Suzanne A. Gebelein, of The Great American Rain Barrel Company, of Hyde Park, demonstrates how to use the “diverter” option which attaches to a downspout to improve the water collecting process. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
WESTFIELD – With a temporary water restriction being placed on the city of Westfield last month, residents were finally able to pick up their rain barrels which were ordered through the city in January.
An order of 56 barrels arrived in a U-Haul in City Hall’s parking lot yesterday, with residents coming to pick up their 60-gallon barrels at around 5:00 p.m.
While the vast majority of customers were residents of Westfield, Charles Darling, a water resource engineer for the Westfield Water Department, said that the offer was available to everybody.
“There were no limit to the towns who could purchase,” Darling said, “We advertised in Springfield, Westfield, all over the place.”
Delivering the barrels was Suzanne Gebelein, co-owner of The Great American Rain Barrel Company, a vendor who signed a contract with the state to provide the barrels in January at a fixed cost to residents.
“This is a state award, so the price is set at $69 dollars,” Darling said. “The barrels have two spigots, a higher one for filling watering cans and a lower one for hose attachments.”
Based out of the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston, and with a slogan “Good planets are darn hard to find. Let’s keep this one livable!” the GARB has been busy.
“We’ve delivered to about 50-55 communities in Massachusetts, including four or five in the Pioneer Valley,” said Gebelein, who lives in Dedham with her husband George, who she co-owns the business with. “We’ve sent out a dozen or so barrels to Rhode Island and Connecticut – about 300 communities nationwide.”
A subsidiary of a family food-importing company specializing in Mediterranean delicacies, Gebelein’s burgeoning barrel company has actually been selling and utilizing the barrels for the past two decades, patterning their 39″ tall by 24″ wide barrels after those their company received their olives in from Spain.
Izzi Otero, of Westfield, carries a rain barrel to a staging area in the rear of the City Hall parking lot yesterday for the many residents who pre-ordered the water saving devices. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
Available in brown, gray and green, or in unpainted gray or black, the barrels have been a hit.
“It’s been a very good year for us,” she said as she dragged another of the barrels off the U-Haul for a customer.
“I was looking last year for a large barrel, and Agway wanted $125 for almost the exact same product.” said Dawn Sienkeiwicz, a Westfield resident and gardening enthusiast. “For $69, this is a good deal. I’m very excited.”
Gebelein was also selling galvanized steel diverters with which barrel users could channel rain water into their newly acquired Great American Rain Barrels.
“We stand by our product and attribute our success to a strong community of like-minded citizens who not only care for their homes and gardens, but their communities and the earth that they live in,” said Gebelein.
