New Hope Golf Course Superintendent Ricky Plemel was named the City of New Hope's 2024 Employee of the Year at the City’s employee recognition event in December. Plemel joined the City in 2023 and quickly made a positive impact by bringing innovative ideas to improve the New Hope Village Golf Course and enhance the golf experience for all who visit the course.
One of Plemel’s key accomplishments has been bringing work that was previously outsourced in-house. His mechanical skills have kept the golf course equipment, including mowers, tractors, utility vehicles and riding carts, in great condition through careful repairs and maintenance.
Plemel also updated the golf course's point-of-sale system to the RecTrac system, ensuring consistency across the Parks and Recreation Department. He conducted research to determine the necessary equipment, placed the orders, learned how to operate the system, and customized it to best meet the needs of the golf course and its staff. Additionally, he provided training for the seasonal staff and assisted in troubleshooting any system issues that arose.
Despite a brief winter with little downtime, Ricky had the golf course ready to open by March 1, the earliest in its history. This was impressive since many seasonal staff had not returned yet. This year, he added irrigation around the putting green using grant funding and managed the installation himself. He also oversaw the installation of the first paved cart paths on the course.
Additional nominees for the award included Jeff Alger, community development specialist; Krissy Barthel, utility billing clerk; Jared Gray, police officer; Nick Macklem, stormwater specialist/project coordinator; Tony Portesan, recreation facilities supervisor; Shari Rains, accountant and Jill Smisek, office specialist.
The City also recognized the long-tenured employees of New Hope. Employees who reached a five-year milestone in 2024 include:
35 years
Susan Rader, parks & recreation director
Steve Ellingson, athletic supervisor
30 years
Scott Slawson, police captain
Penny Spitzer, parks & recreation administrative specialist
25 years
Terry Meillier, maintenance worker
Pete Stanley, police sergeant
Tony Loser, police officer
Dave Johnson, police captain
20 years
Jill Smisek, parks & recreation office specialist
Art Sorenson, maintenance worker
Bernie Weber, public works director
James Bardon, police investigator
Chris Swaja, police sergeant
10 years
Josh Eernisse, police sergeant
Jeff Alger, community development specialist
Mike Keithahn, police investigator
Dave Lemke, public works operations manager
Aundrey Wallace, maintenance worker
Tony Gust, police officer
5 years
Matt Rowedder, utilities maintenance supervisor
Rhonda Peske, police clerk
Gina Karstens, public works administrative specialist