Happy retirement!

O
n Sept. 4, Rick Williams served his last day as Weston County Road and Bridge superintendent. Williams started working with Road and Bridge 44 years ago. In 1995, Walt Soper retired from that position, and he petitioned Williams to serve. For the last 25 years he had served as superintendent, a job which he says he loved. Remembering many of the jobs and duties he has performed, his heart was always with the operations of the big machinery. Even though it was sometimes frightening — helping to fight fires across the western United States — he wouldn’t trade any of the job for anything. 
He remembers one big event in 1980, when they took a couple big bulldozers to help fight the Jasper Fire. The blaze, which scorched more than 130 acres of the Black Hills National Forest — making it the largest fire in that area in recorded history — cut off Williams and his crew at one point. When a helicopter cleared a path for them the dozer boss had them evacuate.
Taking his place as superintendent is Jim Hansen. Williams said that Hansen is a good replacement for him. Williams plans to take a little bit of time for himself now, and then, as he says, he has plenty of things to do on the house as well as other activities and work.
Williams will be missed at Road and Bridge, and several Weston County commissioners, including Ed Wagoner, said that Williams’ knowledge is going to be hard to replace. His secretary, Brookelyn Weigel, expressed similar feelings. 
“The quote ‘a great boss is hard to find, difficult to leave and impossible to forget’ is more than fitting for Rick,” Weigel said. “I will miss him, but am so glad he decided to take this time with his family!”