Hardy’s Lost River, Moorefield and Wardensville offices will be closing at 1:30 p.m. today (Wednesday, December 26) due to the winter storm.
Anyone requiring emergency telephone repair can call either 304-897-9913 in Lost River or 304-530-HELP (4357) in Moorefield. Please stay safe, everyone!
In the time it takes to send a short text message, a car traveling at normal speed can travel the length of almost two football fields. It takes far less distance than that to result in a serious accident, the Hardy Telecommunications Youth Advisory Board was warned December 21.
Hardy Marketing and Human Resource Director Derek Barr shared several stories about the injuries and even death that can result from distracted driving. The high school students watched a documentary titled “Distracted: The True Story of Ashley Umscheid.” Umscheid was a 19-year-old Kansas State University freshman who was killed in May 2009 when her vehicle crashed along a Kansas road. The investigation revealed that she had been sending text messages on her cell phone while driving. The Foundation for Rural Service, which is associated with the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association, released the film in an effort to warn teens about the dangers of distracted driving.
From left to right: Hardy Marketing and Human Resource Director Derek Barr shows the company’s Youth Advisory Board members (Ian Im, RaeAnn Orndorff, Paula Smith, Makayla Miller, Josh Ograbisz, and Krysten Ayers) the battery back-up systems used by Hardy in the event of an electrical power outage.
A state trooper in the video said that a car traveling 65 mph will travel the length of a football field in three seconds. It takes six seconds on average to send a text message, meaning the car will travel about 200 yards in that time.
Derek cited several other examples from news outlets: A Massachusetts teen who was found guilty of vehicular homicide and texting while driving after a crash that killed another driver; a woman who fell off of a 60-foot cliff in Alaska because she was texting while walking; and a man in Texas who drove off of a bridge just moments after he texted a friend, “I need to quit texting.”
“The frightening thing is how quickly it can happen,” Derek said. “Even if it seems like just a split-second, you could be heading into oncoming traffic or going off the road.” He advised students to pull off the road or use a hands-free device if they need to take a telephone call while driving.
“There is absolutely no reason to put yourself at that kind of risk,” he said. “It is never safe to drive while distracted.”
East Hardy High Junior Paula Smith said the video made an impact.
“It kind of hit home for East Hardy students,” she said.
Moorefield High Freshman Josh Ograbisz said Moorefield students also could benefit from the video’s message.
“It gave us insight into the dangers of being distracted while driving,” he said.
Also during the meeting, Derek demonstrated how he manages the Hardy Telecommunications website. Hardy uses an online content management system that integrates with other social media. Derek posted an article and photo about the youth board into the system, then showed the students how it immediately displayed on the website once he activated it, even sending an update to the company’s Facebook page linking to the article.
The board also toured the battery room at Hardy’s Lost River office, which is the company’s corporate headquarters. The huge batteries are part of the back-up systems that Hardy uses to keep services going in the event of a power outage. Even though the Lost River office has a generator, the company also maintains batteries that kick in when the electrical power fails.
Derek told the students that the equipment in the battery room becomes so hot on its own that two air conditioning units run 24 hours a day, even throughout winter. Otherwise, the batteries, which contain jellied acid, would overheat and the acid would seep out.
The back-up power systems are why a person’s landline telephone will continue to work even if there is no electrical power available. Each of Hardy’s remote units around the county has battery back-up power.
While the batteries would be drained quickly and cannot power Hardy Telecommunications’ entire system indefinitely, the back-up power provides enough time for electrical power to be restored or other power sources, such as a generator, to be set up.
The purpose of the Youth Board is to educate the students about Hardy Telecommunications and its operations as well as to get information from the students as to what uses of technology are most important to them. The board is comprised of six students, three each from East Hardy and Moorefield high schools, representing grades 9-11. Each student serves a one-year term. The board meets four to five times throughout the school year.
Besides Paula and Josh, this year’s board is comprised of Moorefield High Junior Krysten Ayers, EHHS Sophomore Ian Im, MHS Sophomore Makayla Miller, and EHHS Freshman RaeAnn Orndorff.
Hardy Telecommunications will send two local students on a four-day trip to our nation’s capital, giving them the chance to see our country’s historic sites and meet peers from all over the United States.
