Taps & Jets, Volume 92, No. 1

TAPS & JETS Vol. 92 No. 1

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

A publication for current and retired employees of the Metropolitan Utilities District

pg. 2 pg. 3 pg. 3 pg. 4

Rainwood Reservoir Inspection COVID-19 Vaccinations Underway HQ Tutorials & Pandemic Response 2020 Division Highlights

pg. 6 pg. 8 pg. 8 pg. 15

Heat the Streets Goes Virtual Water Quality Report Available Now President Chats Available on Intranet Graduate Photos Needed

ON THE COVER: THE RAINWOOD RESERVOIR INSPECTION Driving down Rainwood Road just west of 60th Street, rolling past large trees and green hills, you would never know that one grassy field holds a vast surprise below. In the words of Mike Koenig, director, Water Production and Pumping, it looks like a section you would see at a golf course or park. This space, however, has no sand traps or water hazards. In fact, it is the opposite. Just below is one of five critical water reservoirs used by the District to distribute safe, clean, high-quality drinking water to customers across the service area.

TAPS & JETS VOL. 92 | No. 1 Spring 2021

Each reservoir is on a fiveyear maintenance schedule.

This spring, it was time for the Rainwood location to have its turn, giving a unique opportunity for some to go deep below for a truly spectacular tour.

A hatch door nearly flush with the ground leads to a steep staircase. On this day there is no water in the expanse below.

Twenty-five-million gallons pumped down, leaving a cavern suitable for a canyon-like echo effect. “It’s roughly 26 feet deep,” said Mike. He walks the floor with a handheld flashlight,

illuminating a landscape of pillars supporting the structure.

In this moment there are only two other employees in the reservoir. They are working in tandem, moving a massive high-pressure firehose across the floor, spraying every square inch of the reservoir. “We wash the basin out every five years to remove any silt or sediment that might have built up. We do a full engineering inspection then see if we have any repairs that need to be made,” said Mike.

Once the inspection and repair processes are complete, the crew uses a disinfectant to cover

the entire reservoir prior to filling it back up. Once filled, the water in the reservoir must pass multiple bacteriological tests 24 hours apart before the reservoir can be put back in service.

Mike said the enormous undertaking is a crucial step to maintaining the District’s water distribution system to keep water flowing to homes and businesses across the metro.

He said, “It’s important to take these opportunities to get in here and make sure things are secure so that we can provide this service. It’s something we take extremely seriously.”

TAPS & JETS is published quarterly for current and retired employees to inform them about the activities and accomplishments of the District’s employees. Your comments are welcome.

Please send comments and suggestions to: TAPS & JETS, Metropolitan Utilities District, 7350 World Communications Dr., Omaha, NE 68122 OR Jessica Heidebrecht: jessica_heidebrecht@mudnebr.com | 402.504.7204.

Board of Directors: Chair Mike McGowan, Vice Chair Jack Frost, Jim Begley, Tim Cavanaugh, Tanya Cook, David Friend and Gwen Howard.

President: Mark Doyle |

Produced and published by Corporate Communications

Facebook: /mudomahane | Twitter: @mudomahane | Instagram: @mudwaterontap

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COVID-19 VACCINATIONS UNDERWAY FOR DISTRICT EMPLOYEES More than 400 employees have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and more than half of those have received the second dose as of early April. The District continues to coordinate with healthcare partners and state and local agencies to get the vaccine to the workforce.

Initially, the District planned to provide on-site vaccine clinics but as the situation progressed, there was greater success working with community clinics.

As of April 22, 473 employees received at least their first dose.

For employees who have not yet received the vaccine, the District encourages them to pursue all vaccine availability channels and register with the state, county or pharmacies. Receiving the vaccine is a voluntary decision.

Those who schedule a vaccine clinic appointment during work hours must coordinate with their supervisor to ensure appropriate coverage of District operations. If an employee attends a clinic outside of work, that is on their own time.

If employees have questions, they may contact Human Resources via email at teamhr_@mudnebr.com or call/ text Human Resources Specialist Danette Lodes at 402.506.0442.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact our community and our organization, so employees should continue to follow all pandemic policies and protocols in place to maintain a preventive position in the spread of the virus.

