We Love Our Team: Meet our star employees this quarter.
The Village of Ruidoso Celebrates Quarterly Employee Recognition Awards
Employees of the Quarter
BillIe Jean Wieland – Administrative Finance, Human Resources, Clerks, Utility Billing, Purchasing, Court, Executive, IT, and all Clerical staff from all Departments
Billie Jean began her position as a Human Resources Generalist for the Village of Ruidoso on September 15, 2014. Billie Jean goes out of her way on a regular basis to assist our Village employees, especially the new ones. This was demonstrated when 42 employees couldn’t make it to the meeting for voluntary insurance products and Billie Jean took the time to contact every single one in three days and assist them so their information could be submitted on time to the insurance broker. In December Billie received her SHRM (Society of Human Resource Management) Competent Person Certification which is an extremely difficult process and test. She purchased all of the books herself, studied on her own time, and in December passed with flying colors. Billie Jean is an extraordinary employee.
Randy Koehn – Public Works – Streets, Water, Wastewater Collections, Wastewater Treatment Plant and Solid Waste
Randy was hired to work for the Utility Department on August 1, 2013, as the Water Production Manager. Randy, with Level 4 certifications in Water and Waste Water is heavily involved with the AWOP program which has shed a positive light on the Village of Ruidoso with many of the outside regulatory agencies (NMED, Water Quality Board, OSE, etc). As a result, Randy and his team have been asked to host the next program in September. Working with AECOM, he has also recently achieved the Grindstone Canyon Dam O&M Manual approval by the Dam Safety Bureau. Randy’s performance really stood out when, in June, the Grindstone Treatment Plant experienced an emergency where an 8” ductile iron pipe that connects to the check valve and pump blew out of the unflanged adapter. This caused flooding and damage to the building and equipment, shutting Plant 4 completely down. Randy quickly reacted and assessed the situation and, he and his staff strategically removed all standing water and debris; restored power to the Plant ordered and replaced equipment and cleaned up the building. All of this was done with no disruption to the citizens in the Grindstone service area. Randy is an extraordinary employee and the Village is very fortunate to have him managing water production.
Joe Bailey – Public Safety – Police, Fire, Emergency Management
Joe was hired with the Ruidoso Police Department on March 4, 2013. Joe always promotes the Village in a positive way and is always willing to help anyone in need. He signs up to work a lot of State and County DWI programs as well as trains with his K-9, Spector. Joe goes to the racetrack to help keep it a drug-free area and works hard to take drunk drivers and those with active warrants off our streets. Recently on July 14, 2018 Joe Bailey jumped into action to assist with the flash flooding to ensure public safety. Joe’s strength is his compassion for people and his excellent customer service skills. He is truly an asset to the Ruidoso Police Department.
David Teteault (T-Bone) – Community services – Parks & Recreation, Senior Center, Airport, Convention Center, Planning & Zoning(including Building Inspectors), Forestry and Library
T-Bone began his career in the Parks Department on September 18, 1995, and consistently shows pride in his work and the services that the department provides. T-Bone was nominated because of his accomplishment with Keep Ruidoso Beautiful where he was key in KRB receiving, not only the biggest grant it has ever received but also in having the highest turnout of volunteers at the cleanups. He is also known for having all the answers for any question related to disc golf, trails, fishing, parks, grass or even varmints. T-Bone makes work fun and goes out of his way to be kind and friendly to everyone. He is an exceptional example of a good and true Village of Ruidoso employee.
Department of the Quarter
Community Center/Senior Center
This department represents the Village of Ruidoso with positive public relations and leads by example. They are committed to working collaboratively with groups like the Bridge Club and the RSVP Program and recognize the importance of our veterans with programs that honor their service. Every Friday morning, this Department takes the time to cook and serve breakfast to the community. Recently, this department has secured the funding to improve their facility by fixing the parking lot, replacing the flooring, installing new sidewalks around the majority of the building and they are now working on stuccoing the front of the building to improve the visual appearance. Lots of great things are happening at this facility with Anthony, Judy, and Debbie. As a result, the community has benefited from their service and dedication to our community.
RETIREMENT RECOGNITION
Ralph Gonzales -30 Year Service Award
Ralph started working for the Village of Ruidoso on August 15, 1988, as an Assistant Waste Water Operator 2. He helped keep the old plant running as the main backhoe operator until the construction and transition to the new Facility were completed. His main duty at the new RWWTP was solids handling which included running the Gravity Belt thickener and Sludge Press. He also was in charge of turning, windrowing and composting the sludge piles to turn it into Class A material. Ralph has been a rancher his whole life in San Patricio and enjoys keeping the ranch up, riding horses and spending time with his grandson. The Village of Ruidoso is so fortunate to have had a career long, hard-working employee as Ralph Gonzalez and we want to wish him much happiness with his retirement. Thank you for your service to the Village of Ruidoso.
