By Will Holford

To improve response time and reduce the length of power outages in rapidly growing Bastrop and Travis counties, Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is operating construction and service crews out of the Bastrop service center.

The facility is adjacent to the Bluebonnet member service center at 690 Texas 71 West.

The Bastrop facility was used as a service center until October 2005, when Bluebonnet consolidated the Bastrop and Lockhart service centers into the newly built Red Rock service center to serve members in the co-op’s western area. Crews from the Red Rock service center and the co-op’s Giddings service center are also available to respond to members’ needs in Bastrop and Travis counties.

The Bastrop operation has reduced the time needed to build electric systems for newly constructed homes and businesses, too, according to David Tobola, Bluebonnet manager of operations.  

“We are definitely seeing efficiencies by operating out of the Bastrop facility,” he said.

Two Bluebonnet construction crews and one contractor crew that work on new jobs and two to three service crews that respond to member requests and power outages are staging out of the Bastrop center.

On average, Bluebonnet crews from the Bastrop facility are building 12 to 15 new construction jobs and responding to about 170 service calls per week.

Decreasing the distance to jobs also reduces costs for vehicle maintenance and fuel.