The Municipality of Cumberland has recognized one of its longest-serving employees upon his retirement.
Steve Varner went to work with the former town of Springhill in the fall of 1989 and has held numerous jobs at the old Springhill Arena and town hall/administrative offices and is retiring after 37 years of service.
“I’m going to miss it. I’m going to miss everyone I’ve worked with over the years and I’m going to miss helping people in the community,” the 68-year-old Varner said. “I was always told you’ll know when it’s time to retire and leaving now allows my wife, Janice, and I to do some travelling and some other things while our health is still good.”
It was in the fall of 1989 when Varner was invited to an interview for a part-time position at the arena.
“It was at 9 o’clock on a Thursday night that the old arena committee met with me. Darrell White, who was deputy CAO at the time, called me the next morning and offered me the job,” he said.
Working at the arena, he looked after ice maintenance, cleaned the ice and did general maintenance around the building and its grounds, including cutting the grass in the summertime.
Director of Public Works Justin Waugh-Cress (left) presents a card from staff to Steve Varner of Facility Maintenance upon his retirement after 37 years with the former town of Springhill and the Municipality of Cumberland. Darrell Cole – Municipality of Cumberland
It was a part-time job for seven to 10 months of the year.
In 1998, a janitor/maintenance position opened at the former town hall.
“It was a full-time position and my moving into this position opened up a full-time position at the rink for someone else,” Varner said.
He later took the required courses to become a building inspector for Springhill, a position he continued until just recently with the Municipality of Cumberland.
His work in the community and the municipality was recognized in 2022 when he was recipient of a QEII Platinum Jubilee Medal. He has also been recognized for long service with the municipality.
“When Springhill dissolved in to the Municipality in 2015, county staff were very welcoming to everyone who worked with Springhill. It went great and we became part of what’s a wonderful team to work with,” he said. “Overall, working for the town and now the municipality has been great. I have really enjoyed working with everyone here. I’ve also enjoyed helping people around the community and now the county. I get a lot of satisfaction from knowing I helped someone with an issue.”
He said he’s going to miss the camaraderie at the office. He said there was some joking around and a bit of teasing each other, but the job got done every day.
“That’s why it was such a wonderful place to work. We all enjoyed working together,” he said.
Moving forward, Varner is looking forward to travelling to some warmer destinations in November and April and spending time with his daughters Rebecca, Laura and Carly and grandchildren, 14-year-old Ryan and four-year-old Jack. He’ll also spend time working on and driving his motorcycle and Mustang while doing a lot of other projects on the side.
“I’ll still be very busy and very active,” he said. “It’s going to be a big adjustment for me, but there’s still lots of things for me to do.”
CAO Greg Herrett noted that “..the contribution that Steve makes every single day to the Municipality is above and beyond. He truly cares about the municipality, our residents, and the people he works with. He will be missed for sure. On behalf of the Municipality, I want to express heartfelt appreciation for his exemplary career with us.”