Published in the High Desert Advocate April 18th, 2019 Edition.
The Wells Rural Electric Co. Board of Directors announced on Thursday plans for the construction of a new operations center located next to the cooperative’s main office building in Wells.
WREC has provided safe, reliable, affordable electricity to its members since 1960. The cooperative’s new operations facility represents an opportunity to continue delivering that same level of reliability and responsiveness members have enjoyed for decades to come.
“We are proud of that legacy,” Board President Scott Egbert said at the official announcement, which was made to a group of WREC members and civic leaders. “But we also understand that it is our responsibility to make decisions that ensure WREC’s success for the next 60 years.”
WREC’s current meter shop was originally built in 1948 to house generators while the primary service center opened in 1975. At that time, WREC served 1,601 members in Wendover, Wells and the surrounding valleys with 611 miles of power lines. WREC currently serves more than 6,000 accounts and maintains 1,412 miles of lines spread across 10,552 square miles of service territory. As times have changed, the current facilities are no longer adequate to accommodate the size of the company’s equipment or the size of the fleet and staff necessary to adequately serve its members.
The projected cost of the new building is $7.92 million. The large, metal-framed building will provide ample space for even WREC’s largest equipment so that it is always available at a moment’s notice. All operations personnel will be housed under one roof in closer proximity to office employees, improving work efficiency and access for members.
“Our first concern as a Board is always our members because we’re members, too,” Egbert said. “So when it came to deciding whether or not to spend that kind of money, we took our time and were very thorough making sure this was absolutely the right decision. We are excited about what it means for the service provided by our cooperative.”
The company expects to break ground on the new building this summer with a projected move-in date of April 2020.
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Scott Egbert WREC Board President