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September 29, 2022

The Talbot Spy

The nonprofit e-newspaper for the Talbot County Community

Commerce

Increasing Cost of Energy Impacts Utility Bills

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President and CEO Hugh E. Grunden

At the Easton Town Council meeting on Monday evening, Easton Utilities presented the national economic realities behind the increasing energy costs, the strategies the company uses to dampen the impact, and what residents can do to keep their utility bills as low as possible.

President and CEO Hugh E. Grunden explained the various components of the electric bill and how the Energy Chargeportion is the line item being affected by the escalating costs. This charge is passed through to the customer at no markup – it is exactly what Easton Utilities pays to purchase energy on the customers’ behalf. The dramatic increase is a direct result of inflation and is a national issue affecting all utilities. “Geopolitical events and US energy policy have conspired to cause a dramatic increase in energy costs,” Grunden shared. “There remains upward pressure on energy prices as we move into the winter period.”

Grunden shared a comparison of an average Easton Utilities residential bill which reflected a 28% increase from August 2021 to August 2022. Under the Energy Risk Management Oversight Committee (ERMOC) policy, the company utilizes a variety of strategies to dampen the impact of volatile prices through advance purchasing over time and using a mix of fuel sources. In addition, when energy prices are high on the market, the ability to generate power onsite helps offset the higher prices.

Although fall weather in our region may result in lower bills due to less usage, the energy costs for electric and natural gas continue to increase. Easton Utilities encourages customers to be prepared for higher bills as the temperature starts to drop and we head into winter. Grunden provided several tips aimed at reducing consumption including the use of efficient appliances, checking for and repairing leaks, upgrading HVAC equipment, and adjusting thermostats. “Every two degrees can result in a 1% – 3% savings off your bill,” he said. For those struggling to pay bills, there are a variety of assistance programs and resources available.

As the Town of Easton’s municipal utility, Easton Utilitiesemploys a workforce of 169, the majority of which not only work but also live in or around Easton. In addition to the ongoing messaging to educate customers about the importance of conservation and the rising energy costs, Easton Utilities reminds customers that their bills include the numerous services they provide.“It is important to keep in mind our bill covers electric, gas, water, wastewater, internet, cable tv, and phone services, especially if you are comparing to an electric only provider,” added Grunden.

Easton Utilities is a community-owned, not-for-profit utility and telecommunications company operating the Electric, Natural Gas, Water, Wastewater, Cable Television, and Internet services for the Town of Easton and portions of the surrounding area. Visit eastonutilities.com or call 410-822-6110 for more information including conservation tips and assistance programs and resources.

Easton Utilities Announces Two Senior Executive Promotions

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Easton Utilities recently promoted senior executives John J. Horner, Jr. and Vicki L. Petro. Horner will serve as the Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer and Petro as Vice President of Human Resources. “At this time of significant growth and transition for our organization, these two individuals bring stability along with the strategic vision needed for Easton Utilities to flourish,” stated Hugh E. Grunden, President and CEO of Easton Utilities.

These two integral positions reflect Easton Utilities’ unwavering commitment toward operational excellence by recognizing the importance of safety, people, and service reliability. As the organization continues to evolve and expand, especially considering the countywide broadband project, Connect Talbot, these promotions enable us to continue our focus on Easton Utilities’ strategy, culture, and mission.

John J. Horner, Jr. and Vicki L. Petro

John J. Horner, Jr.

John is responsible for implementing policies and spearheading the overall operational plan for Easton Utilities. His leadership guides the daily operational activities by ensuring the safe delivery of reliable utility and broadband services. John provides organizational stability through the oversight and constant evaluation of regulations, policies and procedures. Prior to joining Easton Utilities in 2016, John held various senior level positions with Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE). He graduated from The Johns Hopkins University with a BS in Electrical & Computer Engineering and holds an MBA from Loyola College. John is active in the community serving as a board member for the Talbot County Chamber of Commerce, Friends of Hospice, and Tidewater Rotary. He is a 2018 graduate of  Shore Leadership and 2021 graduate of Leadership Maryland.

