Congratulations Guy Thoreson!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009 - After 20 great years, MPS' Administrative and Finance Manager, Guy Thoreson is retiring. Guy joined MPS in 1988 as our Business Manager. Guy was responsible for the financial well-being of MPS and dutifully carried out his tasks.

We would like to thank guy for his great leadership, he will missed. We also wish him the best as he moves on ... primarily to the golf course! Have fun Guy, and don't be a stranger!

Guy Thoreson, seated in blue shirt in the center.

RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING GUY THORESON UPON HIS RETIREMENT FROM HIS POSITION AS ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE MANAGER OF MOORHEAD PUBLIC SERVICE

WHEREAS, Guy Thoreson has faithfully served Moorhead Public Service in the positions of Business Manager and Administration and Finance Manager over the past 20+ years, and

WHEREAS, Guy Thoreson has had an impressive career starting with his work in the private industry before serving the public in his role at Moorhead Public Service starting in 1988, where he was responsible for the overall financial well-being and financial direction of the utility, and

WHEREAS, Guy Thoreson has been known as the one with the biggest heart on the management and technical team (not much of an accomplishment when you work with a bunch of engineers and accountants), serving the employees at Moorhead Public Service with care and concern when dealing with employment issues, and

WHEREAS, Guy Thoreson was instrumental in the timely sale of volatile, implosive derivative funds, saving the Moorhead Public Service Commission and its customers over $1 million, and

WHEREAS, Guy Thoreson has consistently and honorably defended the University of North Dakota in a land heavily populated by the Bison, and

WHEREAS, Guy Thoreson will now be seen swinging his driver sending his golf ball straight down the fairway with his golfing buddies in the Moorhead-Fargo area, and

WHEREAS, Guy Thoreson has pledged to be an active community member, dutifully watching many Moorhead Public Service Commission meetings on the cable access channel in Moorhead, brick in hand, ready to make his objections known to his trusty television set (a new, energy-sucking flat screen TV), and

WHEREAS, on a more serious note, the Moorhead Public Service Commission and its staff respectfully appreciate the dedicated service of Guy Thoreson to Moorhead's community-owned electric, water, and broadband utility.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, on this 23rd day of June 2009, the Moorhead Public Service Commission and its staff wish to thank Mr. Guy Thoreson for his years of service to the people of Moorhead. We congratulate you upon the momentous occasion of your retirement and wish you continued success in your future endeavors.

Posted by: MPS Communications Director, Doug Rogness

Preventive Maintenance

Thursday, June 11, 2009 - When in doubt, fix it. That is the thought when it comes to the wind turbines owned by MPS and located in North Moorhead. During a routine inspection, maintenance crews wanted to shut down the wind turbine Zephyr (located to the west). After looking through the turbine, the experts said everything looked good.

The turbine was down yesterday for preventive maintenance from 10:00am until 2:30pm.

Road Closure Announcement

Wednesday, June 10, 2009 - Last week, MPS announced a road closure for 20th Avenue South. MPS crews began working on a watermain replacement project between 9th Street and 11th Street. This area is expected to be closed for about 3 weeks as crews replace old cast iron pipes with new pipes that will last for several years. Below is a map of the affected areas:

Posted by: MPS Communications Director, Doug Rogness

Congratulations Seniors!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009 - During their May 26, 2009 meeting, the Moorhead Public Service Commission recognized the winners from the 2009 MPS Scholarship Contests.

Congratulations go out to:

• Tristan Larson: son of Mary Jo Schmid and Brent Larson. Tristan is being awarded the $800 Moorhead Public Service Public Power Scholarship. Tristan is graduating from Moorhead High School and is planning on attending Illinois Institute of Technology and will be studying Civil Engineering. Tristan’s essay won the MPS grand prize and was submitted to Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association’s annual Tom Bovitz’s Memorial Scholarship Contest and took second place in a statewide competition. With the second place win, Tristan will be awarded an additional $1,500.


• Rebecca Ystebo: daughter of Fred and Julie Ystebo. Rebecca is being awarded the $1,000 Moorhead Public Service Video Scholarship. Rebecca is graduating from Park Christian and is planning on attending North Dakota State University and will be studying Clinical Laboratory Science.


• Luke Sollie: son of Alden and Lynnell Sollie. Luke is being awarded the $800 Moorhead Public Service Video Scholarship. Luke is a 2009 home school graduate and is planning on attending Concordia College and will be studying Music Education.


• Elisabeth Hanson: daughter of Bruce and Margaret Hanson. Elisabeth is being awarded the $1,000 Missouri River Energy Services Scholarship. Elisabeth is graduating from Moorhead High School and is planning on attending Concordia College.

Congratulations to all our winners. We wish them the best in their academic pursuits!

Photo (L-R): Ken Norman (MPS Commission President), Elisabeth Hanson,
Tristan Larson, Luke Sollie, Bill Schwandt (MPS General Manager)

Posted by: MPS Communications Director, Doug Rogness

Wind Tubine Outage

Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - As you drive through Moorhead, there are two objects that are a visible part of our community skyline. In 1999, MPS constructed the first of two wind turbines with the second being completed in 2001. MPS is the proud owner of our own renewable wind power generation, right here in Moorhead. (If you would like to learn more about our Capture the Wind program, visit our website)

From time to time, one, or both, of these turbines may not be running. One such time happened last night. According to a staff memo, one of the turbines (the west turbine, Zephyr) shut down around 7:30pm due to a hot gear oil alarm. A shut down also occured on May 16th due to the same alarm. Hot gear oil can be common during times of high wind speeds, as the turbines blades can move at fast speeds.

The turbine was restarted and everything was working fine by 8:30 this morning.

Posted by: MPS Communications Director, Doug Rogness