Zeeland Board of Public Works has been honored with both the Excellence in Reliability Award and the Safety Award of Excellence from the American Public Power Association (APPA).
These awards highlight BPW’s commitment to delivering safe, reliable, and high-quality electric service to the Zeeland community.
The Excellence in Reliability Award recognizes public power utilities that consistently outperform national industry averages for system reliability. BPW has demonstrated outstanding performance by minimizing outages and ensuring quick response times, reinforcing its mission to provide dependable service to customers.
The Safety Award of Excellence acknowledges utilities that prioritize worker and public safety, implementing industry-leading safety practices to protect employees and the community. The BPW received the Diamond designation, reflecting their proactive approach to training, operational standards, and overall safety culture.
More than 240 utilities entered the annual Safety Awards for 2025. The entrants are placed in accordance with their number of worker-hours and ranked based on the most incident-free records and overall state of their safety programs and culture during 2025. The incidence rate is based on the number of work-related reportable injuries or illnesses and the number of worker-hours during 2025, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
“Our team is deeply committed to a culture where safety comes first in everything we do,” BPW General Manager Andrew Boatright said. “This recognition reflects the discipline, training, and shared responsibility our employees bring to their work every day to protect one another and the community we serve.”
As a public power utility, BPW is community-owned rather than shareholder-run. Nationwide, the average public power customer has their lights out for less than half the amount of time that customers of other types of utilities do.
“In Public Power, safety excellence isn’t achieved by chance. It’s earned through unwavering discipline, strong leadership, and a culture where every team member looks out for one another,” said Jon Beasley, Chair of APPA’s Safety Committee and Vice-President of Electric Cities of GA.
These awards highlight BPW’s commitment to delivering safe, reliable, and high-quality electric service to the Zeeland community.
The Excellence in Reliability Award recognizes public power utilities that consistently outperform national industry averages for system reliability. BPW has demonstrated outstanding performance by minimizing outages and ensuring quick response times, reinforcing its mission to provide dependable service to customers.
The Safety Award of Excellence acknowledges utilities that prioritize worker and public safety, implementing industry-leading safety practices to protect employees and the community. The BPW received the Diamond designation, reflecting their proactive approach to training, operational standards, and overall safety culture.
More than 240 utilities entered the annual Safety Awards for 2025. The entrants are placed in accordance with their number of worker-hours and ranked based on the most incident-free records and overall state of their safety programs and culture during 2025. The incidence rate is based on the number of work-related reportable injuries or illnesses and the number of worker-hours during 2025, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
“Our team is deeply committed to a culture where safety comes first in everything we do,” BPW General Manager Andrew Boatright said. “This recognition reflects the discipline, training, and shared responsibility our employees bring to their work every day to protect one another and the community we serve.”
As a public power utility, BPW is community-owned rather than shareholder-run. Nationwide, the average public power customer has their lights out for less than half the amount of time that customers of other types of utilities do.
“In Public Power, safety excellence isn’t achieved by chance. It’s earned through unwavering discipline, strong leadership, and a culture where every team member looks out for one another,” said Jon Beasley, Chair of APPA’s Safety Committee and Vice-President of Electric Cities of GA.
School Bell Series Speaker to Present on Native American History
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
The Zeeland Historical Society’s School Bell Series will host a talk on local Native American history and culture with Nancy Lori next Tuesday at the original New Groningen School.
Lori’s presentation, “Indigenous Footprints: A Journey with American Indians in Michigan,” will be from 10 to 11 a.m. at the historic schoolhouse, 10537 Paw Paw Dr.
A resident of Holland, Lori is the state chair for American Indians in the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution and American Indians chair of the local Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton DAR chapter in Holland.
The program will give an overview of the history of native Americans in Michigan from the time of the Great Migration Walk, encounters with the French and British, the signing of various treaties, and what is taking place in the current day.
Lori and her husband lived many years in Iron Mountain in the Upper Peninsula, where they were in close proximity to several U.P. tribes. During that time, they traveled extensively in the American Southwest and eventually moved to New Mexico, where they were surrounded by Pueblo tribe members and exposed to their culture and traditions.
