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March 1999
An eight-man BPA line crew from Idaho Falls, Idaho, fought snow and ice in mid-February to remedy a power problem in Montana. More than 10,000 customers of Fall River Electric Cooperative had experienced flickering lights since late December. About 1,700 of them also had repeated times of short power outages.
Winter has been harsher than usual in the eastern mountain regions of the Northwest. Snow pack is eight to 10 feet in some areas, said BPA regional operations manager Lynn Kerzman. “The exceptional weather caused a build-up of as much as four inches of ice on the power grid,” he said.
Fall River Co-op manager Dee Reynolds said, “We began working with BPA to find the problem and correct it.” The utilities found the source of the problem. It was on a 3 ½-mile stretch of 115-kilovolt transmission line that crosses the Continental Divide on the Idaho-Montana border. The site is just west of Yellowstone National Park.
Two static lines atop the grid towers were weighed down with ice. “A combination of heavy icing and high winds blew the static lines into the power lines,” Kerzman said.
The static lines don’t carry power but protect the power lines from lightning strikes. Since forecasters didn’t foresee weather changes soon, BPA decided to tackle the problem right away to ensure service to Fall River and prevent a more serious problem.
The solution was to remove the two static lines from atop the 3½ miles of the power grid. The site was 12 to 13 miles from the nearest cleared road and the crew used snow tracks and snowmobiles to get to it.
“Since we couldn’t get our line and bucket trucks in, our linemen had to do the job the old- fashioned way,” Kerzman said. “They climbed poles with hooks and belts.”
The crew first had to clear the ice from the wires. Linemen used heavy hammers to pound the lines at the top of the 65-foot towers. The vibrations broke the ice away. They then took the lines down. The ground crew cut about 35,000 feet of wire into 600- to 800-foot sections and pulled it to the side of the site. Finally, the crew put lightning arresters on each pole.
The job took more than a week to complete. BPA’s line crew will return when the weather improves in the spring. They will put up new static lines made of heavier wire that won’t sag as much. Foremen Larry Ringer and Dave Williams headed the line crew. Linemen and other crew members included: Rich Maddox, Leon Thrall, Ross Angell, Eloy Anguiano, Clint Achord and Tom Marr.
Fall River manager Reynolds praised BPA for the job. “I appreciate their willingness to correct the problem as soon as possible,” he said. “Especially considering the effort needed just to get to the site through the snow.”
Kerzman said the line crew tackles a variety of projects like this during rough weather months. “It’s part of BPA keeping the lights and heat on for our customers,” he said.
Weather can't deter workers -- BPA's line crew from Idaho Falls didn't let severe weather conditions stop them. The crew plowed its way, literally, to the Continental Divide on the Idaho-Montana border in mid-February. Just another "sunny day" at BPA? The sun was shining on BPA's Idaho Falls line crew in mid-February. But as their clothing and the deep show show, it wasn't a balmy day to be working on the power grid. The line crew used snow tracks and snowmobiles to get to a site west of Yellowstone National park. Heavy ice and winds on a 3 1/2-mile stretch of the grid caused power interruptions in Montana. While the sun shone brightly this day, the temperature was about -20 degrees F. BPA's line crew included Larry Ringer, Dave Williams, Rich Maddox, Leon Thrall, Ross Angell, Eloy Anguiano, Clint Achord and Tom Marr.
Retiree cares about her people -- Dorothy Bartholomew still cares about the Ross district line crew she served for over 30 years. "Grandma" Bartholomew, as the district folks call her, worked as the line crew's secretary-clerk. She retired from BPA in 1994 with 38 years of civil service. "Whatever we needed to do our jobs, Grandma took care of," said equipment operator David Alt. Secretary-clerk Michelld Ormiston said, "Dorothy likes to keep up with the guys she helped for so many years, so she comes to all of our special functions." Bartholomew saw many familiar and some new faces at the annual awards safety meeting Feb. 16 in Vancouver.
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“Never forget how important you are,” U.S. Senator Gordon Smith told BPA employees on Feb. 17. “I’m here to thank you for what you do for so many people.”
In his first talk at BPA since becoming senator from Oregon in 1997, Smith praised the agency and its workforce for the value BPA brings to the Pacific Northwest.
“The other day, San Francisco had a brownout,” Smith said. “We don’t realize what can happen and how important energy is. Without energy, businesses shut down, services stop running, and people don’t have jobs to go to,” he said. “It all starts with energy, so you matter to a great many people.”
