Wastewater superintendent retiring

COEUR d’ALENE — After 30 years with the city of Coeur d’Alene, Wastewater Superintendent Sid Fredrickson will retire at the end of 2016.

The city will host a public open house in honor of Fredrickson from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Dec. 14 at the city of Coeur d’Alene Library Community Room, 702 E. Front Ave. Fredrickson joined the city in November 1986 as the street department superintendent and began his tenure with the city’s Wastewater Department in 1991.

“We very much appreciate Sid’s 30 years of service to the Coeur d’Alene community,” said Mayor Steve Widmyer. “Under his steady leadership, our wastewater facilities have continued to be at the forefront of preserving public health and the environment. We’re very proud of his work and wish him well in retirement.”

Under his leadership, the city’s wastewater facilities have undergone numerous upgrades to ensure quality service and respond to the ever-changing regulatory landscape both in the state and at the federal government level. In 2013, Fredrickson earned the William D. Hatfield Award from the Water Environment Federation and the Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association, which is presented to operators of wastewater treatment plants for outstanding performance and professionalism.

The plant has been upgraded six times during the retiring superintendent’s tenure. Each of these upgrades has ensured the treated water from the plant being sent to the Spokane River protects that pristine body of water.

Fredrickson is also known in the community for giving hundreds of tours of the facility since 1991. Groups of children from schools, higher education officials and other community members have received a glimpse of the treatment plant with Fredrickson as their guide.

Those tours have brought accolades to the department, earning a City Achievement Award from the Association of Idaho Cities in 2016. The department also earned an A+ Education Award in 2014 from the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce.