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(1994)
A short reprieve from a prolonged cold stretch that began before Christmas and has carried
through brutally for nearly two months may have lulled some of us into a false sense that it was all over and that
spring was right around the corner. But it didn't fool anyone at the city water department.
This crew of nine has been burning the candle at both ends, working virtually around the
clock in many, many cases to keep the juices flowing throughout the community. Water Department Superintendent
Bud Clarke, says it has "been like fighting a war day after day." And on one occasion this week he just
pulled the plug (no pun intended) and sent everyone home early so that the crew could get some much needed rest.
In all, seven water department workers, Bill Kellis, John Kellis, Harry Killips, Kevin Garland,
Chuck Dorsey, Mike Bosely and Tom Bourque, have been putting in anywhere from 53-60 hours of overtime each week
for the past five weeks. Clarke said that water workers generally average about 125 hours of overtime for an entire
year. Since January 1 this year 1,256 hours of overtime have been logged. For the entire calendar year of 1993...
656 hours of overtime were worked in the water department.
The city workers are bleary and weary but they've continued the assault on the frozen water
mains and feeder lines to residences through the worst winter and freezing conditions on record. And they aren't
fooled, knowing full well that the frost is six feet deep in some areas of the city and that some of those lines
will be frozen until mid-April..In some areas temporary plastic water lines have been run above ground, down alleys
and paths to keep business links alive; in others, home owners have been hauling water for a month with no hope
of getting back into the loop until real spring and a true and lasting thaw occurs.
And while the Fab 7 has been putting a full-court press on the burgeoning freezing
problems, Clarke and Wilma Rushford have been trying to hold down the fort and the telephones to the tune of 16
hours or more a day.
For all of them, we'd like to join the growing legion heaping accolades. Someone once said
that the true strength of community is measured from within. The workers in the water department have demonstrated
a huge strength for all of us to draw from.
It probably isn't very fashionable anymore, but we should all hug a water worker today.
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November, 1999
To the Editor:
On Saturday Nov. 13, I awoke to a broken water main in the alley behind my house on Park
Street. I immediately called the Water Department Emergency number and talked with Technician Monroe at the City
Police Department. She gathered the pertinent information from me and told me that she would be contacting the
on-call person for the Water Department, who arrived in virtually no time at all.
Within a very short period of time, he had contacted the phone and gas companies and the
necessary members of a repair crew. With their equipment at the scene, they began the work of finding the break
and making repairs. They worked quickly and with a noticeable air of competence. Upon finding the broken section
of the main they made repairs and put the area back into as near a pristine state as was possible.
The manner in which they went about affecting the repair was highly commendable. They acted
professionally and efficiently. They are to be commended for their skill level and dedication to the city. We are
fortunate to have such people as employees.
The gentlemen were: Tim Pace, Jeff Killips, Bill Kellis, John Kellis, and Bill Anderson.
I would like to have a copy placed in all five employees' personnel files along with my gratitude for a job well
done. From discovery to repair in four hours on the opening weekend of deer season is a feat probably not accomplished
in many areas. My thanks
C. L.
Sault MI |
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