Management continues to use the incident command

structure to oversee the pandemic response and ensure business continuity. To increase District-wide communication, all supervisors are invited to a briefing call every Monday and the topic is discussed during Chat with the President meetings open to all employees.

Those meeting recordings as well as COVID-19 statistics and updates are regularly posted on myMUDConnect, which is accessible from the Okta dashboard.

HEADQUARTERS TUTORIALS AVAILABLE, PANDEMIC RESPONSE CONTINUES As of mid-March, all business units have successfully moved into the new Headquarters, with the exception of our Systems Control department.

Employees have had the opportunity to set up their workstations, however as the District continues to manage the pandemic, individual working arrangements have not changed as a result of this transition.

created to assist employees who will be officing out of the Headquarters. Security and technology enhancements have been made within the building, which may be new to many of our employees.

Over the past several weeks, instructional videos have been

• Recycling

Tutorials have been developed for topics including: • Conference room technology • Badge security

• Garage access • Sit/stand desk usage • Digital room schedulers These tutorials may be found on myMUDConnect, which is accessible via the Okta dashboard. Type “headquarters tutorials” into the search bar to access the HQ Video Tutorials page.

As of publication, security requirements and social distancing and occupancy

guidelines continue to limit the number of employees authorized to work in the building.

Employees are asked to refrain from visiting the building until they are designated to do so.

With the arrival of spring, work continues to progress on landscaping in front of the building. Estimated completion for this part of the project is mid-May. Restoration of the roof will be completed this summer.

Hello Neighbor! M.U.D. is excited to be on Nextdoor!

Watch for project updates, service announcements and the news that matters most to you and your neighborhood. Click HERE to learn more.

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2020 DIVISION HIGHLIGHTS Gas and water infrastructure replacement goals were realized in 2020. Internal and external crews replaced 40.9 miles of gas infrastructure (from a goal of 40 miles) and 13.4 miles of water infrastructure (from a goal of 10 miles and a stretch goal of 12.75 miles).

ACCOUNTING Completed design for the Business Planning and Consolidation (BPC) software, scheduled for implementation in 2021. BPC is a budgeting, forecasting and financial consolidation tool which will facilitate greater efficiency in preparation of the annual budget and enhance reporting capabilities to improve decision-making.

Accounts payable staff processed 20,844 invoices and issued checks totaling $142,473,886.

CONSTRUCTION Successfully completed a pipe bursting pilot project by the water infrastructure main gang. This technology was new to the District for cast iron pipe replacement.

District water crews performed low-service valve replacements in conjunction with the Florence Capital Improvement Plan project at the River Station.

Crews worked with a deep hole, 48-inch valves, old pipe and tight workspace.

to customers suffering severe financial hardships.

Also assisted customers in accessing additional assistance by communicating about the federal, state and county Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Recovery (CARES) Act. Coordinated the District’s presence on the Nextdoor social platform. With the potential to reach more than 225,000 in 710 neighborhoods, customers will have access to outage information, road closures, community events and more.

CUSTOMER ACCOUNTING The branch office inside Omaha Public Power District’s Energy Plaza lobby remained closed to walk-in customers in response to the pandemic.

CUSTOMER SERVICE Representatives pivoted to working from home while continuing to meet standards in servicing District customers.

Representatives answered 330,430 calls for a 96.2% answer rate. The average wait time for customer calls was 1.16 minutes.

CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGINEERING DESIGN CUSTOMER SUCCESS Developed new workflows in Rebranded the District’s utility assistance program, the Home Fund. Formerly known as the Heat Aid Fund, the newly named program helps by connecting customers in need with the community. The rebrand was released to employees and the community in May and more than $240,000 was distributed

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a matter of weeks to transition paper-driven design processes to predominantly digital as staff transitioned to working from home. Met 2020 design needs and project deadlines despite unusually high demand for gas and water main extensions, relocations and replacements by contractors and District crews.

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT Collaboratively worked with Engineering, Information Technology, Accounting, Safety and Security and Corporate Communications to renovate the District’s Headquarters.

Renovations considered employee productivity, functionality and comfort by providing natural light, ergonomic workstations, upgraded audiovisual technology, increased security parameters and innovated areas for collaboration.

