A Power Line Down: Call for H.E.L.P.

If you lived in this community and the community was experiencing a power outage as the result of a downed power line, would you feel secure and comfortable knowing that repairs were being made by a team of people who, even though they had the best of intentions, were in occupations other than utilities before they arrived at Holden? What if you knew that Holden's utilities crew consisted of a rocket scientist (well, aeronautical engineering), a school teacher, and a harp designer?

In all truth (I am incapable of making this up), I have just described the entire staff of H.E.L.P. (Holden Electric Power and Light). This is Mark Rerucha-Borges ascending the pole. You will notice the absence of a utilities bucket-truck. Here at Holden, to get to the site where repairs are needed, you have to climb the pole...and carry all your tools strapped to a belt around your waist. Mark is the harp designer.

Standing on the back of the truck and managing the safety lines and the repair operations at the ground level is Mark's intrepid wife Nancy Rerucha-Borges. She is the school teacher of the group. She is, in fact, currently teaching algebra to students at Holden High School. When she is not teaching algebra and when she is not actively involved in a utilities project (all three work to manage ALL of the utilities...power, water, sewage, whatever utilities you need in any town or city), then Nancy is managing, scheduling, and driving in Holden's transport system...buses, trucks, snow cats, etc. (We fondly refer to this couple on an individual basis as Mark R-B or Nancy R-B.)

When I took these pictures (and yes, it was as cold a day as it looks), the third member of Holden Electric Light and Power, Daniel Sullivan, was at the next power pole directing the connection between the two poles at ground level. He is the "rocket scientist." A twenty-something, if he is a day old.

You may recall that these three recently organized and implemented the AAA (Above Average Ambiance) Jacuzzi party. Now THAT is H.E.L.P.!

Meanwhile, people have to be fed. It is a Saturday morning. The schedule calls for the cooks to prepare eggs-to-order, bacon (! you heard me correctly!), and hash browns. Do the cooks falter, opt out of the hot eggs-to-order breakfast (which would only be reasonable) and disappoint members of the staff and guests by serving them cold cereal, of which there was plenty? Why no! They put on their head lamps (!you heard me correctly!), turn on the gas stove and cook omelets and sunny-side-ups and whatever you want. Behind the headlamps, lead cook Sarah Gustner, is ably assisted by Daniel Lund. (Daniel, if you want to know, works part-time in the kitchen preparing our food and part-time in the mechanics shop repairing and maintaining Holden's vehicles.)

Just another day at Holden. Making use of talents people never knew they had to begin with.