KINDNESS FOREVERCity employee takes time to help

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Jul 5, 2008

Most of the time when I write a letter to the editor, it is to complain or express my disagreement with someone or something. Today, I am pleased to write a positive letter about something that happened that made me feel very good.

We know our water bills are going up, and I have always thought mine to be out of line. I used to check my meter once in a while to be sure there wasn't a leak in my line somewhere. I could do it by lifting the cover over my meter and the cap to look at the dial to see if it was moving when all my water at the house was shut off. Then, they switched to reading the meters electronically, and I didn't think I could do it anymore. I tried once but couldn't see the dial or find the cap I usually lifted to see the dial.

June 12, I noticed the meter reader on our street, so I caught up with him. I told him that I could no longer lift the cap on the dial to check my meter and wondered why. He was a very nice young man and told me to wait until he read all the meters, and he would come and check it. When we lifted the lid to look at the meter, we found it full of rain water.

"Not to worry," he said. He had a pump with him. I told him I thought that was too much trouble to put him to, but he insisted he wanted to help me.

Well, we pumped out the water, and I said to him, "See. I can't find the lid covering the dial so I can see it."

"Sir," he said. "Just a minute." He removed a small cloth from his truck, bent down and wiped off the face of the dial, which was just covered with dirt and grime. There was the meter that I was certain had been covered up to permit the electronic reading. And I had no leaks.

This is an example of a city employee going out of his way to help a citizen, and I was impressed and told him so. He really did a good thing that day. I hope his supervisor reads this, and because he knows the day, he can identify the employee. This young man deserves recognition.

John Atchley, Topeka