A watershed moment

Britt residents to receive reverseosmosis treated water from new plant

Summit-Tribune

Britt is undertaking generational, transformational improvements to its water system with the construction of its new water-treatment plant.

Necessary to ensure water quality, regulatory compliance, and fire protection deep into the 21st century, Britt has been adding needed components over several years. A new water tower was installed and put into service with a price tag of nearly $1.3 million, increasing capacity from the red capped historic 1937 water tower, the city’s oldest.

Both City Administrator

Elizabeth Ibarra and Britt

Mayor Ryan Arndorfer noted the increased capac- ity of the new tower improves water pressure and allows for future expansion.

Replacement of water mains for distribution and routing untreated water from a city well to the new treatment facility are also part of the overall project.

“Henkel Construction is the general contractor on the project and Bolton and Menk, our engineers,” Ibarra said. “Henkel is great at communicating with the residents a ected. They personally go to the house and let them know if water or roads will be disrupted.

Henkel Construction tries to schedule disruptions during the day when no one is home.”

The bid for the plant was just over $5.8 million. The schedule calls for the new plant to be completed by 2024 if all goes as planned. Both Ibarra and Arndorfer said the city has been

SUNDAY, MARCH 26, 2023 | SECTION H

ROB HILLESLAND

Summit-Tribune

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, witnessed something special Jan. 10 at the Original Saw Company, a family-owned and operated business in Britt during her visit there .

“Small business is the vast majority of business in Iowa,” Ernst said. ”These small businesses are vitally important to Iowa.”

However, the Original Saw Company in Britt is not so small and has found its market niche over the years.

Laurie and Bob Eden moved the Original Saw Company component of the business from Des Moines to Britt in 1989, bringing Jones’ Machinery into the fold in 1990. More recently, Allen and Jennifer Eden have brought in the business’s a liation with Williams & Hussey Machine Co., which makes custom molders that can produce perfect mop board, trim and more for customers. The original “Original Saw Company” sign is relocated inside, which provides photo opportunities to visitors.

“It looks a lot di erent,” said Ernst, who noted the Original Saw Company was one of the first businesses she toured after becoming a senator.

“To see expansion to small businesses that are growing during some di cult times is exciting.”

A noticeable change when walking in the front door is a new lobby as well as o ce and meeting space.

“This was done in 2018,” Allen Eden said. “A woodshop for table tops was inside the front door. We were stacked on top of each other. It was terrible. Now, we have new space and even a conference room.”

Loft space also was added in one of the company’s two adjacent buildings at 465 Third Avenue S.E. The loft is used to build control panels. There is about 20,000 square feet of space total in the two buildings. Twenty-three employees are on the payroll, including two with Jones Machinery.

“I can’t believe all this space you have,” Ernst said.

“At first, it was like ‘I could not believe how much space,’ but then it was ‘why didn’t we put up more?’”

Jennifer Eden said. “We really stress American made.”

The company takes pride in things being American-made, with 99% of materials American-based. It also makes motors, switches, electrical parts and more for American-made machines. It specializes in the manufacture of woodand metal-working equipment.

“It’s pretty exciting,” said Production Manager Gary Zeitler of hosting Ernst. “I’ve been here 24 years. I started working for his (Allen’s) dad. Working for a family business like this one is something special.”

Ernst also visited with Allen and Jennifer Eden’s daughter, Delaney, about her future plans.

“I’ve helped in the office and worked in the shop once,” said Delaney Eden, who noted her mother handles social media and marketing for the company and does sometimes seek her feedback.

Zeitler and Allen Eden provided the senator a demonstration of custom tooling, which entails making knives by grinding them into shape.

“They’re so specialized,” said Zeitler of the master design tools. “If someone is restoring an old house, they can duplicate old trim.”

“A lot of people have old Victorian homes,” Ernst said. “If they want to do something, restoration, it’s a big deal.”

“One year ago, we redid our website to do more e-commerce,” Jennifer Eden said. “Soon, we were selling $6,000 and $7,000 machines online. I didn’t know if anybody would buy large machines, but they do”

Allen Eden said that the focus was intended to be just for small things, but there was customer demand for the machines.

