WREC’s New Operations Center Almost Complete
By Garrett Hylton
After less than a year of construction, Wells Rural Electric Co.’s new operations center remains slightly ahead of schedule and is due to officially open for business in April.
WREC announced construction of the building last April with dirt work commencing in early summer. The opening of the new 26,000-square-foot facility is important for several reasons:
- Equipment storage. To best serve its members, WREC has made large investments in equipment that increase responsiveness, maximize efficiency and improve the reliability of our service. The current service center is barely large enough to house some of the smaller trucks and pieces of equipment. The new operations building will store the larger equipment under one roof, with plenty of room for growth. Most of WREC’s service territory is within an hour of Wells, making it an ideal location to centralize operations.
- Improved office efficiency. The new building also contains revamped and modernized office space for WREC operations personnel. Having employees working in close proximity will improve workplace efficiency and ensure members have access to all of WREC’s services in one location.
- An investment in the future. Just as the current facilities have served the cooperative well for the last 50 years, the new operations center is an investment in the cooperative’s next 50 years of providing power to its members.
The board decided to make the $7.92 million investment after nearly two years of research and evaluation. The current operations center has grown outdated and insufficient for the cooperative’s needs. WREC is excited about all the ways the new building will provide value to its members.
Stay tuned for details about the new facility’s grand opening.