Dear Members:
The 2025 annual meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 4, at the Sierra Valley Grange Hall in Vinton. The August issue of Ruralite contained voting materials for the director election. Up for election are District 2 (Graeagle-Mohawk area) and District 5 (Doyle-Lake Davis/Grizzly Road-Long Valley/ Washoe County areas).
Additionally, we will broadcast the meeting via our YouTube channel. To join the meeting, visit our website and click the link in the banner at the top of the page. You can also visit our YouTube channel.
We hope you will join us for an informative evening with updates, election results, and a Q&A session. We encourage you to submit questions in advance by emailing PSREC Marketing.
If you haven’t voted yet, you can still vote electronically via the unique code in your voting materials or via the SmartHub app.
Wildfire Season/Public Safety Power Shutoffs
As we get into the height of fire season, we want everyone to be prepared for potential outages. In the past, when PG&E had Public Safety Power Shutoffs and/or had their lines burned down, we were able to keep power on thanks to our backup power line to Nevada. However, this feed from Nevada is also subject to shutoffs. If all our feeds go down, we will be without power. We’ve been lucky that the conditions facing western Plumas County are different enough from eastern Sierra and Nevada counties that these outages haven’t occurred at the same time.
Be prepared for outages. We maintain our system as best as we can, but we are subject to outages caused by our transmission providers.
Telecommunications Expansion
Plumas-Sierra Telecommunications crews and contractors have been busy building out PST’s fiber network throughout its communities. Currently, Sierra Brooks, Loyalton, Delleker, Quincy, and South Portola are all in progress. Aspen Circle in Plumas Pines has finished construction, and customers are ready to be installed. Construction in Grizzly Ranch has finished and is ready for installation. Call (530) 832-4126 to schedule.
PST installed new wireless equipment capable of speeds up to 100 Mbps by 100 Mbps in the following areas: Meadow’s Edge RV Park, Clydesdale Drive in Red Rock, and Riverview Estates. We plan to upgrade our network with a new wireless system everywhere we currently have wireless, except where it’s being replaced with fiber-optic. If you are interested in signing up for service, contact PST at (530) 832-4126 to schedule your installation.
PST crews are continuing PST’s fiber optic build in Quincy and surrounding areas throughout the year. Not all homes within Quincy proper are covered by the grant. Those households near but not covered by the grants may not be eligible for free installation or trenching, if required. PST crews and contractors have also been busy in the Loyalton and Sierra Brooks areas. Call (530) 832-4126 to check your home’s eligibility and potential installation costs, as well as to be placed on our waitlist.
We do get member concerns about neighborhoods that were not part of the grants. The grant process is complex.
From the outside, it can look random, but choosing areas is based on eligible locations as defined by the Federal Communications Commission and the CPUC. We then must analyze locations to put in the grant application to make sure the applications are funded. Over the last 5 years, we’ve been successful in getting grants to expand our system. We have also invested our own funds to expand the system with the grants. That’s great for the locations that are now to be served, but painful for any areas that weren’t part of the grant.
We have not given up on the unserved parts of the cooperative. With the success of the latest round of grants, we are now able to focus on getting to all our member-owners, where feasible. We are applying for the next round of the California Advanced Services Fund grant program on October 31.
If you haven’t already signed up for service or want to be added to our interest list, call (530) 832-4261 or visit the PST website.
WRAP Program
Income-qualifying members can receive discounted rates through our Winter Rate Assistance Program. The discounted rate is available for November through April electricity use. For more information and an application, visit our website or call (530) 832-4261.
PST Low-Income Program
The PST Low-Income Program discount is $25 per month. For more information and to see if you qualify, call (530) 832-4261.
Youth Opportunities
As part of our commitment to the communities we serve, PSREC and its subsidiary offer life-changing opportunities to local youth. 1 opportunity is our scholarship program.
Keep an eye out for the Youth Tour Scholarship application in the November edition of Ruralite. Area high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors have the chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., next summer to participate in the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Electric Cooperative Youth Tour leadership program. 1 local winner will be among 1,500 high school students chosen from across the nation to tour Washington, D.C., in June 2026. You can read more about these opportunities on our Youth Scholarships page.
These programs provide enriching experiences to help young people discover themselves and their roles as citizens. They also introduce them to the cooperative way, teaching the value of involvement and commitment to their communities.
If you have questions, contact me by phone at (530) 832-4261 extension 6076 or by emailing Bob Marshall.
Sincerely,
Bob Marshall
General Manager