New Hartley public works supe excited to get going

Hartley's new public works superintendent is eager to bring some stability to an office that's sat vacant for four months.

Nick Galm started duties at his new gig on Dec. 31. A former Hartley council member, he felt it was important for the city to fill the position with someone who plans on being there a while.

"I've thought about it for a long time," Galm said. "I felt like we needed to get somebody here that was going to stick around and hopefully do the right thing for the city and everybody involved."

The superintendent of public works position opened in August following the six-month tenure of Anthony Weatherman. Despite advertising the job via multiple platforms, the city received no bites. Galm's application this winter was the lone submission.

Galm brings a resume to City Hall with extensive management experience. Most recently, he served as fleet manager for Cooperative Farmers Elevator in Ocheyedan. He oversaw transportation operations for the co-op's large truck fleet while handling a variety of initiatives over the past three years.

Galm was CFE's first fleet manager, as the position was new when he started there.

"It was a bit unknown when it was created," he said. "We knew we had issues and we knew we needed somebody to start looking at that stuff."

Prior to CFE, Galm did contract maintenance for a high line company on the West Coast and also served as a manager at an environmental consulting firm. So far, he said a majority of his time at City Hall has been spent getting caught up on the duties of his office.

"For the most part, I'm just getting a handle on everything," he said. "I've done a lot of management in the past, but there's a lot to learn on the government side of things."

Galm said his time as a council member has eased the transition – he's already familiar with city employees, past projects and future needs in the public works department.

"I would be struggling a lot worse if that wasn't the case," he said. "Most of it is just getting acquainted, getting my stuff situated and getting my feet wet."

Galm has been learning about the staff's day-to-day duties in addition to juggling office work. While the wintertime typically means less outdoor obligations for the department, he looked forward to meeting more residents in the coming months.

"Obviously I know a lot of people from living here, but there are new people I'll be working with that I didn't know before," he said. "I'm excited to learn more and excited to get more involved in the city."

Galm lives in Hartley with his wife, Madison, and two children. He grew up in the Royal area, where he still helps out on the family farm.

"It'll be good to have some stability in this position, because I have no plans on going anywhere," he said.