On Thursday, I had my retirement celebration. The celebration began at the Fitchburg Community Center, I managed the Community Center construction for the city back in the 1980's. Co-workers were kind to provide some treats and refreshments, and the city, as is customary, provided a cake. My Co-workers also provided me a retirement gift, which was a pot of varied herbs with small sticks each holding the a letter for the word RETIRE. Below each letter was a one word description with a relevant gift certificate:
R--Relax--Jung Seed (gardening)
E--Eat--Food Fight Group
T--Travel--REI (camping)
I--Indulge--Culver's
R--Read--Amazon
E--Enjoy--Wine and Hop Shop (Beer brewing)
After the presentation of the gift, I was prepared to make some remarks. It became evident to me that people would want me to say something, as I had a few ask during the day, and Susan, my co-worker told me to be prepared. While the actual remarks varied, the following is an account of those remarks:
I wish to thank you for taking the time out of your day to
provide good wishes to me as I move on to other adventures, or as Jack Pearson
refers to it, my personal renaissance. As
I do so, I think back 150 years to my great great grandfather, Josef Hawel, who
was the same age then as I am now. Joined
by his wife and children he was on a journey, emigrating to the United States to first settle in Wisconsin before most moved on to Iowa. At this point in time, 150 years ago, he was somewhere between their small hamlet in South Bohemia and Bremen Germany where they would board ship. I have a different journey.
 |
| Add caption |
For 32 years I have worked for this Wisconsin
city. I have worked for the city longer
than I have been married, but not as long as I have had a mustache. In 1986 there was no city engineering
department, no economic development director, and no city administrator. The library was a bookmobile. The community room at the old city hall was
used during the day for senior activities, and meetings at night. Patricia Delker (my co-worker) and
I would reset the room up for the twice a month plan commission meetings, with
the sticky floor, and among the odors of cooked cabbage. We would then take it down at the conclusion
of the meeting. Fewer positions in the city meant work
opportunities in a variety of fields which allowed expansion of my knowledge
base, whether it be city administration, or engineering. I look back with some amusement
that it took 3 years before the city purchased me a desk.
 |
| Providing my remarks at the Community Center |
When I take a look back in time I find many successes: bike
trails and facilities, the open spaces interwoven through developments, sidewalks
in subdivisions built after the mid 1990’s, the Jamestown storm water project, public
facilities such as McKee Farms Park, Community Center, City Hall and the fire
stations. Jim Christoph and I, with our city attorney, negotiated the acquisition of the golf course until 10:00 pm on the night before Thanksgiving. A time when most have arrived at their destination for a long holiday weekend. The varied plans adopted and
implemented. Our resource based planning efforts for both the future urban
growth boundary of the Comprehensive Plan, and at the neighborhood plan level. Our Future Urban Growth Boundary methodology would
be adopted by Capital Area Regional Planning Commission for use with other communities. I look back to less than ten years ago and
find that we had a high level of production in a two years’ time: 2009 was the adoption of the Comprehensive
Plan, a significant, lengthy process with over 130 public meetings; but, 2009
also saw the completion and adoption of the McGaw Neighborhood Plan, and the
Southdale Neighborhood Plan. 2010 saw the
adoption of the Northeast Neighborhood Plan, and a full and complete rewrite of
the zoning and land division codes; Jason, Susan, Mark Sewell and I would gather a couple times a week to go through the codes page by page, line by line. This rewrite included the adoption of the integrated
SmartCode District, the only such ordinance in the state of Wisconsin. Every Fitchburg plan involved significant public
outreach. There was more than just a
select committee.
These plans provide the vision, direction, and guidance for
growth of this community. Fitchburg is
diverse in land use, its population, its socio-economic status, and its
opinions. Land use wise it sees the
challenges that arise at the boundary of its varied landscape types. The fluid edges of an ever changing landscape
add to scrutiny and discord, but also provide opportunity. An opportunity to hear a different idea and a
different voice.
 |
| Me, with former Transportation Engineer, Ahna Concrete |
Every day, I have to say, I think I learned something
new.
There were a few times, maybe more than a few, when I may
not have liked what I learned, but I learned something.
I leave knowing that not only have I given
the prime years of my life to the city, I gave my best.
In many cases, I realize, that doing my best
was not enough, but I had no more to offer.
History will judge my contribution; I just hope it not too harsh.
I want to thank the many committee/commission members and
elected officials who I have been allowed to serve. A thanks to those co-workers who have assisted
and supported me. Of course, gratitude to the planning staff who
have worked under me--Wade, Susan, Jason, Patricia, Eric, Stacy, but without their assistance successes would have been less.
I also wish to thank my children and my wife. My children, who many times did not have
their Dad at a school or other activity.
I missed swim and track meets, and yes, even some freshman or JV football games. There have been days and weeks that my wife was
a Fitchburg widow. Yet she would be
awake even when I arrived home even if in the early hours of the next day, to ask how the meeting went. One of
her favorite phrases to me is “take it easy” and there is the new one: “Let
it Go.”
 |
My last day with my employees
Lisa, me, Susan and Wade |
As I let go, I know some are looking to the benefits of my
not being present, not the least would be those persons on the third floor of
City Hall who will now have more treats to eat among themselves.
 |
With the three Building Inspectors on my last day.
The one and only day I wore shorts to work in my 32 years
|
When my great great grandfather and his wife and family
emigrated to the US 150 years ago, he had a much longer and more trying journey
than what I have to travel. I suspect, he
found some difficulty in letting go of the ancestral homeland. I too wonder whether I will find some
difficulty in leaving behind those co-workers, colleagues, and friends who have
been supportive of me during the last 32 years.
To those people, I owe a sincere…
…Thank you!
***********************************************
 |
| City Hall on Friday, June 8, 2018 |
Upon conclusion of the remarks, we socialized for a short while, before moving to a local restaurant for beverages, food, conversation and good will.
 |
| With two former co-workers who retired several years ago |
As I leave behind a place for which I have worked for 32 years, Susan and Wade (full time employees under me), and our 2018 intern, Lisa, provided me, in a frame, a land use plan map for the city in 1984 (two years before my employment began) and the one for 2017. Wade, as part of his comments on the back, wrote: "Not many people in our profession have the privilege of saying they 'built a city'...I think you can truly claim that privilege." Compare the two maps, and one can clearly see what Wade means. As a long time Plan Commission member wrote to me: "It's not even possible to measure the impact you've had on the City of Fitchburg. Certainly it would be a very different place if it had not been for you and I strongly believe we are far better for it. I am certain that you have had a greater impact on what Fitchburg is today than any other individual, and I don't think any comparison would even be close."
 |
With my name plate used at public meetings
|
Am I different now that I am retired? Well, on my last day, Friday, June 8, we had the pre-construction meeting for the East Fire Station project. At the conclusion of the meeting, we went around the room to see if anyone had any additional comments. The concluding remark by someone in the room noted to the effect, "you can tell Tom is about to retire since I never saw him so subdued at any construction meetings on the West Fire Station" (completed in June 2017). Will that hold true into retirement? I don't know. As I left work today, many of my co-workers had gathered outside the door I exit and gave me a round of applause. A warm send off to a long career.
Thank you to all who have supported me and came to provide me good wishes as I enter into new adventures.
No comments:
Post a Comment