Vicki L. Petro

Since joining Easton Utilities in 1993, Vicki has been responsible for benefits, compensation, training and development, employee relations, performance management, company policy, management practices, recruitment and staffing, and employee wellness at Easton Utilities. She was instrumental in creating a “Deliberate Development” program focused on expanding the capacity of individuals to perform in leadership roles. Vicki continues to build and modify various programs including Emerging Leaders, Mentoring, Wellness, and Leadership Development. She is a SHRM Certified Professional and holds a Professional Human Resource Certificate from the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) and a Human Resource Management Certification through Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Vicki earned her BA from Washington State University and is an alumna of Shore Leadership, Class of 2004. She is currently involved with the Mid Shore Health Improvement Coalition Diabetes Awareness Campaign and serves on the board of directors for Talbot Humane.

About Easton Utilities

Easton Utilities is a community-owned, not-for-profit utility and telecommunications company operating the Electric, Natural Gas, Water, Wastewater, Cable Television, and Internet services for the Town of Easton and portions of the surrounding area. Visit eastonutilities.com for more information.

Easton Utilities Begins Annual Flushing Program

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The water main flushing program, conducted by Easton Utilities on an annual basis, is scheduled to begin in early August throughout the service territory. “This successful program allows us to focus on any areas of concerns within the infrastructure to ensure Easton Utilities can continue delivering high quality water,” stated Doug Abbott, Water and Wastewater Department Manager for Easton Utilities

The annual flushing program consists of opening certain hydrants in brief intervals to flush out sediment that may have collected in water mains over the past year. This enhances the long-term water quality, confirm adequate fire flows, and identifies possible malfunctions in the hydrants and system valves.

Customers in the immediate areas affected will be notified via a robocall several days in advance. To reduce the possibility of any inconvenience to customers, crews will work each night, Sunday through Thursday (excluding holidays), from 11 pm until 5 am. During the flushing of the water mains, there may be a temporary reduction of water pressure or some discoloration in the tap water. This discoloration condition is not harmful and can be addressed quickly by running cold water until it is clear after the flushing in the immediate area is complete. We also suggest not washing clothes during these operations.

For further information, please visit https://eastonutilities.com/annual-flushing-program/ or call 410-822-6110. We appreciate your cooperation as we work to maintain our water distribution system.

Easton Utilities is a community-owned, not-for-profit utility and telecommunications company operating the Electric, Natural Gas, Water, Wastewater, Cable Television, and Internet services for the Town of Easton and portions of the surrounding area. Please visit www.eastonutilities.com or call 410-822-6110 to learn more.

Easton Utilities Awarded $3.5 Million for Rural Broadband

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The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) awarded Easton Utilities $3.5 million in grant funding to extend broadband to the remaining unserved locations in Talbot County.

This funding will be used specifically in the western part of the county including parts of St. Michaels, Bozman, McDaniel, Neavitt, Sherwood, Tilghman, and Wittman as well as several other isolated areas in Easton and Oxford.

“This is the final piece of the puzzle we needed to provide internet service to 100% of the unserved properties,” says Chuck Callahan, Talbot County Council President. “We are taking internet service to every corner of Talbot County, and we are doing it in a fiscally responsible way.”

Other unserved areas have been incorporated into the larger rural broadband project called Connect Talbot. Working in partnership with the Talbot County government since 2017, Easton Utilities has pursued the goal of providing high-speed internet service to the county’s unserved properties. This funding closes the remaining gap for the 8% of locations that were not included in prior grant awards.

“Throughout this initiative, we have focused on securing funding to ensure all residents without access to broadband service will have the opportunity to obtain high-speed internet if desired,” says Hugh E. Grunden, President and CEO of Easton Utilities.

