The Grand Haven Board of Light and Power demonstrated their Power Town for the first time at Lake Hills Elementary in February. Virginia Dunham and Mike Welling clearly showed us the power and danger of electricity. Whether it is a power line on the ground following a storm or the danger of an electrical substation, we learned to play it safe around electricity. Mike hooked up a 10,000 volt transformer to the model town to show us what happens when people and objects get too close to power lines.
We also got to see and touch some of the tools used in supplying power to our homes, like this high voltage insulator Jonathon Steinbach and Derek Barlass are inspecting. We learned that electricity is made at steam, hydroelectric, and nuclear plants in Michigan. The Grand Haven plant burns coal to produce steam which turns a big machine called a generator. Then high-voltage electricity is sent over transmission lines to a substation.

Substations can be very dangerous and Virginia told us to NEVER go near these substations. Wearing special insulated gloves, Mike moved this special model figure near the high-voltage substation in Power Town creating a "ground" and completing a dangerous circuit. We also learned never to fly kites or climb trees near power lines. Power lines take electricity to our homes, but they can be very dangerous for even those who work for the electric companies.

Power Town showed us that even ladders and TV antennas can be very dangerous around the electrical lines which connect to our homes.

Our teachers Nancy Fiore, Paul Ernst, and Kirby Chittenden would like to thank the Grand Haven Board of Light and Power for providing a wonderful presentation to the Lake Hills fourth grade students.