Results of the Board of Trustees election were announced at South Central Power’s 87th annual meeting held Aug. 17 at the Ohio University-Lancaster gymnasium. Re-elected to three-year terms were Tom Lamb of Pickaway County, Stephen Johnson of Monroe County and Frank Lucas of Ross County. Voting was conducted online, by U.S. mail, and in person at South Central Power offices.
In his report to the members, Treasurer Don Frank said the co-op had a solid year in 2022 despite challenging economic times, and as a result, was able to refund approximately $10 million in capital credit payments in both 2022 and 2023. As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, South Central Power regularly returns funds to members that are collected over and above the cost of doing business.
President and CEO Rick Lemonds provided a business update, including an update on the cooperative’s plans to offer high speed internet using fiber-to-the-home technology. “We are excited to introduce connectSCP, our new fiber internet service, with construction starting this fall and connecting our first consumers in 2024,” Lemonds said. “Fiber internet will start to be available in state-funded grant areas initially, but the project will benefit all our electric members as well, because high speed connections between our substations will help us provide better power delivery and outage response.”
Board Chairman Ken Davis explained that the cooperative’s high-speed internet project will help the cooperative further its mission of improving members’ lives by providing a service that is widely available in urban areas, but impossible to receive for many of our rural members. “Just as our co-op’s founders hung wires to deliver the promise of the future we enjoy today, we are about to begin a new chapter here by installing fiber optics.”
South Central Power Company Foundation Vice Chairman Judy Shupe also spoke to members. The 11-member Foundation board, which is separate from the cooperative’s board of trustees, awards grants and scholarships through Operation Round Up. The program rounds up participating members’ electric bill to the next dollar. Last year, the Foundation awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships to college and technical school-bound students.
Shupe also outlined the impact of the Foundation’s grant award program. “Together, we have put back into our communities more than $4.7 million,” Jones said. “Last year alone that number was more than $648,000.”
Members present also voted to approve 13 code of regulation changes, clarifying aspects of the cooperative’s business structure as it enters the fiber business.
As Ohio’s largest rural electric cooperative, South Central Power Company serves more than 123,000 homes, farms, schools and businesses in 24 counties.