Career Ace

“All of the people I’ve come in contact with, over here, they’re just really good-hearted people.  I’ve found a lot of friends.  I’ve been so blessed.”

Mick Reeve, beloved caretaker of the Kenai Peninsula Borough’s “White House,” retired this month, in his 37th year of service to the Borough.

Mick started his career in the Navy, where he served overseas, travelling to the Philippines, Singapore and the coast of Japan.  A machinist’s mate in the noisy, steamy engine room of an old ship, Mick discovered a love of the ocean.  His experience in other cultures taught him a deep appreciation of our opportunities and lifestyles in the U.S.

On his return – in 1975 – Mick started working with the Borough, at Kenai Pool, where he was the custodial and maintenance person.  He took care of water chemistry and worked on the pumps.  He jokes that “they brought me over here after about two and a half years.  I was kind of upset, because I was in the best shape I’d ever been…swimming every day, and then I could go up on top of the roof there and get a nice sun tan…”

 

Career Ace

 

Mick Reeve retires after 37 years

 

Mickey1

 

Let’s start with what you’re going to do next, your plans…

Well my mom lives down in the southern part of Texas, and she’s getting to that age to where I need to spend some more time with her.   I’m gonna go down there for a least a month.  Well, first I’ll pick up my brother and we’re gonna drive up there; he lives in Houston.  So we’ll drive up and we’ll get things cleaned up.   I’ll spend some time with her and my brother Randy – he lives there, he’s taking care of her.   After that, I’ll probably go back down to Houston.  My brother’s got a friend that plays a lot of golf.  He’s retired, so I’m gonna go there and send a set of clubs down.  Hopefully, it’s not gonna be too hot. 

After that, I’m gonna come back up here and play more golf.  As much as I can.  I’ll have that freedom.  It’s gonna take a while to get used to that, not having to work. 

How many years have you been working?

I’ve lost count.  Thirty five years, I guess, and before that I was in the Navy for four years, so almost forty years.

Were you overseas?

Yeah, overseas twice.  The Philippines, Singapore, the coast of Japan.  It was a neat experience.

You get to see how other people live, and you get back and appreciate what we have here, back in the States.  We’re just so blessed, with everything that we’ve got. 

I started out in the engine room.  I was a machinist’s mate.  It was on an old ship that was commissioned in 1944; it was all steam.  Steam turbines, the generators – they were all run on steam.  I did that for about two and a half years, and then they talked me into going up as a petty officer in a different area; I went up there and we hit dry dock, and so I had to order all these parts and pumps – that was pretty overwhelming – but at least I got out of the engine room.  It was so hot down there, that you could hardly stand it…

And noisy too, right?

Oh, yes.  When you had to change out a pump or something like that, you had three people working on it.  It was a good experience though - being out on the water, the ocean like that - it was beautiful. 

Did you grow up here and then go directly into the Navy?

Actually, I was born in Texas; we moved from Texas to Kansas, then Kansas up to there.  We got up here in 1968, my junior year in high school.  Then I went into the Navy for four years and came back here.  In 1975, I started working with the Borough, at Kenai pool.  I was the custodial and maintenance person.  I took care of water chemistry, and worked on the pumps if they needed it, backwashing the filters - at that time it was manually done.  

They brought me over here after about two and a half years.  I was kind of upset, because I was in the best shape I’d ever been…swimming every day, and then I could go up on top of the roof there and get a nice sun tan…

I came over here and started working with an old boy named Shorty; he was probably in his seventies at that point.  A really good decent person.  He let me borrow some money to get my house. 

Wow, that’s very kind.

Yeah, yeah it was. 

All of the people I’ve come in contact with, over here, they’re just really good-hearted people.  I’ve found a lot of friends.  I’ve been so blessed.  All the friends I’ve got here, you know; it’s gonna be hard to leave. 

You do the night shift.  How is that for you?

I haven’t had much social life.  If I’m gonna have any type of social life, it’s between the time I get up in the morning until I have to come to work or on the weekends.  It’s a great shift for what I do – in the summertime, it’s perfect.  I can play nine holes or eighteen holes of golf, and then come to work and do my job here. 

Tell me about your relationship with golf; when did you start playing?

It’s been at least twenty years.  A friend of mine – actually my ex-wife’s husband – they bought me my first set of golf clubs for Father’s Day, and I’ve been playing ever since.  I started out at Russian Jack Park, in Anchorage, and it was a lot of practice.  Even when he didn’t want to go, I was over there playing, until I couldn’t stand on my feet anymore.

I was just getting into it and didn’t really know what I was doing, as far as playing, how you played.  I kind of waited around on him to ask me to go play.  Then he didn’t do it, so I just thought “I’m gonna do it on my own.  I’m gonna learn this game and I’m gonna try to enjoy it.”

