I knew I was home

I’ve always wanted to raise my family in the New Hope community in North Coffee County, Alabama. My family ties to this community are strong.

My great-great-grandfather raised his family in this community from the mid-1800s through 1900. My great-grandfather raised his family in this community from the late 1800s through the 1960s. And, you guessed it, my granddaddy raised his family in the New Hope community from the early 1900s until 1994.

These grandparents are from my mother’s side of the family. My mother and dad started out raising their three sons in this community, but my dad’s love of the military and this country drew him and his family away from the community of our family’s heritage.

In the early days of my career, I was drawn away from my beloved community. But approximately 33 years ago, the Lord opened a door for me at South Alabama Electric Cooperative, so I could raise my family in the community like my grandparents. The other day, I met an individual on the road who absolutely confirmed I was at home. I was traveling home after work and met a man wearing a cowboy hat driving a pickup truck. When we passed each other, there was a very nice deer antler shed located on the driver’s side of his dash. At that moment, I knew I was at home. But truthfully, I’ve never doubted my home. I would doubt me driving my vehicle with a nice deer shed on my dash.

If you have read my articles, you know that I really enjoy deer hunting. Having a deer shed on my dash would make me a hypocrite. You see, I’m always talking with cooperative employees and my family about distracted driving. Heck, the other weekend I had to yell at my youngest grandson because he was driving the golf cart watching us instead of where he was going. Deer antlers on my dash would definitely distract me from driving.

Your cooperative does not want to be distracted. This month you should receive the 2026 Annual Report for the cooperative’s 2025 fiscal year. But I wish to give you some insight into the cooperative’s maintenance program for the coming year. The cooperative and trustees take reliability very seriously. We support that position with our right-of-way maintenance program.

The board-approved budget for 2026 includes fully trimming 16 substation circuits totaling 562 miles of distribution electric lines. Also in there is spraying treatment for 21 substation circuits totaling 1,075 miles of lines. This budget covers inspecting 4,705 power poles and replacing any damaged poles. Also, we have two full-time right-of-way crews on our system year-round, trimming dangerous trees and targeting right-of-way areas considered trouble spots. This program allows the cooperative to cover the entire system of power lines every four years.

The cost for the 2026 right-of-way program is over $2.6 million, but that’s still not enough because power outages are going to occur. The width of our distribution right of way is 30 feet. If you have an 85- or 100-foot tree set 50 feet away from that easement and that tree falls, that 30-foot easement is not enough room and it will damage the electrical power lines. The right-of-way program is not the only part of our overall maintenance, but it is probably the most impacted by storms.

As we move into milder weather and hopefully fewer storms, I pray our outage reliability improves. But my challenge to the employees of your cooperative is to always seek ways to improve our reliability. As Gen. George S. Patton stated, “Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.”

Are you thankful for your home? I sure hope so, because I remember when I lived in Germany for over four years and there was no place like home in the United States of America and the New Hope community in Coffee County. My grandparents all knew where their earthly home was, and they are resting there today.

Enjoy your home and your month.