City and Borough of Sitka

Electric Department

Personnel

Administration
Charlie Walls, Utility Director. Walls has over thirty years of electric utility engineering and management experience throughout Alaska, including over 20 years of experience in the role of chief executive for small consumer-owned electric utilities. Prior to coming to Sitka, he served as the President and CEO of the Alaska Village Electric Cooperative that provides electric service to 51 remote native villages in western Alaska. Earlier experience includes managing a small rural electric cooperative in Juneau, the Glacier Highway Electric Association (GHEA). GHEA served the area "out the road," north of the Mendenhall River in Juneau. Walls presided over the 1989 merger of that cooperative into the Alaska Electric Light & Power Company, resulting in a substantial rate reduction for the members of the cooperative, and a more efficient consolidated electric utility system to serve the people of Juneau.

Anjulie Russell , Administrative Assistant. Russell came to work for the Department in January 2008. Prior to Sitka, she worked for OK Hardware & Construction Supply in Hawaii.

Robert Dryden , System Engineer. Dryden graduated Lathrop High School, Fairbanks, 1964; US Army Special Weapons 1969-1971; BSEE from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1972. Project Engineer, R.W. Retherford & Associates, 1972-1977; City Engineer and Power Utility Engineer, 1974-1975; Dryden & LaRue, Partner, 1977-1990; Dryden Instrumentation, Partner, 1979-1990; Power & Control Engineering, Owner, 1990-2003. He has experience in power plant design and construction of diesel, turbine, and hydro; design and construction of transmission, distribution, and substations; switchgear and protective relaying, control and instrumentation systems; bulk fuel tank farm design and construction; and system planning and economic studies.

Generation
Andrew Eggen, Generation System Manager. Eggen comes to Sitka after 20 years of electric utility engineering and operations in Juneau, Haines, and Tok, Alaska. BSME from Montana State University in 1982. Generation work includes diesel and hydroelectric installation, and operations. Engineering and operation of utility distribution systems including the Upper Lynn Canal Transmission System linking Haines and Skagway together with a 17-mile long submarine cable.

Hydro Plant Operators: The hydro plant operators are on duty at the hydroelectric plants 24 hours a day. They monitor the water flow at the plants, and also monitor any outages from the SCADA equipment at the Blue Lake hydroelectric plant and the Jarvis Street substation. They are always looking for improvements that need to be made to ensure that our community has electricity. Frank Rogers, Jr., is the lead operator; other operators are Ted Buckmaster, Rodney Magee, Jamie Elstad, and Larry Neishem. The relief operators are Jim Markegard and Patrick Kane.

Mechanics and Electrical Technician: The mechanic and electrician ensure that all of the facilities are maintained properly. In addition to doing repair work, they also install new equipment and make sure everything is working correctly before putting a new piece of equipment on-line. The lead mechanic is Paul Jacoby; other mechanics are Trevor Webb and Andrew Swanson. The electrical technicians are Bruce Belley and Robert Dennard.

Transmission and Distribution
Jeff Wheeler, General Foreman-Power Distribution: Wheeler, born and raised in Sitka, is a third generation worker. His grandfather was a generator operator for Sitka Public Utilities and Jeff’s father was a lineman for Sitka Public Utilities before it became the City and Borough of Sitka Electric Department. Jeff started in Sitka as a lineman in 1987.

Kim Svenson,, Materials Specialist: Svenson came to work for the Department in July, 2001. She worked for the Alaska Pulp Corporation mill in Sitka.

John D. Stivison, Meter Technician Supervisor: Stivison was hired in 1997 as the supervisor of the Department’s metering services. He started his career in 1979 at Clark Public Utilities in Vancouver, Washington. He worked there as a warehouseman, groundman, and equipment operator. In 1990, he became a meter relay technician.

Meter Technicians: The metering department also has a meter reader, Sarah Young; and an apprentice meter technician, David Urias. The technicians read meters, replace and install meters.

Keith Greinier, Line Crew Foreman. Greinier came to work for the Electric Department in 2004 and has 20 years of line construction experience in Southeast Alaska.

Line crew: The line crew is always on call for any outages that might occur. They answer calls not only for outages, but also for electric locates, new residential and commercial services, and answering problem calls. Our line crew includes Terry Korthuis and NECA temps.

Many of the employees of the Electric Department belong to professional organizations; among these organizations are the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., IEEE; the Northwest Public Power Association, NWPPA; the American Public Power Association, APPA.

If anyone is interested in applying for a position at the Electric Department, please see the employment section on the City and Borough of Sitka main page.