FIELD SERVICES The District’s gas emergency response time was reduced from an average of 21.6 minutes in 2019 to 19.3 minutes in 2020.

Response time has been reduced by more than five minutes from 2015’s average of 25.6 minutes.

GAS DISTRIBUTION Purged 58,298 feet of new gas mains in April 2020, which was the largest amount of mains installed for the month of April in 10 years. Wrapped up a project allowing some low-pressure stations to be abandoned and new main installed, resulting in a more reliable and leak-free gas system.

GAS OPERATIONS Prepay gas purchases with the Central Plains Energy Project saved customers $7.8 million in 2020 and $94 million since 2007.

GAS PRODUCTION Reanimated the liquefied natural gas truck fill station, which was used weekly beginning in July. Configured the Manley Gas Odorizing Station and put it into service while simultaneously shutting off the old carbonization equipment.

HUMAN RESOURCES Responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by monitoring more than 900 employee screenings and more than 300 employee coronavirus tests (including 224 employees who had multiple tests). New policies and procedures associated with the pandemic were released, including a pandemic Work from Home policy. Multiple tracking systems were implemented to provide daily statistics and a temporary full-time employee was hired to assist.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Mobilized to support the District’s pandemic response. IT staff deployed laptops, trained employees on VPN, implemented IT Relationship Managers for each department, deployed video conferencing capabilities and automated functions to eliminate dependency on office facilities. Assisted with implementation of the new intranet, myMUDConnect.

INFRASTRUCTURE INTEGRITY Built and developed the District’s hydraulic model of the water

distribution system, which is connected to our geographic information system so changes can be updated in the model.

This serves as a tool to support Engineering and Water Operations in planning work, and will assist in the development of the master plan for future major capital improvements.

MAINTENANCE Maintenance staff was instrumental in installing temporary bracing and isolating or re-routing electrical power at the Construction Center.

This was done in response to damage caused by settlement due to construction activities associated with an adjacent third-party construction site. Employees assisted in the relocation of displaced workforce and equipment into temporary locations.

MARKETING FCC Environmental began operating their fleet of more than 70 compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks as part of the new City of Omaha’s refuse contract. The trucks will utilize approximately 100,000 dekatherms (DTH) annually, or the equivalent of 1,200 residential homes’ annual gas usage.

More than 2.1 million gasoline gallon equivalents (GGE) of CNG was dispensed in the District’s service territory during 2020. This represents the annual gas consumption of approximately 3,300 residential homes and marks the highest amount of CNG dispensed in the District’s history.

METER SERVICES Revised procedures combined with technology to support divisional goals. Implemented Power Springs to replace the antiquated Metretek program, which manages and bills usage

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of large and interruptible gas customers through a cell-based service. Implemented utilization of cellular technology to read the District’s 400,000-plus meters as part of the AMR system.

Upgraded large water meter field testing equipment to allow for testing verification and reporting.

PLANT ENGINEERING Addressed issues pertaining to settlement of the Construction Center as a result of a nearby third-party construction site.

Formed a taskforce to help address the issues, keep all District employees informed and provide an avenue for employees to funnel comments and questions to the correct parties.

PURCHASING/STORES Played a critical role in the management of the pandemic through researching, sourcing, purchasing and managing vital personal protective equipment and other supplies and materials for the District. Worked with Information Technology to purchase laptops and other equipment needed to allow employees to work from home.

Provided logistical support during the lockdown of the three water treatment plants in the spring by providing campers, a continuous food supply and necessary sanitation to water plant employees.

SAFETY, SECURITY AND BUSINESS CONTINUITY The total recordable incident rate for employee injuries was 1.1, setting a record for the District. The number of recordable injuries that resulted in days away from work, work restrictions or a transfer was 0.3, also setting a record.

Received National Utility Locating Contractors Association (NULCA) accreditation, showing the District and its

utility locating division have a consistent training standard and delivery method. Additionally, rewriting of the utility locating procedures manual ensured the District continues to follow Common Ground Alliance Best Practices and NULCA’s 10 professional competency standards for utility locating.

