Utilities has a pair of winners

Water is always in the news in Nevada in one form or another, and usually it's bad news. Either too much, not enough or someone is trying to get it from someone else.

There was some good news on the water front for a couple of Lyon County Utilities employees.

At the Nevada Rural Water Association meeting at Harrah's Casino in Reno on March 13-15, Lyon County Utilities Director Mike Workman was voted manager of the year.

"He's done an outstanding job of dealing with growth and all of its surprises and problems," said Bob Foerster, executive director of the Nevada Rural Water Association. "He's very impressive. He dealt with the Crystal Clear Water Co. problem very effectively."

Workman will receive a plaque and a small monetary prize, Foerster said.

He was nominated by several people, but Workman nominated Utilities Superintendent Jim Youngblood.

"I thought Jim or Misty (Plett) had gotten it," he told the Lyon County Commissioners at last week's budget meetings.

Plett, administrative service manager for Lyon Utilities, said she pulled one over on Workman.

"I made him think that Jim had won and the whole time we knew it was him," she said.

Foerster said the organization likes to keep the winner under wraps, but had to tell someone at the utility to make sure the winner would attend the conference.

"Being recognized by your peers is a good thing, so we try to keep it a secret until it's announced," he said.

Another winner in Lyon County was Skeet Sellers, who won Wastewater Operator of the Year. He runs the new Rolling A Wastewater Treatment plant in Dayton.

"He really had some new things to deal with and dealt with the problems of a new plant well," Foerster said.

Other NRWA winners include Thomas Roach of Douglas County Utilities, who won Water Operator of the Year. Roach operates drinking water systems at Lake Tahoe communities, including the Cave Rock membrane filtration plant and two ozone treatment plants.

In Elko County, Teri Feasel of Carlin Utilities won for Administrative Person of the Year.

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Bob Williams, of Dayton, a T-shirt maker and volunteer for Silver Springs Spay and Neuter Project, is the winner of Virginia City's first gun raffle of the year.

The Virginia City Chamber of Commerce in Storey County is raffling off a black-powder replica firearm at each major event to raise money for the Comstock's fireworks celebration July 4th.

Williams won a replica 1860-era Hawken rifle complete with set trigger at the Mountain Oyster Festival on Saturday.

A replica Bowie knife donated by Bob Russell, of Gardnerville, was also raffled off, and that went to the Storey County Senior Center.

Brandi Lee, a center employee, accepted the prize and said it would be raffled off again to raise funds for the senior center.

Lest anyone think the senior center spends its money on raffle tickets, a benefactor, Dave Semas of Gardnerville, had purchased $100 worth of tickets and asked that they be donated to a "worthy" person in Virginia City.

The 125 tickets were divided between the Storey County Senior Center and the Storey County Volunteer Fire Department, with the senior center holding the winning ticket.