Commentary: Snohomish PUD keeping lights on until ‘storm’ passes
Published 1:30 am Sunday, April 12, 2020
By John Haarlow / For The Herald
Last year, Snohomish County Public Utility District celebrated 70 years of delivering power and water to the people of Snohomish County and Camano Island. In those seven decades, our customer-owners have used those essential services to build one of the strongest economies and communities in the country.
Our motto, “Energizing Life in Our Communities,” is written across the letterhead of every letter we write, and it’s a constant reminder of the important role of your locally elected PUD commissioners, and the managers and employees working at the PUD every day.
However, that mission has never been more critical than right now.
The COVID-19 pandemic raced around the globe in the first few months of 2020 and our county was the first in the U.S. to have a confirmed case. Since then, the outbreak has sickened friends and family, devastated our economy and changed life immeasurably.
The health, safety and well-being of our employees and customers is our No. 1 value in every decision we make. Full stop. My message to our employees and customers is simple: None of us should ever be able to look back on this time and say we could have done more to keep our co-workers, families and communities safer.
As a provider of critical services, we knew we had to keep some of our workers in the field to ensure uninterrupted service of water and power to our customers. These decisions weren’t made lightly and were made with our workers’ health and well-being as the utmost importance. We postponed all work except emergency and critical customer work, set up “clean” work teams to ensure redundancy in critical work groups and gave our crews all the tools necessary to stay safe in the field.
We’ve also transitioned three-quarters of our staff to working remotely, allowing them to stay home, take care of their families and remain healthy.
These are the times that call for standing together. The PUD Board of Commissioners has supported our focus on making a difference for our customers. We were ahead of Gov. Jay Inslee’s call for utilities to suspend disconnections and waive late fees, having done it the week before. While we moved quickly to close offices and followed with suspending meter reading for the safety of our employees and customers, we’ve worked quickly to expand customer payment options and capabilities that fit a variety of needs.
One of the things I’m most proud of is our Community Support Plan. Backed by our commissioners and thanks to the creative and quick thinking of our Customer Service and Finance groups, we were able to craft a program that is adaptable, responsive and helpful. Residential and small business customers affected by the COVID-19 outbreak can get help on their bills right now, in this time of immediate need.
Amid all of this there are inspiring stories of what our customers are doing with PUD power and water. In Mukilteo, Terrene, Inc., a metal fabricator, and Kaas Tailored, a furniture maker, are working hand in hand to make masks. Ventec, a ventilator manufacturer in Bothell, has ramped up production eight times normal to get life-saving equipment in the hands of health-care professionals. Another customer, FujiFilm Sonosite, is in full production manufacturing ultrasound machines essential for the detection of COVID-19 in human lungs.
So that the lights will remain on as these companies work around the clock fulfilling crucial needs, the PUD has flagged all four as “critical infrastructure.” This is something that ensures they get immediate help if they suffer power issues and is usually reserved for hospitals, water treatment plants and schools.
That doesn’t take into account all of the essential workers right now who are on the front lines courageously battling the pandemic. Health-care workers, grocery store employees, our friends in military service and more all have our unwavering support and dedication. Thank you to all of them. And thank you, so much, to each of you for your support in helping us help this community. It is working together that we will come through this stronger than ever.
The PUD is accustomed to stepping up in stormy conditions. In fact, we like to think it’s when we’re at our best. But our region has never suffered a storm like this pandemic. In this challenging time of great suffering, the PUD will respond as we usually do to keep the lights on and the water flowing for each and every one of our customers. It’s what we do.
Stay safe! Stay at home! Nothing matters more.
John Haarlow is the chief executive and general manager of Snohomish County Public Utility District.