One junior each from Moorefield and East Hardy high schools will be selected to attend the 2013 Foundation for Rural Service Youth Tour in Washington, D.C., June 1-5. The trip includes sightseeing as well as educational sessions to teach today’s youth about the telecommunications industry. Hardy Telecommunications will pay all basic expenses, including travel.
East Hardy High Senior Parker Baranowski (left) and Moorefield High Senior Brooke Shockey tour the U.S. Capitol during the 2012 Foundation for Rural Service Youth Tour in Washington, D.C.
The Youth Tour provides students from rural areas with a first-hand look at the telecommunications industry and educates students about the legislative and governmental processes. Students will visit the U.S. Capitol Building and hear presentations from representatives of Capitol Hill and the Federal Communications Commission. All of the students are sponsored by rural telecommunications companies like Hardy Telecommunications.
East Hardy High Senior Parker Baranowski and Moorefield High Senior Brooke Shockey participated in the 2012 Youth Tour. Both students called the trip a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience.
“Exploring the capital of our great nation with what started as strangers made it feel as if you had known those other students all of your life,” Parker said.
Brooke Shockey said the tour offered a good blend of sightseeing and educational sessions about telecommunications.
“It is hard to pick my favorite part of the trip. However, I enjoyed visiting the war memorials best,” she said.
Both urged current juniors to apply for the 2013 tour.
“I would encourage anyone else who had even a slight interest in telecommunications to participate in the tour,” Parker said.
Brooke shared the same sentiments.
“I strongly encourage others to apply for this once-in-a-lifetime chance, they will not regret it,” she said.
This year’s preliminary agenda includes visits to the U.S. Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial, Mount Vernon (home of George Washington), the Vietnam War Memorial, the Smithsonian Museums, the Korean War Memorial, and Arlington National Cemetery. A night tour of Washington and special entertainment are also planned, including a dance the final night complete with professional DJ.
Because of the widespread interest in the tour from students around the country, Hardy can only sponsor one student from Moorefield High and one from East Hardy High. Applications for the tour may be picked up from the guidance counselors at both high schools or by contacting Derek at Hardy’s Lost River Office, telephone 304-897-9911. To be eligible for the trip, students must be high school juniors of the 2014 graduating class and be either 16 or 17 years old at the time of the tour. Students must also receive service from either Hardy Telecommunications or HardyNet.
The deadline to return applications is February 15, 2013. Applications may be returned to either the high school guidance counselors or directly to Derek Barr, Marketing/Human Resource Director, Hardy Telecommunications, 2255 Kimseys Run Road, Lost River, WV 26810.
Graduating seniors from East Hardy and Moorefield high schools can apply through Hardy Telecommunications for the national Foundation for Rural Service 2013 College Scholarship Program.
The scholarship, open to applicants who receive local telecommunications service (either telephone or Internet) from Hardy, is worth $2,000, and Hardy Telecommunications will contribute an additional $500 to the amount, bringing the total one-time scholarship award to $2,500. Interested students can contact their guidance counselors at the two schools or download the application at the FRS website at www.frs.org. Students also can contact Hardy Marketing/Human Resource Director Derek Barr at 304-897-9911 for an application.
Completed applications must be sent to FRS postmarked no later than March 1, 2013, and must bear the signature of Hardy General Manager Scott Sherman, so students are asked to return their applications no later than February 15, 2013. Students should not send their applications directly to the Foundation for Rural Service. Applications should be returned to the guidance counselors at Moorefield and East Hardy high schools or to Derek Barr at one of Hardy’s offices in Moorefield or Lost River. Derek will ensure that all necessary Hardy signatures are obtained and mail all applications to the FRS.
“The selection of winners is done at a national level, so it’s very rewarding when someone we sponsor is honored,” Derek said. “It’s a great opportunity for area students. We’re proud to support this program for our graduating seniors.”
The FRS will award 30 scholarships nationwide – one per geographic region (10) of the NTCA membership and one to a student sponsored by an NTCA associate member company. The remaining 19 awards will be distributed proportionate to the number of applications received from each NTCA region. A qualified selection committee of current educators determined by the Foundation for Rural Service will select the winners; Hardy Telecommunications itself has no input in the selection process.
Applicants must be a U.S. citizen and graduating high school senior; accepted by an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school; have at least a C grade point average; express an interest in returning to a rural community following graduation; and be sponsored by a contributor to, or supporter of, the Foundation for Rural Service.