Implemented the Pandemic Preparedness Plan as part of the Continuity Management Program to maintain operations during the pandemic while keeping all personnel safe and healthy, and ensuring continued delivery of its essential services to the community.

Security assisted in planning and implementation of major security enhancements at the District’s Headquarters.

Optical turnstiles, parking garage traffic arms, video intercoms, a comprehensive internet protocol camera system, security landscaping, code blue emergency stations and badge readers throughout the facility establish safe and secure environment.

SYSTEMS CONTROL System controllers spent 31 days in isolation at the Platte West Plant due to the pandemic.

Total consumption for 2020 was 34,180 million gallons (MG) as Systems Control operated the repump stations and managed reservoir levels through the year to maintain water quality and targeted pressures throughout the distribution system. This was the highest annual consumption since the 2012 record year (37,870 MG).

TRANSPORTATION Started the transition from an asset replacement policy to an all-encompassing Fleet Management Plan.

The first phase of the plan included adding staff with

extensive fleet management experience and analysis of the current District’s fleet.

WATER PRODUCTION The three water treatment plants went into lockdown to ensure uninterrupted water service to the community during the onset of COVID-19.

Essential plant personnel worked and lived at the plants in three separate tours over the course of one to two weeks.

Florence Plant: Hawkins Construction completed $22.7 million in improvements to the Chemical Building. These included installation and commissioning of new lime slaking/feed, alum process/ feed, soda ash process/ feed equipment, new lab and administrative space, electrical, structural and mechanical improvements.

Platte South Plant: Contractors completed 90% of the wellfield flood repair and clean-up from the 2019 spring flooding. More than 11,680 tons of rip-rap was used to repair seven finger dikes and approximately 1,650 feet of riverbank. Additionally, 65,000 tons of sand and vegetative debris was removed.

The total estimated flood repair cost is $3.6 million.

Platte West Plant: Total wellfield pumpage set a new annual record of 13,557 MG, or 37.04 million gallons a day, exceeding the previous annual record set in 2011. Wellfield pumpage also set monthly records in June, July, August and October and a maximum daily pumpage record of 83.56 MG on July 17.

WATER QUALITY A new Water Quality lab was completed in January as part of the Chemical Building renovation. The lab received approval from the Department of Health and Human Services.

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EMPLOYEES HELP RAISE MORE THAN $103,000 FOR UTILITY ASSISTANCE More than 120 employees and their family members participated virtually Saturday, March 6 in the 14th annual Heat the Streets Run & Walk for Warmth. Registrants, sponsors and donors brought in more than $103,000 for the event, put on by the District in partnership with Omaha Public Power District to raise money for utility

assistance. More than 300 households will benefit from the fundraiser.

While the need for assistance is always present, M.U.D. and OPPD have seen a 38% increase in the number of customers requesting assistance since COVID-19 struck last year.

M.U.D. Director Tanya Cook co-chaired the event along with OPPD Director Janece Mollhoff and her husband, Wayne Mollhoff.

Proceeds from the event are split between M.U.D.’s Home Fund and OPPD’s Energy Assistance Program. Funds are administered by Dollar Energy Fund, Inc., a registered 501(c)3 organization.

Note: All photos are courtesy photos submitted by employees participating on their own time and not on District property.

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PRESIDENT CHATS AIM TO INCREASE COMMUNICATION, EMPLOYEE INTERACTION President Mark Doyle hosted the first virtual Water Cooler Chat of the year in February as part of ongoing efforts to increase communication and engagement across the District.

The 45-minute chat touched on current topics, including COVID-19 vaccination efforts, the recently adjusted SPA salary structure and the status of the District’s pension

and Other Post-Employment Benefits trust. Employees were given the opportunity to ask questions that were addressed at the end of the chat. A recording of the event can be watched on myMUDConnect, which is accessible via the Okta dashboard.

In March, Mark and other senior team members participated in the first Chat with the President

of the year. This event is used to update employees on important topics impacting everyone across the District. Topics in March were vaccinations, current and proposed Construction Centers, performance goals and the early 2021 polar vortex. Like the Water Cooler Chat, employees were given the opportunity to ask questions to be answered by any member of the senior team. This

chat also was recorded and can be watched on myMUDConnect.