I’ve been playing ever since then, helping other people get started.  That’s what’s fun.  Especially when you see somebody up there swinging, and they’re not doing so well – I go over and see if they want some help.  Some do.  That’s what’s really nice about golf, there’s so many good people willing to help you out.  It all comes from good morals, and just trying to help somebody out.

When I first started, you know, even before I got into it, I thought the class of people were just too high class, that it was a rich game, but everybody can afford it.  It’s just good exercise, getting out there and playing.

Golf wisdom?

Take a lesson from a pro.  I’ve never had a lesson, I just learned the basics from a friend, and I took it from there, but take a lesson from a pro, and get the basics right.  They’ll teach you how to grip the club, how to set up for everything, how to putt and how to chip, and those are the basic shots that you make.  And you go from there.  Hit a lot of balls.  Enjoy it.  Don’t get serious about it, don’t get upset – be patient.  Be patient. 

What about career advice? - you’ve had such a solid, long-term run in this job.

You learn to grow with the people that you work with.  They’re not just employees you’re working with; you’re working with friends.  That’s what you think about when you’re doing the job.  You’re taking care of those people, making sure that they’re healthy. 

Enjoy what you do.  It’s a job; it’s a good job.  I’ve been blessed with it and with the people I’ve come in contact with – even if they aren’t friends.  Getting out there and meeting people, taking that first step just to help them out in some way or another.  You can’t go wrong.

I love people.

I can tell.  You have that openness in your face and your eyes. 

Mickey2

 

You’ve also seen the borough go through tremendous changes, over these years.   Do you have thoughts about the direction the borough is going or advice to guide the administration?

If they start contracting out jobs, try to make it somebody in this vicinity.  Don’t contract out jobs to people from Anchorage or someplace else.  Keep the money here. 

If they’re gonna do reconstruction, like in bathrooms, or anything like that – if they could go ahead and talk with the custodians, find out what works and what’s easier to clean.  It’s simple.  Bathroom floors – they put in this tile that collects dirt.  They need just regular linoleum or tile so that it’s easier to clean and doesn’t hold dirt.  It’s easier and more sanitary.

Has anyone ever consulted you before a building project? 

I don’t think folks who are designing projects are thinking at all about how to clean it…

They don’t, because they’re not going to. 

When you put sinks in, make sure they’re set so that there’s space between the porcelain in the back and the faucet, so you can get back there – you hardly can get back there to clean.

Urinals – they put one in on my floor here, and it’s got this metal piece that sits in the middle, and you have to take it apart and clean down inside, because it gets disgusting; with the other two, you just pull the mat out and clean it.

Back in the school district, they had a sink back there, with a bucket underneath that thing for twenty some years, every day we had to take it out and dump it.  Then I heard that Colette mentioned it to somebody, and it finally got fixed…just before I retire (laughing).

Whoever takes your place – what is your advice to them?  Will you have a chance to train them?

Well, if I have to, I’ll come in – I’ll do it on my own time.  I think they should get somebody in here that’s done the work.  There’s gonna be two positions.  And train somebody that’s younger and stronger, so they can do all the snow removal.  I am not sorry to leave that; I’m not going to miss that snow removal!  Or the vacuuming!  I’m counting the days on vacuuming – two more days left!  But you’ve got to get all the carpet, especially in the winter.  Dirt and sand – that dirt, that’s what’s gonna deteriorate these floors.

Floor mats!  Everybody should have floor mats underneath their chairs, because they’re just wearing it out.  They spent all that money…

I tell people, “You guys need to get mats!  This is new carpeting!”  “Well, I don’t want that because my chair slips off the mat.”  I can understand that it could be a hassle, but it’s wearing it out.  Get a bigger mat – that’s what I would suggest – that you can roll around on and don’t have to move.  These are the best mats (gesturing to mine) – they’re hard and solid.  They might build up a little more static electricity, but in the long run they last longer and they don’t tear up, they don’t give.  The new ones are so thin, that if somebody sits in a chair long enough, it wedges down, then – ergonomically – it’s not good for them. 

Spend all that money to do all that work (replacing the carpet), and then it’s not getting taken care of.  Everybody gets a mat, I’m sorry. 

So you’ve really been the person who’s keeping an eye on the whole building.  No one else really has that global view…

I think maintenance should have one designated person to walk through the buildings regularly, talk to the custodian, run through every place that needs to be maintained – especially the boiler room, the bathrooms.  Just a person who will manage and just watch what’s going on in there and then make a list of things that need to be done.  It shouldn’t be left up to just the custodian, or just for this building.  It should be somebody that has the job of maintaining all the buildings. 

Just leaving those pencils where they lay…

Yup, totally…

 

Through a comprehensive survey, we sought your input and we listened.

