Resolution 2750-03
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RESOLUTION NO. 27S0-03
A RESOLUTION OF THE SOUTH TAHOE PUBLIC UTILITY DISTRICT
EXPRESSING ITS APPRECIA nON TO ROBERT BAER
FOR HIS YEARS OF OUTSTANDING SERVICE
AND CONTRIBUTION OF UNFORGETTABLE BAERISMS
WHEREAS, in the mid-1970's, the South Tahoe Public Utility District was experiencing
numerous difficulties with the operation of its "state-of-the-art" tertiary treatment plant including
compliance with discharge standards, inadequate capacity, and frequent shutdowns due to a lack of
any system redundancy;
WHEREAS, trouble was brewing on the horizon, the District needed a highly skilled and
competent engineer to assist the District in solving an ever-increasing number of problems;
WHEREAS, the District's recruitment process yielded a young engineer by the name of
Robert Baer, who seemed qualified for the position and appropriate since Tahoe and Baer sounded
like a natural fit, as everyone knows that bears like to live in Tahoe;
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WHEREAS, the District decided to take a chance on this bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Baer
even though he obtained his degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Washington,
a school with a dubious sports history;
WHEREAS, Baer decided to accept the District's offer of employment since it certainly
could not be that hard to work for a STPUD district and, besides, he already knew how to "count to
three" ;
WHEREAS, after Baer landed the job in 1978, he promptly distinguished himself by solving
numerous technical difficulties and mending employee relations that the previous engineer, Attila the
Hun, had previously, and most successfully, decimated;
WHEREAS, by the time the District promoted Baer to Assistant General Manager in 1985,
he had learned "not to ask a question that he did not already know the answer to" but he still had no
idea as to the meaning of "no good deed goes unpunished," something he would learn in great detail
later in his career;
WHEREAS, Baer continued to distinguish himself by overseeing the conversion of the plant
to advanced secondary treatment, constructing Harvey Place Reservoir and building system
redundancy into the treatment plant so the "whole darn place" did not need to be shut down just to
change a light bulb;
WHEREAS, in 1990, Baer's untiring efforts and dedication to the District earned him a
promotion to general manager, which went to prove that there were exceptions to the "peter
\,r principle," and an engineer could be an extraordinary general manager;
WHEREAS, when Baer was faced with any number of challenges, he could often be heard
saying "this is another fine mess you have gotten us into Ollie," which puzzled many staff members
since no one at of the District was named Ollie;
Resolution No. 2750-03
Page Two
\.; WHEREAS, Baer continued to achieve numerous accomplishments for the District and its
customers by employing a little known preemptive testing system, appropriately named the "spouse
test, " which he employed to determine whether his unorthodox ideas would hold waste water or get
him fired;
WHEREAS, the spouse test operated superbly, despite his invisible nemesis Ollie who
seemed to cause an endless stream of problems, but no one was the wiser, that is, except for Baer's
wife, Justin;
WHEREAS, Baer's many accomplishments were founded on the principle of making "fair,
consistent and predicable" decisions, a concept other public officials could not seem to comprehend,
while his longevity at the District was attributable to "never, ever, getting out in front of the Board
of Directors" even though it was "easier to ask for forgiveness than permission";
WHEREAS, after twenty-five years of service at the District, Baer finally and fully came to
appreciate that "no good deed goes unpunished" and knowing that "timing is everything," he decided
to retire but not hibernate; and
WHEREAS, Bear's accomplishments for the District will not be soon forgotten since things
will undoubtedly get "screwed-up" in the future and someone like Baer, who is no longer around to
defend himself, can be blamed for these problems;
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NOW, THEREFORE, the Board of Directors of the South Tahoe Public Utility District
extends to Robert Baer its sincere appreciation for twenty-five years of extraordinary service,
including his most significant accomplishment, building a visionary District comprised of
extraordinary people dedicated to achieving the District's mission statement now and in the future.
WE THE UNDERSIGNED, do hereby certify that the above and foregoing Resolution was
duly adopted and passed by the Board of Directors of the South Tahoe Public Utility District at a
regular meeting duly held on the 20th day of March, 2003 by the following vote:
Ayes Noes
Cathie Becker -x-
James R. Jones X
Mary Lou Mosbacher X
Eric Schafer X
Duane Wallace x
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Resolution No. 2750-03
Page Three
ATTEST:
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
vistad, Hatch & Parent,
ttorneys for the South Tahoe Public
Utility District