KYLE MURPHYStaff Writer

The Tullahoma Utilities Authority (TUA) welcomed residents to its campus Wednesday for its 39^th annual Public Power Week celebration.

Prior to the celebration, the Tullahoma Board of Mayor and Aldermen proclaimed that the week of Oct. 5-11 to be Public Power Week in honor of TUA’s contributions to the community, as well as to make its customers, policy makers, and employees more aware of its contributions to their well-being and how it makes their lives powerful. TUA joined with 2,000 other public power systems across the country in the celebration.

According to TUA President Allen Potter, Public Power Week reminds everyone that the electric system is owned by the people it serves.

“Because we’re community-owned and not-for-profit, every dollar is reinvested right here to keep power reliable, rates affordable, and service responsive,” Potter said. “Decisions are made locally by people you know, with transparency and accountability to our neighbors—not distant shareholders. That ownership model is why our crews answer the call-in storms, why we plan long-term for reliability, and why we put customers first. Public power isn’t just how we keep the lights on—it’s how we keep Tullahoma strong.”

As part of the celebration, residents and customers stopped by TUA’s campus to enjoy a free lunch and a chance to win door prizes. Throughout the celebration, TUA also at its journey linemen conduct demonstrations, which included flag installation and removal on poles, rescuing an injured lineman, installing a fuse cutout and installation a transformer.

TUA, a power distributor for the Tennessee Valley Authority, currently serves over 11,500 residential, commercial and industrial customers, and provides utilities like electric, water and wastewater, as well as providing TV, phone and internet services. TUA operates three substations in Tullahoma, with over 250 miles of distribution lines maintained by TUA’s electric department