Austin Vance helps keep the lights on in Fort Collins.
As a line crew chief for the city’s Light and Power electric utility, he and his team are responsible for the infrastructure that delivers electricity to more than 79,000 customers with an advertised 99.99% reliability. He couldn’t do it without his neighbor.
Before Vance and his wife started their family, the woman next door made them an offer: Whenever they had kids, she’d take care of them. That arrangement now allows both parents to hold jobs, and it’s what keeps Vance showing up for a community that depends on him.
“It allows me to have a career,” he said. “It allows my wife to have a career. It’s vital to me.”…