Mozingo clerk recognized for work at park

For more than 15 years, Pam Myers' smile and cheerful greeting were the first things many citizens encountered when conducting business at Maryville City Hall.

Since October, Myers, who began working for the city in 1991 as a temporary employee in the Department of Public Works, has been serving in much the same way at the maintenance office at city-owned Mozingo Lake.

Her efforts as both the longtime administrative assistant in the city manager's office and as the new administrative assistant/reservations clerk at Mozingo were recognized at this week's City Council meeting, when Mayor Glenn Jonagan named her municipal Employee of the Quarter for the final three months of 2012.

"I'm very humbled by this," Myers said Monday from her new office overlooking a portion of the city's 3,000-acre recreation area east of town. "I just really enjoy my job. I like working with people, and I enjoy helping people."

After working for a year at the now-closed city landfill, Myers was promoted to a full-time clerk position in Public Works in 1992. She became the city manager's administrative assistant in 1996 and stayed at City Hall until moving to Mozingo this fall.

Her duties at the lake include taking reservations for all facilities, including RV camping, youth camping, cabins, fishing tournaments, youth camping events and the newly completed equestrian campground.

She said she also expects to spend a significant amount of time working on projects associated with Mozingo Lake Golf Course, including public relations initiatives and event coordination.

"I just think it's going to be a wonderful experience," she said of her new assignment.

City Human Resources Manager Amy Strough said Myers played a key role in moving that park's reservation operation to the lake from City Hall, which resulted in "efficiencies that translate into improved services for customers and increased savings for the community."

Strough also said Myers has been working to transform part of what is usually called the lake's "maintenance garage" into a welcome center "so that guests are not intimidated to walk in and ask questions."

Myers was also recognized for going out of her way to create small, personal touches, such as bringing in homemade baked goods for a group of out-of-state hunters, that make park patrons feel at home.

"Pam is a longtime employee of the city who provides great service to the community," Strough said. "She has an enthusiasm to learn all aspects of the park maintenance operations and excels in customer service, hospitality and guest recruitment."