The project will provide service to 3,600 locations currently unserved in Talbot County at a total estimated cost of $35 million. The majority of the project is to be completed by 2026. While the initial financial model included a customer contribution, recent funding of $1.75 million from Talbot County in March 2022 eliminates this potential barrier to access for most future customers.

Since its beginning, the Connect Talbot project has been dependent on funding from federal, state, and local grants, as well as direct investments by Easton Utilities. Funding sources have included the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), State of Maryland, Talbot County Council, and Easton Utilities.

“When we started this project in 2017, none of us could foresee the pandemic and the resulting flood of resources that would become available,” Grunden explains. “Because we were already moving forward as a partner with the Talbot County Council, we have been well positioned to take advantage of these funding sources. We laid the groundwork years ago for this transformational project, and Talbot County is reaping the benefits.”

Easton Utilities is a community-owned, not-for-profit utility and telecommunications company operating the Electric, Natural Gas, Water, Wastewater, Cable Television, and Internet services for the Town of Easton and portions of the surrounding area. Easton Velocity, a service of Easton Utilities, is committed to keeping our community connected and current with a variety of service offerings designed to meet the needs of both residential and commercial customers. Please visit www.EastonVelocity.com/ConnectTalbot or call 410-690-4605 to learn more.

Easton Utilities Holds CPR Training for Employees

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With a continuous focus on safety, Easton Utilities recently offered CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) to all employees. Paramedics from Talbot County Department of Emergency Services instructed the course and certified 94 employees on CPR and AED training over several days. “With employees spread across our entire service territory every day, we realize how beneficial it is to have them trained for an emergency that could happen any time,” stated Hugh E. Grunden, President and CEO of Easton Utilities.

Lieutenant/Paramedic Greg Fries, Paramedic Rachael Cox, and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) TC Colbourne led the training which included videos, verbal information, and hands-on practice with CPR manikins. “This valuable skill can save someone’s life, and actually did at Easton Utilities back in July of 2016,” added Grunden. “I credit the training provided by Talbot County for their role in this positive outcome as we had just completed a training some months prior to the incident.”

According to the American Heart Association, every year more than 350,000 instances of cardiac arrest occur outside of US hospitals. CPR and AED training, along with general safety education keep people informed and prepared. “CPR classes are instrumental to improving the survivability from cardiac arrest and everyone has the ability to learn how to perform CPR and assist before EMS arrives,” said Paramedic Fries. “We are thankful for this partnership with Easton Utilities and their commitment to the community and their staff.” Talbot EMS is happy to provide this training for any business or community organization – for more information visit talbotdes.org.

Easton Utilities is a community-owned, not-for-profit utility and telecommunications company operating the Electric, Natural Gas, Water, Wastewater, Cable Television, and Internet services for the Town of Easton and portions of the surrounding area. Easton Velocity, a service of Easton Utilities, is committed to keeping our community connected and current with a variety of service offerings designed to meet the needs of both residential and commercial customers.

Ted Book Promoted to Vice President of Easton Velocity

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Easton Utilities announces the promotion of Ted L. Book to Vice President of Easton Velocity, the division providing internet, cable television, phone and advanced network services to over 8,700 customers. “Ted is a driven and dedicated leader with a wealth of experience and technical knowledge making him a great asset to our organization,” stated Hugh E. Grunden, President and CEO of Easton Utilities.

Ted started his career with Easton Utilities in 1997, and over the years has led the distribution, installation, service and maintenance to successfully deliver Easton Velocity services. He was a key contributor to the development and delivery of internet service to Easton back in 1998. He is also responsible for the continuous improvement of the systems by managing multiple facility and technology upgrades. In addition, he oversees network engineering, network operations, and technical support for Easton Velocity.

