Solomon does his job so city residents aren’t without water
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But Gary Solomon, aka “Moose,” knows all too well the intricacies of the city’s water system. As a 19-year water department employee, he is one person of five, two-man crews assigned to the department’s maintenance section, where the goal is to keep things moving in a system that delivers water to 6,000 customers and provides sewer to around 5,000.
“When I started, I was on the TV truck where we TV sewer lines and stuff like that.” TV trucks use a camera system to look inside pipes for problems. “I was on it for four or five years and then they switched me over to maintenance in 1991 or 1992 as a crew chief,” he said. “We set water taps and fix water leaks and do sewer taps – anything pertaining to maintenance.”
When there are problems with water service, employees hear about it quickly, as water is a necessity.
“The people aren’t too pleased with it, but things happen,” Moose said of water service stoppages. “We try to get it back on as soon as possible.”
In his 19 years, Moose recalled his two hardest days at work. Both incidents forced employees to work around the clock to fix problems. One was when there was a fire at the plant around five years ago and the other happened recently, when an unprecedented number of water mains and service pipes scattered throughout the city broke in a short period of time.
Keeping things going might get hectic sometimes, but the department boasts a good retention rate. Only three of the department’s employees have less than 10 years with the department, according to supervisor Paul Williamson.
“The biggest thing around here is, everybody’s family,” co-worker Buddy Jones added.
Williamson said Moose, a married father of two grown children, is well known by city employees and is one of those people everyone likes.
“He takes my position when I’m on vacation and what not, so he’s actually the third man in charge. He’s a likable person. He’s open and honest and tells you what he thinks,” Williamson added.