Since returning to Michigan, Lori and her husband have made it a mission to make others aware of the amazing talent of Michigan’s Native woodland artists and to help preserve the history of Michigan tribes for future generations.
The School Bell Series is a community program where guest speakers explore a wide range of topics connected to state and local history. Designed to help us learn about our community’s past and present together, the series offers informal, welcoming programs for lifelong learners of all ages.
Admission to the School Bell Series programs is free, but donations accepted are welcomed. Registration for the talk is encouraged. Visit zeelandhistory.org/events-exhibits and click on the link for the program to register.
Zeeland Record
The Zeeland Historical Society’s School Bell Series will host a talk on local Native American history and culture with Nancy Lori next Tuesday at the original New Groningen School.
Lori’s presentation, “Indigenous Footprints: A Journey with American Indians in Michigan,” will be from 10 to 11 a.m. at the historic schoolhouse, 10537 Paw Paw Dr.
A resident of Holland, Lori is the state chair for American Indians in the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution and American Indians chair of the local Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton DAR chapter in Holland.
The program will give an overview of the history of native Americans in Michigan from the time of the Great Migration Walk, encounters with the French and British, the signing of various treaties, and what is taking place in the current day.
Lori and her husband lived many years in Iron Mountain in the Upper Peninsula, where they were in close proximity to several U.P. tribes. During that time, they traveled extensively in the American Southwest and eventually moved to New Mexico, where they were surrounded by Pueblo tribe members and exposed to their culture and traditions.
Since returning to Michigan, Lori and her husband have made it a mission to make others aware of the amazing talent of Michigan’s Native woodland artists and to help preserve the history of Michigan tribes for future generations.
The School Bell Series is a community program where guest speakers explore a wide range of topics connected to state and local history. Designed to help us learn about our community’s past and present together, the series offers informal, welcoming programs for lifelong learners of all ages.
Admission to the School Bell Series programs is free, but donations accepted are welcomed. Registration for the talk is encouraged. Visit zeelandhistory.org/events-exhibits and click on the link for the program to register.
Children’s Choir to Perform at Second Church
The Second Recital Series at Second Reformed Church in Zeeland continues Sunday, April 26 with a performance by the West Michigan Children’s Choir.
The performance begins at 4 p.m. Admission is free.
The West Michigan Children’s Choir was created by two local music educators who wanted to create more opportunities for young and developing voices. In recent years, the choir has had the opportunity to perform in a recital series and with other professional ensembles in the area including the Holland Chorale, the Holland Symphony, at Windmill Island and in other local venues.
Singers are in grades 3-8, and they are dedicated to sharing their voices and enthusiasm for singing with the Holland and Zeeland communities.
Additional information about the West Michigan Children’s Choir is available on the Second Church website or at thewmcc.weebly.com.
There will be a reception time in the Gathering Place of the church after the performance to meet the singers and enjoy refreshments.
Second Reformed Church is located at 225 E. Central Ave., in downtown Zeeland. Convenient parking is available at the corner of Church Street and Cherry Avenue, with accessible entry from the parking lot into and throughout the building.
The performance begins at 4 p.m. Admission is free.
The West Michigan Children’s Choir was created by two local music educators who wanted to create more opportunities for young and developing voices. In recent years, the choir has had the opportunity to perform in a recital series and with other professional ensembles in the area including the Holland Chorale, the Holland Symphony, at Windmill Island and in other local venues.
Singers are in grades 3-8, and they are dedicated to sharing their voices and enthusiasm for singing with the Holland and Zeeland communities.
Additional information about the West Michigan Children’s Choir is available on the Second Church website or at thewmcc.weebly.com.
There will be a reception time in the Gathering Place of the church after the performance to meet the singers and enjoy refreshments.
Second Reformed Church is located at 225 E. Central Ave., in downtown Zeeland. Convenient parking is available at the corner of Church Street and Cherry Avenue, with accessible entry from the parking lot into and throughout the building.
