Charles Wilson Award Goes to Steve Smart with the City of Chubbuck

The Charles Wilson Award is a prestigious award created by the Intermountain Section to recognize an individual AWWA member's special performance in the following areas:

· Years of Service: 20 years or more of distinguished service to the water works industry.

· Leadership: Provides exceptional leadership for the advancement of the water works industry.

· Mentoring: Shares knowledge, expertise, and wisdom within the waterworks industry and to his/her community.

· Contribution: Makes consistent and exceptional contributions to the Intermountain Section AWWA, the waterworks industry, and service to his/her community.

· Vision: Plans long-term economic growth and expansion to meet the needs of the water users' present and future needs.

Steve Smart, the Public Works Director and city Engineer for the City of Chubbuck, was awarded the Charles Wilson Award at the Intermountain Section AWWA’s Annual Conference in Sun Valley. He joined AWWA in 1978 and became a life member in 2003. Steve has worked for over 35 years with the City of Chubbuck. In his tenure, he has guided the growth of the City Of Chubbuck from a population 3000 in 1978 to its present population of over 14,000. He has worked with the city council to get the infrastructure in place to provide safe clean water to the tap of all residents. He was also instrumental in getting a 20 million dollar wastewater collection interceptor project completed, to protect our groundwater from pollution as the city population grows to over 95,000.

Steve was one of the founding members of the Portneuf Valley Ground Water Guardian Committee teaching the importance of protecting our ground water. When he was an adjunct faculty member at Idaho State University College of Engineering teaching water hydraulics there was many times students came in or would call. He always had time for his students, even taking time out of his busy work day to help in any way. Today the contractors doing work for the city remember him and tell us what a great teacher he was when they worked with him.

He is supportive of any training that is available for his staff. Even before certification was required in Idaho, he was willing to buy books and cover the cost of courses. Even though he has not served in the chairs of the AWWA Intermountain Section he has strongly supported three of his staff to serve as the Idaho Subsection President.

This year’s Award to Steve Smart is very appropriate. He is a person that will put his needs aside to help others. He is a person that all of us can only hope to become. His vision into the future is outstanding. All the same attributes of Charlie Wilson! Congratulations Steve!