Ted Book and Hugh Grunden, President & CEO

Ted has been instrumental in planning the system design and strategy for Connect Talbot, the rural broadband project aimed at providing broadband access to the unserved residents and businesses in Talbot County. He will be critical to the implementation of this project over the next several years. “I am fortunate to work with an exceptional team and will be relying on these individuals for their expertise as we carry out this significant project,” stated Book.

Ted holds a BS in Computer Science from Lynchburg College and an MBA from the University of Maryland University College. He is a 2011 graduate of Shore Leadership and currently serves on the board of Maryland Broadband Cooperative. He has volunteered with many youth organizations including AWANA, Easton Little League, and Talbot County Parks & Recreation. He has previously served on the board at Real Life Chapel and currently volunteers for many outreach programs. Currently he resides in Easton and enjoys, boating, golfing and spending time with his wife of 31 years and their five adult children and soon to be daughter-in-law.

Easton Utilities is a community-owned, not-for-profit utility and telecommunications company operating the Electric, Natural Gas, Water, Wastewater, Cable Television, and Internet services for the Town of Easton and portions of the surrounding area. Easton Velocity, a service of Easton Utilities, is committed to keeping our community connected and current with a variety of service offerings designed to meet the needs of both residential and commercial customers.

Easton Utilities Honored with National Award for Outstanding Safety Practices

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Easton Utilities has earned the American Public Power Association’s Safety Award of Excellence for safe operating practices in 2021. The utility earned first place award in the category for utilities with60,000 – 109,999 worker-hours of annual worker exposure.

“In our industry, safety is the top priority,” said Bob Scudder, Chair of APPA’s Safety Committee and Industrial Hygiene and Corporate Risk Manager at Grand River Dam Authority. “This is a commitment that needs to come from the top down and permeate every aspect of operations. These awarded utilities have embraced this priority, and they deserve to be celebrated.”

318 utilities from across the country entered the annual Safety Awards. Entrants were placed in categories according to their number of worker-hours and ranked based on the most incident-free records during 2021. The incidence rate, used to judge entries, is based on the number of work-related reportable injuries or illnesses and the number of worker-hours during 2021, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

“Easton Utilities values employee safety above all else,” said Andy Ober, Safety Specialist for Easton Utilities. “We all recognize the importance of going home to our families each day; this is what drives our dedication to safety.”

The Safety Awards have been held annually for more than 65 years. APPA is the voice of not-for-profit, community-owned utilities that power 2,000 towns and cities nationwide.

Photo: Eddie Westerfield, Supervisor of Electrical Design and Inspection (L) accepted the award for Easton Utilities and is pictured with the APPA’s Safety Committee and Industrial Hygiene and Corporate Risk Manager at Grand River Dam Authority Bob Scudder (R).

Tracie Thomas Chosen for Leadership Maryland Class of 2022

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Tracie Thomas

Leadership Maryland announced that Tracie Thomas, Vice President of Customer Services at Easton Utilities, has been chosen to participate in the professional development program as a member of the Class of 2022.

Thomas is one of 52 individuals chosen for Leadership Maryland’s 29th class, who will complete the eight-month, hands-on learning program focused on the state’s most vital issues. The program will run from April to December, and include five, two-day sessions focused on Maryland’s five main geographic regions and the most important issues impacting economic development, education, health and human services, criminal justice, the environment, and multi-culturalism/diversity across the state. More than 100 experts representing Maryland’s business, government, education, and non-profit communities will serve as panelists and guest speakers.

Leadership Maryland is open to senior-level executives with significant achievements in either their careers and/or their communities. Ideal Leadership Maryland members have a desire to learn more about Maryland’s most critical issues and a personal commitment to be a force for positive change in their organizations, their communities, and their state. For more information about Leadership Maryland, please visit leadershipmd.org, call 410-841-2101 or email info@leadershipmd.org.

