Matthew C. Deaton
As cold weather sets in, our thoughts turn to Christmas. It is a traditional time for gathering with friends and family while relaxing and enjoying all that life has brought us. The closing of the year is also a good time to reflect on all the events that transpired while remembering those that remained unchanged.
Here are some of the events of the 2018 that stood out as milestones achieved by Orange County REMC and our members.
- Orange County REMC returned more than $91,791.63 in capital credits to our members who had service in 1960.
- We completed the new 3,900-panel Spring Mill solar array to add renewable energy to our portfolio.
- More than 800 members attended the 2018 annual meeting, which was the largest crowd on record.
- Our new online outage map allows members to check the status of outage recovery in real time from our website.
- Orange County REMC acquired NetsurfUSA and CallUSA in the early stages of creating Orange County Fiber, a subsidiary of Orange County REMC, to bring fiber optic internet service to the rural areas of our community.
- Orange County REMC was granted over $10.2 million from the FCC Connect America Fund auction to help in the build-out of the fiber to the home project. This award was the second largest in the United States to a single electric cooperative.
As we look to the coming year, we continue to have an unwavering commitment to serve our members and our community through initiatives such as our new high-speed internet service, programs like Operation Round Up, and our opportunities for students. More information about upcoming youth events is published on page 7.
On behalf of your board of directors and all of us who work for you, we wish you a Merry Christmas and look forward to a Happy New Year.
Matthew C. Deaton
General Manager/CEO
