CHETOPA — The city of Chetopa is looking at making electrical system upgrades so a manufacturer can add a new piece of equipment and continue growing.
Fred Goddard and his son, Chris, who co-own Russell Creek Engineering, 617 N. 11th, in Chetopa, spoke to the Chetopa City Council at the Aug. 19 meeting.
Russell Creek purchased Ottawa Manufacturing on May 6, 2021, and has since continued to make the same buckets, bale handlers, grapples and pallet forks that customers expected from Ottawa, according to the company’s website. From the Chetopa site, Russell Creek sells and installs C5 bale beds, produces customizable portable red iron sheds and completes custom steel fabrication.
At the council meeting, the Goddards said they wanted to voice concerns about their electrical service, not to complaint but to work toward a solution.
Fred Goddard said the company is looking at adding a new machine that has increased power needs than the current machines. But the new machine would not work with the electrical service in place now at the company. Current operations are hampered at times because of insufficient current.
“Our machines won’t run during the day. We have to shut them off,” he said.
Russell Creek’s current cutting table runs on 100 amps and the new laser table needs a 240 amp service, the council heard.
The company has doubled employment to 10 in four years, the council heard.
“We need to continue that growth, but in order to do that we have to have constituted electric,” Fred Goddard said.
Chris Goddard said the company normally spends $10 in consumables to cut a sheet of half-inch steel plate. The week before the meeting, the company used $80 in consumables on one day and still did not get a full sheet of parts cut. When the machine is running, it’s not running well.
“And often times, it just won’t run because it’s smart enough to say, ‘I’m not getting enough juice to run at all,’” Chris Goddard said.
The company spent a lot of money on upgrading the building in 2021, the council heard, including new transfer switches.
An electrician working with the city has tried to boost power outside the manufacturing site but that did not resolve the issues.
The council after a discussion agreed to look at upgrading transformers and making other changes in the electrical system to help Russell Creek Engineering. The city runs its electrical utility but buys power from the Kansas Municipal Energy Agency.
