Town of Granite Falls Awarded RP3 Status
Granite Falls Electric Department received the Reliable Public
Power Provider (RP3) award during the ElectriCities annual meeting in Asheville in
August 2007. RP3 is a two-year designation awarded by the American Public Power
Association (APPA) to recognize public power sysems with excellent business practices.
In order to achieve RP3 certification a municipality must show proficiency in four
areas: reliability, safety, training and system improvement. Out of more than
2,000 public power utilities nationwide, 102 utilities are designated RP3, with 22
of them in NC. Receiving the award on behalf of the town were Mayor Barry Hayes,
Councilman Steve Simmons, Electric Director Steve Stilwell, Mayor Pro Tem Frank Mackie,
Councilman Donald Kirkpatrick and Town Manager Linda Story.
RP3, Reliable Public Power Provider, is a nationally
recognized designation program through the American Public Power Association
(APPA) to recognize public power systems with excellent business practices. In
order to achieve RP3 certification a municipality must show proficiency in four
areas: reliability, safety, training and system improvement.
Reliability
- How
well is the electric system working?
- Provide
information for 3 or more nationally recognized indices.
- Your
lights stay on more than 99.99% of the time.
Safety
- High
priority on safety for workers and citizens.
- Staff
provided with continuous training on safety issues.
- Electric
crews attend classes and are audited for safe work practices.
- Received
Safety Award at recent NCAMES Annual Conference.
Training
- Proven
committed to providing a highly trained workforce.
- Training
evaluation includes all electric-related Town Staff.
- Town
has shown it is preparing a workforce capable of meeting future needs.
System Improvement
- Electric
system is maintained to provide reliable service today.
- Improvements
have been made to prepare for future growth of the Town.
