After 36 years of service to the residents of Kosciusko, Les Clark retired from Kosciusko Water and Light on June 30.
Clark began his career there on July 1, 1985. During that time, Charles E. Burchfield was the superintendent and Clark was hired on as business manager. Clark held that position until August 1994. Then, Burchfield retired, and Clark was promoted to general manager, the role he has filled for the past 27 years. As general manager, he was ultimately responsible for the daily operations of the electric and water departments along with the business office.
Naturally, plenty of changes occurred during Clark’s tenure. One big change dealt with purchasing wholesale power. Clark explained that the city of Kosciusko is a member of the Municipal Energy Agency of Mississippi (MEAM), a joint action agency for the purchase of wholesale electricity on behalf of member cities consisting of Canton, Durant, Greenwood, Kosciusko, and Leland. Formed in 1978, MEAM aimed to assist cities in purchasing reliable wholesale electricity at the lowest possible price for distribution and sale to customers. In the 1980’s and early 1990’s, cities received electricity from mainly one supplier with a relatively stable wholesale cost. However, after the early 90s, there were more opportunities for purchasing wholesale power from different generating entities.
Clark said this scenario required managers at Kosciusko Water and Light and MEAM to be more diligent in their efforts to purchase through firm contracts while balancing lowest possible costs with reliability to provide customers with the power they needed at the best possible rates their utility could provide.
There were also changes in water supply. With the passage of the Federal Safe Drinking Water (FDSW) Act in 1976, the law focused on protecting the quality of drinking water in the United States. It specifically focused on all waters intentionally or potentially designed for drinking from above ground or underground sources alike. In 1986, the FSDW Act was amended, and it was later amended again in 1996. Each time the act is amended, other possible drinking water contaminants are usually added that must be monitored. Clark said there used to be many fewer contaminants to monitor, but the additional monitoring isn’t a negative thing.
“In 1986 and 1996, there were not nearly 90 contaminants to test for, and every year it seems the Environmental Protection Agency adds another possible contaminant to the list that must be tested. However, this is not anything negative as the EPA and the Mississippi State Department of Health are committed to doing their part to protect public health through protecting the state’s water supply,” Clark told The Star-Herald. “The city of Kosciusko has never had a lead and copper sample over the maximum contaminant level and currently only have to test for them every three years.”
Another change involved reading electric and water meters. When Clark first started, all meters were read and recorded with pencil and paper, and bills were calculated by hand. Simple computers were installed in the 1990s and meters were read with a handheld device. In 2018, the Kosciusko Water and Light plant began deploying an automated metering infrastructure system that allows meters to be read directly from the Water and Light office in a matter of minutes.
There have been several accomplishments during Clark’s tenure. In 2009, MEAM and the member cities participated in building, bringing on-line, and owning a 40-megawatt interest in the Plum Point Generating Station in Osceola, AR. The Plum Point station has consistently been one of the newer, most efficient, and economical coal generating stations in the U.S. fleet. In 2013, on behalf of its member cities, MEAM, Entergy, and the South Mississippi Electric Power Association (SMEPA) was instrumental in petitioning the Federal Regulatory Commission (FERC) to establish a Regional Transmission Operator (RTO) in its southern electricity market areas. This action led to the establishment of the Mid-Continent Independent System Operator (MISO) in the southern electricity market areas with significant cost benefit for all electric consumers in this area.
In 2000, the Mississippi State Department of Health implemented a new procedure for the annual inspection of drinking water supplies in the state. This new method rated each water supplier in the state according to their technical, managerial, and financial capacities and assigned an overall capacity rating to each supplier, ranging 1-5 with 5 being the highest.
“The Kosciusko Water and Light plant has been consistently rated at 4.0-5.0 over the past 21 years, and the last 10 years has been a perfect 5.0. To the health department, this means the city of Kosciusko takes their water utility services very seriously and works diligently every day to provide the best quality water in sufficient quantities to their customers,” Clark said.
Clark wanted to thank many people that have helped him along his journey.
“I would like to thank all the past and present commissioners of the Kosciusko Water and Light plant for allowing me to have a great career in public utility service and for trusting and believing in me over the years to make decisions in the best interest of the ratepayers and city of Kosciusko as a whole,” he said. “I really appreciate them for setting good public utility policy and giving me the authority, responsibility, and accountability for carrying out their policies.”
Clark also noted the importance of those who have worked for the utility.
“I would also like to thank all past and present employees for their support of me during my career. I know I could not have been successful without their support. KWL has had some very good employees over the years and they continue with very good current ones. I know all employees have the customer’s ‘best interest at heart’ and have a genuine desire to render excellent utility services to each and every customer,” Clark said. “My motto has always been: ‘The only reason any of us have a job with the Kosciusko Water and Light plant is to serve the citizens of Kosciusko,’ and I know the employees believe this also.”
Landon Gibson / The Star-Herald
Clark makes a plate of food at his retirement reception alongside Water and Light employees.
He said he has had a fortunate career.
“It’s been a great ride and I’ve really enjoyed my years in public utility work. The Kosciusko Water and Light plant has been very good to me — both personally and professionally — and I am very grateful for the opportunity given to me 36 years ago to have a full, rewarding career in public utility work, especially working for my hometown utility,” Clark said.
Landon Gibson/ The Star-Herald
Les Clark and former Mayor Jimmy Cockroft talk with former city election commissioner Allen Massey and Clark’s brother Mark Clark.
Looking to the future, Clark doesn’t have any current plans other than spending time with his wife, Teresa, and grandkids, Jayden, Piper, Lizzie, Cooper, Drake, Jake, and Hannah. They are the children of Clark’s daughters, Amanda Walker, Heather Jensen and Andrea Hamilton.
He said that he plans on “taking it easy” and hopefully doing things he wants, although he does have his eye on his golf clubs and repairing some golf carts.
“I will probably devote a little more time to my golf cart business, try to catch up on some jobs around my home, and maybe start back playing some golf,” he said.