BPA invited Smith to address employees after he became chairman of the senate water and power subcommittee this year. The subcommittee handles matters that affect federal power agencies.
The program took place in the Holladay auditorium with telephone hook-ups to field sites in the region. Deputy Administrator Jack Robertson introduced Smith. The senator talked for 20 minutes, answered questions for the rest of an hour and then mingled with employees afterward.
Smith addressed the two biggest issues that will affect BPA and the region in the future — salmon recovery and energy deregulation.
“I’m against the breaching of the Snake River dams because I don’t believe it’s appropriate to take out our basic infrastructure,” Smith said. “We’ve got to do a better job with our environment, but we can’t do so without regard to people. If you can find the logic to remove one dam under the law, you can find the logic to remove them all. So you’d better be careful and think about your infrastructure,” he said.
Smith said, “We can provide better environmental stewardship with some technical fixes, common sense and better information.” But the problem with fish survival isn’t due to just one thing, he said. “It isn’t just dams, so all the correction can’t be put on just one industry,” he said, citing effects of ocean conditions, predators and many others on land and streams.
“I don’t think we know all the answers, so one of the best things I can do on your behalf is foster better research,” Smith said. “What we have to do is not go to extremes but look for alternatives with what the environmental community is trying to teach us.”
Smith said he doesn’t believe a law on deregulation will move swiftly through Congress this year. But he’s concerned about its effect on the Northwest. “Parts of the country very much want deregulation in the hopes of more savings in power,” he said. “But there’s not much of an upside in benefits for the Northwest, and more of a downside. We have a hydro system that gives us some of the lowest cost power anywhere in the world,” he said.
“We want to get it right and this is one area that has been very bipartisan for the Northwest,” Smith said. He said the congressional delegation must stay together to draft the Northwest chapter in the bill. “That’s one reason why I sought this committee,” he said.
The audience asked about fish issues, transmission and separation, and the administrative efficiency project (AEP) proposed by BPA. Smith said transmission and separation are part of a package and the delegation has to be sure it doesn’t work to the detriment of the Northwest.
Three people expressed concern about changes in civil service coverage and the AEP for BPA. “Coming new to this area,” Smith said, “I don’t know the details but I will study it. What I want to do is be fair.”
In answer to a question about a vision for BPA, Smith said, “What I want for you is to be able to meet the competition and continue to be the backbone of the Northwest.”
Employees meet with Sen. Gordon Smith after his talk at BPA.
For more than 20 years, the Assocites has sponsored Red Cross blood drives at BPA headquarters and the Ross Complex. Each year, BPA’s total blood collections at Portland put BPA among the top 10 of more than 400 businesses and schools in the five-county area of the Red Cross’ Northwest Region. BPA has received several awards from the Red Cross for its blood drive support in the past.
Besides blood donations, BPA folks support the Red Cross in other ways across the region. Several employees and retirees volunteer with the Red Cross. And many workers contribute to major relief efforts.
March is National Red Cross Month — a good time to look at the origin and contributions of the Red Cross. The American Red Cross is part of an international organization that is one of the largest volunteer and aid groups in the world.
Most people know the Red Cross for its blood services and disaster relief. The Red Cross provides the bulk of the blood supplies needed by hospitals and medical clinics throughout the world. Each year, hundreds of thousands of people benefit from blood donated by many others. And people on all continents get emergency help – food, clothing, medical supplies and shelter – from Red Cross assistance when disasters strike.
Civil aid and emergency programs form the bulk of the Red Cross work today. But it wasn’t that way in the beginning. The Red Cross was born in another era and a quite different arena. It traces its origins to the battlefields of Europe and North America. And the initial efforts to help casualties of war had another far-reaching effect. They led to the Geneva Conventions of 1863 and later.
The first Geneva Convention provided for humane treatment of sick and wounded soldiers. But later conventions expanded humanitarian care to the treatment of prisoners and civilian populations as well. The latter was the major thrust of the 1949 Geneva Convention that prevails today. It came about on the heels of atrocities by the Nazis and Japanese military during WW II.
The Red Cross movement began on three battlefields of two continents. In each case, a single person gave compassionate care to a large number of sick and wounded. Florence Nightingale was the first to care for casualties in 1854 during the Crimean War. Henri Dunant was next in 1859 after the Battle of Soliferno in Italy. And in 1861, Clara Barton tended to many wounded from the battlefields of Virginia during the American Civil War.
