Truelove named Malta Public Works Director

What started-out as a part-time, temporary job for Malta's Jim Truelove has turned into the boss position as Truelove was named Public Works Director of the Malta City Crew at a recent City Council meeting.

"Jim is very hardworking always trying to stay ahead of duties," said Malta Mayor Shyla Jones of the new director. "He is very willing to put in the extra hours it takes to do the public works job. He is doing a great job with very little training."

June 1 of this year marked the fifth year Truelove has been a member of the Malta Public Works crew and two weeks after his fifth anniversary on the job was named Director. Truelove, who has a background in plumbing, and his wife Vikki moved to Malta via Kingman, AZ, in 2010 and left Arizona after his parents passed away. The two had previously visited Malta on vacations to visit Vikki's family and on that first vacation, Truelove said he instantly knew that Malta was where he wanted to live.

"Once I came here on vacation, I knew this was it for me," he said. "It was kind of a no brainer. The people here and it is just so beautiful here. I knew I had found my new home."

Truelove takes over the position for Jim Brown, his good friend, who recently passed after a fight with lung cancer. The two became very close while working together over the past five years and Truelove said he learned a lot from his boss and friend.

"I'm replacing a guy that you can't replace," he said. "I miss him every day, him just being around. He was so easy going and he knew this town so well. I miss the guy. Before I met him, I never had a friend like that. He was a cool guy."

Truelove said that he had the pleasure to work beneath both Brown and former Public Works Director John Demarais who retired in early 2014 after 30 years on the job.

"I learned a lot from both of them and I am thankful for that," Truelove said. "I thank God every day for this job and I always have. I smile when I go in to work and I smile when I go out. That is the truth. Regardless of what happens during the day, I smile going in and going out. This is a fun job and it is fun to do. I love it."

Truelove said one of the aspects of the job working for the City of Malta that he truly enjoys is working outside as much as possible and outside an office.

"If I had to work in an office every day I would go buggy," he said.

Truelove said that the biggest challenge he and the City Works crew face in the future is the water works project. He said things like street maintenance have to take a backseat to the bigger project because, at some point, the streets will have to be torn apart as the water project progresses. He said that another big job the crew will face is replacing the Dobson Lift Station.

"Then you have the pool, the parks, the snow in the winter, the list goes on and on," he said. "There is always something to do and I enjoy that about the job."

Truelove is easy to spot around town as he is generally always wearing a bright green "safety shirt." He said that the attire is worn simply for safety, but admitted that he has quite a few in his wardrobe.

"I probably have eight or nine," Truelove said. "At $9 a pack, I buy them whenever I get the chance."

Besides his new position with the City of Malta, Jim and Vikki also own the Villa Theatre. Jim said that he enjoys both jobs equally and there is little struggle in doing so.

"As long as you enjoy what you are doing, it is not an issue," he said. "That is the case with both places so I feel very fortunate."