Clock installed at Carnegie Museum commemorates Roseville Electric’s 100 years
By: Roseville Press Tribune Photography by Philip Wood
Roseville Electric Director Michelle Bertolino, left, and Roseville Mayor Pauline Roccucci put electrical paraphernalia into a time capsule that will be opened in 25 years during the utility’s centennial clock dedication outside Carnegie Museum on Thursday.
Roseville Electric employees Will Baker, left, and Kyle Giesser close the time capsule filled with electrical paraphernalia that will be opened in 25 years. The time capsule was placed in the base of the centennial clock during the utility’s centennial clock and time capsule dedication ceremony on Thursday morning.
Roseville Electric Director Michelle Bertolino makes a presentation at the utility’s centennial clock and time capsule dedication ceremony outside Carnegie Museum on Thursday morning. A time capsule was placed in the base of the clock and will be opened in 25 years.
The Centennial Clock was dedicated Thursday morning outside the Carnegie Museum in Roseville. "We are thrilled that Roseville Electric decided this was the place for this clock to be because it adds so much to the grounds of this museum," said Carnegie Museum Curator Phoebe Astill.
It didn't take long before some of Roseville's original citizens got upset over their electric service.
In 1909, 37 residents signed a petition criticizing the poor service provided by a private utility company. So what happened next? Citizens voted 237 to 28 in 1910 to approve a bond for the city to build its own electric light and power distribution system.
By October 1912, 150 customers were receiving power from the new municipal utility. Roseville Electric's centennial was celebrated Thursday with the installation and dedication of a clock and time capsule outside Carnegie Museum.
Roseville Electric now serves more than 54,000 customers, said Director Michelle Bertolino during the ceremony.
"I can tell you that having our own electric utility is an investment that pays dividends," she said.
~ Sena Christian