After 35 years with Ector County, Charles Pierce is retiring Monday, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the building maintenance director is saying goodbye.
“If they need help, I’ve already told them I’d come back,” Pierce said. “I won’t work, but I’ll come back and give them some leadership and say ‘This looks good or you need to change this.’”
You see, Pierce thinks of everyone who works for Ector County as family and since the commissioners court has always treated him well, he admits it’s going to be a little tough for him to completely cut ties.
Plus, he’s leaving a few projects in progress, for example, the new Ector County Youth Center and a new park he helped design in Pleasant Farms.
“That’s only right,” Pierce said of his offer to help out. “I won’t walk out and abandon them. That’s just the way I am, that’s in my heart.”
Pierce, 62, moved to Odessa back in 1969 from Fort Worth. He started out with the county as a master plumber in April 1986 before becoming the assistant maintenance director. He took over the reins as maintenance director about four years ago.
He and his 32 employees are responsible for general maintenance, various projects, ground maintenance, custodial duties and setting up for elections.
Given the age of many of the county’s buildings, he’s been kept busy.
“We had the jail in the courthouse when I first came and it was in very bad condition, very bad,” Pierce said. “The plumbing was real bad, the electrical was real bad. I had to upgrade all of the plumbing when I first came. At one point my old boss said that since I’d learned so much about the jail, you’re going to be on call all of the time for the jail, no one else. That was horrible.”
He spent so much time at the jail back then, he remembers accruing more than 300 hours in comp time in just a few months. The county judge at the time called his boss and insisted he take a break, he said.
He hopes the county will one day be able to tear down the jail – which was built in the ‘30s – and build a new one by the law enforcement center.
“I’ve seen the ins and outs of it. We’ve got places on the third floor where we are liable to have a piece of concrete fall through the ceiling one day,” Pierce said. “It’s old concrete, it’s brittle and with as many earthquakes as we have. those mild ones we’ve had, we’ve had pieces fall off the building every once in a while.”
He’d also like to see new buildings for the health department, medical examiner’s office and library.
“We’ve got some very old buildings. You can put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig,” Pierce said. “I think maintenance has done a good job keeping buildings up, we can make them pretty, but a pretty building is still an old building. It’s still got infrastructure problems.”
Still, Pierce said he never would’ve stayed so long if he didn’t love his job and the people he’s worked with. He recalls fondly the days when county employees would have picnics, barbecues and banquets.
He’s also proud of the fact he’s always had a good relationship with those who make up the commissioners court and he’s especially fond of the current commissioners.
“We’ve got a great commissioners court right now and I mean that with my heart because I could say different. They can’t do anything to me now. I truly believe we’ve got a really good commissioners court,” Piece said. “Half the people like (Judge Debi Hays) and half the people don’t, but I really like our judge. She has a really good heart. She means really well for the county and all of the people in the county. Some people disagree with the way she does things, but she’s a business woman. She works hard for the people.”
Pierce applauded Commissioner Greg Simmons for “working hard to save” the taxpayers’ money and said Mike Gardner and Don Stringer, the two newest members of the court, are good men, too.
“We’ve got one Democrat, but he’s a very good man. I’m a staunch Republican, but Armando Rodriguez is a very good man,” Pierce said. “He votes with his heart. He is an employee-minded commissioner. He backs employees, I think they all do. We’ve got a good group of commissioners.”
Hays said Pierce is going to be greatly missed.
“His expertise, leadership, and 35 years of maintenance history on county facilities is invaluable,” Hays said. “Charlie has been instrumental in several major projects during his tenure…To be honest every department head and elected official has had Charlie’s department do some type of construction. Being able to utilize his talent on county projects has saved the taxpayers thousands of dollars. It will be hard to find someone to fill his shoes.”
Simmons expressed similar thoughts.
“Charlie has always been eager to go above and beyond to take care of the needs of every department and has a great personality that keeps everyone calm and engaged both within his department and throughout the County,” Simmons said. “He will be greatly missed as a friend and familiar face in the County and his experience and work ethic will be hard to replace.”
His proudest accomplishment was his time as director of the new Gardendale Park, Pierce said. Rather than going out for a bid, he and Assistant Maintenance Director Alonzo Acosta designed it and they and their crew built it.
“The thanks we got for that park made my heart feel good,” Pierce said. “The kids can go out there and play and be safe. It’s a good atmosphere. They never had anything out there that was in that condition.”
He just got done with the design for Kellus Turner Park in Pleasant Farms and is excited to see how it turns out once he’s gone. As for the youth center, Pierce said “It’s going to be a learning center rather than just a children’s jail” with a lot of natural lighting, outdoor courtyards, a gardening area and a workshop.
He and his department have also built four storage buildings over the last four years and completed many remodeling projects.
“A lot of people didn’t think I could do it, but I just think we’ve made major strides in my department,” Pierce said. “I believe cooperation with other departments has really helped. I don’t think you should be a yes man, but I think you should be ‘Yes, I will help you in any way I can’ and I’ve done that.”
