Co-op News
BANDERA ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
RU BY HIN OJOS A| BE C
Lineman First Class John
Hernandez removes debris
during storm clean up after
the Memorial Day weekend
storms.
MESSAGE FROM
CEO/GM BILL HETHERINGTON
IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF SUNDAY,
May 25, a severe thunderstorm developed
across the Bandera Electric Cooperative service territory,
dropping a deluge of rain within a two-hour window. The
accompanying flood, hail and wind resulted in a significant
power outage event for many of our members. By 6 a.m., we
knew that the restoration effort was going to be a formidable
one.
By Sunday afternoon, there were more than 3,600 homes
and businesses without power covering 2,100 square miles.
Unfortunately, most of these locations were not accessible
due to floodwaters, and many of our members were without
power for days. With little or no cell service available, the main
avenue for communicating with Bandera EC members was
through digital media including our website, You Tube and
social media.
This event confirmed to us the importance of our
communications systems having up-to-date information,
whether it is for outage reporting, billing information or
weather updates. Later this year, Bandera EC will convert all
of our information systems to a new enterprise-wide system to
better serve members. This means you will soon be receiving
notifications about verifying and updating your account
information and online login information.
While this may seem to be a trivial or inconvenient, it is
vital for the dissemination of accurate and timely information
about outages that affect you. The good news about the
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BanderaEC_ September 2016.indd 20
coming change is that, with the new system, you will have more
information about your account at your fingertips in an easy,
accessible manner. You will be able view account information,
transact business, report outages, monitor your usage and more
24/7 through the web portal and via the new Apple and Android
SmartHub app.
It also means there will be improvements to our automated
phone system. No one really likes automated phone systems,
but they are a necessary tool to collect and communicate
information about outages or paying a bill, and the efficiency
of these systems is tied directly to the accuracy of our member
account data.
Sometimes technology changes can be bothersome, but
the benefits of improved information flow and the efficiencies
gained far outweigh the temporary inconvenience. It is Bandera
EC’s sincere desire to improve the member experience relating
to service and efficiency. By committing to the improvement
of our information systems,we are committing to providing a
higher level of member service.
Bandera EC always welcomes feedback from you,
our members, about what can we do to improve our
communications. The implementation of this new system
this fall will offer powerful tools that will enable you to access
Bandera EC information with speed and accuracy on the device
of your choosing. It is our hope that next time a major outage
event occurs, you will be notified about the outage cause and the
length of restoration before you have time to call us.
BanderaElectric.com
8/10/2016 8:15:22 AM
1-866-226-3372 | BANDERAELECTRIC.COM
Bandera Electric
Cooperative, Inc.
Spare Change
Changes Lives
3172 Highway 16 N. • P.O. Box 667
Bandera, TX 78003
1-866-226-3372 (1-866-BANDERA)
BanderaElectric.com
Operating in Bandera, Bexar, Kendall,
Kerr, Medina, Real and Uvalde counties
CE O
WE’VE ALWAYS BEEN TOLD IT’S
BanderaElectric.com
BanderaEC_ September 2016.indd 21
William “Bill” Hetherington
BO A RD O F D IRE CTO RS
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
Jerry N. Word Sr.
Frances Laue
Douglas “Rob” Sandidge
Jeremy Diller
Jerry S. Pierce
Richard “Dick” Earnest
Zeda Alvarado
Michael D.T. Edwards
Kurt Solis
OFFICES
BEC Headquarters
3172 Highway 16 N., Bandera
Boerne Office
1201 S. Main St. Ste. 101, Boerne
Comfort Office
739 Front St. (Highway 27), Comfort
Leakey Office
485 W. Ranch Road 337, Leakey
RYASI CK | I ST OCK. COM
the little things that count in
life: being kind to our neighbors,
returning a lost wallet, picking
up after ourselves while
enjoying the great outdoors.
Although each action might not
amount to much on its own, if
everyone does a little, we see
a big, positive impact in our
community.
That’s why Bandera Electric
Cooperative is a proud supporter
of Operation Round Up.
Co-op members who opt
in to the Operation Round Up
program have their monthly
electric bills automatically
rounded up to the next
whole dollar amount, and the
difference is deposited into
a fund that assists worthy
local service organizations
or individuals in need. An
independent committee (or
sometimes the co-op’s board of
directors) oversees contributions, evaluates funding applications and distributes
funds to recipients such as local volunteer fire departments, community service
organizations or residents in need.
How does it work for a member? If your bill for one month is $82.70, that amount
would be rounded up to $83, with 30 cents going to Operation Round Up for that
month. Most members don’t even notice the extra money they contribute. Over
the span of a year, the average amount of spare change contributed by a member is
barely more than $6.
Six dollars doesn’t sound like much, but when you put together those small,
monthly contributions from all the program members—that’s when things start
to get exciting. About 530 members of Bandera EC chip in monthly to support
Operation Round Up, and that number grows every month.
About 250 local electric co-ops nationwide run Operation Round Up programs.
All told, consumers at these co-ops have raised more than $100 million since South
Carolina’s Palmetto Electric Cooperative originated the idea in 1989.
