Published in the Las Cruces Bulletin 01.06.23
By Cassie McClure
When a city department is as large as Las Cruces Utilities (LCU), which has over 300 employees, trying to find time and a venue to honor the commitment and service of its employees is a bigger task. Thanks to the support of the Las Cruces City Manager Ifo Pili, LCU was able to have its awards for the first time at the Las Cruces Convention Center to allow its staff to come together with food, door prizes, and a way to cheer on colleagues who deserve their light to shine.
At the event, employees were honored for their services years, from 5 years to 25 years. Then, four specialty awards were given.
LCU Solid Waste Supervisor Philip Glasson won the Customer Service Above & Beyond Award for his ability to transition between leadership and keeping customer service its top priority. “He does a great job ensuring that the daily work is monitored and completed by the Solid Waste teams, and at one time, as the only Solid Waste Supervisor on staff,” said LCU Deputy Director Solid Waste Carl Pierce.
LCU Dispatcher Joshua Moreno won the Excellence through Innovation Award for the iPad implementation project that links those in field to with real-time work orders and data.
LCU Accountant and Interim Rates and Economic Analysis Manager Abner Gomez won the Cost-Effective Savings Solution Award for analyzing the rotation of vehicles for cost savings and initializing a reserve system on the auction which allowed for a sale of $472,000 of old vehicles that went back into LCU funds.
LCU Wastewater Treatment Plant Crew Leader James Woods and LCU Industrial Pollution Prevention (IPP) Inspector Damon Barnes received the 8th Annual LCU Board Cash Award for going “above and beyond their required job duties by providing technical support for extensive odor monitoring. Their efforts lead to the proper identification of the cause and effect of the odor/corrosion issue within the collection line that runs along Motel Boulevard,” said LCU Deputy Director Wastewater Laura Montoya.
Lastly, former Chair of the LCU Board of Commissioners William Little was recognized for his 12 years of chairmanship by current LCU Board Chair Ed Archuleta.
LCU – Your Utility Connection. Customer Central can be reached at 575-541-2111 from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. LCU provides clean, safe, and reliable services to Las Cruces residents and businesses. Learn more at: las-cruces.org/180/Utilities
For emergencies, call Dispatch at 526-0500.
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PHOTO 1: Left to right: LCU Wastewater Treatment Plant Crew Leader James Woods, LCU Director Adrienne Widmer, LCU Board Chair Ed Archuleta, and LCU IPP Inspector Damon Barnes.