Meet the Water Utilities Dept. staff

The Pea Ridge Water/Wastewater Department operated the city's water and sewer department. The office manager has been employed by the city for 21 years. There are two new employees. Of the 12 employees, three have been employed for 12 years, two for 11, one for nine years, and the rest for less than five years.

As for why they like working for the city, all said they liked their co-workers and the hours.

P.O. Box 29

885 N. Curtis Ave.

Pea Ridge, AR 72751

(479) 451-1109

Kim Thornhill, office manager, has been employed with the city since 1997.

"I have amazing co-workers and a few of the customers I have had are now very dear friends," Thornhill.

She said one of the most memorable events was "the day we all stood still in horror -- Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001."

She and her husband Paul have two grown children, Josh and Christy.

She is a member of First Baptist Church, Garfield.

Angie Jennings, bookkeeper, has been employed by the city since 2007.

What she likes best about working for the city is having the opportunity to meet the people in our community and getting to know them.

The most memorable events working for the city are seeing the compassion of the people in the town -- seeing people donate to the food drive, people coming in to pay water bills for customers in need, people donating to disaster relief events. "When someone has a need, people in this town come together and give."

She and her husband Travis have two daughters, Zoe and Chloe.

She enjoys do it yourself projects, spending time outdoors hiking, canoeing and biking. She is a member of Boundless Grace Baptist Church and AWANA clubs.

Amanda House, water clerk, has been employed with the city since 2006.

She said she loves seeing and talking to the people of the town every month.

The most memorable event she has experienced was moving the water office to the current location on North Davis Street.

She and her husband, Scott, have two children, Samantha and Stacie, and two grandchildren, Marideth and Benji.

She enjoys camping and spending time with her family.

Ken Hayes, utility manager, has been with the city since 2005.

What he likes most about working for the city is "always being very busy."

One of his most memorable events working for the city was the massive water leak on Plentywood and Arkansas Highway 72.

A widower, he has a daughter, Danee; two sons, Shawn and Kevin; and six grandchildren.

His hobbies include cattle and collecting American native artifacts.

Michael Nida, utility and plumbing inspector, has been with the city since 2005.

He said the people he works with are what he likes most about working with the city. "Every day is a new day with new challenges!"

His most memorable events include portraying Santa Claus and late night water line breaks.

He and his wife, Shauna, have four children, Star, Todd, Sarah and Lexi; and seven grandchildren.

He likes to collect anything Batman.

Kurtis Wiltgen, field supervisor, has been with the city since 2009.

He said he likes working 40 hours a week having vacation and holiday pay and having great people to work with.

His most memorable event is Mike Nida being Santa Claus for the Christmas parade.

He and Amy have a son, Karson.

His hobbies include sports and coaching.

Jacob Wagner, water/sewer operator and inspector, has been with the city since 2007.

What he likes most about the city is the hours he works and having holidays off.

The most memorable event he has was when a dumptruck crashed into the shop door.

He and his wife have two sons and a baby on the way.

His hobby is music.

Alex Oaks, water operator, was hired by the city in 2015.

He likes working outdoors and having holidays off.

He said he has a wife and lots of kids and his hobby is hanging with his kids.

Roy Wade, operator in training, was hired by the city in 2014.

What he likes most about working for the city is the hours.

He has a wife and a son.

He likes hunting and fishing.

Aaron David, water/sewer operator, was hired in 2016. He likes working close to home and says "the guys are a riot to work with."

The most memorable event was "boating on lake lotahockey (aka sewer pond)."

He has a son, Payton David.

He enjoys hunting and fishing.

He is a member of Mt. Vernon Presbyterian Church.

Dylan Cecil, operator in training/notebook holder, was hired in March 2018.

He likes havign steady hours and an outdoor atmosphere.

One of the most memorable events was breaking teh window to the office at the plant and when Kurt bestowed the notebook on him.

He said his family includes a father, mother and a sister who lives in Dallas.

His hobbies include "Shredding the Kit, Laying down phat beats (he is a drummer)."

Christopher Schmidt, operator in training, was hired in June 2018.

He liked the hours and the schedule and having holidays off.

He said since he is new, there aren't a lot of memorable events from whcih to chose but said seeing the plant for the first time was memorable.

He and his wife, Jennifer, have a daughter Hailee.

His hobbies are cycling and fishing.

General News on 07/04/2018