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<br />00 <br /> <br /> <br />923 <br /> <br />':-".LC,":-i:,''- <br /> <br />"'--x-,)\.;.t~:":".:'-' <br /> <br />",~,;?'.'"~/,,,':" <br /> <br />Woman Member Protests Invasion of Her Co...op <br />Hits !PirlJcy' 'I UnionR.E.A. Area Overrun North of Denver I <br />Of PSC South . <br />Of Broomfield <br /> <br />ColoradQ's rural women uw 80 <br />pel:' cent of the poweJ:' sold by the <br />Rural Eloohics In the statfl. Nor~ <br />malty they let their men run the <br />co-ops 'and ,serve on the boards of <br />_... <br />However, when they get mad, <br />they speak their piece and here <br />below is an article written and <br />submitted to ,the Broomfield Star <br />by Mrs. Donald Chambers of Rt. <br />1, Box ~5. Broomfield, a mem~ <br />ber-consumer of the Union Rural <br />Electric Association of BrigMan. <br />The baek;round for this l\rtlele Is <br />this: <br />A "gentleman's agreement" back In <br />1945 amoll&: the Public Service Com- <br />pany, Arvada Electric Company <br />(since 'purchased by PSC) and. the <br />Union Rural Electric Assoclatlon of <br />Brighton !!lilt agI:eed'upon boundaries <br />whel'i! each 'would operate In the area <br />Just north ot the city limits ot Den- <br />ver. <br />ne Union :Rural E100trle AssocIa. <br />Ikn, becaUQEI of ttJe REA Act of Con. <br />gte!l8 of 1836, took over the worst, <br />1Il0fl' Spilr841ly populated seetlons In <br />order to bJ"lng eleeu-lelty to farmers. <br />In the past two years, -several sub- <br />divisions hllve sprung up, such as <br />Western amI, BrClOmtleld Heights <br />and others, 'The PuWc Service Com- <br />pany, which also sells gas, built elec- <br />tric linea duplicating the Union REA <br />which had been seI:Ving these areas <br />slnoo 1938.. <br />The PSC, In contracting to sell both. <br />gas and -eleetrlcity to these sub-dlvl- <br />stuns, has been saying that Union <br />Rural Electric ll:I nett a public utility <br />and has no legal standlni In the area, <br />'I'hat's why, several months ago, <br />Union REA went to the ,Colorado <br />Public UtllItiea Commission and <br />asked lor a rulJng on whether It <br />could defend Its territory and whether <br />it Is a public utility. <br />The :Public UtlUttea Comllllssion <br />has not yel; nUldo IUs ,uUng. <br />Now. between Clu1stmas and New <br />Year's, Public Service Company crews <br />built poles and lines across the road <br />westward 'at 1??oo N. Wsdsworth. <br />, Avenue, justsoutholBroomfleld, into <br /> <br /> <br />DOROTHY cHAMBERS <br />She's Indlgnanl <br />Union REA territory to serve 'Wal- <br />lace Schoo.!, a private lnstf(ution that <br />Is enlarging. <br />These poles and lines went along a <br />private ~d right through the prop- <br />erty ,owned by Willard Springer, a <br />carpenter, on the south and Donald <br />Chambers, supervl&or of draftsmen of <br />the Ptanl1ing an'd ResearCh Division <br />of the Colorado Department of High. <br />ways, on the north. Both have been <br />member--consumera of UniOn REA lor <br />a number of years. <br />Ne(thel' 01 these tamlUeawere OOlJ,. <br />Bolted or asked about putting these <br />I'S(l poles and hne thrcmgh. .from <br />WadsWorlh to tho school: In filet, <br />Springer III reported w be partlcII_ <br />wi)' hot,tbat lIOI1le 8mbs of his cot;. <br />tonwood tree were lopped oft with. <br />out perndsslon by PSC crewmen l<IO <br />the;v could IItrlng their lines, <br />All 01 this background leads up to <br />the !act that Mrs. Donald Chambers, <br />who Went through the throes of get- <br />ting electrlelty some years IIgo, sat <br />down at her typewriter and spoke out <br />tl.San Indlvldual. <br /> <br />2 Co10. IIIRd tltdrk New5 Jan..- t9S7 <br /> <br />" \ ~ <br /> <br /> <br />Two miles fiOuth of ,Broom1teId, which lies betwoon Denver and Boulder, the Union Rural Electric AS$OdS.tion 01 ':; <br />Brlgbton has served an Area slnee 19'ilS. Now, Publlc Set'Vice Company Is bnUdlng UneB oveN1Uurlng this a'tea In . <br />order <<a reach 1\ school a mile weat of its l'egular aua. Union R.EA. already ~erve8 this schooL Tbls.view Jooks <br />north at 1??oo N. Wadsworth Ave., and shows Public S&rvlce iJrews erecting poles and Jln6 in Union R.BA.. terrl. <br />tory, The house belongs to WUlard Springer and_ the _ small pole and .transJ'ormEll' betwe$l the bouse and outbuilding <br />at left' Is Union B.E.A!II and hIlS been Ihete 101' more than 10 yeal'8. Note partial view of Sprbtger's Iree M extreme <br />left. I'SC crews lopped oft some of its 1ln1bs as they went by. Note In adjacent story how Springer Is hot about It. <br /> <br />Here, followtng, is the article Doro. <br />they Chambers wrote and submitted <br />to her local Broomrield newspaper: <br /> <br />It JU.t I.n't Fair <br />It this column meets with the edl. <br />tor's apptoval, It will appear when. <br />ever injustice is being done around <br />Broomfield. <br />In these dayJJ 01 expansion and de- <br />velopment plenty of little toes are <br />being stepped on by the hob-milled <br />boots of b~-lndU8try and there's an <br />example of that about two miles <br />south of Broomrteld. <br />You know where the underpaSs ll:I <br />on Wadsworth, Well. just west 01 the <br />railroad embankment Is a neW Public <br />Service line of poles which was <br />erecte(! during the last two weeks <br />wlthtn the tertltory"of another -elec- <br />tric -company (Union _ R.E,A.). The <br />line goes to the Walta~e School lor <br />braln.lnjured chtldren which hi a <br />wonderful institution helping these <br />chlldnm toward normal Uves, 'they <br />are planning to build a very large <br />cottage-type School with !arming and <br />vocational facilities. <br />Now I, suppose that to tll.e..~Wal- <br />lace Senool' and to many other peo- <br />ple in Colorado elecb1city Is just <br />electricity and naturally yOU get, It <br />Irom Public Service Company of <br />Colorado. But that Isn't the truth of <br />the matter. City people would _ be <br />amaze(! to :learn hoW recently lIOme <br />peepl!.! In rural areas have obtalned <br />electricity. And dtd they get tt from <br />PUblic Service Company? No. They <br />were refused service because the <br />lines would- cost more than the reve- <br />nue they would bring In. Let the poor <br />dumb farmers get along with kero- <br />sene lamps and chic sales. <br />But the poor dumb 1a.rmerfl or- <br />ganized themselves into 8Jl1a11 el~trie <br />companies. The Rural Electrification <br />. Administration was set up in 1986 to <br />lend money-notIee the word "lend" <br />-and Isolated bunches of farmers all <br />over Amerl<;a began enjoying the <br />oomtorls ot elootrlclty. <br />It wasn't until 1945 that this sec. <br />tlon south ()f Broomfield' received <br />electric power through thew own as. <br />sociation; the Union Rural Electric <br />Assoeiatlon with headquarters in <br />Brighton, <br />They organized It themselves, ,they <br />own it, they run it, and, the govern. <br />ment has notllJng to do with It. To <br /> <br /> <br />Thlels another \'Iew along N. Wa(!sworth Ave., showIng how PubUe~. <br />ice Compa.:qy 8SIIt Ol:l.t a crew to put poles and line_in the Jons-served area. 01 <br />Union Rural Electrlc A9&OClaUon of Brlgllton."No clearances or easements <br />were asked in advance. For the reaction of the member-oonaunim-s 01 Union <br />B..EA. who live there, see the adjacent atory. <br /> <br />the American taxpayers the R_ E, A. <br />I!'; a good investment. The loans are <br />being paid back qul\)kly with tnterest. <br />Some would have you believe that an, <br />electric cooperative pays no taxes. <br />Union R_ E. A. pays $1.eOO a month. <br />ol'-$19,200ayearinprope:rty~es! <br />Does that sound likE'! sponging oft ti\e <br />lflxpayers? R. E_ A, is private enter. <br />prlse in the htghest sell~. <br />All right. All ovel' the. state Pub- <br />lic Service Company Is trying to <br />move in Oll R. E. A. tenitury. They <br />find oIit where tb~e's going to be ,& <br />blg 81,Ibdlvlslon or mdustr;y, sneak in <br />and set up their poies, otter' the po-. <br />tentlnl. blc user an Irreslstlble con. <br />tnct and there they are. <br />The R. E, A. is quite Capable of <br />$upplylng ali the electrictty thUs <br />school will need: While these poll'lli' <br />were bcl.ng set the property owner$ <br />adjoining the prIvate road naturally <br />thought the It; Eo A.-was putting a <br /> <br />heavier line to the schOOl which they <br />already serye. When they f1naJ!y <br />learned thlit it WIIIl Public Service <br />Co_ thllY prote!rted vigorously, along <br />with the R. E, A. <br />Tho result was thaI early one Frl- <br />day ~orntng .. regular arnuuJa 01 <br />1'. S. C. trucks, men, snpervlsors, ~ .: <br />what not appeared on the hill '- ,,'-,," <br />never. was a One strung with Wiril . <br />so fast. They wanted 10 get it up be- " <br />fore an InjuncUon could be sel'Ved. ' <br />They niay think they are there to :' <br />stay but we're not so sure. The legal- " <br />tty of their action Is being Investl. <br />gated, And the Publlc Utilities Co~. . <br />mission will be called on to rule on <br />tt. Of course we oould go and saw ' <br />down the polel; but that would prove <br />nothing, The pen Is mightier than the <br />saw. And there are other effedlve <br />weapons too. There may be some in.,:' <br />teresttng thIngs going on down there., <br />soou, &0 watch when you drive by. <br /> <br />j, <br /> <br />~/ <br /> <br />:~.,ti"~~_l <br />