SPRINGFIELD, Neb. (KMTV) — A Springfield Artworks owner says repeated power dips have damaged thousands of dollars worth of equipment, and he is not alone. Residents across the area say brief outages are interrupting their work, and the local utility is now investigating.
Glenn Trembley and his wife, Margie, own Springfield Artworks on Main Street. To put it in simplest terms, Margie makes hats. Glenn makes glass — or at least he used to.
Glenn's kilns, each worth over $1,000, are designed to heat glass hourse at a time. Glen says it's easiest to let the kilns work overnight. For more than a month, they have not been working correctly.
"I turned this one on and it comes right on as PF or power failure," Glenn said.
"Whatever glass is in there is basically history," Glenn said.
A technician told Glenn there is nothing wrong with the kilns themselves. He believes the failures are linked to the recent short power dips in Springfield.
"It makes me feel like my retirement, my craft is just in the tubes it's not happening," Glenn said.
The Trembleys are not the only ones affected. A quick look through Facebook shows other Springfield residents reporting similar problems.
Clem Jameson edits a weekly comedy podcast with Quik Draw Comedy and says the power dips have repeatedly cost him hours of work.
"I do a lot of shows a week and I gotta keep up with this and at this point its been about five times now I've lost progress… just because in the middle of it something cuts out," Jameson said.
Jameson typically lets long video clips render on his computer overnight.
"I'll set it up to run and I'll come back and it wont be there," Jameson said.
He purchased a battery backup to work around the problem — a solution that is not practical for everyone.
OPPD told me and city leaders it is checking all of its equipment in the area to determine whether there is an issue. That process is expected to take about a week.
"As they go through, they check for equipment failures, needed repairs or upgrades, potential tree‑related interference, and areas where wildlife‑protection covers may be necessary. This review usually takes about a week, but the timeline can vary," an OPPD spokesperson said regarding the full circuit patrol that is underway.
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