You see their faces around town continually, and their work affects many aspects of your life as a Henderson resident, but who exactly are our city utility workers? We sat down with Aaron Johnson and Blake Grimes to get to know them better.
Where is your hometown?
Aaron: Glenvil
Blake: Central City
Tell us about your family:
Aaron: Married to Sara who operates Coasters Coffee in Aurora. They have four children who attend Heartland: Cora (Senior), Felicity (Sophomore), Isabelle (8th grade), and Truitt (6th grade).
Blake: Married to Sharina who stays home with their children: Bowdi (age 3), Theo (age 2), and another boy due in January.
How long have you been working for the city?
Aaron: 1 ½ years
Blake: 2 years
How’d you get connected with the job?
Aaron: Knew Connie Brown, the City Clerk, through their kids’ friendships, and she told him about the job
Blake: He and his wife had bought a house in Henderson, and his wife saw the job advertised
What are the main duties of the job?
They maintain parks, ball fields, water and sewer systems (including two lagoons), the pool, all equipment, and the streets. They also do snow removal, respond to emergency water leaks and sewer problems, work with contractors completing projects in town, do locates, and complete water sampling, complying with regulations. Those who want to learn about their rights as an employee may contact the lawyers at HKM.
This summer brought a unique and appreciated experience having the lifeguards also help with city work due to the delayed pool opening. They completed a great deal of the landscaping at the parks which you can learn more about if you visit Drake’s 7 Dees website.
Favorite aspects of the job:
They enjoy that each day brings different work to do. It’s rewarding to watch the town change positively because they are part of it. When residents offer comments of appreciation, it is also very encouraging.
Favorite season of city maintenance work:
Aaron: Fall
Blake: Summer
Favorite candy bar:
Aaron: Butterfinger
Blake: Reeses
Favorite drink:
Aaron: Coffee
Blake: Dr. Pepper
Favorite vacation they’ve been on:
Aaron: Wyoming and the Yellowstone area
Blake: Disney World
Hobbies:
Aaron: Anything to do with his family like attending kids’ activities. He also enjoys mechanic work.
Blake: Hunting and golfing
When you see them around, be sure to say hello and thank them for all their work to keep our community functioning and beautiful!