If you’re one of the members who makes Operation Round Up possible,
thank you. If you would like to participate, you can sign up on our website at
BanderaElectric.com or call us at 866-226-3372. Together, we can use a little pocket
change to change our community.
MEMBER BENEFITS
• Paperless billing
• Online bill payments
• Online outage map
• Follow Us!
Twitter:
@BanderaElectric
Facebook: BanderaElectric
Instagram: BanderaElectric
Pinterest:
BanderaElectric
• Co-op Connections discount card
• Heat pump rebates
PAYMENT OPTIONS AND LOCATIONS
• Online bill pay
• Bank draft
• Automatic credit card payment
• Level billing
• Visa, Discover and MasterCard
accepted
• ECheck payment by phone or online
• Cash or check payment in our offices
• Payments accepted at Fidelity Express
locations
• PrePay Program
• Time Based Usage Plan
September 2016 BANDERA EC Texas Co-op Power
21
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8/10/2016 8:15:24 AM
MI CH AE L VAS Q UE Z | E NCH ANT E D S PRI NGS
1-866-226-3372 | BANDERAELECTRIC.COM
As you stroll through this “Old
West” town, you will be greeted
by owner Steve Schmidt dressed
as a cowboy with his longhorn
steer.
BY TONY TUCCI
BEC Writer
CLINT EASTWOOD WOULD FEEL RIGHT
at home at Enchanted Springs Ranch in
Boerne.
Owners Steve and Vicki Schmidt say it is
a more authentic-looking “Old West” town
from a movie camera’s perspective than any
othe in Texas, and movies filmed at the ranch
prove it.
The interior and exterior shots of the
buildings look authentic. “We did a lot of
research before we started building,” said
Schmidt.
That’s probably why the ranch has
attracted worldwide attention, including
several mentions on the Oprah Winfrey
show, features on a number of national
network shows and filming of Fox News Bill
O’Reilly’s “Legends and Lies” and ABC’s “The
Bachelorette.”
One movie filmed at the ranch was
Palo Pinto Gold, produced by Schmidt and
starring Roy Clark, Mel Tillis and Kinky
Friedman. It’s a great story, lots of action,
some romance but no profanity or otherwise
offensive material.
BanderaElectric.com
BanderaEC_ September 2016.indd 23
Enchanted Springs hosts many visitors
each year. Schmidt said that the San Antonio
Spurs have visited and other tour groups
come by the busload. The ranch is popular
with schoolchildren, and is often selected
as the destination for school outings. The
students come from all parts of Texas. They
pay $7 each to visit and get an up-close and
personal lesson in Texas history. Admission
to the park is by reservation only.
Schmidt conducts the tours and tells
fascinating stories as he moves along. He
tells the children tales that feature the “good
guys,” no outlaws here, just men like Sam
Colt, whose repeating revolver played a
major role in taming the west.
Pistol Packing Paula, a champion gun twirler,
is another character whose adventures
fascinate young and old alike.
“I don’t want to glorify any outlaws,” he
said. “I want to improve the lives of these
students.” The young visitors range in age
from kindergarten to high school.
As Schmidt tells it, there were thousands
of longhorns running wild in Texas and
northern Mexico in those days, and the
challenge was to get them to the railroads in
Kansas. “It took 25,000 cowboys to do it,” he
said. And no, they didn’t carry guns.
Schmidt is a natural born teacher, and
adds to the glamor of his tales by dressing
in authentic western garb. He is an adjunct
professor in the doctorate of Business
Administration program at the University
of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio. He
retired as a pilot in the Air Force and had
his own consulting business before coming
to the ranch. Schmidt and his wife bought
the 86 acres of beautiful Hill Country,
with two springs, a stream and two lakes,
in 2000 and began building Enchanted
Springs Ranch in 2002.
In addition to tours of the Old West
town, there’s a wagon ride through the wild
animal park “where the deer and antelope
play.” The park is filled with exotic animals
like the Chinese water deer, which is extinct
in China.
“It’s one thing to sing Home on the
Range. It’s another to see buffalo roam
and deer and antelope play,” Schmidt
wrote in a promotional piece. “Add a photo
opportunity with Woodrow, our longhorn,
and fun in our children’s miniature town
and playground, and you’ll see why most
schools come back year after year.”
September 2016 BANDERA EC Texas Co-op Power
23
8/10/2016 8:15:25 AM
BANDERA ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
Important changes coming soon
New online portal, mobile app to give
members more options.
Manage your account with
SmartHub
Make payments
Report outages
Manage account
Track electric use
Easily report
Track your energy use with
power outages
My Usage
Reliable service is one of our
highest priorites. Soon you’ll
be able to report outages
three ways:
Take control of your
energy use with the new
SmartHub My Usage tool.
Log in online or through the
SmartHub mobile app to:
Quickly and easily take care
of your BEC business with
the SmartHub online
member portal or mobile
app.
