By Danielle Ray, Senior Reporter
Longtime Town resident Darren Borge is taking over as Sterling Municipal Light Department (SMLD) General Manager in the wake of Sean Hamilton retiring. Borge has been at SMLD for 13 years and ran the operations department until being named Assistant General Manager this spring.
“I enjoy the ever-evolving industry and the new innovative technologies coming out every day and how we can use those technologies to better help ourselves and the customers we serve,” Borge said, “but the biggest thing I enjoy though is working for the people we serve. I have a lot of friends and family in this community, and being from this community I have a lot of loyalty and appreciation for everyone in it. Being a familiar face for a customer that may have a question or concern about their power bill or a low hanging wire, I believe helps with them trusting that we do have their best interest in mind, in any and all decisions we make as a department.”
Borge and his wife were both raised in Sterling and lived there until 2014 when they bought a house in Princeton where they are raising their two children. His parents live in town, and he attended the elementary and middle schools in Sterling.
Borge graduated from Wachusett Regional High School in 2003, and in 2008 he completed an Energy Utilities Technology Certificate Program at Quinsigamond Community College. He has attended many other continuing education and night school classes and programs at University of Massachusetts Lowell and Mount Wachusett Community College.
Borge started working at SMLD on August 18, 2008, just four months prior to the ice storm that wreaked havoc on the region.
“I have learned over the years that you have to be adaptable to change, and that not any day is the same as the last,” he said.
Borge said there are 13 SMLD employees including himself, and that they have summer help starting on June 1.
“We are currently gathering applications for a Fiber Install Tech position that we look to fill in the next few weeks,” he said.
Hamilton said he had full confidence recommending Borge to the SMLD Light Board as the new general manager.
“He is very smart and has a grasp on the latest technology, which is what SMLD will need to compete as we go into the future,” Hamilton said. “Customers want more and more information along with different payment options and with all the projects we have done like AMI, GIS, OMS and now fiber, the table has been set and Darren is the person to lead SMLD. He has been a big part of our successful projects and having grown up in Sterling he has a special commitment to the community, and I am very confident he will do well.”
Borge said his goals and plans for SMLD, both current and future, include continuing to look for grants and other opportunities “that will help improve our service and keep our rates competitive.”
He also plans to continue with the SMLD program “to build a stronger reliable electrical distribution system and to expedite outage restoration times with the use of smart devices complemented by our second-generation AMI metering and Outage Management Systems.”
“With these systems we will be able to notify customers with outage and restoration notification through email, text or the SMLD phone app that is under development, that will also include a link to outage web map,” Borge said. “This app will also have usage breakdown and bill payment options.”
He said they are looking to expand the fiber network that was put in place last year and will be working with other town departments on a downtown revitalization project that will include electric vehicle chargers in the center of town.
“With working with Sean, our SMLD board, local legislatures, and the SMLD staff on these alternative energy projects, I see the need and benefits of these types of projects for the SMLD customers,” Borge said. “Projects like these will help us meet the roadmap requirements for increasing renewable energy and reducing carbon emissions – these requirements are needed to meet the admissions goals for 2050.”
Borge said he is grateful to the SMLD Light Board for giving him the opportunity to serve as general manager.
“I will do my best to continue to improve the SMLD and all the services that we provide for the town of Sterling.”
COURTESY: Darren Borge