Algonquin Employees Assemble Water Hydrant in 2 Minutes, Take Conference Prize

Gary Hallaert, Utilities Supervisor, and Jason Meyer, Water Operator, with the Village of Algonquin celebrated a first place finish in the inaugural year of Hydrant Hysteria at the 2014 WaterCon Conference and Exposition. 

A fast-paced, timed event, the two-man team of Hallaert, an Algonquin employee for the past 17 years, and Meyer, who’s worked for Algonquin for eight  years, provided the fastest time of the three teams in the assembly of a Clow Medallion fire hydrant.  Their winning time of 2 minutes, 2 seconds earned them a first-place finish, the respect of colleagues, and respect of those in attendance as being crowned the winning team in this contest’s first year.

“The accomplishments of Gary and Jason pay tribute to their dedication to this industry and add to the contributions they’ve made throughout their career with the Village,” said Village President John Schmitt.  “Through hard work and a commitment to professional development, we’re able to continuously improve our operations.” 

WaterCon 2014 is Illinois’ largest conference for water and wastewater professionals with more than 200 technical sessions, poster presentations, exhibits, competitions, receptions, and banquets for the purpose of education, and networking to share experiences with fellow professionals.  A joint conference between the Illinois section of the American Water Works Association and the Illinois Water Environment Association, the event offers an air of competition not only through the Hydrant Hysteria event but through other such as Best Tasting Water, Water Meter Madness, Top Ops, and their Water Main Tapping event.

Hallaert and Meyer re-created their winning performance and were recognized by the Village Board at their meeting on April 22.

For more information regarding Algonquin’s water and sewer utilities, please visit the Village online at www.algonquin.org/publicworks.