Loveland Electric Utility Wins National Award for Historical Museum Exhibit
The City of Loveland has received national recognition for a museum exhibit documenting the century-long history of the city's municipal electric utility, with the American Public Power Association presenting its Award of Excellence in Public Power Communications on November 25.
The recognition honors the "100 Years of Power" exhibit displayed at Loveland Museum from July through October 2025. The exhibit documented Loveland's municipal electric utility history through interpretive panels and multimedia elements created through collaboration between the city's utilities department, Loveland Museum and Cultural Services.
The award was presented at the American Public Power Association's annual Customer Connections Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. Loveland received the honor in the Class C Print & Digital category, which recognizes utilities for creativity and storytelling in community communications.
Municipal Utility Founded in 1900
Loveland's municipal electric utility traces its origins to November 1900, when a coal-fired power plant at the Big Thompson Milling & Elevator Company began providing electricity for street lighting, businesses and residences. The facility marked the city's entry into public power during an era when Northern Colorado communities were establishing local infrastructure to meet growing industrial and residential demand.
The utility has undergone multiple transitions over its 125-year history, evolving from coal-fired local generation to participation in regional power authorities and current alignment with renewable energy initiatives. Loveland Water & Power now purchases wholesale electricity from Platte River Power Authority, a joint agency formed by Loveland, Fort Collins, Longmont and Estes Park.
Platte River Power Authority and its four member cities extended their partnership through 2075 in November 2025, committing to accelerate clean energy adoption across the region. Platte River adopted a Resource Diversification Policy in 2018 targeting 100 percent noncarbon energy by 2030.
Cross-Department Collaboration Produced Exhibit
The museum exhibit combined archival materials, photographs and multimedia presentations to illustrate the technical challenges, financial obstacles and community commitment that shaped Loveland's public power system over more than a century.
"It's an honor to receive the Award of Excellence for the 100 Years of Power exhibit," said Shaundra Stoever, utilities deputy director. "Our goal was to bring Loveland's public power story to life with innovation and heart, and we are proud to see that work recognized."
The exhibit required coordination across multiple city departments to gather historical records, technical documentation and visual materials. The collaborative approach reflected the cross-functional nature of utility operations and the importance of community engagement in public power.
Municipal Ownership Structure
Loveland operates as one of approximately 2,000 municipally-owned utilities nationwide. Municipal utilities are owned and operated by cities, with governance conducted by elected officials or appointed boards accountable to residents. This structure contrasts with investor-owned utilities like Xcel Energy, which operate for shareholder profit, and cooperative utilities like Poudre Valley REA, which serve primarily rural areas through member ownership.
Fort Collins Utilities, Estes Park Power & Light, and Longmont Power & Communications also operate as municipal utilities in Northern Colorado, each maintaining local control over rates, service standards and infrastructure investment priorities.
Municipal ownership typically provides greater transparency and community accountability compared to investor-owned or cooperative models, according to utility governance research. Loveland residents can influence utility decisions through elected city council members and public forums.
"2025 has been a year of reflection as we explored our municipally owned, electric utility's century-old history," said Adam Bromley, utilities electric division manager. "It's humbling for me and our team to be part of that history, especially after learning about the enormous effort and grit it took to create this utility and keep it operational throughout the years."
National Recognition for Public Power Communications
The American Public Power Association is the national trade association for not-for-profit, community-owned utilities, representing approximately 2,000 member utilities across the United States. The organization provides advocacy, education and technical resources to support reliable, affordable and sustainable public power.
The Award of Excellence in Public Power Communications is presented annually in three categories: Print & Digital, Web & Social Media, and Video. Panels of public power and communications professionals evaluate submissions based on creativity, storytelling effectiveness, community relevance and collaboration quality.
The Customer Connections Conference serves as a key industry event for knowledge sharing on utility operations, customer service, technology and communications practices. Award recipients are announced at the conference, highlighting best practices in public power community engagement.
Loveland competed against dozens of other municipal utilities nationwide for the recognition. The award signifies national acknowledgment of the city's commitment to resident education and cross-departmental collaboration in communicating utility history and operations.
The Loveland Public Library received a $10,000 grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York on November 19 to support expanded programming and community outreach, part of a broader pattern of recognition for Loveland's cultural and educational institutions.
City of Loveland Utilities serves as a not-for-profit power utility aligned with Platte River Power Authority, providing electricity to Loveland residents through locally controlled infrastructure and regional wholesale power arrangements.