SOUTHWICK – Co-workers and friends Marie Traska and Gail Cigal have a combined 57 years of employment with the town as they head into retirement.
Both women were feted with parties this past week as they prepared for their last day on Nov. 28.
For Cigal, it was a very long career with the town.
“I have been an employee for 40 years,” said Cigal, the Department of Public Works administrative assistant. She also spent a year volunteering before being hired.
When Cigal started, she was with just the Water Department, but they eventually merged into the DPW and her job became much broader and more challenging. Cigal said it was fun.
“We had a good time here,” she said. “A lot of us have been around a long time.”
Cigal saw a number of changes throughout her time in Town Hall, the biggest of which was the computerization of municipal departments.
“There was a lot to learn,” she said.
Cigal and her husband plan to stay in the area after retirement and spend time with their son and six grandchildren.
Traska also said she and her retired husband will stay in town and spend time with their two children and seven grandchildren.
The Town Hall custodian for 16 years, Traska said she plans to visit her friends and stop in for “afternoon tea” with her former co-workers.
“Everybody here is great,” she said.
Longtime librarian Anne Murray also retired this year and Building Inspector Denis Gaido will retire at the end of this year. The Board of Selectmen will begin interviews next week for a new building inspector and said last week that Gaido has agreed to stay on to train his replacement.
Traska’s position is also not yet filled and she agreed to extend her retirement to January to help train a new custodian. Traska joked that she finally has the other Town Hall employees trained well and she wants the new person to continue on the same track of keeping the building in order.