We conducted a comprehensive survey of residents to improve boroughwide services to the public. Thousands participated in the survey by answering our questions and providing valuable comments. Your documented comments and feedback are directly helping guide improvements to road service and the many other roles the borough plays on the Kenai. We will continue to ensure that KPB residents receive quality services that they pay for at the lowest cost possible.

We balanced the budget, cut wasteful spending, and lowered your taxes.

We have placed ourselves in the shoes of the taxpayer. Under the Micciche administration, for the first time in a decade, a balanced boroughwide budget was passed by the assembly. We accomplished this while reducing your mill rate (property taxes). Prior to my administration, the previous two years saw a 16% increase in the KPB budget. The Micciche administration’s overall budget increased by only 2.55%. The general fund budget was also reduced from last year’s and, leading by example, my Mayor’s Department budget decreased as well.

We supported our students – including home school families.

Working with the Kenai Peninsula School District, we are helping to bolster and improve home-school options. Trying to see things through the eyes of home-school parents, students and families helps us be responsive to the 30% of our students who are home-schooled. It is imperative that we understand and meet their needs.

We are ensuring that Emergency Services are efficient and effective.

We are working to make KPB Emergency Services as efficient as possible to better serve the people of the Kenai. Our view and current national practices demonstrate that combined regional services are far more efficient, and effective, and are provided at a lower cost to taxpayers than many smaller service areas. We also procured and distributed life-saving extrication equipment for our emergency responders to help them meet the highway rescue challenges faced in rural areas of the borough.

We updated anti-harassment and anti-bullying policies to protect employees and taxpayers.

We updated and implemented anti-harassment and anti-bullying policies to ensure the safety of KPB employees and protect taxpayers from legal and settlement costs. This includes a confidential reporting system, a mixed-gender review panel, and improved public official bonding requirements to protect the borough from financial liability.

We condemned and removed the Zipmart in Sterling eliminating a serious danger to children and youth.

We responded in record time to condemn and remove the collapsing Zipmart building in Sterling, which had become a serious hazard to children and youth in a location right next to the elementary school and the community center.

We are ensuring that our elections are safe, secure, transparent, and accurate.

We created a limited-in-scope ordinance that will update and clarify borough code regarding KPB elections. These changes will ensure that our elections continue to be safe, secure, transparent and accurate. A few of the improvements this ordinance will make include giving more information to the public about when the canvass board meets, requiring the hand-counting of ballots in at least one randomly selected precinct even in the absence of any discrepancies, creating a clear process for write-in candidates, and adding additional and improved viewing areas for citizen election observers.

We created partnerships with state and federal agencies to effectively meet challenges facing KPB.

We are tackling long-standing issues within the borough in partnership with KPB constituents, local governments and state and federal agencies. These issues include K-Beach and Eastern Peninsula flooding, KPB housing shortages (particularly in the southern and eastern Kenai Peninsula), rural emergency services support, and communication service gaps. We are also mitigating the overregulation of our citizens through common-sense solutions in partnership with those we serve within the KPB.

We have administered over 40 capital improvement projects improving quality of life.

We awarded 44 capital improvement and professional services design contracts, as well as servicing pass-through funding to the private sector and non-profit grant recipients for services ranging from senior citizen programs to community groups. Funded projects include the new Central Emergency Service station, the new Soldotna Elementary School, CPH and SPH hospital projects, Eastway Road drainage improvements, the replacement of siding on Homer Elementary School, and many others.

We improved Solid Waste Management by reducing usable items in our landfills and reopening the “Sterling Mall”.

We made improvements to KPB Solid Waste Management to reduce the enormous cost increases in that department that have occurred in previous years. We have reopened reuse areas, such as the “Sterling Mall” and are evaluating how to further reduce storing marketable materials in perpetuity in our landfills. The team is also evaluating the most efficient methods to reduce and process regulated leachate to reduce costs to taxpayers.

We fought to ensure that critical funding would not be reduced to any of our KPB Senior Citizens Centers.

In accordance with KPB code, senior center funding is redistributed every 10 years after the census is conducted and shows how many seniors currently live in each area of the borough. Many centers had their funding increased through the current formula in the FY24 budget, but several were dramatically reduced. Working with KPB staff, Mayor Micciche created a “hold harmless” solution to fully fund all centers and to ensure that none of our seniors will go without critical services. The “hold harmless” solution passed the assembly unanimously.

We harnessed your expertise to help us be more efficient in providing quality services at the lowest cost.

We have created open lines of communication so that all citizens can participate in our efforts to challenge how the KPB does business through common-sense solutions to long-standing, inefficient practices. Government is known for falling into ruts of inefficiency. By working with you, we are challenging each department to break out of long-standing ruts and take the fast road of maximum efficiency. In other words, we seek to provide quality services at the lowest cost to the taxpayer with an objective to keep the KPB affordable today, tomorrow, and for our kids and grandkids.