The story of these individuals and how their efforts led to the Red Cross is an epic of global compassion and concern. In honor of National Red Cross Month and the many BPA people who contribute to the Red Cross, we include these photos of BPA blood donors. And history and crossword buffs should enjoy the challenge of this month’s crossword puzzle. Its theme is the Red Cross.
(Above left) Lending an arm and giving a pint for a good cause -- A former employee and two current employees are all smiles about this good cause. (Left to right) Sara Warren retired from BPA three years ago but still comes to headquarters to donate blood during the drives sponsored by The Associates. Don Wolfe and Nando Jesus are regular donors at work when the Red Cross blood team pulls up at Portland. The Ross complex also holds regular blood drives. Many other employees donate in their communities around the region.
(Bottom right) Cookies and juice are good for blood (donors) -- One or two donors have been known to protest good-naturedly, but for most people who donate their blood, teh reward is more than cookies and juice at the end. "It's knowing you're helping someone in need," said Linda McKinney (left). McKinney, Roxanne Freeman (center) and Andy Thoms (right) "refuel" after they donated at Portland last fall.
The U.S. Postal Service has changed its mail policy for government agencies. It now handles their mail like that of any business. The change took effect in January and BPA got new bulk mailing permits. But we had a snag.
After Thomas Printing Co. prints the Circuit, it delivers the 7,000 copies to BPA each month. Media services addresses them and the mailroom then distributes the inside copies and mails the outside copies. But when the Circuit arrived on January 4, mail services spotted a problem. Our bulk permit number was wrong. It was missing one digit.
Quick thinking and action by Stan Marino in mail services saved the day. Marino called the post office and asked if BPA could mail the Circuit with that number. The post office said we could if BPA got permission from the organization that held the permit number. Marino asked and was told that it was Mt. Tabor Presbyterian Church.
He called the church, explained the problem and asked for permission to mail the Circuit with the church’s number. The church agreed, and faxed a letter of approval to Marino. He then filled out a form for the mailing so the post office would bill BPA and not the church.
Thanks to BPA’s alert mail services, we saved a nice chunk of money to correct a blooper. The alternative would have been to have half the January edition reprinted. Besides the cost, it would have delayed the outside mail copies by a week. That was excellent customer service by a BPA support group. Thanks, Stan and your crew. And thanks also to a good neighbor, Mt. Tabor Presbyterian Church.
The Circuit got several comments from readers on our January report of the Ross Complex Santa’s party for needy children in Vancouver. Some folks commented in person, some telephoned and others sent E-mails. One E-mail came from an outside reader, Kathy Hoffman, who retired from BPA last year. She wrote, “I think it was very touching, and thanks for sharing.”
Every month or so we hear from former employees about articles in the Circuit. The recent comments made me think to check on our current “subscription” list. So I asked Ginny Kuehn who tracks our various mailing lists. She got the latest data for the Circuit from April Toll in media services.
Readers might find the numbers interesting. They show the varied audiences, beyond BPA’s own diverse employee groups, that get the Circuit. We’ll talk more about the Circuit distribution and readers in an upcoming issue.
— Jack Odgaard, editor
When a 115-kilovolt line broke and fell into the Columbia River this winter, BPA field workers had a repair job out of the ordinary. The work required a helicopter and a barge as well as the usual vehicles and line equipment. The Ross and “Cheholy” (Chehalis and Olympia) line crews worked between heavy rain and winds to complete the job in about 10 days.
On Jan. 24, one line of the three-phase transmission span from Cathlamet, Wash., to Puget Island broke and fell into the north channel of the river. The other two lines were badly damaged. The downed line fell across a smaller Wahkiakum County Public Utilities District line. The PUD cut the BPA line free to service its line, and the BPA line fell into the river.
The downed line caused a power outage for the PUD and three utilities in Oregon. Workers restored power in just over two hours, but BPA had a major repair job to replace the downed line and repair the other two.
The 3,096-foot span hangs between a tower on top of a 200-foot cliff on the north shore and a 300-foot tower on the island. The lines sag to a height of almost 100 feet above the north channel water level. Most river traffic moves in the south channel between Puget Island and Westport on the Oregon shore. But smaller vessels use the north channel.
Line foreman Don Swanson said something struck the three BPA lines over the north channel. Whatever hit the lines badly scraped the first two and then broke or weakened the third line so that it eventually snapped. Swanson said the special lines were custom-made for that site. Each line consists of a steel cable wrapped in aluminum.
