After retiring in 2018, Jim Bogenreif received a keepsake clock thanking him for his dedication to the city and stating, ‘Cherish every moment - you have earned it!’
Betty Bogenreif confirmed the rumors that Breckenridge teenagers used to climb up the water tower. She said one time her husband James Bogenreif, had to guide someone down from the tower.
Breckenridge’s Director of Public Services Neil Crocker shows the old-school weight and bobber system used at the old water plant to monitor the level of the underground clear well in 2019. He said he hopes Justin Neppl keeps the feature in the building once it's been remodeled.
The water plant's front office looks as if it was abandoned. Cans of chewing tobacco, a hat, a half-drank energy drink and papers strewn about tell stories of a place once teeming with employee activity.
A storage room is still filled with the items that were once used in the building. A visible layer of dust and grime cover the surface of every object.
Betty Bogenreif confirmed the rumors that Breckenridge teenagers used to climb up the water tower. She said one time her husband James Bogenreif, had to guide someone down from the tower.
Breckenridge’s Director of Public Services Neil Crocker shows the old-school weight and bobber system used at the old water plant to monitor the level of the underground clear well in 2019. He said he hopes Justin Neppl keeps the feature in the building once it's been remodeled.
The water plant's front office looks as if it was abandoned. Cans of chewing tobacco, a hat, a half-drank energy drink and papers strewn about tell stories of a place once teeming with employee activity.
A storage room is still filled with the items that were once used in the building. A visible layer of dust and grime cover the surface of every object.
Nearly a foot of unplowed snow sits softly surrounding the old Breckenridge water plant. Frost slowly creeps around each window of the empty building like an invasive thicket of blackberries.
Dust and mildew have infiltrated every nook and cranny of the facility that provided water to the city’s citizens less than three years ago. Even now, with the hand-cranked levers and valves, aged machinery and structural damage, it’s hard to imagine the water plant running safely and smoothly decades ago, let alone just a few years.
“It looks like the inside of this building has aged 20 years in the past two years,” Breckenridge Director of Public Service Neil Crocker said.
Most citywide water plants last between 40-50 years, according to engineering experts. While they can last longer with upgrades and renovations, Crocker said the most important factor in longevity is having an operator who takes tremendous pride and ownership in the facility.
After retiring in 2018, Jim Bogenreif received a keepsake clock thanking him for his dedication to the city and stating, ‘Cherish every moment - you have earned it!’
Jim Bogenreif, often known as “Bogie”, worked for the city of Breckenridge for more than four decades. For 40 years he oversaw all of the city’s water supply, effectively touching the lives of thousands of his fellow citizens.
“This was Jim’s life for 42 years,” Crocker said. “He was the one who kept this place going.”
In addition to the city’s water plant, Jim also oversaw the Breckenridge Family Aquatic Center, according to his wife Betty Bogenreif, who is also called Bogie from time to time. She said he would go out, even on the weekends, to fix whatever was needed.
Through the years, Jim gave the job his all because he knew he was working for all the citizens of Breckenridge. He was a spiritual person and brough that hope and faith to work daily.
“He would say a prayer every morning before he even started to make sure the day was good,” Betty remembered. “He knew that anything could break down at any time.”
Some days Jim wasn’t able to leave the plant, so Betty would often make an effort to bring him something warm to eat for lunch. She said they would sit and visit as he ate the lunch she brought, all the time.
Betty said Jim also enjoyed giving tours to the local youth.
“They were always full of questions,” she laughed. “He loved the kids.”
Even with the rapidly-aging infrastructure, Jim managed to keep the facility running smoothly. However, this didn’t stop him from advocating for a new water plant to be built.
“He tried to fix everything that he could, but it was getting so old you couldn’t hardly find parts anymore,” Betty said. “He worked on getting a new one, but kept getting turned down because it was expensive.”
“He knew it was time,” she added.
The city finally decided to build a new water plant after a news article examined the aging infrastructure, according to Betty. She said the city started working to get grants to fund the project soon after.
After more than 80 years in service, the water plant endured bandage after infrastructural bandage until the city finally broke ground on a new facility in September 2017.
The new water plant was fully operational just a year after Jim’s retirement, but the work he did to push for improved city infrastructure was vital. Even after he retired, Jim managed to continue touching the lives of his fellow citizens. By volunteering at St. Francis, he managed to build relationships with many of the people there.
Jim passed away in November 2022, after a tough battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. Now, as a new future is in sight for the building he spent nearly two thirds of his life in, Jim’s memory lives on through his family.
“I’ll always have memories of that place,” Betty said, smiling in remembrance. “Forty years is a long time.”
This is the second installment about the old Breckenridge water plant. Look forward to future coverage of the building as it’s morphed into a local business.
I am an editor, reporter, photographer and page designer working on everything from arts and education to public meetings and crime. After trading evergreens for sugar beets, I hope to produce meaningful content for those throughout my coverage area. Always feel free to reach out with any questions, concerns or story ideas.
