Good-paying local jobs also mean our friends and neighbors can support families here, because member cooperatives offer some of the highest wages on the Kenai Peninsula. They understand that homegrown talent is always preferable to bringing in people from outside, and they commit the dollars to make sure residents have work opportunities locally. At AVTEC, we appreciate HEA’s student support programs, like scholarships and apprenticeships. Local jobs are also a priority for our business community. As residents, we also appreciate HEA’s decision to dedicate a Board seat to Seward, meaning our local voice will always be included in the decision-making. HEA’s leadership stability is important and we value working with a general manager and an executive team that has been rooted in their community for decades. Seward’s harbor is home to many marine-based businesses that know stability is critical to maintaining and expanding this important economic engine. HEA has demonstrated a commitment to making decisions that prioritize a healthy economic future outlook for Seward businesses.
TUFTED PUFFIN SEWARD UPGRADE
Ideally, we would upgrade more of our RV sites to include power, but without long-term rate certainty, we can’t make these upgrades because we don’t know what it will cost in the long run. To sustain that growth, we need to provide steady, reliable power to guests whether they arrive via cruise ship or stay in one of the spots in our RV Parks. Tourists, and locals, spend money in our restaurants, bars, and shops. Seward’s visitor industry is strong and growing.
And of course, security is always a huge priority for us, and HEA’s world-class security advancements should make our systems even more resistant to hackers and other cyber-attacks. On the business side of things, we look forward to better customer service from the new utility and their specialized member relations and billing programs. Just like other businesses, inconsistent energy is a real, pressing concern when it comes to running heavy equipment which need to work reliably without and power surges that could damage expensive investments. This merger will improve local service delivery. HEA’s merger provides a solution we can all benefit from and support. They are behind the times technologically, and they know it. Notably, SES is the only paper bill that many of us still receive. The threat of greatly increased future energy bills to pay for new infrastructure HEA already offers make it financially practical to approve the merger.
When considering new programs, facilities, or exhibits, we must estimate how much it will cost not only to build things, but also operate them.
We know Seward Electric is staring down a massive, required investment in deferred maintenance, new infrastructure and costly cybersecurity systems that will ultimately cost us, the ratepayers. Not only that, any business, but especially ours, cannot plan for the future without some idea of what energy will cost. HEA has already made large investments in technology and infrastructure we can take advantage of to incorporate into our systems. Multiple business would have seen a savings between $55,000 and $63,000 less per year under Homer Electric. The savings ranged anywhere from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars on an annual basis. Comparing the bills provided by the Seward Electric Utility for these entities over the past 12 months to what these entities would have been charged under the existing tariff for Homer Electric demonstrates that all would have paid less for electricity during this same time period. Rejecting this merger will lead to higher long-terms costs, energy instability, and lost growth opportunities.Ĭlaims that HEA’s rates will result in huge price increases are not true as applied to business and educational facilities, including the SeaLife Center, multiple seafood processing facilities, medical facilities, and marine businesses such as Catalyst Marine and JAG Industries. Months of learning about the merger has revealed a fundamental truth: We need it to go through so our local businesses can survive and thrive in this new, technological age. As leaders working within our city’s business community, we urge voters to fill in the “yes” oval on your ballot on May 2. We are united in our support for the merger of Homer Electric with Seward Electric and the creation a new stronger utility.
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