No family business can be without a pet helping to oversee operations — Original Saw Company is no exception. An 11-year-old feline, Rocky, was on a table overseeing employees who were winding motors during the Ernst visit. Employees cheerfully said that “Rocky rules,” noting the cat has been a fixture there for many years.

Jennifer Eden said the hand-wound motors are baked before moving over to the shop.

“These two (employees) are always two weeks ahead and always have motors ready,” she said. “It is really great that we started making everything right here in little Britt.”

Ernst asked if there were any signs of business slowing down and how the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted operations.

“There is nobody else do- ing this at our quality level,” Zeitler said. “So, it’s good for us.”

Allen Eden said they stayed busy through the pandemic, but noted some business supply issues cropped up.

“We’ve found with other manufacturers that they’re stockpiling a lot more because of uncertainty,” Ernst said.

Allen Eden reported inventory is about one-third higher now due to supply issues. He said getting the right vendors has been key for Original Saw Company and noted optimism about being “over the hump” on most issues, acknowledging increased focus on supply now.

In another demonstration, Ernst saw the company-made flip and fixed stops that would soon be headed to Home Depot, which help guide lumber correctly through sawing. It is one of a number of tools and items that wind up in big box stores. The stops are also available for customer order directly through Original Saw Company.

She also witnessed employees using 64-inch panel saws with 22-inch crosscuts, prepping items for shipping to Lowe’s, a regional buyer.

“We can customize machines for different voltages and different phases,” Jennifer Eden said. “It’s customized for power for their buildings and individual needs. The flexibility of customizing motors and other options is pretty important.” fortunate to not be as adversely impacted by increased costs of construction or materials, common amid supply-chain constraints.

Allen Eden said training for new employees involves a lot of hands-on learning and on-the-job training. He noted the company has worked closely with North Iowa Area Community College and Iowa State University’s Center for Industrial Research and Service. After 22 years in Des Moines, it was no accident the original business landed back in Britt where there is family.

“It’s all about that smalltown pride,” he said.

Employee Eric Koele, who has returned to his hometown of Britt, echoed Eden’s sentiment about working at the small-town business.

“I handle all the shipping and receiving,” Koele said. “I miss some things in Des Moines, but one year in here, I love a lot of things about a small town.” rob hillesland is community editor for the Summit-Tribune. he can be reached at 641-421-0534, or by email at rob.hillesland@globegazette. com.

“Our biggest delay was at the very start and was because we were waiting for final approval of the plans from the DNR,” Ibarra said. “This backlog with the DNR caused the project to begin three months later than expected.”

“We’ve had a few material and equipment delays, but nothing too significant as of yet,” Arndorfer said. “There have not been any substantial price increases.”

The city’s 1955 plant and equipment is obsolete and in such poor condition it could not be rehabilitated to meet stricter water quality standards. The new treatment plant will remove more manganese and other contaminants. The new facility requires more space due to modern equipment, so reverse-osmosis treatment was selected as the most cost effective.

“Construction of the new plant has stayed relatively on track after the initial 90day delay,” Ibarra said. “According to our engineers, when the new reverse-osmosis filtration system is up and running, residents will no longer need to use their in-home water softening systems. I have heard many residents excited about the reverse-osmosis system. They won’t need to buy water softeners anymore.”

Arndorfer noted the existing plant has long exceed its life expectancy. Bolton & Menk officials say with proper care and maintenance the new plant also could well exceed the stated design life, lasting 65 years or more and assuring clean drinking water.

“The life expectancy of the new water tower is typically given at 40 to 60 years, though most towers can also experience a longer useful life if regular maintenance is performed,” Ibarra said.

Both Ibarra and Arndorfer said the city expects a smooth transition from the existing water treatment plant to the new one being built nearby. Ibarra credited Public Works Director Vance Hagen for effectively communicating about the much-needed water system improvements.

“We needed a new water tower and plant. ... In these cases, you need to have someone listen and take what that person, who is an expert in their job, says seriously. Mayor Arndorfer listened and the ball started rolling. Our council also took it very seriously and voted it through to make it happen. Maggie Burger with

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Speer Financial also helped with the financial aspect. They all worked together and gave us the support and information to allow us to build the tower and plant.” rob hillesland is community editor for the Summit-Tribune. he can be reached at 641-421-0534, or by email at rob.hillesland@globegazette. com.