City of Bay issued the following announcement on Sept. 4.
In November Dean Fry will mark 28 years as a City of Bay City employee. Along the way he’s worked in Sanitation, Streets and for the last 15 years, the Water Distribution Division of the Department of Public Works. Fry has proven he’s always willing to go the extra mile, literally. “I bounce around a lot. My work zone is from the airport (James Clements Municipal Airport) up to the water plant, and from Euclid to Essexville,” Fry said. “I easily put 100 miles a day on my van.” Fry is the city’s Senior Water Distribution Maintenance Worker. “I tell people I’m an underground plumber,” Fry joked. That explanation is much easier than telling people the variety of tasks he performs in any given day to make sure homes and businesses in Bay City have water when they want it.
A task many people are familiar with are watermain breaks! When the underground pipe system has an issue – you’ll see the Water Distribution team and Fry jump into action. Fry is often one of the first to arrive to see what’s going on. “I moved from being in the hole to the guy finding the problem and calling others in,” Fry said. From time-to-time he’ll dig a hole when someone else isn’t available, however much of his work is above ground these days. Fry’s days typically start with a check of any MISS DIG sites. From there he could be working with contractors, other city departments and divisions, running parts to co-workers (many are loaded in his van), checking on leaks, answering questions from customers, and many other tasks. “If anyone finds something unusual, I normally get the call. I’ve been here a while and have seen lots of problems.”
When these pictures were taken Fry was supposed to be headed to the south end to check on water-related issues which were part of a sidewalk project. But he got a call sending him to the construction project along Marquette Avenue. The contractor needed to have access to water for their equipment, so Fry had to install a hydrant meter on a fire hydrant. “I’m anywhere and everywhere. That’s a great example of how my days go,” Fry shared. “I can plan to go one place but get detoured somewhere else.”
Being flexible and knowledgeable didn’t happen overnight. He’s put a lot of time in at the city – and his prior work experience has helped too. After leaving Handy High School, Fry joined the U.S. Army and served six years, spending some of that time in Germany. He did everything from repair artillery to servicing fire control systems. When he returned home Fry spent time at an auto plant in Alma and hit the road for nine years working as a delivery driver for United Van Lines. When he left he was nearing the one-million-mile mark! His coast-to-coast adventures came to an end nine months after he applied for a job at the City of Bay City. Fry agrees it was worth the long-wait to get his foot in the door. He enjoys his job and is proud to work in his hometown, where he still lives with his wife of 22 years! Remember earlier when we said Fry always goes the extra mile? It’s not just in his work van. To get to work from his south end home, Fry chooses to ride his bike 2.2 miles each way. “As long as it’s not pouring rain I ride my bike to work,” Fry said. “My car doesn’t even warm up by the time I drive to work. Plus, it keeps me healthy.”
Original source can be found here.
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