City of Worland's Gerber honored

WORLAND - City of Worland employee Gary Gerber was honored last week at the Wyoming Water Quality and Pollution Control Association convention in Casper.

Gerber, the city's assistant superintendent of public works in charge of water and wastewater, received the George Michael Outstanding Achievement in Utility Management Award. He was nominated for the award by the 22-member city crew. The George Michael Outstanding Achievement award was established in 2012 in honor of George Michael who worked for the City of Green River for 26 years. According to the WWQ&PCA, "His management practices kept the divisions in good shape and left a lasting legacy for the City of Green River."

According to the nomination information provided to the WWQ&PCA by the Worland city crew, Gerber mowed lawns as a teenager at the city-owned golf courses until being hired part time at the city shop in the winter of 1972. His first duties were on the back of a three-man garbage truck. In 1976 he was hired full time and assigned the sewerjet detail for many years. He later moved on to equipment operator and worked in every division of the city's public works.

In 1991 he moved into the role of assistant superintendent, a position he has held for 24 of his more than 43 years with the City of Worland.

The crew wrote in their nomination, "Gary is a great guy to work with. He is very willing to help in any way. Gary has trained many employees for the city, and has seen a lot of faces come and go, including mayors and council members. We all feel that he is very deserving of this award. Gary is planning on retiring at the end of January and will be sorely missed.

Gerber received a plaque at the convention last week.