The FRS was established in 1994 to promote, educate, and advocate rural telecommunications issues to the public in order to sustain and enhance the quality of life within communities throughout rural America.
Our Lost River, Moorefield, and Wardensville offices will be closed on Tuesday, January 1, 2013, in honor of the New Year’s Day holiday.
Anyone requiring emergency telephone repair can call either 304-897-9913 in Lost River or 304-530-HELP (4357) in Moorefield. Hardy Telecommunications wishes everyone a safe and happy holiday season!
Our Lost River, Moorefield, and Wardensville offices will be closed on Thursday and Friday, November 22 and 23, 2012, in honor of Thanksgiving Day.
Anyone requiring emergency telephone repair can call either 304-897-9913 in Lost River or 304-530-HELP (4357) in Moorefield. Have a safe and happy holiday!
Hardy Telecommunications has been told that Frontier has repaired its broken fiber line as of 9:42 a.m. Thursday. The line near Elkins was damaged during Hurricane Sandy, resulting in all circuits from Elkins to Franklin being down. That line is a major route used for long distance calls to and from Hardy Telecommunications customers, and the cut line caused some customers to experience problems receiving and making long distance calls. With the Frontier line near Elkins repaired, Hardy customers should have far fewer issues receiving and making long distance calls. However, there are still numerous downed lines in West Virginia and throughout the Northeast part of the United States, which still are greatly affecting the capacity of the country’s telecommunications network. Depending on the origin or destination of a call and the current volume of calls in an area, Hardy customers still might experience busy circuits on occasion. If you find this problem persists, please call us at 304-897-9911 or 304-530-5000 because the issue might be unrelated to the downed Frontier line. We thank Frontier for their quick efforts to repair the damaged line, and we appreciate your patience while the state and region deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
We are aware that some Hardy Telecommunications customers have experienced problems making and receiving long distance calls. The problem is outside of the Hardy network. We have been in contact with Frontier Communications in Elkins about the issue. Frontier is aware of the problem, which was first reported at 12:41 a.m. Wednesday. The issue is related to Hurricane Sandy and the resulting rain and snow, which have caused telephone and power outages because of downed lines throughout West Virginia. Frontier is dealing with multiple lines being down, including all circuits from Elkins to Franklin and a leg of fiber from Elkins to Clarksburg. Some calls enter and leave the Hardy network through these paths, which is why some long distance calls to and from Hardy customers are affected. Calls within the Hardy network should be largely unaffected. Hardy Telecommunications is rerouting outbound long distance calls in an attempt to avoid downed lines, but of course the effects of Hurricane Sandy have resulted in many circuits being jammed across several states. Hardy has no control over the routing of incoming long distance calls. We are in regular contact with Frontier as they work on the problem, but at this time Frontier has no time frame for when the circuits will be repaired. We will provide further information as soon as it is available.
About 500 people turned out for Hardy’s 2012 Annual Meeting of Members on Friday, October 5, at the East Hardy High School gymnasium, where they enjoyed a pork barbecue meal and saw three directors elected to serve new terms.
Elected to serve new three-year terms on Hardy’s Board of Directors were (left to right) Ervin Wilkins Jr. for Lost River serving area 4; Phyllis Cook for South Fork serving area 2; and Harold Michael for Moorefield serving area 1.
The three directors were re-elected by acclamation. Serving new three-year terms will be Ervin Wilkins Jr. of Baker, for Lost River serving area 4; Phyllis Cook of Moorefield, for South Fork serving area 2; and Harold Michael of Moorefield, for Moorefield serving area 1. All were unopposed in their bids for re-election.
Members were treated to a preview of the upcoming Hardy OneNet high-definition digital television service. A live TV feed from WHSV-TV3, traveling over Hardy’s network, was played in the EHHS cafeteria as members entered and waited for their meal. Hardy employees also were on hand to show a display of OneNet equipment and to answer any questions from members about the service, which also will include much faster Internet speeds and digital telephone.
We at Hardy sincerely appreciate the hard work of the East Hardy High Band Boosters and FFA, who prepared and served the meal. We also thank former EHHS Band Director Bob Thompson, now at East Hardy Early Middle School, for his assistance.
