City Of Minnetonka: Pletcher Named Spirit Of Minnetonka Award Winner

Minnetonka MN

05 May, 2022

9:57 PM

Description

Press release from the City of Minnetonka: May 4, 2022 It's 5 a.m. in Minnetonka. While the sun slowly creeps up on the east edge of town and residents begin to stir out of bed, Utility Supervisor Tom Pletcher has already settled into his desk. In fact, most days, he's already been up for a few hours. "I don't know if anyone can beat him into the office," said Public Works Director Will Manchester. "If they do, he's not happy about it." Pletcher supervises a team of 14 employees who oversee the water and sewer systems in the city. These teams monitor and test drinking water, clean sewers and maintain more than 280 miles of water systems that keep water flowing to homes and businesses in Minnetonka. "I've got a great crew," Pletcher said. "We get more compliments than complaints, and in this world, that's tough." Not all of his job is fun. When watermains break, or sewage systems back up, Pletcher needs to be ready to assemble a crew. "When we go to those scenes, we are there to relieve the problem, and we do everything we can to prevent the problem in the first place," he said. In April, the 2022 Sprit of Minnetonka Award, given annually to the city's employee of the year, was presented to Pletcher. In his role, Pletcher is on call nearly 24 hours a day, seven days a week. His expertise is crucial to his team and the city as a whole. "If an operator has a question or something they haven't seen, Tom is the one that gets that phone call," said Utility Manager Mike Kuno. "His dedication to the job and the city is just incredible." Pletcher, who has worked in Minnetonka since 1996, isn't someone looking for credit for his work said Kuno. "I've joined some good company," Pletcher said when asked about winning the Spirit of Minnetonka Award. "I thanked my team for making me look good. They are the ones doing quality work." Pletcher is also thankful that he didn't have to give a speech at the awards ceremony. "I don't like to win awards, and now I don't have to worry about winning it again," he said with a chuckle. This press release was produced by the City of Minnetonka. The views expressed here are the author's own.