Every two years the Lorain-Medina Rural Electric Cooperative operations department hosts a system tour for the board of trustees. This year’s tour featured a stop at Allied Waste Industries (AWI) in Carlisle Township in Lorain County .
Maintenance supervisor Chris Reineck led the group of LMRE trustees and employees on an informative tour of AWI’s Elyria location.

“We use a lot of power here with our welders, heavy-duty air compressors, and pumps for fluids,” said Reineck. “In the winter there is a block heater for each truck — 160 trucks pull a lot of amps. But we try to conserve electricity when we can. All shop lights and all pole lights are LED.” AWI is a leader in solid waste collection, recycling, and landfills.

The LMRE group started the day with a business update from Lorain County Rural Wastewater District (LORCO) Executive Director Gene Toy. The offices of LORCO are housed in LMRE’s headquarters in Wellington Township. The rural wastewater district was organized in 1997 and has grown to serve more than 1,800 consumers in Ashland and Lorain counties. In 2017, LORCO began serving about 550 consumers in Cinnamon Lake in Jackson Township in northern Ashland County. Further growth is anticipated with proposed housing developments in Carlisle and Eaton townships in Lorain County. 

The board also visited the Litchfield substation, where Director of Engineering and Operations Brad Warnement talked about recent upgrades, including replacement of the transformer that will double the capacity of the old transformer.
The group also visited the site of the planned industrial park on the north side of Spencer on Rte. 301. In 2006, Lorain-Medina Rural Development Co. (a subsidiary of LMRE), acquired 68 acres with plans of developing an industrial park. The property is currently leased as farmland.