Posted: 9/18/02

Stockdill counting down the days

Jessica Foster
Staff Writer

There is a big black X on George Stockdillís calendar. ìThatís the day,î he says, pointing at the last day he will work as public works director for the city of Forest Lake.

Retirement is looming for the 63-year-old who began working for Forest Lake on June 15, 1971.

He has kept himself busy here over the years. He is the one who does the things people donít notice until they go undone.

He and the rest of the fellows on the city public works crew make sure the roads are plowed, smooth and pothole-free. They work to keep things working as they should so folks can enjoy a drink of cool water on a hot afternoon, water their lawns and flush their toilets.

Of course George, with his cockeyed hat, tattoos on his arms and devilry in his eyes sets himself apart.

He doesnít add any flowers to his wordsóthey just come out of his mouth as honestly as they are thought. He has to think twice to tuck in his shirt for a photo. And he laughs a lotóthat slow chuckle that speaks of mischief.

He also is the guy who makes special trips to city hall to fill the candy dishes of office staff including Chantal Doriott and her cohorts.

ìHe fills our candy dishes then when he stops by at the end of the day he takes some,î Doriott said.

Stockdillís last day as a city employee will be Monday, Sept. 30.

ìThirty-two fourth of Julys, 32 Labor Days,î Stockdill mused.

Back then, Stockdill never thought he would be retiring from this job; he thought it was a temporary gig to pay the bills.

ìI wasnít going to work very long because the pay wasnít very good,î he joked.

Different city

Forest Lake was a different city back in the 1970s.

There were only four guys on staff when Stockdill started.

And all the guys he started with?

ìTheyíre all dead or gone,î Stockdill said.

Now, with the heady growth in the country town turned Twin Cities suburb, there are a dozen guys punching the clock each day, doing the behind the scenes tasks which keep a community working.

ìWe used to grade all the roads around here,î Stockdill said.

He remembers when Centennial Drive was dirt. When 3rd St. was dirt.

He can remember a lot of dirt roads and the work it took to maintain them.

And there used to be less folks drinking water and watering perfectly manicured lawns.

When Stockdill was a newbie, city residents used 75,000 gallons of water on an average day.

Now, an average day is 700,000 gallons with hot summer days pumping well more than one million gallons of treated, filtered water into city homes.

In the beginning, two of the guys would spend the week on the water crew, the other two would tend to the seweróthat was a 7-day-a-week chore. The teams would take turns enjoying weekends at home.

While the city used to have one lift station, there now are 11 with an additional 34 sewer lift stations in the former township.

The equipment has improved over the years, too.

ìWe had a dump truck, a plow and an old grader,î Stockdill said. ìItís kinda fun when you have decent equipment.î

New reins

Mike Tate is used to being the man in charge. For several years, he saw to the needs in Forest Lake Township.

In the last year as the township and city became one community with more than 15,000 residents to serve, Tate has been working with Stockdill and soon will take the lead for the entire city.

Working closely with Stockdill the last year, Tate said, has been a positive experience.

ìHeís a real nice guy and a gentleman,î Tate said. ìHe calls a spade a spade but heís got a good heart.î

Tate said while he will miss working with Stockdill, he is up for the challenge.

ìItíll be fun, time flies when youíre busy,î Tate laughed. ìItíll work out. Everybody knows what to do.î

John Moxness has known Stockdill since he was a boy growing up here.

Working with him for the last dozen years, Moxness has trouble coming up with words about his bossóbut he does laugh a lot.

ìHeís been a lot of fun to work with,î Moxness said. ìHe might raise his voice once in a while but when he did they deserved it.î

Moxness said the city will continue to use Stockdill as a resource long into his retirement.

ìWeíll be calling him,î he said. ìHe knows everything there is to know about the water. He knows a lot about everything.î

While he said heíll miss Stockdill, Moxness said Tate will make a good leader.

ìMike will be doing good too,î he said. ìHeíll fill his shoes.î

Service/family

Over the years, Stockdill got used to his free time being interrupted.

Snowstorms meant plow duty. As a volunteer firefighter in Forest Lake for 16 years, he listened not only to the call of plows but the fire calls, too.

Civil service always has been part of Stockdillís life. He entered the service in 1956, in the army infantry division, and served until 1959.

In 1960, he married his wife, Kathleen. Married 42 years, the couple has three children, four grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Retirement may include a part time job, though Stockdill says he doesnít plan on working any other days than Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

He plans to enjoy his Pine City home and spend time with his family. A few trips to Grand Casino Hinckley are to be expected too, he quips.

He has no grand adventures planned, just enjoying life on his own terms.

ìIím just going to not push it,î Stockdill said.

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