Generator_Spring 2023_Final

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RETIREE PROFILE: STAN WIELGUS Loup retiree Stan Wielgus (center) prepares to set a pole with coworkers in 2016. Stan Wielgus may have more free time as a retiree. But he sure doesn’t spend it sitting around. In fact, he probably burns more calories now, figuring in the onemile swims, 3-mile walks, weight lifting, and stretching he does on a regular basis. “When I retired, that was one thing I told myself — that I was going to keep myself healthy,” Wielgus said. “So I make sure I do that.” *** Wielgus has always been on the move in more ways than one. He joined the Navy right out of high school, following in the footsteps of his brother and father. As one of 10 children, he also knew it was his key to a better life. “They were offering an education and I took advantage of that,” Wielgus said. He spent four years seeing the world — Australia, Japan, China, Guam, Taiwan, and Hawaii — before leaving active service. (He later re-enlisted and spent 14 years in the Navy Reserve.) After leaving the Navy, Wielgus headed to Platte College, followed by a job at Cornhusker Public Power District. He joined Loup Power District in 1980 and stayed for nearly 40 years, working as a Journey Line Technician and Crew Lead. “It was definitely right up my alley because I like to be outside and I like to be on the move.” Wielgus also really enjoyed the satisfaction of a job well done, like putting in secondary underground service “The ground’s been untouched and by the time you leave, you have it trenched and the wire’s in and energized,” he said. On the flip side, Wielgus said he sure doesn’t miss getting called out to fix storm damage when it was cold or rainy. Wielgus knows he put in his hours on those storm calls. He put in all his years and now can enjoy retirement. Looking back, he said all those years went fast on the whole, but the last three gearing up to retirement seemed to take forever. And that’s understandable since Wielgus had been working ever since junior high. Now he has the time to focus on helping friends and family with repairs or home improvement projects. He has time to travel. And he definitely has time to exercise. Sometimes he does cardio. Sometimes he lifts using the same weight bench he’s had since he got out of the Navy. And he goes outside as often as he can. Sometimes he’ll wander out to take a look at the stars. And then he realizes he better attend to another promise he made himself. “I was going to get myself a telescope, and I haven’t done it yet.” Wielgus has four children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. 4 | GENERATOR
GHW SETTLING BASIN BANK WORK The Genoa Headworks crew rebuilt the diversion weir on March 23–24. They repeat this process every spring. The wooden flashboards (or planks) top a permanent concrete weir. These sacrificial flashboards are designed to fail under heavy ice loads or high water to prevent damage to the permanent fixed weir. It’s more than 1,000 feet long and has a height of about 6 feet. ACCIDENT REPAIR An accident damaged a subtransmission pole on Highway 91 just outside of Creston in February. The 34.5kV breaker tripped once at the time of the accident — around 2 a.m. — but power came right back on. Loup employees from Humphrey, Albion, Newman Grove, and Columbus had the pole replaced by noon that day without any further service interruption. Photo by Newman Grove Local Superintendent Alvin Meyer. DOLLAR GENERAL PREP Crews from Genoa and Fullerton added three-phase service to the site of a future Dollar General south of Genoa. Pictured above are Journey Line Technician Paul Burbach and Genoa Local Superintendent Dominic Zoucha. SPRING <strong>2023</strong> | 5
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Page 11 and 12: What is the Southwest Power Pool? O
Page 13 and 14: A storm warning means TAKE ACTION S
Page 15 and 16: REY JARECKI Carpenter/Utility Carpe

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