What does the building department of an administration have to do with marital disputes?? What building yard employee has a former head of administration simply lost on the ride with the track sled in dense snow drifting. And which mayor once had to be grabbed by the scruff of the neck??
If you want to know the answers to these questions, just ask manfred ott. For answers he has time now. On tuesday, the long-serving head of the building department and deputy head of the administrative community of marktleugast went into retirement.
The fact that the native of hohenberg can immediately recall the funniest events in his 30-year career in the town hall of marktleugast speaks for his nature. Because ott was not only one of the most important employees, but also one with a good sense of humor.
One of the best in bavaria
It didn't take much for manfred ott to miss the lady at the town hall who asked him in all seriousness to give his hard-drinking spouse a reading of the cost of living and to read him the riot act. After his training as an administrative assistant, which he completed as one of the best in all of bavaria at the time, manfred ott vacillated between two jobs: the district administration office in kulmbach, where he took up his position as an administrative assistant in 1980 after eight years with the BGS, and the town hall in marktleugast. "That was the most difficult decision of my entire life", the 60-year-old remembers.
If ott had decided on the district administration, he would have missed out on the close cooperation with no less than six mayors in the municipalities of marktleugast and grafengehaig. A collaboration that admittedly demanded a great deal of commitment. "In the first ten to 15 years, marktleugast was nothing but a construction site. Canal, water, flood clearance, ditch construction – the whole of marktleugast was dug up", says hohenberger, who was also involved in the construction of five clearing plants in the grafengehaig area. During one of these projects, ott recalls, someone angrily went after the then mayor hans burger.
Construction planning, processing, grant applications and the associated proofs of use, construction processing and acceptance – for 30 years they determined the daily routine of the hohenberger. In retrospect, manfred ott estimates that the sums he had to account for back to the 1960s may have been in the double-digit millions. And many millions were added later. "It's clear that you're not always the most popular person in the town hall."
The reconstruction of the creak house was a particular challenge. "At the time, 42 trades were put out to tender. The bid opening alone lasted three days from early morning to evening."
The fact that the man from hohenberg, who also worked as a civil registrar, developed a penchant for computer technology also earned him the post of IT officer in the town hall at the end of the 1980s, which sometimes took up 50 percent of his working time.
Football, cycling and music
He is naturally pleased that manfred ott will have plenty of time for his hobbies in the future. He has played active soccer for 38 years, and has been on the board of FC hohenberg for more than 30 years. And for the time being, he doesn't want to change a thing.
He wants to devote more time to cycling in the future. With 5000 kilometers per year it will probably no longer remain. "I would now like to tour more intensively", says the man from hohenberg, who has been all over germany on two wheels.
At the moment, however, music is the top priority. Last year, manfred ott was the initiator of the hohenberger wirtshaussingen, which takes place every first friday of the month at the FC sports center. Since then he has been collecting song lyrics to include them in the specially created song booklet. "People like that. With over 50 people, we had a record attendance after the summer break", the 60-year-old is pleased. "Self-sung songs, jokes, stories and a snack – that's what fits."
In winter he will be able to strap on his cross-country skis again and do his rounds on the walberngruner glacier during the day as well. It's unlikely that he'll meet gerd fischer there with the track sled. The former head of administration at marktleugas no longer transports building yard employees even during snow chaos, he has long since retired …
"A stroke of luck
Manfred ott has now officially taken his leave. Mayor norbert volk and head of administration michael laaber praised his collegiality and competence.
Also said goodbye was wieland oelschlegel, who entered the service of the municipality of grafengehaig as a municipal worker in 1991. Mayor werner burger quoted from the curriculum vitae of his departing employee: professional experience on all types of tipper and snow removal vehicles as well as a driver and construction worker in the building trade, especially civil engineering. "All this knowledge was very advantageous for the market grafengehaig in his activity in the building yard and as a long-time foreman", emphasized the mayor. And further: "wieland was a stroke of luck for our market community. He did everything in the best possible way. The building yard worked with him and his two colleagues over the years much in own responsibility and is the signboard of our upper country municipality."