East River Electric to host open house for new Electronics Technology Center
January 14, 2010
MADISON, SD -- A community open house for East River Electric’s new Electronics Technology Center will be held Thursday, Jan. 21 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Lunch will be provided, with a freewill offering collected and donated to the Food Pantry.
During the open house, community members are encouraged to take self-guided tours of the facility. East River staff will be present to answer questions about the purpose and construction process.
The building, located at the intersection of S.E. First St. and S. Harth Ave., provides a workspace for field technicians who install, operate and maintain telecommunications, control and protection equipment within East River’s electrical system.
“As a cooperative, we are dedicated to providing the best possible service to our members. The Electronics Technology Center allows us to utilize our personnel and resources in a much more efficient and effective manner,” said Jim Edwards, East River Electric assistant general manager-operations. “Consequently, our member co-ops are the benefactors of this.”
Many energy efficient components were included in the construction of the Electronics Technology Center, which features a ground source, closed loop geothermal heat pump. The 20 ton system can reach up to 400 percent efficiency.
The renovation/construction of the Electronics Technology Center completes step two of a three-phase renovation and expansion project at East River. Phase one was finished in late 2008, when East River opened the new Madison Service Center, previously located on the site of the current Electronics Technology Center.
Construction is expected to begin this spring on phase three, which involves a two-story addition to East River’s Headquarters Building, followed by renovation of the existing facility. Completion of this project is expected by the end of 2011.
