Polar Vortex No Match for ARPA Member Electric Systems:
As the polar vortex swept through the ARPA communities and surrounding region this past February, many of our neighboring utilities and states experienced significant power outages that ranged from a few minutes to a few hours, and worse. Fortunately for the ARPA communities, the hard work and planning that our community owned electric systems do to “keep the lights on” paid off. The operating personnel from the cities and towns of Holly, La Junta, Lamar, Las Animas, Springfield, and Trinidad reported little, if any, outages despite temperatures that reached 25 below zero and included wind chill factors of negative 40. Kudos to our local electric utilities for their ongoing commitment to maintain service that keep our houses warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and our businesses operational despite the challenges from Mother Nature.