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On June 24, 1949, the Springfield City Council passed an amendment to its charter to “acquire and operate an electric power system.” Just over a year later, The Springfield Utility Board (SUB) provided power to its first customers, Jack and Iona Hartman.
The national public power movement begun in the 1880s sought to provide community-owned utility services to local customers on a not-for-profit basis. SUB proudly joined this American tradition of local people working together to meet local needs.
SUB’s mission has remained unchanged since its inception: delivering safe, reliable and cost-effective utility services to Springfield.
Challenging times for the new utility in the 60s
SUB’s first General Manager Frank Brown retired, and Jack Criswell was hired. For more than a decade, SUB and Pacific Power & Light competed for customers. Criswell negotiated a truce that new development in Springfield would be served by the utility with the closest power lines.
SUB also acquired the McKenzie Highway Water District and began providing water to its customers. SUB modernized the system and improved water quality during the 60s.
The most powerful windstorm in the Northwest struck Springfield on Oct. 12, 1962 – the Columbus Day Storm. The Category 4 hurricane with gusts over 100mph knocked down trees and power poles. Criswell ordered all power shut off until the storm subsided. Within 72 hours, crews had restored all power.
At the end of the decade SUB had 5,000 water and electric customers.
SUB buys PP&L’s operations in Springfield
Springfield voters approved a $14 million bond in 1975 so SUB could purchase PP&L’s assets, including water infrastructure. The vote was a landslide (3,206 yes to 211). How did that happen? PP&L endorsed the bond, as its profits had declined, and it was ready to move on after 25 years of competition.
SUB’s customer base more than doubled, from 6,800 electric customers to 15,000+ and from 3,000 water customers to 7,750.
SUB’s longest tenured employee joins the utility
Eric Normann has spent his whole working life at SUB – some 47.5 years and counting. He’s the guy who knows where everything related to water is buried in Springfield. After all that time, he says, “It’s good work, good people, and a good fit for me.”
His official title is Computer-Aided Facility Management Support Technician. He uses his drafting and engineering skills to create drawings and designs to document existing infrastructure and provide guidance for new projects. He started doing his work with ink on vellum paper or mylar. Adapting to new technology and moving to computers increased his efficiency because of the ability to cut and paste from past projects.
Eric’s not always behind a computer, like the time he helped corral cows who’d wandered into the South 28th wellfield. It was a little scary as he was holding the gate while a brahma bull was being herded in by someone shooting at the bull with a BB gun. He kept his cool and got the job done.
“I feel really good about what’s happening at SUB,” Eric said. “Everyone’s conscientious about putting projects together and looking for cost savings. Our customer services are phenomenal.”
Is Eric ready to retire soon? When the time comes – maybe on his 50th anniversary. He still holds onto an envelope he received in 2012 from someone who thought he was retiring. “I’ll open it when the time comes,” he says with a smile.
A focus on helping and upgrading facilities
With a recession in the early 1980s, SUB created Project SHARE to offer assistance for low-income customers with past due bills. The program is still going strong today with over $5.5 million distributed. In the late 2000s, SUB began hosting Light of Liberty, a 4th of July party with a purpose – funding Project SHARE.
Many of the facilities acquired from PP&L required major repair and replacement. Priority projects expanded two substations, constructed another substation, built a new reservoir and drilled three new wells. Additionally, new state regulations lead to the construction of the Slow Sand Filtration plant.
New customers and infrastructure
In 1992, 3,000 Rainbow Water District customers joined SUB. All lived within the city limits. Some 1,500 EWEB customers were transferred to SUB in 1975 because both utilities agreed it was more cost-efficient for SUB to serve them.
A 115Kv transmission line added in the Gateway area in 1993 provided the Laura Street substation with a 115kv back-up (all other substations had back-ups). In the late 1990s, SUB purchased a substation from BPA and built a 4.2 mile transmission line in east Springfield. By the end of the decade, it completed construction of its 30-mile fiber optics backbone.
Bonds paid off
On February 25, 1995, SUB held a “Bond Fire” to commemorate making its last annual payment on a 20-year, $15 million bond debt that allowed it to acquire PP&L. Then in 2000, it made the final payment on water bonds, making the water utility debt-free.
Enjoying stability
Steve Loveland retired in 2004, and the Board selected longtime Electric Service Director Bob Linahan to lead the utility. The decade emphasized exceptional customer service, staying on top of electric and water infrastructure projects to make improvements, and providing reliable service to customers.
Looking forward
Jeff Nelson, who served as the utility’s resource management director, took the reins as general manager in 2012, and plans to retire next year. Under his leadership, SUB recently completed a system-wide strategic process to scope out a comprehensive and forward-looking plan.
As he noted “The focused mission has remained unchanged over the decades. What has changed are the forces – unprecedented in number, scale, cost and urgency – that put pressure on water and electric rates.”
Tracy Sutten, SUB’s resource planning manager, joined the utility some 15 years ago as a utility planner and worked for Jeff, eventually becoming the division’s lead. “Joining SUB was the best career decision I’ve ever made,” Tracy said. Noting that though her efforts aren’t as visible as linemen and the water crews, she knows her team’s work provides the support that enables them to be successful working in the field.
Planning and intentionality are her thing, and she was instrumental in putting together SUB’s capital improvement plan, as well as its five-year strategic plan.
What keeps her up at night? Rates. With the costs of critical projects, Tracy is well aware of the pressure this puts on rates – and on customers. “We must be sensitive to our customers, and we always focus on them when setting rates,” she said.
SUB’s strategic goals for the next five years are:
- Enhance customer & community engagement
- Invest in people
- Provide reliable energy and clean water
- Improve performance with technology
- Maintain financial soundness
Springfield has grown considerably since the 1950s. Then, its population was 10,087, and today over 61,000 call Springfield home. One constant through the years is a commitment to safeguarding the funds SUB’s customer-owners entrust to the utility. Today, that requires:
- hardening infrastructure to withstand extreme, destructive weather
- dealing with unfunded mandates
- adjusting to the face pace of technology
- responding to new regulations
SUB continues to invest its resources wisely in projects that prioritize reliability, resiliency and safety without sacrificing its commitment to affordable rates.
