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By Charlotte Underwood
LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF)- LaFollette Utilities Board General Manager Regina Kennedy guest spoke at Tuesday’s Campbell County Rotary Club Luncheon.
Kennedy shared details about the Utility that “some people might not know.”
“We have a five-member board of directors that are appointed by the City of LaFollette,” Kennedy said.
LUB purchases power from TVA and distributes electricity to customers in three counties.
“We serve electricity to most of Campbell County and about a third of Claiborne County, including the Clairfield area up to the Kentucky line and in the Speedwell area and just a small portion of Union County,” Kennedy said.
She said LUB gets its water from Norris Lake, and that it’s a “pretty big operation.”
“Our water treatment plant is capable of treating up to 5 million gallons per day and that’s a lot,” Kennedy said.
According to Kennedy, water is “provided to a little portion of Claiborne County and Union counties as well.”
The utility has a lot of lines to upkeep throughout these three counties.
“We have almost 1,700 miles of line. That’s a lot of distribution and line for upkeep during storms… We have 11 substations,” Kennedy said.
In the 30 plus years she’s been at LaFollette Utility, she has seen six substations added due to growth in the county. There are future plans for building an additional substation and upgrading the current substations to two transformers.
As of August 31, 2024, the utility serves 23,317 electric customers and has a total of 1,696 miles of electric line. It serves 10,454 water customers and 7,246 sewer customers.
“We have 91 full-time employees; it takes a lot to make this go,” Kennedy said.
She said safety was a “very high priority” for employees.
“We have a safety committee that meets quarterly. Employees go through regular safety training such as CPR, AED, first aid and more.”
She commended LaFollette Utility employees and how they respond to each storm or weather event.
“When it’s bad out and everyone just wants to stay home, that’s when our guys are all hands-on deck.” (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-10/16/2024-6AM)