AUSTIN COUNTY, Texas – A $30,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative will help the Industry Volunteer Fire Department purchase two much-needed pieces of equipment: new and improved hydraulic rescue tools to extract crash victims from vehicles and new protective gear for firefighters.

The grant will be paired with matching funds of $12,874 from the Industry VFD, which serves approximately 2,000 people in northwest Austin County. The department’s 54.5-square-mile service area includes Industry, a farming community situated about halfway between Austin and Houston.

Michael Drab, vice president of the Industry VFD board, said the department has been using an old set of extraction tools that sometimes aren’t effective on the stronger materials used in newer cars and trucks. On occasion, Industry VFD first responders have had to request aid at crash scenes from other departments, he said.

“With these new tools, we’ll be able to extract someone from a vehicle more safely and more quickly,” Drab said. “We’re very grateful to receive this grant from LCRA and Bluebonnet. At the end of the day, it’s going to help us to better serve the community.”

The two additional self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBAs) will supply oxygen, filter out carbon dioxide and keep firefighters from inhaling noxious fumes during emergencies, he said.

“We don’t want to be putting firefighters’ health at risk,” Drab said. “By adding additional SCBAs, we can protect more firefighters when we’re at scenes and allow them to be better equipped for rescue and fire suppression duties.”

The community grant is one of 28 grants awarded recently through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which provides economic development and community assistance grants to cities, counties, volunteer fire departments, regional development councils and other nonprofit organizations in LCRA’s wholesale electric and water service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves. Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and a partner in the grant program.

Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted July 1-31. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp.

BY WILL HOLFORD

Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative celebrated a new milestone in April when it exceeded the 100,000-meter mark for the
first time in its 80-year history.

“This is a significant achievement for Bluebonnet and our members,” said Ben Flencher, Bluebonnet’s board chairman. “Exceeding 100,000 meters puts Bluebonnet in elite company and the next tier in terms of size among electric co-ops across the country, something few co-ops have accomplished.”

The number of meters on a utility’s system is an important metric used to measure utilities.

As of 2018, fewer than 35 of the more than 800 electric cooperatives in the United States have more than 100,000 meters. Five of those co-ops, including Bluebonnet, are in Texas.

Bluebonnet’s meter growth has accelerated during the past two years, adding nearly 4,000 meters per year.

“While we have experienced unprecedented growth in recent years, we have and will always remain committed to providing outstanding, reliable service to our members and being an integral part of the communities we serve,” said Matt Bentke, Bluebonnet’s general manager.

Bluebonnet’s growth has been the result of a boom in housing on the western side of its service area and significant industrial growth in its central and eastern regions. Large subdivisions and apartment complexes have been built in Travis, Bastrop, Hays and Caldwell counties. Commercial growth is spread across Bluebonnet’s entire service area, but large-scale oil and gas production, water wells and pipelines are concentrated more in the cooperative’s mostly rural eastern regions. This diversity of growth means the cooperative is not overly reliant on one type of member for revenue.

“We have managed the growth that we have experienced so that it not only has paid for itself, but has benefitted our current members,” Bentke said. “We have the financial capacity to build the infrastructure needed to serve our new members without raising rates.”  

Three lucky new members who helped push the cooperative over the milestone meter count were welcomed with gift baskets. (See videos of them on facebook.com/BluebonnetElectric, in the videos section.)

As Bluebonnet celebrates its 80th anniversary this year, its legacy of member service, community support and safe, reliable electric power continues to grow.

“This is an exciting time in Bluebonnet’s history,” Bentke said. “Our future is bright due in large part to the members, directors and employees who, during the past 80 years, helped build Bluebonnet into one of the largest cooperatives and best utilities in the nation. Their dedication and legacy pushes us forward.”