By Joe Green, Director, Gas, Water & Generation
Our iconic OWATONNA POWER PLANT sign is back in place following a complete makeover and upgrade. After 75 years the sign was still in relatively good shape but in need of some attention. The letters were all rewired, many needed minor repairs and all were sandblasted and painted to match the original color. The major upgrade to the sign was the neon letters were replaced with Light Emitting Diodes (LED) technology. The feedback we received from many customers and even a few visitors was “it looks great and glad to see its back”. Much of the credit goes to Precision Sign out of Austin as they helped us to replicate the original look of the neon sign. We all look forward to the sign spending another 75 years on the plant and welcoming all traveling by on Main Street.
It has been just over two years since the Straight River flooded out the surrounding area and power plant. After the flood we had to move affected departments into temporary quarters and wait for approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to begin work on repurposing the power plant. With the recent approval from FEMA, demolition inside the power plant will begin in early November and is expected to last until next spring. The next phase will mark the beginning of a new era with the power plant and the start of consolidating departments and new office space into the plant. Rachel Contracting of St. Michaels, MN will start with abatement of asbestos prior to demolition and removal of the internal boilers, turbines and equipment. It’s an exciting time for us and we will continue to provide periodic updates as this project progresses.
Finally, new customers will be served by our utility in the future and it comes in the form of large commercial trucks and vehicles using clean burning compressed natural gas (CNG) for their fuel. The Kwik Trip gas station located out by Cabela’s contacted us to install natural gas service to their previously all electric store. The large 4” natural gas line will provide natural gas to compressors that will serve a CNG filling station for these vehicles. Companies that buy CNG vehicles or convert them from diesel to CNG will have significantly lower fuel costs. The CNG station is expected to be ready in November.