MONROE - When Barb Moser retired from the Parks and Recreation Department, Recreation Director Marge Klinzing took months to find a replacement; she did eventually, in the form of three people.
"I know it's a lot of work for one person to handle," Klinzing said.
Klinzing had wanted to try to hire one person to replace Moser. However, after she requested to do so, city staff advised her to hire more than one as a way to cover the same amount of worker hours without the requirement of paying employee benefits.
At the Monroe municipal pool specifically, two women were hired to fill the position Moser left after three decades of work there. Anna Nesbitt and Tari Dower, both elementary school teachers, fit the need Klinzing was looking to fill for pool supervisor.
"We had two great candidates, so it was easy to hire both," Klinzing said, noting difficulty in finding a replacement for Moser.
Moser also oversaw the morning and after-school programs, which are now coordinated by newly hired Theresa Klemm. Nesbitt noted kids of all ages still inquire about her predecessor.
"Everybody misses Barb," Nesbitt said. "They are some big shoes to fill. Kids still come in asking about her."
Nesbitt spends the school year as a fifth-grade teacher in Freeport. She said she spends summers at the pool because of her daughter, Kayleigh, and, when searching for a summer job, liked the chance to spend her time there working as well.
"I'm at the pool a lot in the summertime anyway," Nesbitt said. "I love working with people, with kids and families. I was really excited to get started. It's really fun to interact with kids in a setting outside of the classroom."
A lot of the work Nesbitt and Dower do is organization, whether they make phone calls or aid with paperwork and checking kids into the facility. Dower remarked on the work Moser, as one person, accomplished over decades.
"I don't know if people realize how many hours Barb put in here, day after day," Dower said. "We get lots of people who ask about her. They'll ask if she finally retired and 'are you the new Barb?' I'll say nobody can be the new Barb. I just say I'm probably a poor substitute."
Because of her personality, Dower said people had encouraged her to apply for the job at the pool. She said that so far it has "been very good." Over the past three weeks, Dower said she and Nesbitt have been adjusting to the new place and getting to know those around them. She credited recent Monroe High School graduate Dylan Beaver for his help in getting them acclimated.
Dower noted how she and Nesbitt are still taking the time to learn things that Moser likely knew how to do "without thinking" since they began with the pool on June 5.
Dower teaches pre-school and kindergarten students at Parkside Elementary School and spends her mornings teaching summer school before coming to the pool in the afternoons.
"I do find they're shocked to see me here after seeing me at Parkside," Dower said. "But overall, the kids have been great."
"I know it's a lot of work for one person to handle," Klinzing said.
Klinzing had wanted to try to hire one person to replace Moser. However, after she requested to do so, city staff advised her to hire more than one as a way to cover the same amount of worker hours without the requirement of paying employee benefits.
At the Monroe municipal pool specifically, two women were hired to fill the position Moser left after three decades of work there. Anna Nesbitt and Tari Dower, both elementary school teachers, fit the need Klinzing was looking to fill for pool supervisor.
"We had two great candidates, so it was easy to hire both," Klinzing said, noting difficulty in finding a replacement for Moser.
Moser also oversaw the morning and after-school programs, which are now coordinated by newly hired Theresa Klemm. Nesbitt noted kids of all ages still inquire about her predecessor.
"Everybody misses Barb," Nesbitt said. "They are some big shoes to fill. Kids still come in asking about her."
Nesbitt spends the school year as a fifth-grade teacher in Freeport. She said she spends summers at the pool because of her daughter, Kayleigh, and, when searching for a summer job, liked the chance to spend her time there working as well.
"I'm at the pool a lot in the summertime anyway," Nesbitt said. "I love working with people, with kids and families. I was really excited to get started. It's really fun to interact with kids in a setting outside of the classroom."
A lot of the work Nesbitt and Dower do is organization, whether they make phone calls or aid with paperwork and checking kids into the facility. Dower remarked on the work Moser, as one person, accomplished over decades.
"I don't know if people realize how many hours Barb put in here, day after day," Dower said. "We get lots of people who ask about her. They'll ask if she finally retired and 'are you the new Barb?' I'll say nobody can be the new Barb. I just say I'm probably a poor substitute."
Because of her personality, Dower said people had encouraged her to apply for the job at the pool. She said that so far it has "been very good." Over the past three weeks, Dower said she and Nesbitt have been adjusting to the new place and getting to know those around them. She credited recent Monroe High School graduate Dylan Beaver for his help in getting them acclimated.
Dower noted how she and Nesbitt are still taking the time to learn things that Moser likely knew how to do "without thinking" since they began with the pool on June 5.
Dower teaches pre-school and kindergarten students at Parkside Elementary School and spends her mornings teaching summer school before coming to the pool in the afternoons.
"I do find they're shocked to see me here after seeing me at Parkside," Dower said. "But overall, the kids have been great."