After several of months of searching, Livingston has addressed a big need at the water plant, hiring a water plant operator.
Livingston Water Plant Supervisor Jack Parrott said the city went a month without receiving any applicants, and then all of a sudden, about 15 applicants applied for the position. Parrott said he is relieved to have the position filled.
“It’s a real good job, it’s a very important job because you know, everybody depends on water,” Parrott said. “We have to have you know, workers to help run this water plant.”
Parrott said other operators were sometimes working overtime to ensure the plant was operating efficiently. Parrott said the water plant operator will be an extra set of hands to help ensure the city provides quality water.
“Like I say, we’ve got to meet those limits, and if it gets close to that, I mean, we shut the plant down,” Parrott said. “We don’t take any chances. I use this water at my home personally, my family does, so we are not gonna do anything to jeopardize the water.”
Parrott said the city did hire an uncertified operator. Parrott said the city will pay for the new operator to get their certification.
“To my knowledge, being here 41 years, we have never hired a certified operator to start with,” Parrott said. “So it’s a process.”
Parrott said passing the test for certification is not easy. Parrott said the new hire will start later this month and will work for several months before taking the test.