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Show Bouniifyl lebratesiPower Weefc r Week set aside to honor, employees for public service By GARY R. BLODGETT BOUNTIFUL'- Flip the switch, and the light turns on. - , ' .That sounds easy enough, and it -; is as long as all is going well with the Bountiful Power and Light 1 ' Company'" Hli-:&f:Wv': During the week of Oct 8-14, Bountiful Power and Light Com-, ' pany and residents of Bountiful will celebrate Public Power Week, shin-. . ing the spotlight on the benefits of the city's non-profit, locally owned electric utility. . . Cliff Michaelis, manager of "i Bountiful Power and Light Department, Depart-ment, said the week is set aside to focus community attention on pub-lie pub-lie power and "how the employees : of Bountiful City Light and Power He said that a 1989 poll showed some of the following facts about public-owned power utilities across the nation: - Public power has lower rates than private power companies. Bountiful Power and Light rates are about 35 percent lower than Utah Power and Light Department. - Public power consumers have more say in how their electric utility is operated than do private power consumers. Locally controlled utilities offer their customers a direct Voice in establishing policies and rate structures. - Public power provides a standard stan-dard of competition for private utilities with 35 million Americans ft CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 . work for you - our consumer owners." ., , ; Public Power Week in Bountiful C will highlight some of the services which are taken for granted by city power users, Mr. Michaelis noted. "Public power is . the people's choice here and - in many cities , throughout the nation who enjoy the special benefits of a locally owned , , locally controlled, and non-profit '. electric utility." v , - He said' Bountiful residents will-be will-be asked to look at Bountiful- v generated power in a ''new light" j Mr. ' Michaelis explained that Bountiful residents began receiving public power several years ago when the local citizens voted to have, their own city-owned power " department, rather than depend on a private electric utility to provide them electrical service. ' - "Residents chose public power because of the advantages of community com-munity ownership," said Mr. Michaelis. . Bountiful . Power and Light Department was established in 1935, and today serves more than 13,000 customers, residential and business. j Public Power Week celebrated CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 , now being served by publicly owned own-ed utilities. When public business is in the hands of a private concern that has a monopoly, competition is ' substituted by government regulation. regula-tion. "We are Just beginning to tell ourstorjrand the role of public power in the electric utility industry," in-dustry," said Mr. Michaelis. "I hope mat our residents will visit the power, department during National Public Power Week and learn more about what this utility company has to offer." Open House will be held at flip. power plant, 253 South 200 West, on Thursday, Oct 12, from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. There will be a "free power bucks" drawing at 6 pjn. Entry blanks were mailed to Bountiful Power and Light customers in the most recent utility billing. There will also be a poster contest for Bountiful children from kindergarten through the sixth grade. For more information about Public Pub-lic Power Week in Bountiful, call Blaine Haacke, community relations rela-tions director, 295-9496. |