BOARD MEMBER STEPPING ASIDE AFTER 60 YEARS

For the past six decades, Glenwood banker John Dean has been at the forefront of the Glenwood Municipal Utilities (GMU) Board.

He was there when the board made the controversial move to add fluoride to Glenwood’s water back in the 1950s. He’s been there for the construction of new water plants, new towers and storage tanks and the expansion of service to outlying areas. In 2003, the water board took over management and maintenance of the city sewer system.

Next month, Dean will officially step away from GMU after completing his 60th year on the board of directors. Dean became a member of what was known then as the water board in 1957, four years after it was founded. Dean Harman and Eliot Thomas were the board’s two original directors.

“We’ve always had people on the board who are good businessmen,” Dean said. “We’ve always held the position that this is going to be run like a business. We’re going to spend the public money more carefully than we spend our own.”

Dean says historically Glenwood has enjoyed having some of the lowest water rates in southwest Iowa because of GMU’s frugal spending habits, its accrual accounting system and a commitment to maintaining “top notch” equipment and employees.

“When we need money to make a new purchase for a main or plant, we have the money set aside to build it,” Dean said. “If we need a piece of equipment that costs $100,000, we have set aside $10,000 each year to cover the expense.”

Prior to formation of the board, Glenwood’s water system was managed by the city. Water was pumped from Keg Creek to Glenwood Lake and on to the treatment plant (now a house east of Keg Creek Brewing).

Formation of the water board would lead to several improvements being made over the years, starting with the automation and expansion of capacity at the old plant on Keg Creek and the decision to fluoridate the water.

“We fluoridated the water to reduce tooth decay for people. Dentists say it helped,” Dean noted. “Now, people are drinking bottled water and there’s an increase in cavities.”

New 600,000- and 650,000-gallon storage tanks would be built north and southeast of the city limits. Later, the water board took over operation of the Glenwood State Hospital-School plant, with wells on the “Pacific Junction Road” capable of meeting the needs of a local meat-packing plant.

The water board negotiated with Swift and Co. to help share in the cost of a new water plant.

“When Swift came in, we needed another plant. Swift was using almost as much water as the city and state school together,” Dean said. “We said ‘Gosh, if we build a plant that big and they leave town, we won’t have anybody to pay for their half. It would put heck of a burden on the city.’

“They paid for roughly half the cost of the plant. When they left town, we had a plant that was almost twice the size of what we needed, but that was wonderful because it didn’t cost us anything.”

Later, the board would make another shrewd move, Dean said, by purchasing land adjacent to the new plant from the state.

“The state owned 60 acres down there next to us. We thought we might want that for well fields sometime,” he said. “They sold us that 60 acres on contract for market price. We rented it for crop. Now, it earns us about $15,000-$20,000 in income. We’ve got the land for more wells if we need them. If we don’t need them, it’s a good deal for the water user anyway.”

Over the years, GMU expanded its service area in all directions – to Pacific Junction, a nearby industrial area and the Interstate 29 rest areas to the west, the “Catholic Church addition” to the east and Lake Ohana to the north.

“Father Kaufman came to us and asked if we could bring water to the Catholic Church addition. We said we’ll furnish the water, but you have to run the main to our specs,” Dean said. “We told him once you run the main, then we’ll take it over and you’ll have no expense after that. The main ran under Keg Creek.”

Dean said in all cases of expansion, the developer or government agency asking for the water is required to pay for the main being built to ensure water customers in Glenwood aren’t burdened with the additional expense.

“When the state came to us for water at the rest area on I-29, we said, ‘Yes, you can get it if you run a line,” Dean said. “We oversized the line up to the 29/34 interchange because we knew it would become an industrial area.”

Dean said the GMU board takes pride in not accumulating debt and keeping Glenwood water rates lower than rates in other southwest Iowa communities.

“In a listing of 68 towns in eight counties in southwest Iowa, Glenwood is the fourth lowest in average water bill,” he noted.
Glenwood’s sewer rates tilt in the other direction, but Dean said a goal of GMU board is to have both water and sewer be ranked in the lowest 10 percent among southwest Iowa communities.

“That’s been our policy all along – to keep the price down,” Dean said.
Dean’s replacement on the GMU board has yet to be named. Glenwood mayor Brian Tackett will make the appointment, which must be approved by the city council.

The GMU board is made up of five members. In addition to Dean, current directors are Doug Meggison, Dick Davis, Lonnie Mayberry and Vonnie Esterling. Members are appointed to serve six-year terms and receive an annual salary of $480.

Glenwood Water Board
GMU Board Members
Over The Years
Dean Harman (1953-61)
Eliot Thomas (1953-57)
* John Dean (1957-2016)
H.S. LaRue (1961-82)
Walter Marshall (1967-72)
Marvin Deitchler (1967-83)
Cleo Peterson (1982-94)
Darrell Mayberry (1983-2013)
* Doug Meggison (1995-)
* Dick Davis (2004-)
* Lonnie Mayberry (2006-)
* Vonnie Esterling (2013-)

* Denotes current members