Rural Water - Quarter 4, 2017 - 45
A Day in the Life of a Circuit Rider Rita Clary, Circuit Rider/Technical Assistant, Kansas Rural Water Association What's your favorite thing about being a Circuit Rider? w Rita Clary. What was your first job? My very first job was as a customer service representative at a bank in Atchison, Kan. For my first water-related job, I was the assistant city clerk for the city of Troy, KS for 11 years. There, I helped the water operator with all of the water-related reports. That's how I met Kansas Rural Water Association. What does your typical day as a Circuit Rider entail? My day begins by checking email. I spend many full days working with systems and helping them with funding applications for water or wastewater projects. I attend many board and council meetings, day and night, to discuss funding options. I know that the governing bodies appreciate having someone who talks at their level and has firsthand experience in working for a small community. My goal is to help them be more informed about the financings so the boards/councils have a better understanding how the financing works. Working with systems. I'm a people person, and I enjoy helping others. I really enjoy helping with KRWA's annual conference. It's a very large event - in fact, it's something of a production, with an attendance of 2,300 and 365 exhibits. Everyone at KRWA works together to make it a huge success. It's not "KRWA's conference" - it's "everyone's conference." What's the most challenging job you've ever undertaken as a Circuit Rider? A large challenge has been assisting a newly-formed rural water district with all aspects of development, including even helping the district negotiate property easements. After 13 years, the new system will be providing water service by the end of October 2017. How do you think rural water systems could operate more effectively? themselves as a team. Communication is not just important with customers; it's also important for coworkers, management and the governing body. What's the best advice you could give to rural water systems? Attend training and conferences provided by your state rural water association. Your association is up-to-date with all the new rules and regulations. Along with the technical assistance for field operations, rural water associations are uniquely qualified to help water and wastewater utilities. What advice would you give to a young person who wants to embark on a water career? Get an education and/or a trade. Make yourself valuable. Don't be afraid to go work for that city or the local rural water district. Have an open mind and be able to accept change. Don't give up!! ● The governing body, managers, administrators and other staff need to see At a recent event, Rita Clary shows off a prize - cases of bottled water. Rita Clary works with Teresa Olson, bookkeeper for Public Wholesale District No. 27, in reviewing payroll records for compliance with Davis-Bacon Act. RURAL WATER 45
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