After more than two decades in the shop, a Lewis County Public Works employee hung up his tools for the last time last week.
According to a county news release, Neal Allen, who worked for the county’s public works department for more than 23 years, officially retired Friday. In his role, Allen maintained more than 300 pieces of county equipment and ensured the county’s 1,000 miles of roads and bridges remained driveable and safe.
“I’ll miss seeing the guys,” Allen said of his coworkers Jeff Sanford, Terry Bower and Ben Sabin. “Not the grease, grime and dirt.”
For his coworkers, Allen’s dedication to the job stood out. Central Shop Supervisor Arlie Champ recalled Allen staying until 2 a.m. to fix a road repair truck, which was needed for operation but had broken down late in the afternoon.
“Neal has been dependable,” Champ said. “He’s been an indispensable problem-solver, having spent a lot of time on his back fixing rigs in the snow and ice.”
In retirement, Allen plans to spend time with his family, riding his motorcycle, restoring vehicles and working on home improvement projects.
“I have pride and satisfaction that we’ve kept everything (road maintenance vehicles) going, regardless of the situation, so the public can get to where they’re going,” Allen said.
“The most challenging was getting county equipment together to assist with the 2007 flood.”
