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The City of Albemarle has received three Public Power Awards of Excellence from ElectriCities of North Carolina, Inc.
The city received an award in the Future-focused category, which celebrates communities that develop a forward-thinking mindset.
According to a press release, the City of Albemarle exemplified this mindset through several projects:
• LED Streetlight Replacement Program – This program enhanced energy efficiency and improved visibility on all lit streets within the City.
• New Customer Information and Utility Billing System – This system provides more convenient ways for customers to conduct business with the City. Customers will soon be able to track their energy consumption in real time.
• Electric Line Replacement – City electric crews are replacing approximately 4.5 miles of primary electric lines to ensure continued system reliability.
The city also received an award in the Strengthen Public Power category, which celebrates communities that build public and political support for public power. The city was recognized for outreach efforts, including lineworker visits to local schools, customer appreciation gifts during Public Power Week, utility bill inserts and social media posts.
The third award the city received was in the People category, which recognizes cities and towns that leverage their people as their greatest asset. The city implemented the ElectriCities Apprentice Lineworker Program, a comprehensive program that allows city staff to participate in an Apprenticeship NC-registered program. This program exceeds Federal Register and OSHA regulations for training mandates. Upon completion, lineworkers can obtain their journeyman card, which is nationally recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor as mastery-level certification for lineworker professionals. The city also continued its partnership with Stanly Community College to offer instruction for students in the college’s Electrical Line Worker Training Program. Throughout the 12-week program, students are instructed by City of Albemarle Electric Division staff and learn the critical skills of installing and repairing electrical power distribution systems.
“It took great teamwork from our entire electric staff to once again earn Public Power Awards of Excellence. These awards demonstrate the City’s commitment to efficient, reliable service that benefits our community now and in the years to come. I thank our team for their work to continually make Albemarle a leading provider of public power,” said Jay Voyles, director of public utilities.
“This year’s Public Power Awards of Excellence recipients are shining examples of the value of public power,” added ElectriCities CEO Roy Jones.
ElectriCities is the membership organization that provides power supply and related critical services to more than 90 community-owned electric systems in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia — collectively known as public power.
“These outstanding communities prioritize local needs and put their customers first as they develop innovative solutions to provide safe, reliable power with superior service,” said Jones. “We’re honored to celebrate these communities, and we’re grateful for all they do to provide value to their customers.”
Nearly 1.3 million people in cities and towns across North Carolina get their electricity from public power providers.