Homewood trustees honored a retiring public works employee and welcomed two new and one returning staff members at the Jan. 24 regular board meeting.
The board honored Kirk Lindstrom for his more than 27 years of service as a building maintenance engineer with the Public Works Department.
A resolution citing his achievements highlighted his key role in the installation of a geothermal HVAC system for the public safety building in 2012. Lindstrom was also well-known for his role in supporting village festivals and the farmers market, often putting in long hours in support of those events.
He was also a regular musician at the farmers market and at Homewood Stories, playing guitar and singing classic rock songs.
Public Works Director John Schaefer thanked Lindstrom for his service.
“He brought a great wealth of knowledge to the village,” Schaefer said. “He has saved us thousands of dollars in his repairs of our buildings. It’s been a great pleasure to work with him. I’m sorry to see him leave.”
Lindstrom thanked the board and announced he planned to move to Wyoming following his retirement to work on a ranch in the mountains.
“I’m going to really miss the people here,” he said, noting that short walks with his dog often stretched out for more than an hour because he ran into so many people to talk with. “I’ll really miss that sense of community.”
Mayor Rich Hofeld added his best wishes.
“As much as you’ll miss us, we’ll miss you,” he said. “You’re attitude’s wonderful. You’ve always been a willing participant in everything.”
Homewood Police Department welcomed back Kenneth Strunk, who was hired as a full-time officer effective Jan. 23. He previously served with the department frrom 2003 to 2014.
Strunk graduated from Bellevue Senior High School in Ohio, attended Ashland University and Bowling Green State University and has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He previously served as a K9 Officer with Union Pacific Railroad and Norfolk Southern Railroad.
Because he is already a certified officer, Strunk started the Homewood department’s field training program rather than attending the training academy, according to Police Chief Denise McGrath.
“We are very happy to welcome Ken back to the Homewood Police Department family,” she said.
Two new employees were sworn in.
Village Manager Napoleon Haney introduced Tyler Hall as the new assistant village manager.
Hall, of Chicago, started work on Jan. 9. He has experience as a management analyst with the village of Arlington Heights and as a labor negotiator with the city of Highland Park.
He has a master’s degree in public administration from Northern Illinois University and a bachelor’s in political science from Wittenberg University. In his spare time, he coaches men’s lacrosse at Elmhurst University.
Fire Chief and Building Department Director Bob Grabowski introduced Kelly Huscher as the new building division permit clerk. She started work on Jan. 9.
Huscher previously worked for the village of Mokena as a clerk in community development and public works departments. She also has more than 20 years of experience in the construction field.