Lester, Jones stay on MEA board

PALMER — Matanuska Electric Association’s members vote to retain incumbents Lois Lester and Kit Jones was announced at the co-op’s 71st annual meeting Tuesday evening at Raven Hall on the Alaska State Fairgrounds.

Also running for the same two seats on the board of directors were challengers Marvin Yoder and Bryan Scoresby.

Of the more than 46,000 ballots mailed out, unofficial vote totals had 5,014 votes coming back for Jones, Lester received 5,175, Yoder was next with 2,889 votes and Scoresby received 2,795. Results will be certified at the board’s April 30 meeting. Those totals represent a turnout of about 34.5 percent.

In addition to announcing election results, MEA Board President Lester presented an update on the Eklutna Generation Station, which is scheduled to come online Jan. 1, 2015, when MEA’s Power Purchase Agreement with Chugach Electric Association expires.

MEA member Dianne Woodruff made a motion from the floor to thank Lester for her 12 years of service to the co-op by naming the Eklutna Generation Station the “Elsie E. Lois Lester Generation Station.”

The motion was seconded and passed as an advisory vote.

Rep. Charisse Millett also was in attendance and presented Harold Heinze with a Legislative Proclamation honoring his lifelong commitment to Alaska’s energy industry. He has been hired at MEA as the Executive Project Advisor for the Eklutna Generation Station project.

“This is one of the nicest honors I’ve had in my life,” Heinze said.

He also is the husband of MEA public relations director Cheryll Heinze.

Members also were updated on winners of the annual scholarship contest, MEA projects and finances and MEA’s Charitable Foundation’s RoundUp Program.

RoundUp has thus far distributed more than $88,000 in member donations to local nonprofits.

Contact managing editor Heather A. Resz at 352-2268 or heather.resz@frontiersman.com.