Swanson said BPA will try to recover the downed line from the river bottom when the weather improves — pro-bably this summer. In the meantime, BPA had to hang a new line and repair the other two. The line crew put the spool of new line at the top of the cliff and tied a rope to it. A helicopter lifted the rope over the top tower and carried it across the river to the island tower. The line crew then pulled the rope and line to raise it and connect it to the tower.
BPA rented a tugboat and barge to repair the two damaged lines. The barge anchored in the channel below the damaged lines. Workers on shore then lowered each line to the barge where linemen could repair it, and then hoisted it back up into the air.
Now it's barge-pooling to work? These members of a field crew literally barged to work a month ago. Only they didn't get off their transport when they got to their work site. The line crew members and other workers from Ross and "Cheholy" worked from the barge after it anchored and stabilized. The men repaired two lines of a 15-kV span across the Columbia River's north channel near Cathlamet, Wash. Other workers lowered the damaged lines from towers on the shore and Puget Island.
The repair job of a 115-kilovolt line that crosses a channel of the Columbia River at Cathlamet, Wash., was unusual in many ways. Workers needed a helicopter to replace one line that fell into the river on Jan. 24 after something struck it. And they needed a tugboat and barge to repair the two damaged lines of the three-phase span.
The “Cheholy” line crew joined the Ross line crew for the job. Warehouse workers, drivers and a helicopter pilot also joined the effort. Last month, Transmission maintenance gave on-the-spot awards to the 27 employees who did the job.
Employees who got awards included: Dave Alt, Rick Avery, Jon Bartowski, Bill Branson, Don Burgard, Jonathan Chantry, Joe Edwards, Bill Gerhardt, Tom Grover, John Hester, Bob Jackson, Tony Jacobs, Allen Lockwood, Lloyd Long, Wayne Noonan, Garry Oberst, Charlie Pursiful, Pat Pyatt, R.J. Reynolds, Michael Sheetz, Travis Stanley, Don Swan-son, Kurt Syverson, Vic Ulver, Darrel Under-wood, Lee Webb and Gary Westling.
On-the-spot awards -- Line foreman Charlie Pursiful hands out on-the-spot awards to employees at the annual Ross safety awards meeting in February. They were among 27 workers from a field crew that repaired a 115-kV line on the Columbia River.
BPA’s Darrell Eastman received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Arts Foundation. The non-profit group promotes and preserves African American contributions to American culture. Eastman was one of 11 people who received lifetime awards in January.
The awards were presented during Portland’s 14th annual cultural program held on the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. The
Jan. 18 program took place at Jefferson High School. The public schools, state education groups and many businesses sponsored the event.
Eastman’s award was for spiritual guidance he has provided over the years. Eastman is a member and spiritual leader of the Northwest Indian Veterans Association. He has helped many groups including the Buffalo Soldiers, Vietnam Veterans and other veteran groups in Portland and Vancouver.
Eastman has also helped many groups through his job at BPA. He works with Indian tribes and other ethnic groups in BPA’s community outreach programs.
Darrell Eastman (right) listens as Sharon Gary Smith reads the citation for his Lifetime Achievement Award.
It was a far cry from a James Bond thriller. There were no covert characters of espionage. There were no high-speed chases or daring physical feats. There were no demos of the latest high-tech weapons. Indeed, a nemesis of author Ian Fleming’s British super intelligence force – the Soviet Union – didn’t even exist anymore.
But a BPA “double-O” agent did travel to Russia on a mission. The double-O code has nothing to do with spying, although it has some intrigue. In this case, it refers to the “00” date used in programs to run computers in their early decades.
Today’s double-O agents have a mutual interest to overcome a common threat of technology – the Y2K millennium bug .
BPA’s “agent” is Brian Furumasu who heads Transmission’s Y2K project. Furumasu was part of a Department of Energy team invited to Moscow in January. Transmission writer Stuart Sandler interviewed Furumasu and filed this report on his trip.
How can backward be forward?
Brian Furumasu, BPA’s Transmission Y2K project manager, found out during his 3 ½-day visit to Moscow. He went to Russia’s capitol as part of a Department of Energy team in January. Their mission was to help the United Power Company of Russia with its own Y2K problems.
The team first stopped in Vienna, Austria, to give Y2K presentations related to nuclear reactor safety. From there the team flew to Moscow to give a workshop on Y2K.
“Through DOE’s past contacts with them, the Russians had become very interested in the power system aspects of Y2K,” BPA’s Furumasu said. Could our American experiences with Y2K help them launch their program and complete it faster so they wouldn’t waste time on unnecessary steps? Were our power systems similar enough to apply information effectively between them?
