North Alton-Godfrey Business Council Recognizes New Byway Attraction and Riverbend CEO Program
At its November meeting, Ed Barrett of Barrett Heating and Cooling was the guest speaker. The council highlighted student connections with local businesses, plus the new Discovery Center.
GODFREY — Connecting students with local businesses and expanding tourism opportunities led the discussion Tuesday, Nov. 10, as the North Alton-Godfrey Business Council gathered at the Ranch House for its November meeting.
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C.W. “Zeke” Jabusch, the council’s president and founder, praised the Riverbend CEO program’s work connecting students with area businesses and highlighted the opening of the Great Rivers Byway Discovery Center near Lockhaven Road.
Casey Hamburg, a Riverbend CEO facilitator, attended with six of the program’s 17 students: Liam Rorie, Reese Bechtold, Colleen Meisenheimer, Jake Campbell, Daniel Bennett and Ethan McLeod.
“I salute the CEO program for work they do,” Jabusch said.
Jabusch described the Discovery Center’s location as a positive step toward serving the entire byway and providing another attraction for visitors.
Jabusch also highlighted the opening of the Great Rivers Byway Discovery Center facility near Lockhaven Road, describing its location as a positive step toward serving the entire byway.
"We have a piece of beauty that is not found anywhere else in the United States; the 12-mile route starts at Hartford, ends with the Discovery Center, and beyond. The Great River Road is part of that in the beautiful aspect.
"We are very blessed to have the Discovery Center. It will be a nice added feature for tourism for people who visit the area. Phase 2 of the project will include park and recreational efforts for the river area and will be within walking distance of the Discovery Center. It will allow people to participate in kayaking, boating, fishing, and nature activities for those who love the outdoors.
“I think it was a positive direction for Great Rivers and Routes organization and serves the byway well," he added.
Guest speaker Ed Barrett of Barrett Heating and Cooling discussed his family’s business history and the services the company provides. He is the fifth generation at the family business headquartered at 500 Belle St, Alton.
Barrett, who works in sales, traced the business to his great-great-grandfather’s sheet metal shop in 1896, with heating work beginning in 1906. He said his grandparents bought the business in 1960 and ran it until the mid-1980s, when his father and uncle Jay bought them out.
Barrett said the shop has an invoice from 1902 for a complete sheet metal job that cost 18 cents.
He also outlined the company’s work, including equipment service and installations involving furnaces, heat pumps, geothermal systems, humidifiers, fireplaces, water heaters and generators, as well as gas leak repairs. Asked about older equipment, Barrett recalled visiting a house with a large gravity-style furnace and said some older furnaces and boilers remain in operation.
Meeting announcements included a school district volunteer opportunity to listen to children read before school in the morning.
Members also heard about a Veterans Concert sponsored by the Alton-Godfrey Rotary, featuring the Glendale Riders at 7 p.m. Saturday at Lewis and Clark. Tickets are $20.
The Ranch House served a breakfast of bacon, sausage, eggs, biscuits and gravy. The council’s next gathering will be its Christmas meeting at Asbury Village.
Grace Schwarte provided information and photographs for this story.
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