BanderaElectric.com
Co-op Power BANDERA EC September 2016 Member
24 Texas
BanderaEC_ September 2016.indd 24
Log outages with the
SmartHub mobile app
Report outages online
Call 855-423-2669
Services: 866-226-3372
View your daily use
Set energy milestones
Monitor usage trends
BanderaElectric.com
8/10/2016 8:15:28 AM
MAKS Y MOWI CZ | I S T OCK
1-866-226-3372 | BANDERAELECTRIC.COM
BY TONY TUCCI
BEC Writer
SUMMER IS GONE; PARENTS HAVE PURCHASED SCHOOL
supplies, and students have returned to the classroom and
met their new teachers. The next step is to find fun afterschool care for the students. One of the programs sure to
be discussed is the Boys and Girls Club, which provides
activities for children from the time school lets out until the
parents arrive home from work.
Boys and Girls Clubs in Boerne, Comfort and
Fredericksburg are organized under the same charter,
Boys and Girls Clubs of the Texas Hill Country. Bandera
has its own charter. The Boys and Girls Club of Boerne
operates in Fabra elementary school. The YMCA in Boerne
operates after-school programs at four other elementary
schools.
Malinda Stanton, who supervises the three clubs under
the auspices of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Texas Hill
Country, said the clubs take over where summer school
leaves off, mid-to late August. While working parents need
someone to supervise their children during the summer or
after school, the clubs are not intended for that use.
“We are not a babysitting service,” Stanton said. “We
offer youth enrichment programs—programs that enforce
leadership and character skills.” One of the programs,
Power Hour, helps students with their homework. A day’s
schedule might include physical activities, sports, character
development and team building. The curriculum is ageappropriate.
Stanton said about 100 students ages 5 to 18 enroll in
each of her three programs. The tuition is phenomenally
low—$50 for the entire school year ($20 in Comfort). “We
get a lot of help from grants,” she explained. On weeks when
schools are closed, such as spring break and holiday breaks,
the program is extended to a full day, and an additional fee
of $50 per week is charged.
BanderaElectric.com
BanderaEC_ September 2016.indd 25
Stanton has been with the Boys and Girls Clubs for six
years, starting as a youth leader. “The parents appreciate the
program,” she said, “and the children need a place to go.”
Michael Pimpinella, is the executive director of the
Boys and Girls Club in Bandera, which operates at two
elementary schools, Hill Country and Ikek, plus a teen
center. He has been with the program for about three years.
The Bandera program runs from after school until 7 p.m.
and costs $25 for the year. Pimpinella said about 190 students
enroll at the three sites.
The curriculum is designed to help students with
everyday activities, Pimpinella said. How to balance a
checkbook, for instance, is offered to some of the older
students. Depending on their age, students might go to
the Garden Club, Money Matters, Career Lunch or Power
Hour to get help with homework, sporting events and
other activities that help students develop mentally and
physically.
“We try to help them get by in life,” Pimpinella said. “We
want to help those that need it the most.”
Pimpinella said it is the same philosophy that is used
in all Boys and Girls Clubs, of which there are about 4,000
worldwide.
The YMCA also plays an important part in after-school
care. In Boerne, the YMCA sponsors programs in four
elementary schools that Boys and Girls Clubs do not reach
— Cibolo Creek, Kendall, Curington and Fair Oaks Ranch.
Abby Nash is executive director of the after-school
programs. The YMCA charges $118 semimonthly for
members and $138 semimonthly for nonmembers. “It’s
not expensive,” Nash said. “It works out to about 50 cents
an hour.” Scholarships and reduced rates are available for
families that can’t afford the regular tuition.
“It’s not like a regular school day,” Nash said. The
curriculum is similar to that of the Boys and Girls Club,
aimed at character development and leadership skills. The
students are ages 5 to 13.
September 2016 BANDERA EC Texas Co-op Power
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8/10/2016 8:15:31 AM
BANDERA ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
RUB Y H IN OJOSA | B EC
Bandera EC Linemen
BJ Angermiller, JW Williams,
James Rincon, Austin Allen, Scott
Downum, Javier Salazar and
Jesse Salazar all competed in the
2016 TLRA.
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BanderaElectric.com
8/10/2016 8:15:32 AM
A MY ZI NK | BEC
RU BY HIN OJOS A | BE C
2016 Texas
Lineman’s Rodeo
Teams
1-866-226-3372 | BANDERAELECTRIC.COM
RU BY HIN OJOS A | BE C
RU BY HIN OJOS A | BE C
Lineman Third Class I
Austin Allen prepares
for his competition.
Lineman First Class Scott
Downum and Linemen
Second Class II Jesse
Salazar and Javier Salazar
compete in a TLRA event.
Linemen First Class James
Rincon and JW Williams
and Lineman Second Class II
BJ Angermiller prepare for
competition.
BanderaElectric.com
BanderaEC_ September 2016.indd 27
A MY ZI NK | BEC
A MY ZI NK | BEC
Bandera EC cook-off team
Andy Rios, Kenny Alf, Garrett
Clark and Steven Hall.
September 2016 BANDERA EC Texas Co-op Power
27
8/10/2016 8:15:39 AM