Furumasu found a Russian power grid something like those in the U.S. Any line or major transformer could be taken out of service and still allow the system to operate reliably. But in Russia, all lines lead to Moscow. It’s the central dispatch center for a huge transmission grid. The grid is 5,000 miles long and is divided into seven control centers. Transmission over the vast system is nearly all alternating current.
Direct current may have saved costs, given the long distances. But the former Soviet Union would have had to get equipment from outside the country. And that wasn’t readily available during the Cold War years for a country so strapped for funds.
Russia’s power supply is about 15 percent hydro, 15 percent nuclear, and 70 percent fossil – oil or coal. Most amazing, Furumasu said, is that although the Soviet Union split up into independent countries after 1989 – some of them hostile to Russia today – they still operate a single power grid. “They tried to run their systems independently,” said Furumasu, “but it didn’t work. So they have come back together to operate as one grid.”
Furumasu found a structured organization in Russia’s power system. It has excellent engineering expertise and its engineering director has a good sense of the potential problems in Y2K. “But they don’t have near the automation that we do,” Furumasu said.
“They have much more manual operation in their system,” he said. “Their telecommunications are mostly analog. Dispatchers and operators still communicate by voice to do switching in their substations. And their SCADA, which might contain embedded computer chips that could cause problems, is used to monitor and gather data, not to control the system,” he said. That could cause problems with billing and scheduling, but it’s not likely to disrupt service.
Thus, at least relative to Y2K, backward is something like forward. “The primitive aspect of their system is an advantage in this case,” said Furumasu. “They completely understand their technology situation. Our message to them was that once they understand the problem, they need to approach it with a project management discipline. They need to be methodical and document everything. They need a thorough inventory. They need to be consistent in their tests and evaluation.”
Furumasu said, “With only 11 months to go until 2000, the Russians listened closely. We could tell they got the message and were ready to integrate it into their program.”
“At the beginning of the program,” he said, “we were a little concerned because there was very little audience participation. But that changed after the first three presentations and we got lively discussions after that.” He said the material was received well by the 120 people who attended the workshop.
“The Russians are very proud of their system,” Furumasu said. “They appreciated that we were there to share information, not preach to them. We treated them as equals and they treated us well in return,” he said.
Russia has a lot in common with the U.S. -- Like continuing business meetings over meals. Officials from the two countries carried on Y2K discussions at dinner during the U.S. visit to Moscow. (Left to right) Jim Olsen, U.S. consultant and president of Energy System Solutions; Dr. Yury Morzhin, Russia's scientific deputy director; Vladimir Ornov, deputy chief engineer of United Power System or Russia; and Brian Furumasu, head of BPA's Transmission Y2K project.
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A look inside Russia's grid operations
Russia’s power grid operation is similar to BPA’s in many ways and quite different in others. Moscow has a central dispatch similar to BPA’s Dittmer Control Center. It schedules daily power and generation. It has a wall-size board with the power grid lit up. But dispatchers note! No cutoffs and T-shirts in the summertime. Russian dispatchers show up for work year-round in full coat and tie. Now, to get in to central dispatch. Just flash your badge and mumble a sleepy hello to the guard? Not quite. “The guard had a machine gun and wore a bulletproof vest, and you had to pass through a metal detector,” BPA’s Brian Furumasu said from his recent trip. “I think they have a higher sense of security and police involvement,” he said, tongue-in-cheek. How will the Russians accomplish the major Y2K effort – in a system strapped for cash, where defections for lack of pay are rampant? “Vladimir Ornov, the deputy chief engineer of United Power System of Russia, told his group that these things they’d learned from us will be done,” Furumasu said. “Then he told them, ‘Those here who are managers, listen closely. Those who have managers at home, take this message back. We will do this, and if you experience a Y2K problem in 2000, you will lose your job.’” It’s likely that a job, however low the pay, is better than no job at all. |
About 100 employees from Power and other work groups met Jan. 21 to celebrate the success of BPA’s subscription strategy last year. BPA sent its final plan out on Dec. 21, 1998. It defines the way BPA will handle its power business for the Northwest in the next century.
The Power Business Line held a party to mark the effort and thank folks who worked to get the strategy out. Besides most PBL employees, “people from many different parts of the agency helped,” Syd Berwager said. Berwager headed the strategy effort and said, “you had to wrestle with some very tough issues.”
He and other Power managers hosted the event. Administrator Judi Johansen, Chief Operating Officer Steve Hickok and other executives attended. They thanked the team and people who made the effort a success. PBL managers handed out medals. Each employee got an Olympic-style bronze medal.
