BERLIN– Planning and Zoning Permit Coordinator Carolyn Duffy celebrated her eight-year anniversary with the town in a unique way.
While many Berlin employees were taking off on Thursday, July 31 – the day when Town Hall and the Planning and Zoning building received new carpet – Duffy stayed on to protect her eight-year-old houseplant “E.B.”
“When my daughter brought it to me on my first day of work, it was a desktop plant,” said Duffy. “I just take care of her. She’s been repotted three times, and she loves it in here.”
E.B., named after Duffy’s mother Essie Blue, arrived in the office on July 31, 2006.
Today, the plant extends from its pot on the floor to the ceiling, and its width stretches from near the front door to Planning Director Dave Engelhart’s office.
“I just water it and put just a little bit of plant feed maybe every three-to-four months,” Duffy said. “That’s all I do.”
Duffy, anticipating the shakeup with the new carpeting, secured E.B. to the wall with four bungee cords last week.
“It took me three days of talking and trying to tell her, ‘it’s going to be alright,’” she said. “I’ve got her hooked up here, so when the guys come to put the carpet in I’m going to lift it up for them,” she said. “We could have taken off. I said, ‘I’m not taking off – I got to be there for my plant!’ If anybody broke my plant …
“I have to talk to her while we’re getting this new carpet,” Duffy continued. “‘A couple more days and I’m going to let you down.’”
Engelhart said he’s never seen anyone spend so much time with a plant. Human Resources Director Jeffery Fleetwood frequently teases Duffy about her connection with E.B.
“Fleetwood keeps saying he’s going to go get the Roundup,” said Engelhart. “I said, ‘no, no. She’ll kill you.’”
“We’ll have problems,” Duffy laughed. “He’d need (Police Chief) Arnold (Downing) with some handcuffs.”
The swap went off without a hitch, and the entire office was finished by midday Thursday.
“I am very happy,” Duffy said. “They were very gentle with her. They waited until the last minute, took the other piece of carpet up, held her up and then glued it down. It didn’t take more than five minutes.”
The carpet renovations will cost the town $3,355.44 for the Planning and Zoning building and $19,999 for Town Hall. Both were part of the fiscal year 2015 budget.
Berlin attempted to donate the old carpet to a nonprofit, but have so far struggled to find any takers. “We’re in the process of continuing to pursue that, but nobody has yet said yes,” said Town Administrator Laura Allen.
While many Berlin employees were taking off on Thursday, July 31 – the day when Town Hall and the Planning and Zoning building received new carpet – Duffy stayed on to protect her eight-year-old houseplant “E.B.”
“When my daughter brought it to me on my first day of work, it was a desktop plant,” said Duffy. “I just take care of her. She’s been repotted three times, and she loves it in here.”
E.B., named after Duffy’s mother Essie Blue, arrived in the office on July 31, 2006.
Today, the plant extends from its pot on the floor to the ceiling, and its width stretches from near the front door to Planning Director Dave Engelhart’s office.
“I just water it and put just a little bit of plant feed maybe every three-to-four months,” Duffy said. “That’s all I do.”
Duffy, anticipating the shakeup with the new carpeting, secured E.B. to the wall with four bungee cords last week.
“It took me three days of talking and trying to tell her, ‘it’s going to be alright,’” she said. “I’ve got her hooked up here, so when the guys come to put the carpet in I’m going to lift it up for them,” she said. “We could have taken off. I said, ‘I’m not taking off – I got to be there for my plant!’ If anybody broke my plant …
“I have to talk to her while we’re getting this new carpet,” Duffy continued. “‘A couple more days and I’m going to let you down.’”
Engelhart said he’s never seen anyone spend so much time with a plant. Human Resources Director Jeffery Fleetwood frequently teases Duffy about her connection with E.B.
“Fleetwood keeps saying he’s going to go get the Roundup,” said Engelhart. “I said, ‘no, no. She’ll kill you.’”
“We’ll have problems,” Duffy laughed. “He’d need (Police Chief) Arnold (Downing) with some handcuffs.”
The swap went off without a hitch, and the entire office was finished by midday Thursday.
“I am very happy,” Duffy said. “They were very gentle with her. They waited until the last minute, took the other piece of carpet up, held her up and then glued it down. It didn’t take more than five minutes.”
The carpet renovations will cost the town $3,355.44 for the Planning and Zoning building and $19,999 for Town Hall. Both were part of the fiscal year 2015 budget.
Berlin attempted to donate the old carpet to a nonprofit, but have so far struggled to find any takers. “We’re in the process of continuing to pursue that, but nobody has yet said yes,” said Town Administrator Laura Allen.