Mark Peters

Work underway on new vet clinic

By RICK MORAIN

For The Jefferson Herald

Dr. Mark Peters, proprietor of Jefferson Veterinary Clinic, is targeting the first part of December for the opening of his new clinic building on U.S. Highway 30.

General contractor JMJ Construction of Churdan last week started erection of the 4,000-square-foot structure on the new clinic site just east of the Super 8 motel on the south side of the highway. 

Peters bought the 1.7-acre site from the Greene County Development Corp. Recent rain has slowed progress a little on the building, but it’s steadily moving ahead. 

Peters designed the new building himself on graph paper, then turned it over to Tri-County Lumber for the final interior design.  

“We’re excited,” he said. “It’s going to give us a better environment to practice. Efficiency is the goal of every business, and this is more efficient in every way.”

The new building features 3,000 square feet for the small animal clinic and 1,000 square feet for the large animal facility. Unlike the present clinic on South Wilson Avenue, just south of the Square, there will be separate doors “for coming and going,” Peters said.

At present, the clinic lab, X-ray room and second exam room all share the same space. That will change with the new facility. 

Peters’ former partner, Scott Sievers, with whom he practiced for 22 years, retired in December. Peters has been looking for another veterinarian for the clinic ever since. He has put his name in at six Upper Midwest universities that have veterinary science programs.

He will be attending an Iowa State University job fair for fourth-year vet med students this month in Ames to try to recruit someone. 

“I need to have someone who will work with cattle and be on call,” he said. “If I can get them to visit here, I can sell Greene County and the Jefferson Veterinary Clinic. The new clinic will help me with recruiting.”

Jefferson Veterinary Clinic has a long tenure in the community. Sievers bought the business from John Wand and Robert Telleen in 1988, and they both continued to work with him for a short time after that. 

Peters joined Sievers in the practice 22 years ago and became a partner two years later. 

Today, the support staff includes Theresa Durbin, who started at the clinic 22 years ago, two months after Peters, and Stephanie Eliserio, who has worked there for two years.

Peters likes the variety of working with both large and small animals.

He grew up on an acreage near Independence, Iowa, and worked for a lot of farmers in that area. He received his bachelor of science degree in animal science in 1992 and his doctorate of veterinary medicine in 1996, both from Iowa State. 

Peters is president of the Greene County school board. He has coached a lot of Little League baseball and youth football here.

He and his wife Carrie are parents of three children: Kyle is a freshman at Iowa State, Clayton is a sophomore at Greene County High School, and Alexa is an eighth grader at Greene County Middle School.

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Jefferson, IA 50129

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