Plover building inspector retires
By Brandi Makuski
Ask Lorelei Fuehrer about her time working for the Village of Plover, and a giant smile spreads across her face.
If she’s not already smiling, that is.
The good-natured Fuehrer, 62, said goodbye to the village on Oct. 13, her last day as a Plover building inspector after eight years.
“Plover is probably the best place I’ve ever worked,” Fuehrer said on Oct. 12. “The people here are like one big family; there’s [sic] no politics, no pulling between departments, no one pulling rank. People help each other, and they’re all out for helping the people of the village.”
Fuehrer said that community spirit is something that’s always been in her, which is why several years ago she also took on the role of caretaker for the village’s Korean War Memorial in Lake Pacawa Park.
Fuehrer keeps a sense of humor about her age, saying, “I’ve earned every one of those years,” and adding she’s well aware of the generational differences between herself and others who work for the village. She’s worked closely with Plover Fire Capt. Ethan Meddaugh, who she called “a good deal younger than me” since the village moved the inspection department within the purview of the PFD in 2015.
“Working with the younger people coming in now, it’s the new generation, they’re more technologically advanced and they have a great way of looking at things. That helps me,” she said, pointing out Meddaugh suggested using a new type of software so Fuehrer could replace a clipboard with a tablet when she performed building inspections.
“I wouldn’t have done that; that came from the younger generation,” she said, laughing. “My generation, we had a way of doing things, and that’s how it was always done. Now, builders are seeing a new way of doing things, and Ethan is more receptive to that, he’s more open to that.”
Fuehrer estimates she’s inspected “hundreds, probably more” of buildings over the years, and she’s worked hard to treat everyone the same regardless of perceived wealth.
“The first time I met John Noel, I had no idea who he was,” she said, chuckling. “We were standing in his house and he asked me what I thought. I said, ‘Well, it’s the not the way I would have built it,” and he laughed. We hit it off right away. His money didn’t matter to me.”
She and her husband, Ken, recently sold their family home to purchase what she calls a “money pit” in Nekoosa, which they’ll now get to spend more time remodeling while living in a camper on the property. She’ll also spend more time with her six children and 12 grandchildren, she said.
Fuehrer said there are a number of pending retirements this year at the village, she’s just the “first one out the door.”
“Richard (Holden, community development director) is right behind me, he’s my best friend,” she said. then, pausing to glance at several thank-you cards and flower bouquets in her office, she added, “Truth be told, every single week, you have the opportunity to go somewhere else because there are so few of us, but we are appreciated. It’s funny, you go through life thinking this is just a job, but then people thank you, they send you flowers and thank-you cards. It’s kind of hard to leave, actually.”