Ricky Gene Rodgers, 57, of Winfield died Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, at Henry County Health Center.

Born June 30, 1958, in Mount Pleasant, he was the son of Glen and Jean Patterson Rodgers. On June 30, 1990, he married Lorelei Dumler.

Mr. Rodgers was a lifelong farmer, owned and operated Rick’s Auto Body in Wayland and Winfield, worked at BlueBird Midwest for 16 years and worked for the city of Winfield for the past 11 years.
He was a lifelong citizen of Winfield, a 1976 graduate of Winfield-Mount Union High School, earned an auto-body degree from Southeastern Community College and earned a degree in cooling and refrigeration from Indian Hills Community College.

He was a member of Winfield First Presbyterian Church.

He enjoyed his girls and his Yorkie, Abigail Grace.

Survivors include his wife; three daughters, Kara Marie Rodgers, Taylor Jean Rodgers and Haley Ann Rodgers, all of Winfield; three sisters, Ann Freyenberger of Ainsworth; Laurie Kauffman of Wayland; Janet Reynolds of Winfield; two brothers, Terry Rodgers of Wayland and Tony Rodgers of Winfield; and 26 nieces and nephews;

He was preceded in death by his parents, one brother and two uncles.

Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. at Winfield First Presbyterian Church.

The funeral for Mr. Rodgers will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Winfield-Mount Union school gym, with Pastor Michael Scudder officiating. Interment will follow in Winfield-Scott Township Cemetery.

A general memorial has been established in his name.

Honts Funeral Home in Winfield is in charge of arrangements.

IAMU will be closed this Thursday and Friday.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Earlier this month, bipartisan legislation that would reauthorize the Pipeline Safety Act was introduced in the U.S. Senate. The bill, entitled the “Securing America’s Future Energy: Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act” is also known by the somewhat more concise “Safe PIPES Act.” 
Several key provisions of The Safe PIPES Act include:

•   Reauthorizes the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration from fiscal year 2016 through FY 2019 and authorizes appropriations to the Department of Transportation (DOT).
•   Requires DOT to submit a report to the Commerce Committee every 90 days regarding the status of implementation of regulations required under the Pipeline Safety Regulatory Certainty and Job Creation Act of 2011.
• Requires DOT to conduct a one-year study, in consultation with stakeholders, on improving damage prevention through technology improvements in location and communications practices to prevent accidental excavation damage.
• PHMSA must submit a report to Congress addressing the hiring challenges they are facing and making recommendations to address hiring challenges, training needs, and any other identified staff resource challenges.

Caught-in and struck-by hazards are among the top four leading causes of fatalities in construction.  One of the most deadly work practices is being within the swing radius of heavy equipment. The swing radius is the entire circle from a given point that parts of the equipment may move within. Generally, when we think of swing radius we picture the superstructure of a crane but the movement of any boom, bucket, or cab is also included. Basic safety rules must be followed when working within the equipment’s danger zone.

Always be aware of your surroundings when working around heavy equipment. Do not become distracted; avoid talking on your cell phone unless it’s work related.

Some workplace hazards have an immediate effect, causing an injury or illness you can’t miss. Others, such as asbestos, take many years to do their damage.

Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral used for fireproofing and many other applications. It is mined from rock in the form of a fiber that can be spun or woven into fabric and other products. Its many qualities led to widespread use before the serious health effects were common knowledge. Asbestos doesn't burn. It’s flexible, strong, resistant to chemical damage, an insulator against heat and inexpensive.

Variety Distributors, INC (VDI) of Harlan received an award from the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities (IAMU) for energy efficiency measures taken over the last year.

Nominated by Harlan Municipal Utilities (HMU) for an extensive lighting retrofit project, VDI was one of five recipients of an award presented at the annual IAMU Energy Conference held November 4th and 5th in Des Moines.

The risks in charging an industrial battery?

The charging of lead-acid batteries can be hazardous. However, many workers may not see it that way since it is such a common activity in many workplaces. The two primary risks are from hydrogen gas formed when the battery is being charged and the sulfuric acid in the battery fluid.

For specific guidelines regarding large industrial batteries, check with the manufacturer for recommended safe work procedures.

YES carried the day in Decorah and Vinton on November 3rd as voters approved the establishment of municipal communications utilities by overwhelming margins. 
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In Decorah, 93% voted yes to Measure A to establish a municipal communications utility.  92% voted yes for Measure B, which places the governance of the communications utility under a new utility board.  In Vinton, Measure A to establish a municipal communications utility passed with a yes vote of 88%.  Measure B, to place the new utility under the Vinton Municipal Electric Board, received 83% approval.  A simple majority was required to approve the measures.  All of the results are considered unofficial until certified by their local county auditors offices.

On November 9th and 10th, 2015, IAMU will hold a FEMA Reimbursement & Disaster Response Plan workshop at the IAMU training complex.  This workshop is relevant for all utilities: broadband, electric, gas, and water. 

In a federally declared disaster, the goal should be to get all the money your utility deserves as rapidly as possible.  Most utilities are leaving big $$$ on the table. FEMA will generally pay 75% of the damage costs. In this presentation, participants will learn what decisions and actions you can undertake to achieve that goal.  Get all the money you qualify for and get it faster.

The other side of this process is your disaster response plan.  Do you have a disaster plan in place?  The main objectives of the Disaster Response Plan is to restore facilities and service, as rapidly as possible in order to minimize the impact from a loss of facilities and services on the utility and to reduce the loss of possible revenue.  You will leave with the basic tools needed to develop your own plan.

provided by the American Public Gas Association (APGA)

On October 22, APGA sent a letter to Secretary Moniz expressing strong concerns regarding recent developments related to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) on Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Furnaces. On September 14, DOE released a Notice of Data Availability (NODA) seeking comment on an analysis of the potential economic impacts and energy savings that would be obtained through the creation of a separate product class for small furnaces. This separate product class would be exempt from the 92 percent nationwide standard DOE proposed in a March NOPR.

Cedar Falls’ first community solar project will be larger and less expensive, thanks to the strong response from households and organizations that signed up to participate.

During the summer enrollment campaign, Cedar Falls Utilities (CFU) electric customers were offered units in the solar project for $399 each. Because of high enrollment, CFU will build a larger project with better economies of scale. As a result, the final price per unit for those who signed up will be reduced from $399 to $270. 

More than 1,200 residents and businesses have signed up to be a part of Simple Solar. Customers who purchase units will receive a utility bill credit based upon the output from the panels for twenty years. Total capacity of the array will be 1.5 MW. It will be the biggest community solar project in the state.

During the month of November, Maquoketa Municipal Electric Utility - Electric Distribution Department employees will be wearing camouflage hard hats to honor our nation’s veterans.

This follows the wearing of Pink Hard Hats during the months of October 2015 and October 2014, in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.