After several months of planning and numerous bottles of Tylenol, the new shop and plant at Independence gets started!

In February 2001, we started demolition of our old storage barn. We also started going through our old parts inventory. This turned out to be quite a job because most of the parts had been here since the 1960’s.

In March 2001, we started to dismantle the old shop building. Starting sometime in April, Lonny White and crew moved in. They moved several thousand tons of dirt, old concrete, and limestone. They also demolished and buried the old shop. In June, Larson Construction of Independence moved in and started on plant and shop footings. Blount Excavating of Independence put in new city water & sewer. Minco Electric of Oelwein and Independence Plumbing & Heating stubbed in plumbing & electrical.

Our new shop will be a 115’ x 80’ steel frame building with 18’ high ICF Lite-Form concrete walls. The inside shop building will be a 55’ x 60’ area housing dispatch, DOT lab, parts room, restrooms, lunch room, showroom, and offices.

The plant building is an 80’ x 30’ x 54’ high steel frame building covering a Con-E-Co Lo Pro Plant with drive over dump pits.

As of Thanksgiving 2001, the shop structure is 75% completed. We’re hoping to be in the new shop by the first of the year. The plant building is about 60% complete. We’re shooting for March to start the new plant.

The interior plumbing & electrical started this week. This puts us about 2 weeks ahead of schedule on that phase.

The concrete around the outside of the building is about 50% complete. We’re hoping for 2 to 3 more weeks of decent weather. With some luck, we’ll finish the outside concrete yet this year.