The City Council issued a proclamation honoring Public Works Superintendent Mark Peine for his 35 years of service to the City of Hastings.
Peine is retiring at the end of the month. In their proclamation, the City touted Mark's “can do attitude” and said that his service to the community has always gone above and beyond to "make normal happen".
His institutional knowledge and expertise in water distribution (particularly that of the Water Treatment Plant), lighting systems, and snowplow operations have made him the "go-to" person in all areas of public works. The council commended Peine’s ability to lead by example, stating that it has been contagious throughout the department over the years to inspire others to do the right thing in the public works profession.
Interim Public Works Director and City Engineer Ryan Stempski spoke on his experience working closely alongside Peine. When Stempski stepped in as interim public works director, Peine was the person he leaned on most for support.
Under Peine’s tutelage, Stempski was able to successfully find his footing in the public works department. Stempski credits Peine for stepping up in meetings and being a wealth of knowledge for him, something that was desperately needed to offset a loss of institutional knowledge.
“I want to give a heartfelt thank you to Mark. When I took on the role as interim public works director, I was a city engineer by nature, I’m an engineering guy. But the transition I needed to make was made possible by Mark,” Stempski said.
In an address to the City Council, Peine bid his farewell and thanked the City for entrusting him for so many years. During his time as the public works superintendent, Peine has worked with four mayors, four city administrators, three public works directors, a testament to the stability he brought to the role.
“So yeah, I guess that kind of dates me. I want to thank you for employing me for 35 years and I appreciate everything that has happened,” Peine.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Thank you for taking part in our commenting section. We want this platform to be a safe and inclusive community where you can freely share ideas and opinions. Comments that are racist, hateful, sexist or attack others won’t be allowed. Just keep it clean. Do these things or you could be banned:
• Don’t name-call and attack other commenters. If you’d be in hot water for saying it in public, then don’t say it here.
• Don’t spam us.
• Don’t attack our journalists.
Let’s make this a platform that is educational, enjoyable and insightful.
Email questions to jjohnson@orourkemediagroup.com.