Power Equipment. In October 2003, the company moved into the 9,500-squarefoot Barry Rental building. The new facility allowed for new retail opportunities, including Walker Mowers in 1994 and Bobcat Compact Equipment in Barry Rental soon opened a second location in Jerome and then a third in 2009 in Burley. The company changed its name Barry Equipment & Rental has three locations: Burley, Jerome and Twin Falls. The store currently offers 10 percent off daily rental rates and 15 percent off select Walker and Bobcat parts to Co-op Connections cardholders. to Barry Equipment & Rental in 2004 to showcase its new status as a full-service retailer and rental company. As of 2014, it offers the Doosan line of equipment. A&T Construction 194 E 200 S, Rupert percent off labor. Animal Medical Clinic 284 S 600 W, Heyburn percent off all cash services. Arby s 594 N Overland Ave., Burley percent off purchase. Barclay Mechanical Services Inc. 100 S 490 W, Paul percent off metal purchase. Barry Equipment & Rental 159 W Hwy 30, Burley percent of daily rates; 15 percent off select Walker and Bobcat parts. Clayville Insulation 250 E 100 S, Burley percent off existing residential insulation. Clegg s Service n Repair Brad Clegg, owner 703 W Main, Burley Cell (208) Lube, oil and filter; up to 5 quarts with card, $ Columbia Electric Supply Co Normal Ave., Burley slockner@cesburley.com Wholesale pricing on cash sales. Connections Credit Union st St., Heyburn New members receive a free welcome gift and $5 deposit. D.L. Evans Bank North Burley Branch South Burley Branch Rupert Branch Free small business checking. Complimentary Visa check debit/atm card. No annual fee Visa with a business checking account (upon approved credit). Free introductory order of checks. Member FDIC Farmers Corner 202 S Highway 27, Burley Free pop with gas purchase. Greener Valley Computer 2853 Overland Ave., Burley percent off in-store software. 28 NOVEMBER 2015

6 Hansen Sign Co W 16th St., Burley percent off all sign work, including trucks. Custom T-shirt at $5+ tax one per customer. Larry s Electric & Heating 1133 Albion Ave., Burley andheating.com 10 percent discount on filters and light bulbs bought in the store. Lee s Furniture Clearance Outlet 459 Overland Ave., Burley Receive up to a 5 percent discount on purchase. Marble-N-Counters 1321 E Main, Burley percent off marble jobs. Mind & Body Wellness Center 2207 Overland Ave., Burley percent off any services, 15 percent off nutrition. Free consultation for Ideal Protein Weight Loss program. Mini-Cassia Chamber of Commerce th St., Heyburn chamber.com 25 percent discount on all Idaho gifts and jewelry items, excluding consignment and sale items. NAPA Auto Parts 501 Overland Ave., Burley percent discount on regularly priced items. Ponderosa Golf 320 Minidoka Ave., Burley $1 off green fees, Monday through Friday before 4 p.m. Pro Paint Inc Overland Ave., Burley $5 off a $50 purchase. Quality Tire Factory 822 S Onieda, Rupert percent discount on regularly priced items. Sears Burley 2338 Overland Ave., Burley Owned and operated by Ron and Judy Fowler 10 percent off any regularly priced merchandise. Skaggs Furniture Overland Shopping Center, Burley Discount of up to 50 percent on regularly priced items. Snake River Bowl 725 Minidoka Ave., Burley percent off regularly priced bowling, food or merchandise (league and tournament bowling excluded). Stars Ferry Building Supplies 20 S 300 W, Burley Free hat with $100 cash purchase. Sweetheart Manor Overland & 42nd St., Burley percent off invitations or 30 percent off if Sweetheart Manor is used for receptions and tuxedo rental. Ted s Diesel Electric 1141 South Hwy 30, Heyburn percent discount once a month on any rebuilt starter, alternator or generator. The Gathering Place 524 6th St., Rupert percent off purchases, excluding kits, batting and quilting machines. Tony s Barbershop 1607 J St., Heyburn (208) Special price for seniors and children. Ward s Cleaning & Detail 1131 E 18th Lane, Burley percent off carpet and upholstery cleaning; 5 percent off auto detailing. Wilson Bates Appliance & Furniture 2560 Overland Ave., Burley Additional 5 percent off the best sale price of any furniture, Burley location only. NOVEMBER

7 United Electric Co-op Inc. Directors President Dean Nielsen Vice President Bruce Beck Sec./Treas. Cordell Searle Brent Bowen Ronald Osterhout David Phillips George Toner John R. West General Manager Jo Elg Engineering and Operations Trevor Parke Line Superintendent Dan Kidd Executive Assistant Penny West Manager of Finance and Admin. Curtiss Peterson Community Relations Manager Chris Seibold Mailing address: st St. Heyburn, ID Phone: (208) Fax: (208) Website: Office hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. After Hours: (208) ID-29 Proposed Bylaw Amendment at United Electric United Electric is proposing an amendment to the bylaws. The proposed amendment to Section 5 addresses retirement of capital credits. It is important to understand the concept of capital credits to vote on the amendment. As a member of United Electric, you are an owner. Every time you pay your power bill, you make an investment in your co-op. Capital credits are the return on your investment. United Electric is not-for-profit, meaning it does not earn profits. Instead, any revenues over and above the cost of doing business is considered margins. The margins belong to you, the member-owner, and are assigned to a capital credit account in your name with the intent that the margin will be repaid to you in later years. Returning capital credits is a long-term strategic goal set by the board of directors. Until your capital credits are returned to you, United Electric uses the funds to help pay for operating expenses and capital improvements to maintain reliability. Using capital credit money helps minimize the need to borrow money to keep up with necessary system investments. The big question: When will your capital credits be returned to you? The bylaws are very specific that when capital credits are returned to member-owners, the funds go to the cooperative s first member-owners (first in). In 2015, United Electric returned capital credits to member-owners from 1984 and The proposed bylaw amendment provides the ability for the funds to go to both the co-op s first member-owners (first in) and to the co-op s newest member-owners (last in). This way, our longest served member-owners and our newer member-owners both experience the benefits of cooperative ownership. The proposed bylaw amendment passes if a majority of votes cast are in favor of the amendment. There are two ways to vote on the amendment: 1. Cast your ballot at the annual meeting March 15, 2016, at Minico High School. 2. Vote by mail. Ballots will be mailed to each member-owner in February Mark your ballot and return to United Electric. Democratic member-owner control is one of the principles of a cooperative. Exercise your opportunity to vote. Jo Elg General Manager UNITED ELECTRIC CO-OP, INC. 32 NOVEMBER 2015