Future Water Cooler Chats and Chat with the President events are being planned for the rest of the year and will be communicated to all employees via email once details are finalized.

THE LATEST VERSION OF OUR WATER QUALITY REPORT IS AVAILABLE NOW! mudomaha.com

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KUDOS

Carlos Alvarez Field Services

Randy Bird

Customers recently wrote or called to praise the work performed by these employees.

Nicole Anzalone Meter Services

Rena Bobier

John Barna

Field Services

Grant Cannon

Jerry Barrett Field Services

Lorena Chaidez

Construction

Customer Service

Customer Service

Dan Deporte

John DeSantiago

Shawn Dewitz Field Services

Customer Service

Debi Haley

Jeremy Jensen

Andrew Johnson

Ben Johnson

Tiffany Mantz

Luke Matulka

Field Services

Customer Accounting

Blaine Lazio

Field Services

Field Services

Construction

Ryan Lord

Customer Service

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Construction

Customer Accounting

Jonathan Bazar Construction

Latasha Collar

Customer Service

Customer Service

Chris Ethen

Nick Foreman

Field Services

Field Services

Construction

Ron Kates

Construction

Louise Miller

Customer Accounting

Jake Benak

Paul Bertrang

Construction

Customer Service

Tracey Coty

Dan Delgado

Customer Service

Juanita Fort

Field Services

Chris Franck

Customer Service

Customer Service

Dylies King

Howard Krula

Lisa Mills

Larry Moyers

Customer Accounting

Customer Service

Meter Services

Field Services

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KUDOS (CONTINUED)

Chris Muhlbauer

Annette O’Brien

Customers recently wrote or called to praise the work performed by these employees.

Joseph Parr

Water Distribution

Customer Accounting

Customer Service

Frank Pyzdek

McKenzie Quinn

Greg Ramirez

Water Distribution

Josh Shannon Field Services

Customer Service

Dave Story

Safety and Security

Geneva Patterson Rates

Tyler Reed

Al Perea

Field Services

Mark Reier

Angelique Sancho

Construction

Field Services

Construction

Julie Thacker

Avalon Thompson

Marques Vaughn

Customer Success

Customer Service

Dave Peters

Field Services

Customer Service

Kim Plummer

Customer Service

Hope Scott

Customer Service

Customer Service

Jeff Vondra

Dave Zapata

Water Distribution

Field Services

BEST CARE EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EAP) Employees are eligible for multiple free services through EAP, including: • Free and confidential counseling • Training classes • Online webinars To schedule a counseling session for you or an eligible family member, call 402.354.8000.

402.354.8000

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bestcareeap.org

Training, webinars or other support programs are available online.

Visit bestcareeap.org/member-login and enter the following login information: • Member ID: bcMUDe • Password: MUD

PROMOTIONS & TRANSFERS

Richard Arenas

Kyle Baughman

Jacob Benak

Larry Bowers

Brian Brown

Andrea Carbis

Material Handler Trainee

Material Handler Trainee (Nov. 2020)

Pipe Layer

Customer Service Technician Trainee

Senior Buyer

Utility Worker

Justin Combs

Derek Davis

Utility Locator

Welder I

Stores

Safety and Security

Stores

Construction

Carlos Diaz

Field Services

Jeff Dotson

Construction

Facilities Management

Meter Services

Jesse Foust

Laraine Harris

Leigh Hellbusch

Oliver Hernandez

Utility Worker

Administrative Clerk III (Sept. 2020)

Plant Foreman

Pipe Layer

Scott Johnson

Michael Kalskett

Utility Worker

Utility Worker

Construction

Construction

Construction

Construction

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Building and Grounds Maintenance Worker

Meter Mechanic

Purchasing

Mick Dulik

David Earnest

Utility Locator

Welder II

Construction

Tammie Hineline

Construction

Safety and Security

Chris Kaslon

Eddie Latoza

Doug Lewis

Utility Locator

Crew Leader

Material Handler Trainee

Platte South Plant

Safety and Security

Construction

Construction

Safety Specialist

Stores

Construction

Cole Holmes

Meter Services Meter Mechanic

Tim Lincoln

Field Services

Customer Service Technician Trainee

Scott Clark

Construction Group Leader

Joe Flegg

Field Services

Apprentice Customer Service Technician

Fred Hunt

Construction Utility Worker

Eric Mann

Field Services

Apprentice Customer Service Technician

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PROMOTIONS & TRANSFERS (CONTINUED)

