Castlegar's operations manager Gary Sauer was recognized at the last city council meeting in December by the Local Government Management Association for his long-term service as a municipal employee. Mayor Lawrence Chernoff presented him the award in honour of his 26 years of service to the City of Castlegar. "No one else is quite as dedicated as Gary Sauer," said Chernoff. "He does an excellent job and is a great worker. What he does for the community is incredible."
"It just reiterates the value that all of our long-term employees provide," said Castlegar's director of transportation and civic works Chris Barlow, who works closely with Sauer. "Gary is, in a lot of ways, the heart of public works. He is very, very dedicated — loves the city, loves his work. He can often be seen checking on the city and the progress of projects on his own time — weekends and evenings. That kind of dedication is appreciated and the city is very lucky to have him."
As operations manager, Sauer is involved in overseeing all operations, but specifically manages roads and parks operations, which includes road maintenance, paving, snow clearing, sweeping and everything necessary to keep the city's parks in top shape.
"Congratulations to Garry Sauer for his long service award from the LGMA," said city councillor Sue Heaton-Sherstibitoff. "His commitment to the City of Castlegar and his dedication to making our community a better place is absolutely beyond reproach. Garry has had 26 years with the city. He's wonderful to work with."