It isn’t fancy, but it’s been his home away from home for a long time. Retired John Ranville’s former office in the DPW building off of Atwater is cluttered with ‘tools of the trade.?
‘I’ve never sat in another chair,? he laughed as he pulled out an Army surplus relic and sat down to talk about his 37 years working for the village.
Ranville’s been Lake Orion’s Department of Public Works director for 20 years. He started working for the village in 1967 shortly after he graduated from high school.
‘I was looking for a summer job. I was driving around and saw a couple of buddies pouring a sidewalk and they told me to ask for a job (with the DPW).? Ranville said. ‘Don Soldan ( then the DPW director) said he’d hire me.?
Ranville’s first job was to trim around a fire hydrant. He was told to use a handcutter and he’d have to walk to the hydrant. The DPW only had a couple of trucks in those days.
He continued to work for the village while attending night classes at Oakland Community College. Ranville hoped to keep his grades up because he didn’t want to be drafted. The US military was fighting heavily in Vietnam at the time.
Eventually he enlisted with the Seabees (construction battalions of the Civil Engineer Corps of the US Navy).
‘They were setting up bases and clearing jungles,? Ranville said.
Although he did have orders to leave for Vietnam, his battalion was decommissioned and he went to Newfoundland instead.
According to Ranville, Newfoundland was a strategic base during World War II and only one of the few ice-free ports in the Atlantic.
That’s where he met his wife Linda. After 30 months in the Seabees, Ranville returned to Lake Orion bringing Linda and their first daughter.
He got his job back.
Ranville replaced Soldan as DPW director in 1984.
And why did he want to be director? ‘I didn’t want anyone else being my boss,? he said.
Ranville also studied for many months to get his certification in water treatment — a job requirement for the director’s job.
Much has changed in the village’s DPW since Ranville was hired.
‘There’s a lot more paperwork. You didn’t need permits in the old days. Now we even have to have a permit to put our own dock in Green’s Park,? Ranville said.
Twenty five years ago, DPW employees would be out mowing grass, filling potholes, replacing sidewalks, trimming trees. In 1974-75, they recapped all the village streets.
‘We made our own asphalt spreader. I think what we did lasted longer than these new jobs. We don’t do tree trimming anymore. The liability’s too high,? Ranville said.
Summer’s the toughest time to work for the DPW, according to Ranville. ‘We’re always short (of manpower) because of vacations. We have to mow two cemeteries and all those parks, especially this year, and trimming takes forever,? he added. ‘And we have to deal with emergency situations in-between.?
Because of aging water mains, the worst part of Ranville’s job over the years has been repairing broken ones — especially in the winter. And he was always worried about the danger of a cave-in.
‘They’re five to eight feet underground. You work in the dark, in the rain, in the snow. We’ve had a few cave-ins, but no one was ever hurt,? he added.
‘The bad thing about water main breaks is having to keep working on them until they’re fixed. For years and years we wouldn’t even stop for a coffee or lunch break.?
Once, Ranville and his crew spent 36 hours on a broken water main on Bellevue Island where there is little room to maneuver. ‘We lost a whole road and had to dig through four feet of frost,? he said.
Another thing that’s been stressful is ‘breaking-in new management every couple of years.? ‘Sometimes you get along or you bump heads. The majority of management has been okay,? he added.
The best part of his job has been it’s close to home (Ranville lives in the village) and the people he’s dealt with.
‘I’ve helped a lot of homeowners out and I’ve worked with a great bunch of guys,? he added. ‘I know pretty much everyone throughout the area.?
Ranville and his wife Linda will be vacationing in Newfoundland this summer. When they return home, he’ll keep busy by doing small excavating jobs with his backhoe.
Ranville plans on running for the village council next spring.
In the meantime, he said, he’ll keep busy doing the dishes, the laundry and vacuuming the house. (Linda’s still working at the Orion Township Hall).