by: Mark Fritsch, General Manager
Open House:
It was great to see so many of you at our open house. We had a wonderful time giving tours and visiting. The event greatly exceeded our expectations, and we were pleasantly surprised to see close to 1200 people attend throughout the day. The large attendance needed additional employees to help out. Instead of tours every half hour, they were occurring every fifteen minutes. Group sizes averaged twenty and were as large as thirty. One tour group included a 99 year old and another had an eight week old baby. Renata Emmans was the 99 year old and will turn 100 in September. She had recently retired from Walmart after 28 years there. Congratulations Renata!
The event started with the VFW raising the flags on the new poles for the first time. A ribbon cutting and dedication event included the unveiling of the dedication plaque, along with speeches by Mayor Tom Kuntz, Commissioner Scott Schreiner and me. Tours began after the dedication ceremony. A video showcasing the project from start to finish was continuously being shown in the B&W conference room. This room was named after one of our boiler manufacturers and was used as the staging area for tours. Each tour took about 45 minutes. The tour guides used designated routes and pointed out key design elements and historical notes throughout the tours. The historical items arranged in the south entrance hallway were a highlight of the tour. Special thanks to Shawn Pelot for his work on this.
Several of our construction vendors gave us flower arrangements in recognition of the dedication. Jimmy John’s stopped by and gave us sixty sub samples to share with employees and customers.
Many of you shared stories about the plant including reminiscing about the steam whistle reminding you to get home for dinner and curfew. One gentleman recounted his first job as a youth was at Rexall Drug; he would come down to the power plant to fill up bottles of distilled water for free and then sell them for a nickel each at the drugstore. The overarching theme we heard from those that came through was a sincere gratitude for preserving the building. We also heard many positive comments about the re-use of the floor grating as railings, the spectacular views, and the natural lighting. Visitors came from many places including Rochester and the Twin Cities.
By the end of the event, employees were overwhelmed with positive recognition from our community, and worn out. My deepest appreciation and thanks to all involved and special thanks to Tammy Schmoll for planning the Open House events.