The subscription process covers contracts for BPA power sales after 2001. If the limited pre-subscription offer of last year is an indication, the full process should be a success. More than 60 customers signed up for the early quota of 1,300 megawatts. Those sales are worth an estimated $240 million each year from 2002 through 2006.
Celebrating strategy release -- Power Business Line folks and people from other work groups had some fun in late January. About 100 people celebrated the wra-up of BPA's subscription strateg. PBL gave a medal to each person who helped in the effort.
BPA began donating surplus computers in 1996. In the last two years, the agency has provided nearly 1,500 PCs to more than 100 schools in six Northwest states.
The surplus program is a joint effort with utility customers in BPA’s service area. BPA account executives and local utility staff deliver the goods to schools and BPA often gets good publicity in the local news media.
But a lot goes on behind the scenes well before the schools get the equipment. Many employees have a hand in the program. “They do more than just ship the surplus out the door,” said Joan McNamara of regional relations. “Our people take pride in what they do so they want the schools to get good work-ing products from BPA,” she said.
Until she retired at the end of February, McNamara was part of a three-member team that coordinated the program. The others are Val Nelson in contracts and property and Kathy Boag who manages the utilization and disposal warehouse (U&D) at the Ross Complex. Boag took over for Don Ballentine who retired in September 1998.
The schools that get surplus PCs attest to the quality of BPA’s service. Teachers say it’s just like unpacking boxes of new or rebuilt equipment when they get a BPA shipment. From the first step to the last, folks in several BPA work groups make sure that the equipment is clean, repaired and in working order. The schools just plug in the PCs and install their software.
The coordination team meets frequently to review dozens of requests from schools. They match them with the surplus items BPA has on hand. Shelli Dunbar at U&D does all the paperwork BPA needs to transfer the property.
Scott Lawson runs the computer supply center at headquarters. When new computers arrive he gets the old equipment for surplus. He erases programs and data, replaces missing parts and re-pairs any broken parts. Then he sends the items to Ross where the U&D people take over.
Ralph Lisher cleans all the equipment, packages each item, labels the cartons and puts them on shelves. When Dunbar completes the paperwork for a school, Tom Roy and Lisher fill the order from the shelves. They build a separate pallet for each school and Roy then shrink-wraps it. He and Don Adams forklift the pallets to the second-floor holding area. For smaller orders nearby, Roy and Lisher load a BPA van to deliver the PCs directly.
The U&D folks next contact Roxy Spray in transportation services. Transport schedules a pickup by the supply truck. The semi delivers transmission equipment and parts to BPA substations and warehouses across the region.
Drivers drop the pallets off at those sites for storage until delivery time. The TBL field folks often help the account executives deliver the goods to the schools.
Since McNamara retired, two new people help coordinate BPA’s effort. Georgette Jarvis oversees the program at Ross, and Phyllis Evans in regional relations keeps in contact with account executives and the media.
“The whole process takes a lot of people and a lot of work,” Val Nelson said. “The work goes on simultaneously by people in many groups,” she said. “It’s one extra part of their jobs that helps BPA serve our communities.”
— Jack Odgaard, editor
(From top) Donation committee -- (left to right) Val Nelson, Kathy Boag and Joan McNamara pour over a pile of school requests for BPA surplus PCs. (Next picture) Getting it ready -- Scott Lawson in the computer supply center checks a surplus modem for working condition. (Next picture) Ralph Lisher at the U&D warehouse cleans equipment, then packages, labels all items and stacks units on supply shelves. (Next picture) Tom Roy shrink wraps a pallet with surplus PC equipment headed to one school. (Next picture) Ready to go -- Warehouse foreman Don Adams lifts a pallet to teh warehouse second floor where it awaits shipment around the region. (Next picture) Shelli Dunbar checks a wapped pallet to be sure it has all items destined for one school. (Next picture) Loading up -- Ralph Lisher (forklift) and Tom Roy load a van for delivery to two schools close to the Ross Complex. Transmission's "candy wagon" semi delivers pallets to BPA sites further away for later delivery to schools in their areas. (Next picture) School drop-off Account executives, utility employees and teachers and students often pitch in to unload a school delivery. (Bottom picture) In the classroom -- Young students at Ranier (Ore.) High School get ready for a typing class in the computer room. BPA's surplus equipment fills in the extra computer needs at larger schools, and may be the first and only electronic equipment at smaller rural schools.