About Leadership Maryland

Leadership Maryland is a non-profit organization offering professional and youth development programs dedicated to building a better Maryland by harnessing the strength of its current and future leaders. Established in 1992, Leadership Maryland’s professional development program selects as many as 52 diverse and accomplished executives from Maryland’s public and private sectors each year to come together as a class for an eight-month learning program focused on the state’s most vital social, economic and environmental issues. In 2017, Leadership Maryland merged with Maryland Leadership Workshops (MLW), the state’s premier leadership development program for middle and high school students. For more than 65 years, MLW has provided peer-led summer residential and community outreach programs that empower participants – known as delegates – to take ownership of their personal development as they grow in self-awareness, set measurable goals, and collaborate with peers in diverse groups. Together, Leadership Maryland and MLW have established thousands of Marylanders on their lifelong leadership path, equipped with the knowledge, skills, and connections needed to influence positive change in all aspects of their lives and within our state. To learn more, please visit leadershipmd.org or mlw.org.

Ray Fairbank, Jr. Earns Certified Public Infrastructure Inspector Designation

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Ray Fairbank, Jr. an Easton Utilities Inspector & Locator, has earned the Certified Public Infrastructure Inspector (CPII) designation from the American Public Works Association (APWA). The CPII designation is to recognize individuals who have proven their ability to promote quality public infrastructure throughout their community.

“Ray understands the importance of high-quality installed infrastructure and skillfully ensures our assets, and those assets of property owners, are constructed to EU’s standards,” said Rebecca Saduk, Easton Utilities Civil Engineer. Ray has over 22 years of construction experience, with nine of those years at Easton Utilities. His work is critical to ensure the safety of other employees as well as protect the reliability of Easton Utilities’ infrastructure. “Ray is extremely focused on his role, and this designation is just one more example of his commitment to our organization, employees, and the community,” added Saduk.

Ray Fairbank, Jr.

The Certified Public Infrastructure Inspector program was launched by APWA in 2006 to promote quality infrastructure by advancing the knowledge and practice of construction inspection to benefit communities and public agencies throughout the country.

The American Public Works Association (www.apwa.net) is a not-for-profit, international organization of more than 30,000 members involved in the field of public works. APWA serves its members by promoting professional excellence and public awareness through education, advocacy and the exchange of knowledge. APWA is headquartered in Kansas City, MO, has an office in Washington, DC, and 63 chapters in North America.

Easton Utilities is a community-owned, not-for-profit utility and telecommunications company operating the Electric, Natural Gas, Water, Wastewater, Cable Television, and Internet services for the Town of Easton and portions of the surrounding area. Please visit www.eastonutilities.com or call 410-822-6110 to learn more.

Hugh Grunden Wins Icon Honors Award

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Hugh E. Grunden, President and CEO of Easton Utilities

The Daily Record selected Hugh E. Grunden, President and CEO of Easton Utilities, as an Icon Honors Award recipient. “It is truly rewarding to be recognized amongst such distinguished leaders who work diligently to make Maryland a great place to work and live,” stated Grunden.

Established in 2017, Icon Honors recognizes Maryland business leaders, over the age of 60, for their notable success and demonstration of strong leadership within and outside their fields. The honorees have moved their businesses and the state of Maryland forward by growing jobs and making a difference in the community. Under Hugh’s direction, Easton Utilities has become a competitive, multi-service provider committed to customer satisfaction, solving rural broadband issues in Talbot County, encouraging the use of renewable energy and resource conservation, and maintaining critical infrastructure for reliability.

“Sustained leadership and integrity are just two of many ways to describe this year’s Icon Honors recipients. They have withstood the whims and caprices of the moment to build what is lasting and durable,” said Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, senior group publisher of The Daily Record. “We at The Daily Record are proud to honor their impressive record of accomplishment, leadership and vision. Congratulations to the honorees.”

Easton Utilities is a community-owned, not-for-profit utility and telecommunications company operating the Electric, Natural Gas, Water, Wastewater, Cable Television, and Internet services for the Town of Easton and portions of the surrounding area. Visit eastonutilities.com for more information.