Bob Keller retires from JCHC Board after 32 years

FAIRFIELD – Bob Keller has retired from the Jefferson County Health Center Board after 32 years of service.

Keller was chair of the board during a pivotal time for the health center when it moved into its new building in 2009.

“That was quite the treat, moving the hospital,” Keller remarked.

Keller’s final meeting was Feb. 3, and taking his place on the board is Alex Roth. Keller owned and operated Bob’s Automotive from 1983 until 2020, when he sold the business to Smithburg Automotive. Keller and his wife Mary remain active in their church, First Baptist Church, and Bob is still a member of the Fairfield Lions Club. Mary also works part-time at the JCHC gift shop.

Keller said he felt it was time to move on from the JCHC Board.

“It was getting to be a hassle to stay in town for meetings,” he said. “And the older we get, the more we want to do what we want to do.”

Keller said that, now that he has fewer responsibilities, he and Mary are looking forward to more traveling.

“We’ll do some sight-seeing and see family,” Keller said. “Our grandson is a senior in Ankeny, and he just finished his wrestling for the year. We made it a point to attend all his meets. We have a granddaughter left in school, who will be following through with her stuff a few more years in Ankeny also.”

Keller said he joined the JCHC Board 32 years ago because he felt he could do more to give back to his community. He and Harry Stever resurrected the Fairfield Jaycees (Junior Chamber of Commerce), but wanted to do something more than that. He liked the idea of serving on the health center’s board because it felt less politically challenging than being on city council.

Keller said that, when he joined the board, the hospital was undergoing an expansion at its old location in what is now Prestige Care Center. The hospital wanted to close one of the streets, but that was met with opposition from the neighbors. Eventually, the board decided that it made more sense to build a new hospital on the south side of town.

“It would take less time to build a new hospital, and not take that much more money, than trying to do six to eight projects on the old hospital,” Keller said.

Keller said one of the things he’s most proud of is that the current tax levy for the health center is the lowest it’s been in almost 30 years.

“Our tax levy is so much lower than any of the county hospitals around us,” he said. “We’ve made it a point to keep taxes down, and we’re doing well with that.”

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com