By Robert Taylor
Boerne Utilities’ electrical system, which provides power to more than 6,500 customers, is maintained by a team of just eleven employees led by Electric Construction Superintendent Glenn Garcia.
Garcia and his team are responsible for the hundreds of miles of power lines, poles, and transformers that keep the lights on in Boerne.
“It’s a proud feeling whenever I go into H-E-B and I know that the electric department is solely responsible for keeping the freezers running and the lights on,” Garcia said. “Even driving down Main Street at night and seeing the lights on, knowing that’s my responsibility.”
He has been with the City of Boerne for 16 years and has served as superintendent since the start of 2020. As superintendent, Garcia manages the team that maintains the entire electrical system, which includes vegetation management, electric line inspections and repairs, electric distribution to new construction, working with customers, managing materials, and more.
He says some of the most challenging parts of the job are managing vegetation like tree limbs that encroach on power lines and minimizing outages due to curious wildlife that get too close to equipment. They also utilize infrared cameras to inspect lines for hotspots, replacing any damaged portions before they can become a problem.
It’s this work that is done each day, often without much recognition, that helps Garcia and his team meet their goal of keeping the lights on.
“What we do during working hours pays off when we have storms,” he said. “When we get any kind of storms, whether it’s lighting storms or otherwise, we go through those with zero outages.”
Undoubtedly, the greatest testament to the electric department’s diligent maintenance was Winter Storm Uri in February 2021. When most of the state endured prolonged power outages for days on end and temperatures well below freezing, Boerne Utilities kept the lights on with minimal outages.
As the storm set in, Garcia arrived the morning of February 14 and didn’t go home for a full week, working around the clock with his team to keep Boerne’s power on and residents warm.
“When everyone around us was losing power, we were able to keep the power on for the community,” Garcia said.
It’s this dedication to the job, and the community, that helped Garcia work his way to superintendent. He began his career with Bandera Electric Cooperative, where he completed his apprenticeship to become a general lineman. He joined the City of Boerne in 2008 as a lineman when the team was only six employees.
Now as superintendent, Garica is most proud of the work his team does day in and day out, all while accruing a record of no lost time accidents. The team has also won multiple Safety Awards from the American Public Power Association and a Texas Public Power Association Achievement Award for the completion of a 15-year project to increase connectivity between the two electric substations in Boerne.
Garcia has called the Hill Country home his entire life. Together, he and his wife have four children and one grandchild.
