Jemez Mountains Electric Cooperative Inc.

Jemez Mountains Electric Co-op Inc. - A History

Community-based

It began as a small hydropower generating station in Jemez Springs serving three families. On Easter Sunday, 1947, it officially became known as Jemez Mountains Electric Cooperative.

Fred Abousleman and his brothers had installed a small generating plant on the Jemez River to provide themselves and a couple neighbors with electricity. It was a small start, but it was city come to country as far as the three families were concerned. Sure, they wound up kicking and screaming at the machine sometimes, but the power they received was an improvement over what they’d had.

FRED ABOUSLEMAN

Then the brothers were called into service for World War II. They returned home with a vision only to find the old hydropower generator in sad disrepair. “Every little town in Germany had power. They generated power from a river or creek. I made up my mind I was going to have central power from somewhere,” Abousleman said.

After approaching the Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM), the Jemez Springs man found out what rural residents wanting electricity were finding out: big city power suppliers really didn’t want to invest in a few outlying rural customers. It was too costly, with too little return.

About the same time, J. Antonio Montoya of San Ysidro was meeting with representatives of the Continental Divide Electric Co-op in Grants to see about extending electric service. The Grants co-op had been founded under the federal Rural Electrification Act of 1936. It provided funding that allowed rural residents to form cooperatives that could provide power to outlying areas. Although Montoya and others met with Congressional delegates at home and in Washington, D.C., the plan seemed to be getting nowhere.

Montoya, Abousleman and other interested citizens from the Cuba and San Ysidro areas eventually met together to make plans for their own cooperative. They signed people up for a $5 membership fee. (That’s the same membership fee as today. But remember, it bought a lot more groceries back then.) They incorporated the co-op on April 22, 1948 and went in search of federal funding to build their own power plant and distribution system. They hired an engineer to draw up plans. A crew began installation of the poles and lines. The REA approved a loan for $930,000, most of which was designated to purchase the Inland Utility Company which had been serving the power needs of Espanola area. This significantly expanded the service area of the brand-new Jemez Mountains Electric Cooperative.

The first 11 board members were Abousleman, Montoya, Eric L. Freelove, Walter R. Hernandez, W.E. Culler, Rudy Velarde, Lew Caldwell, Susie B. Dodson, Epifanio Gutierrez, Manuel Miera and Jack Toya.

Board members serve staggered terms. The co-op holds elections for board members from its six districts. Each new board elects officers and the board meets monthly to deal with policies and procedures and the business of the co-op. It is kept updated on the needs of customers and the projects planned to meet those needs. The board prepared for major operations. It expanded the board to 13 to allow for representation from the Espanola area. It hired a general manager and 50 other employees. It relocated headquarters to the Espanola area (which later moved to the present location in Hernandez).

Espanola Office Hernandez Office

Jemez Springs held a ceremony at the local dance hall for the first day of electric service to its community. After Abousleman finished his speech, he proudly pulled the string that was to turn the light on. The light didn’t come on because someone had forgotten to switch on the transformer! However, within minutes that was rectified; the community rejoiced and went home to enjoy the convenience of electrical lights.

Other communities joined the system. More poles and lines were put up and more of southern Rio Arriba County came to light. People were happy to donate their easements because of the future that was quickly coming their way. Co-op line crews sometimes used horses to get to remote locations where lines needed to be strung and poles erected. But as the demand for electricity increased the harder it was for the co-op to provide it. The old diesel generator in Espanola was proving to be insufficient for the growing needs of JMEC customers.

In 1957, JMEC joined 12 other electric co-ops in the state of New Mexico as a part of Plains Generation and Transmission Cooperative. The gas-fired Algodones plant supplied all that JMEC needed. In the early 1980s, Plains built the coal-fired plant at Prewitt that continues to serve New Mexico electric needs.

PNM made an offer to purchase the co-op in 1962 (now that the entire system was set up to serve customers). However, it turned out they only wanted the Espanola area which would be easy to serve out of Santa Fe. The members overwhelmingly turned down the proposal at that year’s annual meeting. JMEC continued to grow into the largest co-op in the state, serving consumers in the five counties of Rio Arriba, Santa Fe, San Juan, McKinley and Sandoval.

In 2000, JMEC voted with other members of Plains G&T to merge with Tri-State G&T. Electric prices dropped significantly. This savings was passed on to JMEC customers. The co-op management, board and staff continue to look for ways to keep electric costs down while improving electric service efficiency. The future looks bright, as reliable, low-cost electric service attracts more businesses to the service area. This will provide more jobs for residents, further improving a wonderful way of life.

Community-Minded

Over the years, the JMEC Board of Directors instituted several different programs to help keep them in touch with community members, and also to keep community members aware of the co-op and its services.

Open House Annual Meeting

In 1957 the Junior Board was begun. Today this program sends two high school juniors to Washington, D.C. for a week of life-changing education about our country, its history and memorials. The winners are chosen through an essay-writing contest. Other entries are given monetary compensation for their efforts.

The same year, the board decided to start a Spelling Bee. This encourages students in the fifth, sixth and seventh grades to excel academically and to compete for prizes. All participating students and their sponsors are given lunch and a tour of the Hernandez office.

2009 Spelling Bee Champions

Left Photo - Spanish Spelling Bee winners(L-R), Evelyn Juarez(1st place), Patricia Loera(2nd place), and Leonor Rodriguez(3rd place)

Center Photo - English Spelling Bee Division "B" 5-6 grade winners(L-R), Erica Vigil(3rd place), Derek Hice(2nd place), Zoe Shaw(1st place)

Right Photo - English Spelling Bee Division "A" 7-8 grade winners(L-R), Malachai Davidson(3rd place), Cesar Rodriguez(2nd place), Theresa Roybal(1st place)

In 1983, the board broadened its academic horizons. Recognizing the heritage of its service area, a Spanish Spelling Bee was started. This allows students in fourth through seventh grade to demonstrate their bilingual skills.

The following year the scholarship program for graduating high school seniors was put into place utilizing unclaimed capital credits as the base for the fund. Seniors must apply for the $1,000 scholarship. Applications are judged by a panel of educators from the co-op’s service area. This fund continues to grow as the co-op is unable to deliver some capital credit checks. After three years, these checks become available to the scholarship fund. Only interest off the fund is used for the annual scholarships.

The co-op provides a safety program to civic groups and educational institutions. This educates the public on the proper use of electricity as well as the dangers of using it incorrectly.

Espanola Light Parade 2007/2008

The co-op hosts an open house each October in conjunction with national cooperative month and the Espanola Valley Chamber of Commerce. Its employees participate in the annual Light Parade in Espanola and often create floats or displays for other events.

While it is important for the co-op to stay in touch with it's communities, it is also important for communities and individual members to stay in touch with the co-op. JMEC now has offices in Hernandez, Cuba and Jemez Springs. Members are encouraged to visit and ask questions at these offices. Monthly board meetings, held on the fourth Friday of the month, are open to all JMEC members.