Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative Board member Bryan Bracewell, center, earned his Credentialed Cooperative Director Certificate from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, which represents more than 900 of the nation’s electric cooperatives.
Bracewell has served as a Bluebonnet director from District 3, Bastrop County, since 2018. To earn this certification, Bracewell completed dozens of hours of classes on topics ranging from board governance to cooperative finances.
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative Board member Debbi Goertz earned a Director Gold credential from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, which represents more than 900 of the nation’s electric cooperatives.
Goertz has served as a Bluebonnet director from District 3, Bastrop County, since 2017. To earn this certificate, Goertz completed two other certifications and three courses, and she will complete three continuing education courses every two years. Of the more than 500 electric cooperative directors in Texas, only 95 have received this credential.
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In 2004 Bluebonnet recognized the need for a larger workforce who can help us keep the lights on for our members. In order to meet this need, we started a unique and mutually beneficial program for local members of our communities. The lineman apprentice program accepted its first class that year, and has only continued to grow and progress.
It was like asking a parent: Which is your favorite child?
Museums and historical archives across the Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative area are filled with thousands of fascinating items that have taken decades to select and acquire. It takes dedication and a love of history to tell the story of a community through a collection of artifacts.
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative will send two journeyman line worker teams, seven apprentice line workers and six competition judges, as well as a barbecue team and additional volunteers, to the Texas Lineman’s Rodeo at Nolte Island Park near Seguin on July 16.
After the event was canceled for two years, everyone from participants to volunteers are ready to return to the competition fields.
The event gives line workers a chance to compete against peers from across Texas, and to demonstrate the skills they use in their jobs.
For decades, on the second Tuesday of every May, hundreds of Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative members have gathered to attend the co-op’s Annual Meeting.
“I moved here [to Bluebonnet’s service area] in 2002,” said Debra Irvin, a Bluebonnet member in Lee County. “I still enjoy coming to the Annual Meeting. It’s fun.”
How lineworkers stay cool on the job
Some jobs don’t pause for the heat — and that includes the work of Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative’s lineworkers. Whether restoring power during an outage or performing routine maintenance, these essential workers often face extreme outdoor temperatures.