BPA has made good progress, but its workplace is not yet free of harassment. So concludes the recent audit of how well BPA’s harassment-free workplace policy is doing.
“The policy is a good first step,” said Keijo Hunter, a member of the audit team. “And we have made some good strides implementing it. The numbers continue to go down, but we have a ways to go to reach our goal — zero harassment.”
On the bright side, the audit shows that reports of harassment have been on a steady decline since BPA put the policy in place in 1992. Before then – in 1991 – 42 percent of surveyed employees said they had experienced harassment. By 1995, the number was down to 26 percent. By 1998 it had further dropped – to 19 percent.
“That’s a good gain overall,” said Doug Montgomery, another audit team member. “But unfortunately, minority employees report a rise in harassment,” he said. That’s the troubling side of the audit. The number of minority folks who believe they were harassed rose from 18 percent in 1995 to 28 percent in 1998.
Most of those reports didn’t fall within specific fields such as race, ethnicity and gender. They were in the “other type of incident” category. And the audit found that minority reports matched those of non-minorities for “other” types. “Other” made up 76 percent of all non-minority reports in 1998 and 67 percent in 1995. It could mean such things as retaliation, intimidation, threatening behavior, jokes or teasing.
BPA’s “other” category makes its harassment-free workplace policy broader than the usual one based on sex, gender, race, religion, age and national origin. These are listed in the Equal Employment Opportunity law (Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act).
Mike Caldwell, the third audit team member, said the audit found another unsettling result. “Supervisors and managers are often named as the source of the harassment (48 percent),” he said. “That reveals a disconnect between supervisors and employees on understanding what harassment is. Supervisors say they aren’t harassing workers and that people misinterpret actions they (supervisors) take to get employees to do their work,” he said.
This distinction is critical because to be harassment, an action must be unrelated to work. And employees said that the behavior they object to is not work related. Caldwell said Internal Audit didn’t investigate employee claims because they are confidential. “The point is that employees have experiences that distress them and it affects their morale,” Hunter said. “This in itself is cause for concern and action,” she said.
The audit report has recommendations and a management action plan to respond to the findings. All employees can expect education through a new brochure and informal discussions. All supervisors can expect training soon. BPA will also examine some of the data behind the report more closely. For example, it might find that some of the reports by minority emp-loyees actually fall within the Title VII fields.
“We have accepted the recommendations of the audit and have outlined a management plan,” said Godfrey Beckett, who heads the work group for human resources, diversity and EEO services. “It’s a continual challenge to provide managers with the information and tools they need to address harassment issues. But, we also must educate employees about their responsibility to help make the workplace harassment-free,” he said.
Montgomery said, “We need to teach people how to express their feelings about messages they don’t like. We should resolve conflicts at the lowest level, so it comes down to communication between two people,” he said. “We need to be able to tell someone that we don’t like what they are saying or doing and then get a response. If something bothers you, tell the person. The action is likely to stop.”
BPA’s policy itself won’t change the workplace environment. It comes down to people and how we treat each other, the auditors and Beckett said. “If we treat each other with respect, we’ll end harassment and fulfill the spirit of the policy,” Beckett said. “That would make BPA a better place to work for everyone,” he said.
— Ian Templeton is a writer in communications
The Northwest Federal Employees Association observed its 60th anniversary last fall. In March it marks 60 years since it was incorporated as a non-profit group. So the Associates is now fully into its 61st year.
The 1999 membership drive runs through this month. Federal employees can join the Associates at any time. But why wait? Membership is only $5. If you don’t know who your area governor is, send your name, agency, routing, building-floor-column, and phone – with a check – to Sandi Simpson – TNE/Amps.
Besides getting the Watts Newsletter with lots of bargains, you’ll find out about events in advance. And your membership will help the employee group that supports many charities and good causes.
Chief Operating Officer Steve Hickok renewed his membership at the Associates annual meeting in January. The 1999 officers took over at the meeting. The new slate will lead the group into the new millennium.
Officers are Sharon Ricks-Born, president; Val Nelson, vice president; Tobey Garcia, secretary; and Brad Ellis, treasurer. The Spokane area has its own chapter and officers.
The Circuit will have a feature page about the Associates in an issue this summer. It will include photos from the past – some way back when – to the present.
Try to put this in your billfold -- Sandi Simpson, who chairs the Associates membership program, presented COO Steve Hickok his 1999 membership card at the annual meeting. After a piece of Associates birthday cake, Hickok got his real card -- billfold sized.
The average age of BPA employees is now about 47. And it isn’t going down much as more folks retire or take early out incentives.