Jerry Markham

Aaron Mays

Bryan McKulsky

Senior Mechanic

Crew Leader

Field Services

Transportation

Justin Pavka Chief Welder

Foreman

Construction

Jason McWilliams

Laura Milenkovich

Nate Million

Building Engineer Trainee

Administrative Clerk VI

Utility Worker

Apprentice Customer Service Technician

Corine Plater

Jason Querry

Building and Grounds Maintenance Worker (Sept. 2020)

Crew Leader

Construction

Facilities Management

Joshua Peacher

Eliseo Perea

David Peters

Pipe Layer

Construction

Jake Placzek

Construction

Paul Otto

Field Services

Customer Service Technician Trainee

Field Services

Senior Customer Service Technician

Meter Services

Facilities Management

Tyler Reed

Arturo Rocha Ventura

Paul Romero

Forrest Roos

John Ruckman

Gas Maintenance Worker

Apprentice Customer Service Technician

Pipe Layer

Utility Worker

Group Leader

Customer Service Technician Trainee

Lead Water Plant Maintenance Mechanic

Sheena Sanders

Jefferson Schaecher

Eric Schendt

Jerry Seffron

Joe Simpson

Luke Smedra

Thomas Sneed

Administrative Clerk III

CAD Technician II

Customer Service Technician Trainee

Utility Locator

Pipe Layer

Utility Worker

Pipe Layer

Jonathan Randall Gas Distribution

Branch Delivery

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Construction

Field Services

Engineering Design

Field Services

Construction

Field Services

Construction

Safety and Security

Meter Mechanic

Construction

Construction

Field Services

Construction

Construction

Mike Rudol

Platt South Plant

Construction

Jack Standen

Ryan Stanek

Construction

Joe Stock

Crew Leader

Field Services

Customer Service Technician Trainee

Safety and Security

Ashley Wilds

Tim Williams

Meter Mechanic

Utility Worker

Sviatlana Zhuromskaya

Meter Services

Construction

Senior Utility Locator

John Velehradsky

Justin Weber

Director, Facilities Management

Pipe Layer

Facilities Management

Construction

Paul Weiss

Jakeb Whitbeck

Crew Leader

Pipe Layer

Construction

Construction

Engineering Design CAD Technician II

RETIREMENTS John Doherty retired March 12 with 31 years of service. John joined the District in 1989 as an auto service person, Transportation.

He was named gas maintenance trainee, Gas Distribution, in 1991 and advanced to gas maintenance worker in 1993.

JOHN DOHERTY

PAUL HARTMAN Fred Foster, customer service technician, Field Services, retired April 17 with 32 years of service. Fred joined the District in 1988 as a meter reader, Meter Services. He became a customer service technician trainee, Field Services, in 1990 and was promoted to apprentice customer service technician in 1992 and customer service technician in 1994.

FRED FOSTER

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Paul Hartman, lead water plant maintenance mechanic, Platte South Plant, plans to retire June 5 with 26 years of service. Paul joined the District in 1994 as a pipe layer trainee, Construction. He was promoted to pipe layer in 1997. Paul became a water plant maintenance trainee, Platte South Plant, in 1997. He advanced to plant maintenance person in 1998, senior water plant maintenance mechanic in 2006 and lead water plant maintenance mechanic in 2013.

Frank Johnson retired December 31 with 30 years of service. Frank joined the District in 1990 as an auto service person, Transportation.

He was promoted to maintenance mechanic trainee, Maintenance, in 1991. Frank advanced to maintenance mechanic II in 1995 and maintenance mechanic I in 2010.

FRANK JOHNSON

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RETIREMENTS (CONTINUED)

TODD LAMBERT

Todd Lambert, carpenter, Maintenance, retired March 30 with 36 years of service. Todd joined the District in 1984 as a special laborer, Construction. He was promoted to pipe layer II in 1987. In 1988, Todd was named mechanic’s helper, Field Services. He was promoted to apprentice customer service technician in 1990 before becoming an apprentice carpenter, Maintenance, and advancing to carpenter.

