News > We Work For You – Line Design Engineers

We Work For You – Line Design Engineers

April 2025

At Stearns Electric Association, our mission is member focused. In everything we do, a team of dedicated employees is behind the scenes working on behalf of our member-consumers. 

When you are at home and you need electricity, it’s a seamless process. If you need a light, you turn on the switch and voila! If you want to charge your phone, you plug in your charger and bam! Magic? Not exactly. Providing reliable electricity to our members throughout our service territory is a core part of our mission. Our engineering department – specifically our line design engineers – ensure that your home, farm or business is properly connected to our local distribution system so you have the power you rely on when you need it. 

TYPICAL DAY
Stearns Electric’s line design engineers ensure our members have reliable electricity on their property. Often, their days are booked with member appointments to determine how to get electric service to new structures like homes, sheds, campsites, irrigators or commercial buildings. 

Our line design engineers also work on larger development jobs, such as road construction projects, that require Stearns Electric to move existing utilities to accommodate projects being driven by the state or county. 

Outside of new construction, many projects come directly from the Cooperative’s construction work plan, a strategically planned project list that aims to enhance reliability across our distribution system by replacing and upgrading older equipment and power lines. 

How long does it take to stake in, plan for and energize a new project? Typically, the line design engineers will visit the requested site, flag the route and have a construction estimate ready for the member before they leave for their next appointment. 

“When it comes to the construction of a project, each project is different and takes different amounts of time. Several factors go into planning a project, such as what needs to be done to get service to where a member would like, how far we need to build new infrastructure from existing power lines, and what permits or permission we may need from various government entities or landowners. A simple job in a new residential development can take one hour while a road construction job could take over a year.”

TOOL TIME
Due to the nature of their jobs, the line design engineers typically spend most of their time in the field. Outside of their computer, which is loaded with proper staking software, some of the equipment they rely on includes: 

• Metal Detector – used to locate lot (or property) pins. Lot pins are small pieces of metal buried in the dirt to mark property boundaries.
• Underground Locator – used to locate existing underground lines and wires to route flags for new services. This ensures new routes are not placed on top of existing lines.
• Cable Height Meter– used to determine the height of existing overhead powerlines.