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Grand Island honors utilities crews for rapid storm restorations
Summary
The Grand Island City Council recognized municipal utilities line workers and dispatch staff April 15 for restoring power after a March blizzard and high‑wind events, and officials described mutual‑aid work in Fremont and dangerous field conditions.
The Grand Island City Council on April 15 formally recognized the city’s utilities line crews and dispatch operators for rapid power restorations following severe winter and wind storms.
Mayor Steele opened the recognition, saying the crews “were out in the field, restoring power, keeping people safe, and bringing light back to our homes,” and noting the teams restored service to most customers in less than 24 hours after the March 19 blizzard. Utilities Director Ryan Schmitz told the council crews remained on duty “through the entire storm” and that Grand Island was among the few utilities in the storm’s path to restore full service that night. Schmitz also said crews later went to Fremont to assist that community’s recovery.
Why it matters: Council members and staff said the work averted significant financial losses for affected households and preserved public safety during hazardous conditions. Council members who spoke called the crews “heroes” and urged public appreciation for the risks line workers face.
Officials described the scale and conditions. Schmitz said the March 19 blizzard left “more than 10,000 residents” without power and that strong winds on April 1—about “70 miles per hour,” as the council described—caused further outages in northwest and northeast Grand Island. Schmitz and other staff read the names of on‑duty personnel and identified teams from line and underground crews and the dispatch center; several employees were asked to come forward for recognition and a photograph.
Council member Sherwood and Council member O’Neil added personal observations about impacts on households and the utility system’s preparedness. Sherwood described a city employee who lost hundreds of dollars of food from a thawed freezer during the outage, noting the personal financial impact to residents. O’Neil said tours of utility facilities before the storms left him “so impressed by the level of infrastructure” and reported minimal business interruption during the outages.
The council’s recognition included named utility staff: Josh Hartley (line and underground manager), Brian Fiala and Scott Bauer (storm managers, dispatch alignment), Logan Journeys, Jared Wood, Tristan White, Garrett Porter, Eric Bodenal, Jimmy Brzezinski, Frank Rodriguez (line and underground crew), and dispatch personnel Travis Spees (dispatch manager), Jeff Heagle (energy supply supervisor), and Chad Holmes. Lynn Mayhew (assistant utility director, production) and Brandon Cluthy (safety coordinator) were also noted for their roles.
Council members paused regular business to applaud the crews before moving on to the evening’s agenda.