DOUG STUBBS

Prior to joining the District, Todd was a carpenter for Hawkins, Ceco Steel and Vince Bird Construction. In retirement, Todd plans to golf, bowl, play horseshoes and attend car shows. He and his wife, Diana, have five daughters and six grandchildren (and counting).

Mark Remar, pipe layer-welder, Construction, plans to retire May 31 with 20 years of service. Mark joined the District in 2001 as a pipe layer trainee. He advanced to pipe layer in 2003 and was promoted to machine operator later that year. Mark was named pipe layer-welder in 2007.

MARK REMAR JOHN WHEELER

Doug Stubbs, senior engineering technicianoperations, Plant Engineering, retired April 17 with 22 years of service. Doug joined the District in 1998 as a drafting technician trainee, Engineering Design. He was promoted to computer aided drafting technician II in 2001 and to desktop support specialist, Information Technology, in 2004. Doug was named field engineer II, Plant Engineering, in 2009, field engineer I in 2010 and senior engineering technician-operations in 2011.

Prior to joining the District, Doug worked for Midwest Food Distribution Center and the City of Omaha. He earned his Associate of Applied Science from Metropolitan Community College. In retirement, Doug plans to fish and travel to all the national parks. He and his wife, Linda, have two sons, three daughters and nine grandchildren.

John Wheeler, plant foreman, Platte South Plant, retired April 16 with 36 years of service.

John joined the District in 1984 as a special laborer, Construction. He was promoted to pipe layer II in 1987. John was named building maintenance mechanic, Maintenance, in 1988, building engineer trainee in 1989 and building engineer later that year. He was promoted to water plant engineer, Platte South Plant, in 1994. John became a chemical equipment mechanic I in 1999 before being named plant foreman in 2006.

NEW EMPLOYEES

David Aldrich

Dispatch Office

Communications Clerk II

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Derek Duin

Engineering Design Engineer I

Matt Harman

Steve LaMountain

Building Engineer

Buyer

Facilities Management

Purchasing

Venkata Satturi

Information Technology Senior Software Developer

IN MEMORIAM Marjorie Lang, 90, died April 11. She was chief payroll clerk, Accounting, when she retired in 1996 with 34 years of service.

Marjorie joined the District in 1961 as an audit clerk, advancing to payroll clerk in 1964 and to chief payroll clerk in 1970.

John Bogema, 73, died March 3. He was a leak detector operator, Water Distribution, when he retired in 2007 with 37 years of service. John joined the District in 1970 as a laborer. He was promoted to hydrant and valve mechanic in 1971. He was named general maintenance mechanic in 1980 and promoted to valve maintenance mechanic in 1990. John became leak detector operator in 1991.

JOHN BOGEMA

DENNIS BROCKER

MARJORIE LANG

Dennis Brocker, 75, died February 18. He was a valve maintenance mechanic, Water Distribution, when he retired in 2005 with 36 years of service. Dennis joined the District in 1969 as a laborer. He was promoted to hydrant and valve mechanic in 1970 and to valve maintenance mechanic in 1979.

Julia V. Galloway, 100, died January 25. She was a review clerk, Customer Accounting, when she retired in 1985 with 21 years of service.

JOSEPH SMITH

Joseph Smith, 66, died February 10. Joe was an industrial gas meter technician, Meter Services, when he retired in 2020 with 28 years of service. He joined the District in 1992 as an auto service person, Transportation, and was promoted to stores clerk II in 1994. Joe transferred to apprentice meter mechanic, Meter Services, in 1998, advancing to meter mechanic in 1999, to industrial gas meter mechanic in 2000 and to industrial gas meter technician in 2007.

JULIA V. GALLOWAY

The next issue of Taps & Jets will recognize employees and their children who earned high school, technical college, undergraduate or graduate diplomas.

Email high resolution photos to jessica_heidebrecht@mudnebr.com by Monday, May 31.

Please include: name, school or college, degree/major (if applicable), date of graduation and parents’ names.

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