Simply Essentials’ closing shouldn’t have major impact on new wastewater plant

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

It’s full steam ahead for the city’s planned water resource recovery facility.

The closure of Simply Essentials, the chicken processing plant that will close its doors in Charles City this August, should not affect the city’s plan to build an $19 million WRRF.

A public hearing was held Monday during a regular City Council meeting to discuss the replacement of the 54-year-old city wastewater treatment plant at 300 Shaw Avenue.

Plans for the facility upgrade have been in the works for several years. The fact that the city will lose $450,000 in annual revenue generated from Simply Essential’s use of water will not deter the general outline or makeup of the project, according to City Administrator Steve Diers.

“Simply Essentials was going to be a substantial part of revenue for our project,” said Diers. “They’re not the reason we’re doing the project alone.”

Diers said there could be some minor adjustments or tweaks to the recovery project. But every member of the council agreed that wholesale changes at this point would not be good for Charles City’s long-term outlook.

“We’re looking here at the future. We aren’t looking at the history of the last five minutes,” said council member Keith Starr. “If we constrain ourselves now, we’ve made a permanent or pretty long constraint for a long time. It would be nice to be ready for what comes.”

The construction of the WRRF will help eliminate nitrogen and phosphorus – two nutrients that have been identified by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources that are required to be reduced under the city’s most recent permit issuance in 2014.

Creation of equalization basins, that help with heavy water flows, is also a key component to the project.

Another facet of the proposed undertaking is reed bed installation. The bio-solids left over from treating wastewater creates a sludge that needs to be hauled off from the current site. Once completed, the beds will naturally dewater the sludge and be able to turn it into dry compost material that can easily be removed.

Diers said once the concrete oxidation ditches are poured, they can’t be expanded.

“It’s really hard to make too many cuts on this because we don’t know what might come in to replace that plant up there. Even if that doesn’t get filled up with another processor, we’re going to need that capacity elsewhere in town, somewhere, somehow – presumably, hopefully – if we want to continue to grow,” said Diers.

Bids could be sent out for the project as soon as August 8 and construction started as early as this fall. The new plant has a timeline that could see it online by the spring of 2021. Demolition of the old plant would be done by December 2021 and site restoration completed by May 2022, according to preliminary plans.

Lance Aldrich of Fox Engineering, who is doing the design work on the project, was at the meeting. Jean Mayne of the Iowa DNR was unable to attend.

Time could be on Charles City’s side in an effort to replace Simply Essentials, which will see more than 500 employees out of work.

“There is some time here to allow hopefully something good to happen on the north end of town with somebody coming back in. We’ve got a couple years here to work through this thing,” said council member DeLaine Freeseman.

Mayor Dean Andrews also talked about the prospect of a new business breaking ground on 75 acres of property that could be available for purchase soon at the proposed certified site near the Avenue of the Saints on the south side of Charles City.

Andrews reiterated the point that not making the WRRF big enough to accommodate business that may come into Charles City could prove detrimental down the road.

“We’re working on the new certified site on the south edge of town, too, so we have two sites of potential expansion. I don’t think we can cut ourselves short and say, ‘well, let’s not do very much now’ and then go, ‘I sure wish we would have made that like we were planning on doing it,’” said Andrews.

Also at the meeting Monday, the public transit system contract was renewed for another year. The current agreement runs out at the end of this month and the new contract starts on July 1.

The new one-year contract paid by the city to Circle K Communications, owned by Dan and Tammy Elthon, is for just over $61,000, or roughly $5,000 a month. Circle K took over operation of the public transit system last August.

“Every month has been an adventure,” said owner Tammy Elthon. “It’s definitely a needed service. It keeps many, many people living independently in our community, which they could not live on their own without it.”

The transit system has more than 800 passengers in its system and operates three buses within the Charles City limits. There is also one bus that makes three separate daily runs to Mason City. Eighty percent of those rides are doctor visits in Cerro Gordo County. The transit also picks up riders in Marble Rock, Floyd and Rockford on hard surface roads only.

For those rides outside the city limits, Circle K will attempt to negotiate a separate contract with Floyd County. Circle K has requested $30,000 annually or $2,500 a month.

Diers said there were many unknowns and unanswered questions when the city and Circle K partnered up to continue the service after long-time operation managers Joe and Jolene Hagarty retired last year.

“Last year when we were doing this we were all trying to figure out, OK, how is this going to work? Because none of us had any idea,” said Diers. “We took a stab in the dark on it and like I said, needless to say, it’s been a learning experience for all of us – overall, a very positive experience.”

The current contract with the city and Circle K is for $48,500. The contract renewal is an increase of $12,000 on the city’s side. Diers said just shy of $50,000 was budgeted for the new city contract. Diers said there is a strong cash balance in the specific fund that pays the transit if costs dictate an amendment to that particular budget.

Other action taken at the meeting is as follows:

– The council gave the green light to Ordinance 1132, which amends Chapters 136-138 that modify sidewalk requirements in Charles City. Property owners can now complete sidewalk construction on the city right-of-way abutting their properties. Owners will still need a permit and have the city’s engineering department inspect the work. They do not have to be licensed and bonded.

– The city’s annual one-day borrowing of $215,000 for such expenditures as tree removal, nuisance abatement and the Charley Western Trail Bridge demolition/replacement was approved. Resolution 87-19 provides the issuance of the general obligation corporate purpose note.