ATC has some communities planning for spring planting

There may be ice and snow outside, but it’s not too early to think about planting – and many communities are getting some help from ATC. Through our Community Planting Program, we awarded 33 communities a total of $55,000 to plant trees and other vegetation on public property outside of the transmission line right-of-way.

To qualify, these communities committed to complying with ATC’s maintenance standards for all current and future planting plans and urban forestry activities near high-voltage electric transmission lines. The recipients received funding ranging from $500 to $4,000 for planting projects in communities where ATC facilities exist.

The 2014 Community Planting Program funding recipients include the following Wisconsin communities:

Algoma	Lisbon	Rib Mountain
Amherst	Manitowoc	Rhinelander
Bayside	Menasha	Spencer
Bellevue	Mequon	Stevens Point
Bristol	Merrill	Waterford
Brooklyn	Oakdale	Waukesha
Cambridge	Oconto	Waupaca
Fond du Lac	Ozaukee County	Wescott
Fort Atkinson	Pittsville	Wilson
Gilman	Prairie du Chien	Winnebago County
Kenosha County	Princeton	Wisconsin Rapids

ATC’s Community Planting Program is part of our Grow Smart initiative – a program that promotes planting only low-growing, native vegetation near transmission line rights-of-way to help ensure public safety and the reliability of the electric system.
 

Need some more spring planting inspiration? Check out this video from the Milwaukee Co. Zoo’s Party for the Planet, where a Milwaukee-area Boy Scout troop helped replace invasive species with dozens of trees.

 

 

The power of giving

It’s no secret that our employees love to give. As a company and individuals we support local organizations with our time, funds and in-kind donations. And while the first thing you think of when an electric utility comes to mind may not be fun, we like to weave it in whenever we can. Here’s how some employees are having a good time while giving back.

Banana phones and white elephants

Our real estate team raised a whopping $730 with its second annual White Elephant Auction at their holiday lunch. Manager of Real Estate Sarah Justus started the tradition last year; buying a number of wacky and wild items and encouraging her team to bid on them white elephant-style for charity.

“The generosity of my colleagues is amazing. It was very fun and personally gratifying to support such an inspirational organization,” said Justus.

This year’s beneficiary was Make-A-Wish^®. Which item garnered the highest bid this time around? A banana phone secured by Real Estate Manager David Hollenberger for a generous donation.

Betting with baked goods

Three Madison, Wis., employees made the annual Second Harvest Foodbank Share Your Holidays food and fund drive a little more interesting by making a friendly baked goods wager. Each team captain bet their team would collect the most meals, with the winning team receiving baked goods from the second and third place team leaders. More than 1,850 meals were raised during the campaign.

ATC project recycling efforts really pay off

Metal from this disassembled, 60-year-old transmission structure and glass from its insulators will be recycled.

Environmental stewardship is a core value at American Transmission Co. that saves valuable resources and helps protect the environment. Last year, ATC and its contractors achieved an incredible rate of re-using or recycling 99 percent of non-hazardous construction waste. This included more than 4,864 tons of various metals, glass, wood, concrete and cardboard. This year to date, ATC and its contractors have recycled more than 3,476 tons of material and collected $667,363 through construction project recycling efforts.


 Wood decking used during construction, as seen in the above photo of the Milwaukee Zoo Interchange Project, is an example of ATC project material that is re-used or recycled.

Learn more about ATC's environmental commitment.



ATC wraps up electric work in Zoo Interchange

American Transmission Co. has just completed its work in the Milwaukee Zoo Interchange to relocate and erect new electric transmission infrastructure to accommodate the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s interchange expansion plans.

ATC began the transmission line portion of the project in June 2013 to relocate seven overhead 138-kilovolt transmission lines and erect 59 single pole structures to replace 58 lattice towers. 

“Residents and commuters were able to watch the transformation over the past year and a half while we removed the old structures, installed the new poles and strung wire across six lanes of traffic – all while the interchange was kept open to motorists,” said Barbara Mikolajczyk, ATC major project manager. “We were able to complete our work more than two months ahead of schedule because there was great communication and collaboration among the DOT and the multiple utilities involved.”

“Because ATC completed its portion of the project ahead of schedule, that helps our scheduling with other contractors this winter and next spring,” said DOT Construction Project Manager Mike Burns.

Project highlights include:

• Line energized and project complete: November 2014 – two-and-half months ahead of schedule
• Line length: approximately 11 miles 
• Voltage: 138,000 volts
• 58 lattice structures removed (circa 1954); equals 1.24 million pounds of steel removed
• 59 new single-pole structures erected; equals 2.3 million pounds of steel installed
• 40.5 miles of wire removed and new wires installed
• Transmission pole height: 115 to 180 feet; new poles are 50-60 feet taller than the lattice structures
• Tallest transmission pole: 180 feet with five sections, nine feet in diameter at the base and weight of 130,000 pounds
• Longest span between two transmission poles: 1,000 feet
• Project cost: approximately $50 million