Meredith sends off retiring parks & rec, public works leaders with lighthearted roast

MEREDITH — Longevity in the workplace is not a thing of the past, as proven by the town's Parks & Rec Director Vint Choiniere and Public Works Director Mike Faller, both retiring after nearly three decades leading their departments.

It was only fitting for family, friends and co-workers to gather at the Meredith Community Center on Wednesday for a joint retirement party, as Choiniere was a driving force behind the completion of the building.

What was billed as a “roast” of the revered leaders wasn’t quite what Tom Brady endured last year. There were some light playful jabs, inside jokes, and pokes of fun, but it was largely complimentary.

As people made their way into the event, Choiniere and Faller shared some memories, thoughts, and plans.

Choiniere has retiring in his future, but said it will be a bit of a phase out while interviews are conducted for his replacement. There are also some projects he wants to see through, and in the end, he admitted he has mixed emotions about retiring, because he truly loves working for the town.

“I’m going to miss the people the most,” Choiniere said. “It is easy to look at structural things as a memory, like the community center, but what I’ll miss the most are the more subtle things. These are things I call the joys of life. To hear children at play, laughing and having a blast. To sit and talk with our senior citizens here at the community center. Having great conversations with them is rewarding.”

He has been the parks & rec director for 26 years, but he’s had 40 years total as a director, also serving Gorham and Hopkinton. Thinking back on his time in Meredith, he said there are too many highlights to even list, but he gave it the old college try.

“I was here for the building of this community center, and I’m proud of the adaptive launch that we just installed over at Leavitt Beach,” Choiniere said. “Many outside other projects, field improvements and things like that. But just working with so many volunteer committees. It is a close-knit community, and people are always looking to help.”

Choiniere and his wife Julie aren’t rushing into anything, and he said he’ll be relaxing once he finally hangs up the cleats. But down the road, they plan to do some traveling to see the national parks, with Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons atop the list.

Faller was hired in November 1997, putting him in charge of public works for more than 28 years. Since then, there have been some changes, with multiple town managers and a revolving door of selectboard members, but one thing that remained constant was the hard work he put in to keep the town’s infrastructure working soundly.

“I’m proud of the department as a whole, and keeping the camaraderie and consistency,” Faller said. “We don’t have a lot of changeover, which is good, and I think that speaks for the great staff and management we’ve had.”

Faller owns a real estate development business, and plans to be involved in land development and excavation work to keep busy in his retirement. He was with his wife Sonya at the party on Dec. 3, who also said the couple will be spending a lot of time boating.

“We’re looking forward to his next chapter,” she said. “It’s a good time to set sail.”

After feasting on pizza, about 40 people listened to town employees who wanted to say a few words about the outgoing fixtures at town hall. While Town Manager Judie Milner is fairly new, she said what was clear from the start was the impact the two had in their positions.

“In my relatively short time in Meredith, both Mike and Vint have been very welcoming and helpful, and educating me on all things Meredith,” Milner said. “I really appreciated that. In fact, Mike was the first person to greet me when I was settling into my office on my first day.”

She said Choiniere was not far behind, and he even made an appointment to meet with her — truly appreciated. Milner said Choiniere always has a list of items to talk about during appointments, showing his commitment to his role.

All five of the selectboard members attended, and Chair Mike Pelczar commended the retirees.

“I bet you guys, when you got hired, said, ‘I want to work here for at least 25 years,’” Pelczar joked. “Fortunately, for our little town of Meredith, not only did you accept the positions, but you took off with them.”

He praised Choiniere for his work keeping programs going and what he has done with the community center, and also Faller for keeping the roads in “stellar” condition.

“There are not enough nice things I can say,” Pelczar said. “As they say, 'It’s not how you start, but how you finish.' You guys started with this, and it is really safe to say look how you’re finishing your careers here in Meredith. The accomplishments you’ve made are unbelievable.”

Police Chief Michael Harper mixed jokes with hard truths in his roast, and congratulated the pair, saying it is the end of an era. He also noted that longevity seems to be a thing of the past.

“They say three to five, maybe 10 years at a position if you’re lucky,” Harper said. “You guys really stuck it out and changed your positions. A lot comes with that, and I can recognize that.”

Assistant Public Works Director Craig Hale praised Choiniere, saying he was a pleasure to work with. He also jokingly warned people to never play poker with him, because when recently asked him about retirement, Choiniere played it extremely coy.

But Hale’s main focus was Faller, who he had been working under for the past eight years. He cracked some jokes and alluded to some stories only insiders would understand, but the main point was that working for Faller had been a great experience through and through.

“Your passion speaks for itself, and you’ve always done what you think is right for the town and the people in it,” Hale said. “On behalf of everyone on the DPW, we say, 'Thank you, good luck on your retirement, and you will always be welcome to come and visit.'”

Assistant Parks & Rec Director Sarah Perkins thanked everyone for being there to celebrate “two awesome guys.” She appreciated working with Faller over the years, but it was Choiniere who she had formed a bond with after nearly two decades.

Perkins has been second-in-command for parks & rec for 18 years, and she had nothing but great things to say about her boss. She said Choiniere has given so much to the town, and is grateful for his leadership.

“He has made an extraordinary impact on our community and all of us,” Perkins said. “It is very hard to sum up our time with Vint. He has been a great role model, a mentor, the kind of leader that doesn’t just manage a department. He invests in people. He’s always been supportive, involved and incredibly dedicated.”