So BPA will need to find young people to fill the shoes in all work groups and areas. The agency has been hiring younger people who will be the ones to run BPA in the future.
During BPA’s building and growing years, it held frequent orientation programs for new employees. Few programs were held in recent years as BPA trimmed its workforce and costs. But the agency is now once again holding a regular program to orient new workers.
In January, internal consulting and development held a full-day program for about 30 recently hired people. The new folks got briefings on the different business lines and work groups. Chief Operating Officer Steve Hickok gave the welcome warm up. Next the group saw BPA’s video, “River of Power.”
Folks from Power, Transmission, Corporate and Shared Services talked about their functions and answered questions. Others briefed the group on public affairs, legal issues and information technology services. And personnel people gave briefings on employee programs and benefits, career opportunities, ethics and standards of conduct, and diversity and the workplace culture.
Altogether, the day added up to about 17 topics, or mini-meetings. With some breaks and activities in between, the day was itself a pretty good way to break in new people.
"Building" for the future -- Teams do a fun exercise during BPA's new employee orientation program. John Soy of internal consulting and development challenged the small groups to use their Legos(TM) to guild a "model" of BPA they envision for the future.
BPA began the re-stack of some headquarters floors in February. Office facilities manager Greg Drais said the changes will accomplish several goals.
Last month’s second floor work will let BPA house the staff for the new business solutions project (BSP) in one main location. Other changes on the first through fourth floors this year will capture vacant space spread throughout the floors. BPA will then be able to consolidate work groups that have merged or changed, in the past two years.
That will also gain BPA space in larger chunks. And in turn, it will allow the agency to move the last work groups from the 911 federal building and the Lloyd 700 building. Except for the rates hearing room and motor pool and some storage in the basement of the 911 building, BPA will be able to end its outside leases in the Lloyd District.
Finally, BPA will look at the steps it can take to move the remaining Transmission staff from the 905 building to the Ross Complex. If it can accomplish that over the next several years, BPA may have space it could lease to other agencies. Several agencies in the Portland area have expressed interest in moving into the 905 building.
BPA’s cost analysis of the current changes shows a projected savings of almost $600,000. And the re-stacks also allow BPA to complete the universal design on the last headquarters floors. BPA began using the easier access and traffic designs on the top floors after the Power and Transmission business lines separated nearly three years ago.
Watch This Week for reports and schedules on moves in the months ahead.
(Top left) Now where did my ring go? -- Oscar Hicks didn't really drop his ring. He's checking the sub-floor to run new computer lines. Out with the old ... Jackie Quinn (bottom left) pulls the old telephone wires. ... and in with the new -- Jim Shellito (top right) "snakes" a cable to carry new phone wires to work stations. (Bottom right) Matching the phone to the station -- Tasha Maltzeff double checks to be sure the right phone is at the right work station.
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Across
1 Wife of Zeus 5 Go away 9 Explosive shell 13 Smallest particle 14 Heaps 16 ___ code 17 Tardy 18 Maine college town 19 True 20 Nightingale 22 Countless 24 Actress Swenson 25 New (comb. Form) 26 Money 29 Material girl? 33 Wanderer 34 German spa 35 Vestment 37 Alike 38 Jabbed at 39 Unit of distance 40 Congeal 41 Elements of cells 42 Rants 43 Sews again (as socks) 45 Robust 46 Fedex rival 47 Destiny 48 Richest man, the Sultan of ___ 51 See 4 down 55 Parks of Birmingham 56 Glass fragment 58 Defense organization 59 Last word? 60 Add 61 Attention getter 62 Exam 63 It precedes phone or graph 64 Fishing bait |
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Down
1 Fifty-fifty 2 And others 3 Printing process 4 With 51 across, theme of puzzle 5 Kitchen cleaner? 6 Around 7 Medicinal plant 8 Countdown beginning? 9 Angel of battlefield 10 Popular cookie 11 Lunch or dinner 12 Hairless 15 Used SONAR 21 Oklahoma City 23 Light gas 26 Catch 27 Card game 28 Rousseau work 29 Creates 30 Summer quenchers 31 Innocent 32 Burns’ partner 34 Former German capital 36 More than good 38 Carry on 39 Motherly 41 Rubberneck 42 Military school 44 Founder of 4 down 45 Oar 47 Wild 48 Spoiled child 49 Wasn’t built in a day 50 Employs 51 Classify 52 Hawaian island 53 Young or mob ending? 54 Part 57 Like a tamale? |
