Effie Country Service opens new building 

It was an emotional moment, said Paula Powell.

On November 17, she and her husband Jeff took the next step in a project that had been planned for years. The repair shop had been replaced and expanded at Effie Country Service; now it was time to match that new building and replace the attached convenience store.

Still, the building had been there for almost 90 years, and the Powells had owned it for 23 of those years. Watching it come down, said Paula, was a tear jerker.

Roadwork ahead!  

Road construction season starts June 1, and a little planning will help ease travel through the area this summer.

A major road project will affect traffic south of Scenic State Park on Scenic Highway 7 from about June 1 through the middle of November. The road will be reconstructed from the park to County 345 this year, opened to traffic after construction season and paved next year, The first part of the project will be from County 341 to County 45, the second part from the park to County 341. The road will be removed, underlying soils replaced and the road will be widened. The official detour will be extensive, running from south of Balsam on County 59 to County 60, following Highway 38 north to Bigfork where it will meet County 7.

Application deadline April 1, 2010
Operation RoundUp trustees to hold grant meeting 

Thanks to the generosity of nearly 80 percent of the Members of North Itasca Electric Co-op., the Board of Trustees for Operation Round-Up will have approximately $9,800+ to distribute to various communities and organizations in the area. The deadline for grant applications is Thursday, April 1, 2010 at 4:30 p.m. Application forms along with instructions can be obtained by calling the office at (218) 743-3131 or 1(800) 762-4048, by e-mail to kathej@nieci.com, online here, by contacting your North Itasca Electric Co-op., Inc. director or by contacting one of the Trust Board members listed on the following page.

Roxanne’s Sales Talk  

Effective July, 2010 magnetic ballasts will be banned from production. If you have a magnetic ballast that goes bad, you will need to switch to an electronic ballast. Those of you who haven’t done so yet might want to switch from T12 to T8 bulbs. The T8 bulbs are more energy efficient and will save you lots of money in the long run.

Also keep in mind there are some commercial rebates out there for switching over to the T8s. If you have a lot of lights you are changing over, check with Jerry Loney to see what. if anything. is available for rebates.

Scholarship Applications 

North Itasca Electric Co-op donates unclaimed patronage monies to the Northome School Scholarship Fund which awards scholarships to high school seniors throughout the service territory. All children of members are eligible to apply, regardless of home address.

Applications will be available at the North Itasca Electric offices in Bigfork and through school counselors at Deer River, Northome and Bigfork High Schools after March 10. Applications are also available by phone from Christine Lundin at (218) 897-5275 ext. 157 or by email: clundin@northom.k12.mn.us.

Applications must be submitted by the April deadline, anticipated to be April 23. To confirm, or for more information, contact Christine Lundin, Northome School counselor.

Save Energy webcast 
What is a building envelope? And is it costing you money?
Plus: Prepare for summer cooling season!

Join North Itasca Electric, by logging onto the website below, for a Save Energy webcast on Tuesday, April 13 at 12 p.m. or 7 p.m. to learn easy ways to reduce your energy use this summer.

The webcast will discuss ways you can lower the amount of electricity you use to cool your home during the summer. You’ll also learn how to improve your home’s building envelope, and find those areas where your home may be leaking energy. And, you will learn about energy efficient lighting.

Energy experts will be available to answer your questions.

To join the webcast, visit http://MNBrighterIdeas.Webex.com (note, there is not a www before the address). Pre-registration is not required.

March 2010 Calendar of Events