A cake that read “Happy Retirement Roger - after 25 years you’re ‘off the clock’ for good. Now there’s time for everything” was eagerly accepted by Roger Wasley last Thursday. Wasley is retiring as the town of Superior’s Public Works Supervisor, and a party was held in his honor.

“I wanted to retire now because I’m 65 and I can. I have my Social Security and pension. Do it while you’re young and still have your health,” he said.

Wearing a well-worn green baseball cap and an easy smile, Wasley said he and his wife, Terrie, may move to the Frenchtown area if they can manage to sell their house in Superior. They want to make the move in order to be closer to their children and grandkids.

He’ll miss working with the public, who are “95 percent really great and appreciate what we do.” However, he will not miss being called in the middle of the night in January when a water line breaks. Those duties will now fall on his replacement, Rodney Goins.

AS THE Public Works Supervisor, Goins will be in charge of the town’s water, sewer, streets and parks. Every day, wells need to be tested and once a week the sewer needs testing, with results sent into DEQ. He was the maintenance worker for eight years before his promotion to supervisor. The new maintenance worker is Andy Cadman. Together they will plow the streets in the winter, do the water testing, and maintain the parks as part of their duties.

“Whenever someone like Roger leaves, all that knowledge goes with him. He has so much knowledge of the area. He knows exactly where everything is, like all the valves,” said Goin.

Shirley Iwata, who is on the town council and works as a crime victims advocate, said she will miss Roger. “He drives by my place every morning and afternoon and takes care of the park,” she said. “He also handles animal control, which isn’t on his job description. He does a lot of jobs that aren’t on his job description and he does them wonderfully. But, I’m excited for him and his new adventures.”

During his party, friends, coworkers and family congratulated Wasley and wished him well on this new chapter in his life. There were also going away gifts, including an old water meter that Goins had cleaned up and painted gold. Now, rather than reading the meter, Wasley can set it on his desk as a paper weight and enjoy his phone “not ringing.”